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12:01 AM, Friday, November 3rd, 2023:   Of course I'm shooting world class cyclists out of the back of a pickup truck in New Zealand.   Guys, I touch on it in the voice-over, but this is just bonkers. Let's link it here so I can dive a bit deeper...     I actually redid this voice-over a couple times because I didn't want to seem like I was bashing this process, but to say the very least: this ain't what I was sold when I agreed to come to New Zealand. Made the most of it, I'm thrilled that I came, I adore Ihi, his family... MY MOKO - like, one of the best memories of my life and I cannot wait to find a way to get my family there to connect with everything...   ...but from a business perspective, this was to fill a specific genre that is CRUCIAL to all new formats: nature/environmental issues and helping indigenous people. From VHS, to DVD to high-def... at the beginning of every single one of those formats the order is clear: PORN, then the projects that corporations can safely invest their money in because it checks off the boxes that free up the purse strings: helping the world at large. I'm just concerned that none of that was prepared before we landed and we don't have enough to make that clear. It feels slightly like a wasted opportunity. Just YouTube anything about the Maori people... that's what I thought we were shooting. And again, don't get me wrong - I'm fucking THRILLED with the shoots Ihi set up! What an absolute BADASS, GET-SHIT-DONE producer that man is. I'm not kidding, I watched him CREATE shit out of thin air with like 2 texts. That swimming day? Couple texts and a dozen people are ready to go to make this happen. What I wouldn't GIVE for a guy like that in the states. Goodness...   ...but I just don't know if that's gonna be what sells at this point in a brand new format that has very few outlets. If we were doing a human interest piece on this badass Maori dude named Ihi who has taken the concept of "Environment before people" and used it to help scores of people become better at what they do? OK, now we're on the right path. But then we'd need to show WAY more than sports. We'd need to show he's influenced governments (which he has), or schools (which he has). We needed to prepare interviews and make THAT the 3 minute piece. We could've had access to that... but I wasn't involved in ANY of that part. And what we're left with is him introducing himself at the flagpole (badass), him talking about a couple trees (interesting) and sports, sports, sports, sports (4 because the last video is golf - lol). I'm completely baffled...   ...but the good news is? It ain't my job. I was brought on simply to document the days we were there and goodness did I do that. I've never shot so much in less than a week in my life. We have more than enough footage to make an extremely inticing 2-3 minute video, I'm just not sure for whom that will be inticing. God I hope they know. Not so much for me but for Ihi who really put an incredible amount of time, effort and money into getting this to the next level. I've seen magic happen before in cases like this. Hell I've seen SINGLE FREAKING SHOTS sell a concept that had zero structure to it... the structure came later. It's completely possible my Google peeps saw my shit, knew that was possible, and did what I often do: jump without a parachute and build it on the way down... but man... we were RIGHT THERE. The slightest bit of direction could've made this SO well rounded.   And the thing is? That's also where the executives are able to put their stamp on things. They may see what we've shot and go "You know what this needs?" and then say LITERALLY EVERYTHING I JUST SAID. And we all go: "Cool! Here's the budget for that..." and we all live happily ever after. Showbiz is a wild place. Hell a few entries ago I was certain the NFL thing was done and VOILA, it wasn't and now I'm going to the Super Bowl because WTF.   Alright - final New Zealand entry in a couple days. I'm ready to take a break and build Cam's bedroom. It'll be nice to work in the actual, physical world again.   Adam