Un-Road Trip (2008 - 2009) Creator/Producer I was feeling a little antsy so I decided to take a road trip... except without the car part. Armed with a camcorder and supported by some generous sponsors, (Keen Footwear, Clif Bar, Columbia Sportswear, Crystal Deodorant, and others), I set off on a 12,000 mile journey using 101 modes of transportation- everything I could think of except the gas-powered car. I've always enjoyed discovering alternative vehicles, and I was excited about exploring sustainable transportation on a cross-country trip. I documented the trip in real-time at UnRoadTrip.com as I traveled by canoe, camel, paraglider, motorized cooler, pneumatic pogo and dozens of other modes of transportation. The website received thousands of visitors and attracted coverage from TreeHugger.com, NBC's Today Show, CBC Canadian News, and many others. I'm currently editing a documentary about the journey, alternative vehicles, and sustainable transportation. Watch footage from the trip here or check out UnRoadTrip.com for more information.
The management at Groupee.com became fans of some of my past online projects and they recruited me to help launch a new online music/entertainment portal. I moved out to Seattle and developed a lineup of original web shows for the site. I helped train a small team in video production and editing and we got to work producing segments with local and national bands and covering music festivals from Bumbershoot to SXSW.
I contributed entertainment reports to Al Gore's cable channel including pieces with Donald Trump, Sarah Silverman, and the cast of FOX's Family Guy. And not only did I get to meet Al Gore, but I also hugged him once. Check out my segment with the cast of Family Guy here:
Spurred by the lack of programming on college TV stations, I co-created Clips & Quips, an offbeat entertainment talk show that aired on university stations nationwide for three years. We traveled the country going behind the scenes of shows like The Office, covering the Sundance Film Festival, and interviewing hundreds of actors, directors, musicians, and authors. Over the run of the show I flossed with Samuel L. Jackson, taught Sarah Silverman the rules of dreidel, played kazoo with Jack Black, discussed nun-chucks with Keira Knightley, and even made an appearance on ABC's One Life to Live. Check out some highlights from Clips & Quips here:
Clips & Quips from Boaz Frankel on Vimeo.
Not exactly video related, but while in Seattle I also opened the only kazoo museum west of the Mississippi. With a collection comprised of dozens of diverse kazoos- some over a hundred years old- The Kazoo Museum quickly became renowned as a source for kazoos and kazoo-related information across the Pacific Northwest. The museum is currently in storage, but looking for a permanent home. Visit KazooMuseum.com for more information.
What can you do with three weeks and two hundred kids? Produce an epic musical! At least that's what I decided to do when I was the filmmaking specialist at Willowbrook Summer Arts Program. Working with campers aged 8-18, we wrote, composed, filmed and edited this fifteen minute long musical about- what else- a day at camp. Watch the epic musical here:
Epic Willowbrook Musical from Boaz Frankel on Vimeo. |