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Our Supporters: Ethan Hawke, Oscar nominated Actor, Writer & Director
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July 2014 Latest News
Since our update last month, the pace hasn't stopped here at the A Life Unexpected office - but that's nothing new! Our latest fundraising campaign continues (with a deadline extension, more details on that below), as do our conversations with broadcasters and distributors and our plans for the next lot of filming and our ongoing archive research.
Not sure what we're talking about? If you missed last month's newsletter, you can read it in full by clicking here.
To catch you up on our news and bring you into the loop of what's happening now, here's a bit about what we've been up to these past four weeks ...
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Recent Interviewee, Robert Lay (Photo: Christoph Ziegenhardt. Copyright: Finish Line Films Pty Ltd)
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Interviewee Spotlight
Robert Lay, General Manager - The Sport Australia Hall of Fame
Robert (known as Bob) Lay is currently the General Manager of The Sport Australia Hall of Fame, an 1964 Olympian (100m), 1962 Commonwealth Games Athlete (100m) and the current Australian & Commonwealth Record Holder for the 100 yards - a record Bob has held since 1965, despite an attempt in 2006 by Olympian Patrick Johnson to beat that record at the appropriately named Hec Hogan Men's 100 Yards at the Zatopek Classic in Melbourne. (Hec Hogan was another Australian Sprinter and an athlete of Franz Stampfl).
Bob is also a Past President of Athletics International, former Executive Director of the Victorian Olympic Council (VOC) and previously National Promotions Manager for Adidas.
We thank Bob for generously taking the time to come speak with us on camera at Melbourne Girls Grammar on that blustery May morning - and for being so informative and enlightening!
To read more about Bob and his current work, visit The Sport Australia Hall of Fame website, here.
Watch our "A Life Unexpected: The Story So Far" video, featuring Bob, Sir Roger Bannister, Sir Christopher Chataway, John Landy and others:
Franz Stampfl: A Life Unexpected: The Man Behind The Miracle Mile - The Story So Far
We inadvertently forgot to mention Bob's Olympic history and had the incorrect name for the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in our previous newsletter - for which we sincerely apologise
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Our Supporters: Roly Keating, former Controller BBC2 & BBC4
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Fundraising drive
Some changes at the DAF = our deadline extending
The Documentary Australia Foundation announced in the first week of July (three weeks ago) that they were radically overhauling their system for donors - and the requirements for donating to the various films on their register were also changing. We were told to hold tight until the new system was up and running - and as of last week, it appears that it is now live and working.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OUR DONORS?
It means, essentially, that the minimum $250 donation cut off is now waived and ALL amounts donated to films registered with the DAF (big or small) will now go IN FULL to the films. $50, $100, $200 - whatever - it will all go to us, no matter what amount you chose to donate. The DAF will still take a small percentage, but that is standard for any crowdfunding operation. Whatever people chose to donate, as long as it's more than $2, you will still get a tax receipt for the full amount you chose to give*.
ANY OTHER CHANGES?
The second big change is the way you are now able to donate via the DAF. You can now simply click the "Donate Now" link on our website, be taken to our page on the DAF website, fill in your contact details and amount you'd like to donate, click "Pay by Credit Card" and voila! You can donate on the spot via their brand new secure online payment gateway!
For those who prefer to donate via cheque or bank transfer, the hardcopy donation form is still available for you to use, downloadable from our website.
These changes at the Documentary Australia Foundation are the reason why we've extended our deadline for this round of fundraising to August 31st, 2014.
So, If you know anyone who would like a tax deduction, or just wants to support Independent Film, feel free to send them to our "Donate" page: http://www.alifeunexpected.com/donate - and thank you in advance for your continued support!
*To claim the tax deduction from the DAF, you need to be a Registered Foundation or an Australian Resident for taxation purposes
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One of our Franz quotes graphics from our social media campaign
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Current donation tally
How much have we raised so far?
So far our current tally (at this moment of writing) is: $6,750, which is fantastic and so very much appreciated!
We'd like to thank all those who have donated during this round.
We continue to promote the current fundraising drive via Twitter, Facebook, email, phone calls - you name it, we're doing it. If you're unable to donate at the moment, but would still like to help - sharing what we're doing is a fantastic way to support us.
Just send people to our official site: http://www.alifeunexpected.com/donate and we'll take it from there!
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Producer/Director Sally McLean and Producer Ben Steel possibly still somewhat sleep deprived ...
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In conclusion
Thank you, thank you, thank you ...
Just - thank you. From both Ben and Sally and the whole team at A Life Unexpected, we truly appreciate all the support, help and interest in this film. Sally put it best in her recent blog post addressing our donors and supporters: "You are all versions of Franz to me – reflecting back his philosophies and reminding me of the power of the human spirit – you keep me and the team going and believing and striving – and for that, I am very, very grateful." (read that full blog post here).
Feel free to contact us if you have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions during this current round of donations - we'd be very grateful if you could spread the word to your friends and colleagues if you are so inclined - every little bit helps and you never know where the ripples in a pond might reach.
Until next we speak, take care and stay happy.
The A Life Unexpected Team
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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