The film 10 MPH chronicles the story of two friends and aspiring filmmakers that ditch soul-sucking cubicle jobs to claim a more fulfilling life by making a film about a cross-country journey by Segway.
The filmmakers–Josh Caldwell and Hunter Weeks–are DIY all the way. So it makes sense that they’ve decided to open up their distribution channel to the Radiohead “pay what you want” model. I just sent the pair $5.00 via PayPal for a download of the film.
I was wondering if Segway offered any financial assistance along the way. According to the filmmakers’ DIY manual, it took three years to garner the manufacturer’s support.
They gave us a Segway to give away and jumped on to co-develop a ‘Do Your Thing’ blog and summer giveaway promo. The giveaway was a huge success and helped generate thousands of leads into our database, which we can develop relationships with as we release future films.
That’s nice, but a smart brand manager might consider this documentary a content delivery mechanism for the Segway brand, and move to provide more direct and substantial financial support. Even now, there’s room for the brand to show this film at trade shows, on their website or support a nationwide tour of art house cinemas.
