Well, I’m back for what had to be one of the best times of my life! SPEED B.A.G. III was a resounding success…both as an event….and as a video shoot. I got into town (Keyport, NJ) Thursday afternoon and after checking in to my hotel, headed directly over to the Real Gymm (http://www.realgymm.com). I was met by Donnie Blanks, owner of the Real Gymm, personal trainer and one hell of a nice guy! After showing me around the gym, we walked down to the boardwalk along the water and talked a bit. You can see the NYC skyline across the way, what a charming little town. I was welcomed with open arms and given free reign of the gym….and did I mention what great people Donnie and his family are?

Since I was there and had Donnie’s attention, we started with a little on-the-spot interview in the gym. I found out that Donnie had discovered speed bagging the same way I did; seeing an Alan Kahn video on YouTube (where would we be without the internet these days?)! After all, he is “The King”. After joining the forum he was kind enough to open his gym up to Tim Platt and the SpeedBagForum for the very first SPEED B.A.G. gathering…and the rest is history.

Shorty after the interview, Alan Kahn showed up… it was an honor to meet him in person and again, you couldn’t ask for a nicer guy. It was a special moment for me personally because there I was, just one year (and a little) after getting the addiction of the speed bag…meeting “The King”, the man who wrote The Speed Bag Bible, the man who taught me after hours of watching his videos and reading his book. I felt like I’d known him for years and we’d only just met. What a great guy, always willing to teach anyone and “Pay it forward”…it really was an honor and as far as I’m concerned, I have a new friend for life. (now…wheather he feels the same…I don’t know…he might be thinking, “Stalker”!)

Next…Tim Platt walks in…and again, it’s a thrill to meet him. Not only is Tim a killer speed bagger, but he owns and operates the SpeedBagForum.com which is THE forum for people who take the activity seriously (although there is plenty of ‘ribbing’ among the senior members and friends). Tim is another great guy! I mean really, everyone I’d met so far were genuine, open people and thrilled that I was there to shoot and tell the Speed Bag Story.

All this might sound weird, but you have to remember that the only previous interaction I’d had with any of these guys was via the speedbagforum or direct emails….and if you’ve ever been a member of some of the forums out there…you never know what you’re going to get if you know what I mean. There are a lot of ‘posers’ & ‘wanttabes’ out there, sitting in dark rooms, crouched over a keyboard, spewing BS and taking out their own personal shortcomings in an attempt to feel better, all under the vail of a username and the anonymity of the internet.

For the next three days, I met and interviewed a bunch of my speed bag heros…shot hours & hours of speed bag footage…had a few good meals and great conversations. It’s official…this film is going to ROCK.

This was much more then just a bunch of people showing up to hit speed bag….it’s a speed bag brotherhood & I’ve never met so many people that I hope I can call friends for life. Now it’s my turn to do them proud!

Alan Kahn "Speed Bag King"

Tim Platt - www.speedbagforum.com

Zach Ruffo - "Speed Bag Skunk"

So, haven’t posted in a bit as I’ve been testing cameras, lighting, writing a rough shot list…and just trying to make sure I’ll have everything I need to get the footage and interviews that I’ll need for the film. I think I have everything under control and will be doing some final tests this week.

Next, I have to pack and make sure everything fits in the truck for the trip down to Jersery.

REALLY looking forward to meeting & interviewing fellow speed bag addicts…and getting some killer footage for the film!

Cheers,

-Zaza

Not much to report, but the film is moving forward. I’m looking forward to getting my first interviews and speed bag footage in July….Jersery in July should be beautiful (and hot). Might take an afternoon to hit the shore, ocean footage would look good in this…right?

I’ve been working on the outline and will be testing some lighting set-ups. I need to get the best footage possible as this is a one-time thing.

Standby for more info to come….

With only 20 hours to go and having reached barely 20% of the goal…it’s safe to say the Kickstarter campaign was a fail. The beauty is, you always learn from your failures. A wiseman once said, “A person can fail many times, but you are only a failure if you quit.”

I’m not quitting…far from it! This is merely a small set-back. The film will still be made and you can always find a way to make thing happen.

Chin-up, I’m moving forward & really looking forward to the SPEED B.A.G. III gathering in July….. the interviews are going to be interesting and fun. I have some very interesting people lined-up and can’t wait to hear their stories.

And so…. it begins….

Please stay tuned for updates on the project & thanks to all who have decided to donate even though the campaign wasn’t successful. I’ll be posting a PayPal Donation button in the near future if any others would like to chip in.

With only 7 days left in the Kickstarter Campaign and not even reaching 20% of the goal….it’s not looking like this project is going to fund. I’ve been promoting the campaign everyday for hours (this blog, Facebook, various forums, friends, family and manufacturers) but the numbers just aren’t coming up. Hard work is good for the soul and it’s interesting to see that there are a lot of people who talk a good game, but when it comes time to ‘put up’…well, I’m finding that that’s a different story altogether. I understand that these are not the best of economic times, but a little support would be nice. With pledge amounts starting at $1.00, you’d think there would be a few ‘pitty pledges’…right?  You know, just to show support.

Either way, this film will get made….it’s just going to take longer then expected since I’ll be funding this privately.

Now I’m looking forward to the SPEED B.A.G. III gathering in Keyport, NJ and getting some of the interviews I need…..and hitting the bag a bit too.  I’ll be looking for more private donations there so all hope is not lost! Chin up…. elbows up…. I’m not going down without a fight!

Thanks to the kind people over at TITLE Boxing for providing some nice equipment for the production. They are very interested and wanted to be involved…and they make some of the best speed bags I’ve ever hit. It’s so nice to get a shot-in-the-arm like this with just 13 days to go.

Thank you TITLE Boxing!

With 17 days left in the Kickstarter campaign to go, the push is on (as it’s been all along). My level of pledges is nowhere near where I’d expected it to be at this point, but that’s just incentive to push harder! I’ve been posting anywhere & everywhere I can think of…emailing family & friends….and posting on various forums trying to generate interest, and ultimately, some more pledges. Now I understand why PBS is running a constent fundraiser…although people are interested in seeing the film that doesn’t mean they want to help get it made. I have to admit, I watch PBS quite a bit and only pledge about once a year.  I have to find a way to break-through and get those pledges.

If anyone has some ideas…..I’d love to hear them…please post them here as a comment on this post.

Back to the grind! ….and remember, if you’re reading this, please “Post & Pass” the link and lets get the word out in cyberville!

Cheers

The SPEED B.A.G. III gathering has been announced!

http://speedbagiii.com/

As the Kickstarter campaign keep chugging along, I’m always looking for new places to post the link and spread the word. I’m all over Facebook posting on everyone’s page I know hoping to spark interest. I think the key is to just keep at it.

Next on my list is to send the link to manufacturer’s, gym owner’s and training facilities in the hope that they will take an intrest.

The quest for funding continues….

Thanks to Teri Conroy, owner/operator of Wunsapana Farms (http://www.wunsapanafarm.com/), I’ve recieved a good little plug for the film: http://blog.timesunion.com/farmlife/author/tericonroy/

Thanks Teri!  …and to all, please keep spreading the word, every little bit helps.