FEBRUARY 2022
by Mike Ferrell
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Monday was Valentine’s Day, so it’s only fitting this month’s newsletter is dedicated to passion. The word passion takes form in various ways. Passionate love for someone. Ahh, bellissima! Or you hate it with a passion. That’s not ideal but better than being indifferent. Passion projects are often used to describe something you work on for free if only to have the chance to bring it to life. That model isn’t sustainable for working creatives but it’s a way to feel fulfilled. Passion isn’t something you can control or force. It’s not always a raging inferno but the pilot is always lit – omnipresent. Film director Federico Fellini might have said it best, “There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the passion of life.” And for those of you pursuing your passion, creative or otherwise, give it all you’ve got. Buon appetito!
When you’re passionate about something or someone your mind can’t help but be drawn to it. In this case, we have both. Space Nebula was born when Nick Kalisz and his partner Meredith Drangin wanted to create something with their hands. “We were really trying to go for a very clean aesthetic, like some James Turrell sh*t,” says Nick, bleeping his own writing, “Very clean gradients and beautiful color mixing. But when we started to mix more paints, they started to meld together like landscapes breaking apart. It felt like we were on a different planet watching the "water" create rivers and it shaped this unusual world.”
Enjoy this cathartic short piece!
Max Lowe is a director and photographer based in Bozeman, Montana. He’s directed, shot, and produced award-winning short documentary films that have been accepted into festivals like Cannes, Tribeca, and Indi Short Docs. However, his most recent film Torn has us in awe. Max’s love for his family and passion for filmmaking have him asking hard questions and diving into a tragic past. It’s a beautiful film that will bring you to tears. The happy and sad kind. Our hats are off to you, Max, your courage as a human and skill as a filmmaker inspire us.
On Oct. 5, 1999, legendary climber Alex Lowe was tragically lost alongside cameraman and fellow climber David Bridges in a deadly avalanche on the slopes of the Tibetan mountain, Shishapangma. Miraculously surviving the avalanche was Alex’s best friend and climbing partner, renowned mountaineer Conrad Anker. After the tragedy, Anker and Alex’s widow, Jennifer, fell in love and married, and Anker stepped in to help raise Alex’s three sons.
Torn will deliver a profoundly intimate look at the Lowe-Anker family using never-before-released archival footage of the ill-fated 1999 expedition, early footage of Alex and Anker as young climbers, personal home videos, and strikingly candid interviews with the Lowe-Ankers, the film will follow Max in his quest to understand his iconic late father as he explores family’s complex relationships in the wake of his father’s death.
Torn is now available on Disney+, watch the trailer here.
The playlist curated by Nick is inspired by the pump-up music played before his hockey games. It's a portal through old Napster files that were sent through a DSL internet connection and 'burnt' CDs with sharpie written on the front, sadly scratched so bad they won't even play anymore but you can listen to them here!
Let's collaborate!
We want to help you pursue your passion. We can help with story, filmmaking, or however, you see us being a part of your project. So if you’re an athlete on a mission, creative with a concept, or a marketer with an audience – we would love to collaborate with you. Email us, let's make'em happen!
