A selection of Australia’s best known entrepreneurs will be bearing their souls in a new documentary series to be filmed in NYC this Spring, by filmmaking family Studio 18a.
Celebrity jewellery designer Samantha Wills, Emma Isaacs, CEO of Australia’s largest community for women ‘Business Chicks’, cult artist CJ Hendry and globally renowned health author Joe Cross are taking part in the five-part documentary series ‘Australian Entrepreneurs – NYC’. It will premiere at the Manhattan Cricket Club, New York, in January 2017.
The series will give an honest, insightful, heartfelt and candid behind-the-scenes look into the lives of a group of of Australia’s brightest and most creative minds, and give us a glimpse of what it really takes to make it big in New York City.
However, there’s one catch
Before the Brisbane husband and wife team embark on this journey with their three children in tow, they need to raise a cool $150,000.
Sam and Lachlan Fletcher will be pulling out all the stops in a 30-day crowd funding campaign, which offers amazing once-in-a-lifetime experiences. For as little as $5 to $5,000, supporters can enjoy lunch with Samantha Wills, to tickets to the New York premiere.
Sam Fletcher says: “I’ve been an entrepreneur since I can remember, and I’m absolutely fascinated by what makes some successful, while many others fail. I’m keen to discover if there are any common themes between their stories, what sacrifices have they had to make, the high and low points of their journeys so far, both in business and personally. I really want to know how someone can take a single idea and turn it into a global brand.”
With 20,000 Aussies in New York the husband and wife team are committed to sharing inspirational Aussie success stories for the benefit of Australians who are keen to make their own dreams a reality.
Lachlan Fletcher adds: “As well as their personal journey, we’re going to look closely at the challenges, fears and negative thoughts they’ve encountered along the way. We want to discover what it takes to launch in the US market. Each episode will show a range of personal journeys told by the entrepreneur, in a candid and honest way.”
“This project is all-or-nothing. If we don’t raise $150,000 by 13 July, no-one’s cards will be charged and the project doesn’t receive funds. So it’s important that everybody who thinks this is a cool project digs in and contributes – even a small amount can make a big difference!”
The campaign has just over two weeks to go.
This series is the first of what Sam and Lachlan hope will be an ongoing look at Australian entrepreneurs around the world.
“We’d love the series to be picked up by a network or Netflix”, says Sam.
Similar Kickstarter campaign, Embrace, the brainchild of Body Image Movement founder Taryn Brumfitt was a film project in 2014. It was fully funded through successful crowd funding and raised over $330,000, gaining international media coverage and even a tweet from Ashton Kutcher.
Meet the star entrepreneurs
Alex Keating: Co-founder and CEO of mobile app platform DWNLD, dubbed ‘the WordPress for mobile phones
CJ Hendry: Cult hyper-realistic artist who has sold works to Kanye West and Vera Wang
David Prior: Internationally published food and travel writer who contributes to publications such as Vogue Living, The New York Times and British and Italian Vogue
Emma Isaacs: CEO of Australia’s largest community for women, Business Chicks
Joe Cross: Director, producer and subject of the award-winning documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, seen by more than 21 million people around the world
Nick Stone: Bluestone Lane coffee establishment founder and ex-banker and AFL player
Samantha Wills: One of Australia’s most dynamic designers who started out at the Bondi Markets and now has offices in Sydney, LA, NYC, Paris, Korea and Japan
Vanessa Holden: Creative director and branding strategist on a mission to support and engage creative entrepreneurs around the world
Tim Harris: Founder & Director of Operations at Burke & Wills & The Manhattan Cricket Club, New York City
