Our first Act of Audacity is now online, in full glam-rocking glory. Enjoy!



Big thanks to our dynamite performers, crew, and everyone who supported this Act of Audacity. We wanted to share a few of the comments we've received since the video went online:

"It's the coolest campaign off Broadway."
- Lynn Yates of Zingermann's Community of Business
"I almost snorted coffee up my nose this morning while laughing at all of y'all!"
- Leslie Dreyer

So what will be our next Act of Audacity? That's for you to decide. Donate. Vote. Watch. And be a part of this community-driven campaign to restore health and vitality to the Ann Arbor Film Festival.

Labels: act of audacity, endangered campaign

The results are in from the first part of our Endangered campaign. Our community has spoken and we have a winner for Act of Audacity #1 – glam rock karaoke in the streets of Ann Arbor!

So earlier today we shook the streets of Ann Arbor with wild outfits, wigs, and make-up...a lot of make-up. It's glam rock, after all. There were snarls, killer looks, over-dramatic dancing in the streets and a healthy supply of awed gawkers. Of course there was also singing, screaming, crowd banter and classic glam rocking songs. Which ones? You'll have to wait until next week to watch and find out.

And while we're excited about our first Act of Audacity, we are thrilled that we reached our campaign's Act I fundraising goal of $10,000. Thank you to each person and organization who contributed and spread the word. This festival's longevity and influence is truly community and audience driven. We are honored to have your support.

So now we begin Act II of our campaign with three new Acts of Audacity for you to choose from and a more audacious fundraising goal for us to reach. We are incredibly committed to the success of this campaign, to restore health and vitality to the Ann Arbor Film Festival. We hope to have your continued participation and support – we simply won't get there without you.

Labels: act of audacity, endangered campaign

Our Endangered campaign is less than a month old and we're excited to see all the new life it's creating for the Ann Arbor Film Festival during a time of crisis. Whereas marketing professionals would call this a "viral" campaign, we think of it more as "pollinating". Our campaign instructional video certainly has created some great "buzz", and our new director's commentary by David Meiklejohn has just blossomed.

Some of you might be wondering "what's the connection between experimental, avant-garde film and the animal kingdom?" Both thrive with diversity (artistic or genetic), adapt rapidly to their environment (new technologies or climate fluctuations), and strive to run free and wild (across movie screens or the grassy plains). They're also both seeing some of their species become endangered (AAFF and hundreds of mammals, birds, fish, insects).

Sure, this is a metaphor for our campaign, but it means more to us than just a name and images of cute animals. That's why we decided to contribute 5% of our entire campaign funds raised to help protect endangered animal species. Our alliance with The WILD Foundation is part of our belief that mission-driven, non-profit organizations can create symbiotic relationships with each other. The Ann Arbor Film Festival doesn't just show movies on the screen; we help people creatively explore, connect, and understand this world we all live in.

In this spirit, here is some inspiration we've found from our friends in the animal kingdom. The gray wolf, once almost extinct is now having a remarkable resurgence due to the direct efforts and involvement of concerned people.

So don't let too much of the bad news of the world get you down. There's always stories of growth and new life. The AAFF is working hard right now to be the next one, so please join in our "pollinating" Endangered campaign and spread the word.

Labels: endangered campaign