The Kickstarter funding drive for the documentary finished last Monday, which probably led to a huge sigh of relief on Twitter from those people who were fed up hearing about the project!
It was a staggering success story.
1,937 backers pledged $223,422 to help get the movie out there to as wide an audience as possible, so expect to see DVD’s of the film on all good shelves by the fall, and some cinemas too.
When we first championed the film back in March, we knew it was a great story and one that deserved to be seen by a global audience.
Never in our wildest thoughts (and we have far fetched ones here at AFTN) did we expect that the film would capture the imagination of football fans on both sides of the Atlantic the way it did. The funding came in from all walks of life.
Some of the tales of the pledgers, were as heartfelt and as inspiring as Jay’s story itself.
From kids giving their pocket money and proceeds from yard sales; to footballers who see hope in their own personal stories; to servicemen in Afghanistan; to the rich and famous like Weezer singer Rivers Cuomo.
One of my particular favourite stories came at the end of the fundraising drive from a guy that used to play football but gave it up to concentrate on track, before getting an ankle injury.
Inspired by the film and the never give up on your dream message it gets across, he went to his college team’s open tryouts and made it into their squad. His own footballing dreams were back on track thanks to the inspiration from the film.
AFTN caught up with Jay last week and talked a little bit about the movie and the reaction it’s received.
We started by asking him how he felt now that the film had met the funding threshold:
“Amazed. Absolutely amazed how it all came together. It’s amazing how a group of people can pull together for a cause like that, to make something happen.
A near quarter of a million dollars isn’t exactly a short amount of change. People I don’t even know were rallying for the cause. To see that happen and to see that goal be achieved is amazing for everyone that was involved.”
So now that the funding is there, how soon does Jay hope that people will now get to see the film in the final edit?
“We’re hoping in a couple of months. The guys, in preparation for hopefully hitting the target, have had conversations already about if we did make the target, how would be go about doing it.
So it’s hopefully going to be a pretty quick turnaround, not only because we want to keep the people that were involved involved and get them their copy of the DVD because they deserve it.
We’re hoping a couple of months, to get it professionally edited, to get the new footage, to get it all together and then get the pros to clean it up. So hopefully by fallish time, we’ll hopefully have a finished product and get it out there”.
The film-makers have already started to work on getting the licensing for the footage that they need. This takes time, as does the final editing, but things are moving well.
One of the key aspects is how the final film will be distributed. It’s already getting critical success at a number of film festivals and sold-out screenings, and the producers would like to explore getting it out there to a mainstream audience, and not just a football one.
Being a real-life, feel good, success story of grit and determination against the odds, it definitely should have wider appeal.
Independent cinemas are being sought to show the film in big screen glory and there may even be a tour of the final film for the cities that have supported it the most.
We’ll keep you posted on AFTN of all the latest developments.
Everyone who got the film made and helped with the funding deserves a huge pat on the back. It’s just a case now of sitting back and waiting for that final dvd to drop through my letterbox in a few months time.
Hopefully next year we can see a re-edited version to include Jay lifting the MLS Cup for the Whitecaps.
If you read any football blogs or follow Twitter, you can’t help but have noticed the promotional funding push for “Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story”.
Football fans across the world have got behind the documentary in their droves.
AFTN has championed the film from the start and it’s been great to see fans and supporters groups throughout North America and beyond feel the same way about the project.
When film-makers Nick Lewis and Ranko Tutulugdzija decided to shun the traditional route of funding films and go down the Kickstarter road two months ago, it was a brave and bold decision.
The goal was to raise $215,000 in 75 days.
It looked to be a challenge, and it has been, but the same something that grabbed our attention about the film back in March, also seemed to capture the imagination of football fans the world over and with three days left, the project needs just under $7,000.
It’s a remarkable achievement, with so many remarkable tales to be told from the whole project, but remember, it’s not over yet.
Whether it be no pledge but spreading the word, a $1 pledge, a $10 pledge a $100 pledge or a $10,000 pledge they are all still equally important.
Pledges so far have come from all walks of life, and we’ll be featuring some of these stories on AFTN next week. It’s been amazing to watch money come in from kids, the unemployed, celebrities and even serving US soldiers over in Afghanistan.
Without getting too gushy, but they’ve all been touched by the message of hope and ‘follow your dreams’ that the film portrays.
From the start, the producers had hoped to take the film on a cinematic grassroots tour to raise awareness and pledges and this was a huge success, with screenings from coast to coast in America, along with events in Canada and the UK.
Although not finalised, if all goes well and the project goals are met, there are hopes to take the finished film on a thank you tour of the cities that have also helped the most.
The US national team’s supporters group, The American Outlaws have played a huge part in the success, organising screenings throughout the country and raising a huge amount of money for the film in the process.
Chris Olenik, who is executive producer on the documentary and has overseen the social media aspect of the funding project, told us:
“We have to give a huge thank you to the American Outlaws. They have been amazing and we couldn’t have got this far without the support of their amazing organization”
A number of other supporters groups have had screenings, including both The Southsiders and The Northsiders in Vancouver.
Co-Producer Nick Lewis told AFTN upon the project launch in May:
“We [the filmmakers] want to take this project to the fans. It’s a community project and kickstarter.com aligns perfectly with how we want to get this film distributed and have Jay’s story told.”
“This film is not just for those who love soccer, but for anyone who has a dream. No matter who you are or what your passion is in life, Jay’s story is one that will inspire.”
That was then and a lot has happened in the short time since.
We caught up with Nick again this evening to ask him how he felt about the support they’ve received in the last two months and how the whole project has gone:
“The support has been amazing. And I’m not talking about the support of big organizations, but of everyday people who simply love Jay’s story and want to support the beautiful game.”
“To have people reach out and volunteer their time and creativity has been something we didn’t expect. It really is a testament to Jay’s story and to Jay as a person.”
“It is clear that there is a passion for the game, but to see others put their effort, money, and creativity into the project is what it really is all about.”
“I think the funding aspect has gone great as well. This is a tough economy and we have raised quite a bit of money and it is all going towards the film.”
So what does it feel like now that the Kickstarter project is coming to an end and that final goal is ever so close?
“I am feeling like I need a vacation!” (laughs)
“In all honesty we still have a lot of work to do. The editing and licensing is going to be a process and we want to do it right because Jay’s story deserves it (this is all assuming that we finish the funding).”
“So we have a lot of work to do on that end and most importantly on getting it out to a wide audience. But we will take a few days and relax… much needed!”
As Nick notes, there is no room for complacency though. The goal has not been met yet and these closing hours of the project are vital.
The way that Kickstarter works, every project must be fully funded before its time expires and the same is true of this one. If the funding is not fully there by 12.20am PST on July 18th, then the project will not proceed.
Everyone that has supported the film so far needs to make sure that we don’t let this happen.
So we need one last push for pledges. Encourage everyone to go HERE to pledge and get some great goodies as their reward.
Regular AFTN readers will know how much we love the new documentary “Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story” and how much we want to help get it out there for the general public to see. Well now we can all help.
I’m proud to have Jay DeMerit as a Whitecaps player and his story is inspirational to all the young players out there who want to carve our a career as a professional footballer, especially those that feel that their time may have passed. It’s a story of never giving up and it’s not just a football tale, it’s a story of lessons in life.
Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story is the story of a young American’s impossible journey – a journey never experienced or heard of in the football world to such an extent.
After college, Jay’s dream of playing pro soccer in Europe seemed unreachable. Sleeping in an attic, painting houses and eating beans on toast to survive, Jay took the most unlikely route to the top. After not making the professional leagues in the US, Jay left for Europe at the age of 21 without any professional experience – only a passport, $1500 and a backpack full of dreams.
The film documents Jay’s journey from the bottom, playing in Sunday park leagues and non league level and earning  40 a week, to playing in the English Premier League and starting in the 2010 World Cup.
The Jay DeMerit Story is a story of perseverance, hard work and relentless belief in a dream. It’s a story that should be told and now you can help get that story told.
We caught up with one of the Co-Producers and Directors, Ranko Tutulugdzija, back in March and in an interview with AFTN back in March, he told us that funding was proving to be a particular stumbling block for getting the film out there.
Game footage and photographs are the biggest expenses. A minute’s footage from the World Cup, for example, costs $50,000.
That’s why the filmmakers are taking a radical approach and asking football fans and film lovers to be part of its release using kickstarter.com, with the ultimate goal to raise $215,000.
Kickstarter is the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. Every month tens of thousands of people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, art, film, technology, design, food, and other creative fields.
Every Kickstarter project must be fully funded before its time expires and the same is true of this one. If the funding is not there by July 18th, then the project will not proceed and no one will be charged any money.
So how can you help? How can we all help?
The producers have put together various funding options ranging from just $1. Anyone can donate whatever you can afford and the more you donate, the more reward you will get for your generosity.
There are dvds, posters, exclusively designed Jay DeMerit tshirts, an autographed jersey, credit in the film and even executive producer status up for grabs. Two lucky people can also get a pair of cleats worn by Jay in the 2010 World Cup.
Every little helps and every donation is vital. If you can’t help in a monetary sense then please do what you can to help spread the word and raise donations via social media.
The film has a Twitter account and Facebook page. Please follow, like, retweet and post the message and help get this film to a wider audience.
The producers hope to take the film on a cinematic grassroots tour. If any supporters groups would like to be involved in this and have the film stop in their city then please let us know and we can pass the details on to one of the film-makers.
Likewise, if anyone in Vancouver would like to get involved at grassroots fundraising level, then please get in touch at: MichaelMcColl@jaydemeritstory.com
Co-Producer Nick Lewis told AFTN “We [the filmmakers] wanted to take this project to the fans. It’s a community project and kickstarter.com aligns perfectly with how we want to get this film distributed and have Jay’s story told.”
“This film is not just for those who love soccer, but for anyone who has a dream. No matter who you are or what your passion is in life, Jay’s story is one that will inspire.”
We totally agree. Please help get behind the project in any way you can. Monetary, via social media or both.
So head over to the special page of the film at Kickstarter today and let’s get Jay’s story done the way it deserves to be done!
Getting independent movies financed and distributed has always been hard. More so in this current financial climate.
Factor in a theme of football and you’re fighting an even bigger battle to get it made and seen.
Football films are pretty much hit or miss. Few get me really excited, but one which certainly did from the minute I heard about it was the documentary “Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story”.
The Whitecaps revered Captain has had an amazing story to get to where he currently is in the game. Most of you will already know it well, but for those of you who don’t, here it is in potted form.
Jay was considered a prospect whilst playing for the University of Illinois. The powers that be in MLS ignored his talents though and many would have thought that Jay’s dreams of making it as a professional footballer would have been over.
Showing tremendous spirit and self belief, Jay wouldn’t let his dreams die and headed to Europe with just $1800 in his pocket.
Battling through rejections and a footballing education in the lower reaches of the English non-league game, Jay’s talents were eventually spotted by English Championship side Watford.
Long story short, he became a cult hero and Captain of the Hornets who scored the winning goal at Wembley to take them into the Premiership. Throw in being capped for your country and playing at the World Cup and you have a real life rags to riches tale that you just wouldn’t believe if you were watching a fictional Hollywood blockbuster.
But it’s all true and that’s what makes the whole story all the better and dynamite movie material.
“Rise and Shine” The Jay DeMerit Story” was written and directed by first time film-makers Ranko Tutulugdzija and Nick Lewis. The 90 minute documentary saw 50 days of filming, across three continents, over a six month period.
The film-makers have a fantastic end result and, in these days of sporting biopics being hot tickets, a potential hit on their hands.
Only two big problems. They don’t have the necessary funding or licensing rights to take it to theatre or dvd.
This has meant that the documentary has been doing some rounds on the festival circuit and only been seen at private screenings.
We caught up with one of the co-writers, directors and producers of the documentary, Ranko Tutulugdzija, to find out more about the film and what the current distribution status of it was.
Ranko and Jay go way back to their university days when they were not only best friends but also team-mates on the University of Illinois football team in Chicago.
Did he know right away that Jay had what it would take to get him to the top of the game?
“Jay wasn’t a star to everybody on the team but to me, as an offensive player, I knew what it meant to have him. With a player like Jay, you can play offensive attacking soccer with freedom. I realized as soon as I got to Chicago that with Jay I could be free to attack – I don’t think people outside of soccer or maybe even in soccer really understand what this means for an offensive minded player.
I always knew that Jay could play at the highest level because he was relentless and fearless, and tried so hard. For a team to have just one defender like Jay, this is everything, the foundation and a secret to success on the highest level. On top of that he had calm aggressiveness in college, this is what every great defender in the world has had and he had it, whether others recognized it or not I don’t know – but I did.”
And did Ranko harbour hopes of becoming a professional footballer himself?
“Did I ever dream of playing professional?!!! That was my heartbeat growing up and I planned it forever. Jay can testify to it, for a couple months I didn’t have an apartment so I slept on Jay’s floor next to his bed. He used to see me go to bed at 8:30pm every night. I was so disciplined. For me, soccer was my first love and my way out of what I experienced growing up, it was my escape.”
Ranko and Jay shared a lot of ups and downs at school, on the football pitch and also in their downtime. There can’t be many better people to tell Jay’s story and this bond not only comes across in the film, it also helps tell the story of what Jay is like as a person away from the football pitch.
Intrigued by something we read on the film’s official website, one story Ranko tells us captures that aspect of him more than any other.
“Most people know about Jay as a soccer player but not everybody knows about what kind of human being he is.
After years of collapsing health, I found out that the severe new symptoms I was having was because of the conditions of my kidneys and because they have suffered for years, and with this new development, it was probably irreversible. Those years I never talked to Jay or really anyone, I went to China for help because I didn’t have medical insurance after I graduated from college and then kind of disappeared into a my own world of getting through the pain.
Finally in 2007, Jay got in contact with me when he was playing in the Gold Cup at the Home Depot Center in LA, and gave me tickets to his game against Guatemala. After the game we met up in Manhattan Beach and I told him everything. He wanted to get tested immediately to see if he was a match to donate his kidney. It was really an expression of friendship I can never re-pay, Jay is not only a top-gun soccer player he is a friend and an awesome human being.”
Jay DeMerit’s story is certainly a unique and inspiring one, but when did the guys first get the idea that it would make a good film?
“Actually, when I had first thought about it ‘GOAL’ had come out as a feature in Hollywood and it was so similar to Jay’s story I didn’t think it could be done again…but in January 2010 my old friend from UC Santa Barbara, Nick Lewis, who I introduced to Jay, told me that we should do a documentary on Jay’s story. And that was when I said boom, Nick you are a genius, that is it – a documentary – the real thing. Let me call Jay and talk to him about it. So, it was Nick, my partner, who actually thought of the idea to do the film.”
Armed with the idea, how did they go about pitching the idea to Jay and getting him on board?
“I pretty much pitched the idea to Jay and myself at the same time, trying to convince both of us that we could do this! (laughs) I told him that we were just going to steward the process, organize everything and make sure it is what he wanted.
Being so close to Jay before he was a phenomenon, he trusted me to oversee the process and that is how it started. So, Nick and me partnered up to make the film happen, neither of us were ever supposed to actually be the creative part of the film or be involved in the actual shooting/directing or editing or anything else except producing the film.”
That wasn’t how it turned out though and Ranko and Nick ended up as co-writers, co-directors, co-executive producers and co-assistant editors. They also ended up financing the making of it all, at much cost to themselves. As first time film-makers did they find the whole industry frustrating?
“We maxed out every credit card we had and borrowed from everyone we could to make the film.
I still don’t know too much about the industry, I guess that will be my next step if we do enter into a partnership to get Jay’s story distributed and then after that process I will be more able to answer this question.
We just hope people in Hollywood and the public see that this is a movie made without a marketing strategy, without a plan to make money, it was a friendship movie made from the deepest part of us.”
As with most films, money was most certainly a bit of a problem. With filming in Green Bay, Connecticut, London, South Africa and Chicago, things had to be done in the most cost effective way possible. For Ranko and Nick, this meant them missing out in going to film at the World Cup in South Africa.
“It was just way too expensive for all of us to go. We had only enough money to send one of us, so we sent our camera man on a solo-mission! We talked to him throughout the time he was there and laid out for him how to complete the World Cup section of the film and what shots we envisioned and wanted. So, we didn’t completely send him there to fight for himself!”
To miss out on such a huge global event must have been frustrating, but perhaps not as much as then trying to fund distribution of the film for cinema and dvd release. Some of the actual footballing footage costs tens of thousands of dollars. One estimate I read, had just one minute of World Cup footage costing $50,000. The problem is, to completely tell Jay’s story and to have the full visual dramatic impact, you need to be able to show that footage. Telling people about Jay’s play-off goal for Watford is exciting. Watching it is a real goosebumps moment.
So what’s the latest with the distribution aspect? Are we likely to be able to see the film in cinemas any time soon?
“Well, after releasing the trailer on You Tube, we started to get regular phone calls and emails about partnering up with certain finance groups, investors, to help bring the film to the world…but at this moment it is so dynamic and evolving every hour we really don’t know what the future holds.
We just hope that it does have a chance to get out there whether in theater or dvd because this movie isn’t just a movie about soccer – it is a movie about perseverance, about hope. It is a human message that goes right to the heart.”
The film tells the story of Jay’s life and the steps he took to get to where he is today, from small town Green Bay, Wisconsin to the World Cup last year in South Africa. Did any of the stories they filmed surprise Ranko along the way?
“To be honest, they didn’t surprise me, but each story I heard, like the story of Jay becoming captain at Watford under manager Aidy Boothroyd. Wow, I wasn’t surprised but I was so thankful to be able to hear a soccer mind like his explain how it all came to be.
I knew Jay had the heart do to anything and although I wasn’t surprised I did grasp how BIG the story and stories really were, and thought to myself this may never ever happen again, and only Jay has ever done this in the world – Jay and no one else.”
The one place that really got the football player in Ranko most excited whilst filming was the trip to England.
“Soccer in England is what I, myself, as a player always dreamed of growing up. In one word – PASSION. They had what I had growing up, what nobody had in my neighborhood, what nobody could understand in my city – they had love for soccer. I just couldn’t believe it. My dream of sharing that passion finally came to pass in England, and that feeling of being so alone growing up kicking the soccer ball with only my dad or by myself for hours against a wall – stopped. I was no longer alone. From non-league to league everybody was full of passion, and I could not believe how much everybody knew about the game.
There was a whole different kind of analysis and critical thought to soccer that I wish so bad I had been around growing up. I spent so much time trying to get to that level of thinking on my own and seeing people discuss the game with that kind of understanding – I was just in a quiet peace loving place every minute.
Jay had told me, and I had heard him tell others, and you will hear in the film that there is no place in the world that could’ve made this story a reality – only England. England and nowhere else, and I knew after being there that what Jay had said was the total truth. Only England and nowhere else allowed for this story to happen.
I just want to say one more thing about England and that is the hospitality we received while there. You have to remember we were three nobody’s, our camera/cinematographer Zach Salsman, Nick and myself. We also really had little strategy about what we were doing. Zach as skilled and talented as he was/is, he was fresh out of college. But with all that and as unconvincing as we were, one example of that kindness we received in England was when we went to film Ray Lewington [Ed -who was the Watford manager that signed Jay] a few days before he left for the UEFA cup last year with Fulham. He treated us with such kindness and respect. Same with Aidy Boothroyd, and all the non-league personalities we filmed/interviewed. Everyone.”
What does the man himself think of the finished product?
“Jay has seen the finished film and he is humble about it. He is a meek person and really won’t give any glory to himself, to his story or even to his film! So, I can’t really answer that question. But, I know he was proud when I told him that this documentary won the ‘RISING STAR’ award at the Canada International Film Festival”.
That festival takes place in Vancouver this coming weekend and it just a part of the critical acclaim that the documentary has been receiving. We are in no doubt that more acclaim is heading the film-makers way in the near future. With neither Ranko or Nick having a film background, they must be blown away by the reaction the film has been getting.
“You got me there…I really don’t know how to respond, yes it has and if it continues to receive acclaim then the only answer is that the film has a kind of Divine anointing on it, however people want to understand that – sometimes science and logic cannot explain everything”.
Ranko’s day job is as an acupuncturist in Florida. Does he think he’ll stay with that or has this experience given him a taste for making movies?
“NO MORE MOVIES! (laughs) After this experience I now have a whole new insight into how hard it is to be creative, to be in the arts, in film, in creating things from nothing. My respect to all film makers and everyone involved in the film industry. I am so thankful I am not doing this full time! I love medicine and hope to be helping the sick for a long time to come”.
Now that it’s all in the can, what’s been his over-riding and lasting memory of the whole production?
A moment outside of Vicarage Road Stadium after Jay’s last ever home game as a Watford FC player. We were leaving the stadium and a young boy with his father noticed Jay and was nervous to come ask Jay for his autograph – Jay was aware of the young boy and went over to him and talked to the boy’s father and the boy. They took pictures and the child seemed to feel so valuable.
That moment made me think of soccer and its power on humanity. Not many tools, languages can cross the barriers of religion, politics, difference and nationality, but soccer can – it has power on humanity”.
And that’s why we all love the game so much. In this day and age, it’s nice to see and hear about players like Jay DeMerit and to remember that not all football players act and behave like the Premiership ones we are always reading about.
Perhaps they all need to have got to the where they are the hard way like Jay did.
A story I’ll share about Jay, was two weeks ago at the Southsiders pre MLS party night at the Lamplighter. Jay was on his way to a family dinner with his parents but wanted to take time to stop by and give an impassioned speech to the fans.
But it can’t be all saintly action from the US international. Surely there must be some wild tales that Ranko can leave us with about Jay?
“Hmmmm there were some pretty wild ones, and a lot of girl drama – so many girls loved Jay, he was a heartbreaker – but we won’t disclose any girl stories or wild tales here (laughs)…but I can tell you a story about soccer, Jay and me used to get in some bad fights.
I was the only one who could get under his skin. I talked so much trash when I played and always challenged Jay. Somehow I was also the only one who could ‘meg’ Jay and for his flawless defending standards I would meg him pretty frequently and then talk about it nonstop. One day, in the rain, it happened and I scored after the meg. As I was basking in my glory talking and talking, Jay came rushing up, ready to fight and scared me so bad. I really thought this time he was going to knock me out! Jay can get pretty fierce but most of the time nothing bothers him. And we also made up after our big fights!”.
That’s why he’s our Captain, that’s why he’s such a popular player with the fans and his fellow pros and that’s why this documentary is going to be a huge success. Let’s hope some film bigwigs realise that and help get it out there.
A private screening of the film is going to be shown in Vancouver to Jay, his family, friends, team-mates and an invited audience on Monday April 4th. We’re lucky enough to have an invite and will do a review of the movie on AFTN next week.
In the meantime, we really appreciate Ranko taking time out of his hectic schedule to speak with us. Keep up to date with info about the film at the official website and on Facebook.
“Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story”, hopefully coming to a cinema near you soon.
aftn canada 