Wisconsin Rising Film Trailer

UPDATE ON WISCONSIN RISING KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN
Thank you and some analytics!

We are so thankful we reached our goal on Kickstarter!! Thanks so much to all of you who helped get us here!

Here are some analytics from our Kickstarter campaign
$41,850.00 in 25 days
755 people backed our project.
$55.07 was the average pledge amount
46% of the pledges came from Facebook
3% came from Twitter
10% came from websites that wrote about our project, in other words, media generated 10% of our pledges
At time of writing 2,666 people "like" our project on Facebook

We had a successful media blitz with articles and interviews about Wisconsin Rising.
There were 13 unique articles that I participated in either via writing or telephone interview. Dozens of blogs drew from that material and posted their own articles.
I was interviewed by the following websites, publications or radio stations.

http://towardfreedom.com/americas/2689-connecting-the-movements-filmmaker-sam-mayfield-discusses-wisconsin-rising-documentary
http://www.progressive.org/wisconsin_rising_needs_support.html">">
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/01/11240/filmmaker-seeks-support-wisconsin-rising-film
http://www.alternet.org/story/153751/wisconsin_rising%3A_grassroots_documentary_film_follows_the_people%27s_movement_in_madison_from_revolt_to_recalls/comments/
http://politicsoftheplate.com/?p=1174
http://vermontdailybriefing.com/?p=1656
http://www.bethkanter.org/mediamakers/
http://filmcourage.com/content/wisconsin-rising
http://towardfreedom.com/special-reports/2676-wisconsin-rising-new-documentary-on-peoples-movement
http://wort-fm.org/
http://matthewf.net/2012/01/17/the-matthew-filipowicz-show-episode-83-with-nan-levinson-and-sam-mayfield/
http://www.7dvt.com/2012mountaintop-film-festival
http://www.7dvt.com/2012vermont-documentarians-want-wake-audiences-one-sundance

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/385001342/wisconsin-rising/posts
I am really happy to report that Wisconsin Rising is one of the most popular projects this week at Kickstarter and we are also a Kickstarter staff favorite!
I am delighted with so much of your feedback.
I have heard from teachers, parents, media makers and many others who support this project and want to see it shine!!!

I hope you will continue to help spread the word to your networks and please continue to contact me if you have any questions or ideas!!

Thank you for getting us over to 18% of our goal already!

We have 16 days left to meet our goal!!!
Please support this work if you are in any position to do so.
Skip buying coffee for the day and help make Wisconsin Rising!!!

Wisconsin Rising Documentary -Trailer and Kickstarter!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/385001342/wisconsin-rising
Donate to the film at the above link


Support this documentary film and share it with you social networks.
We will need $200,000 ultimately to make the movie.
Please consider donating $10.00, $25.00, $50.00 yourself if you are able - or more if that is possible.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/385001342/wisconsin-rising

We really need to raise money on Kickstarter as the film is being funded entirely by people power!! In other words, there are no corporate sponsors, no commercial sponsors, just people like us!
Donate now!!

TRAILER SCREENING AND FUNDRAISER

Gentle Uprising
The 2011 people’s revolt in Wisconsin and
the reanimation of the American working class

Thursday, December 8
7:30-9:30
MSP Studio in the Hood Plant
187 So. Winooski Ave, Burlington VT

Enter on King Street for door and parking lot

Meet and greet with filmmaker Sam Mayfield
Silent auction of art and political propaganda from Wisconsin
Special guests!
Stories from Madison
Complementary drinks and snacks
Suggested donation at the door: $10-500
No one will be turned away for lack of funds

Please join us for a gathering to benefit the making of the feature-length documentary film Gentle Uprising. This fundraiser is the first broad appeal to our local community to support this project. Media maker Sam Mayfield has recently returned to Burlington from filming in Wisconsin, and is launching into post-production. This event specifically benefits this step in the film making process. You are receiving this invitation because you are a champion of economic justice, of independent media, of Madison, Wisconsin, or the work of Sam Mayfield.

“It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of the mass protests that have broken out in Madison, Wis. . . . This is the largest sustained rally for the rights of public sector workers that this country has seen in decades — perhaps ever.”

Progressive Magazine, February 28, 2011

ABOUT THE FILM:

Following Governor Scott Walker’s announcement of his controversial budget repair bill, the people of Wisconsin rose up, occupied their state capital and took to the streets as never before seen in American History. Many say Walker’s bill is an assault on working people, unions and the poorest most vulnerable people in society. This film introduces you to those most affected by Walker's bill, and the subsequent reanimation of the American working class.

Gentle Uprising tells the story of how Wisconsin became a testing ground for the nation in a political environment where corporations have greater and greater clout and ordinary citizens are losing their ability to obtain redress. At a time when millions of families are feeling the crush of debt and joblessness while large corporations are seeing record profits, Badger state residents are demonstrating the strength that comes from a shared sense of identity and pride and that these bonds can shake even the most powerful political machines.

Tom Morello Justice Tour Labor Day Madison Wisconsin, 2011


On Labor day in Madison, WI we floated in a pontoon boat past Scott Walker's mansion. Filmed many interviews at LaborFest held at the Madison Labor Temple and finished the night off by interviewing Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine. He was in town on the Justice Tour performing at the Barrymore Theater with Wayne Kramer of Detroit's legendary MC5 and Tim McIlrath of Rise Against.
No complaints. A pretty Stellar day.

Wisconsin Making History in their recall election 2011

Six Republican senators were targeted for recall after backing Walker's union-busting bill this spring. Only two of the six republicans lost their seat. Randy Hopper lost and will be replaced by Jessica King and Dan Kapanke lost his seat to Jennifer Shilling.
The results mean Republicans will hold the State Senate majority by a slim margin of 17 to 16.
In Wisconsin history, only two lawmakers have ever been recalled.

Walker Shouted Down At Wisconsin State Fair

Governor Scott Walker officially declared the Wisconsin State Fair opened for business on August 4th. His brief announcement was met by hundreds of protestors shouting "Shame," so loudly that his voice was barely heard.

Summer Recall Elections in Wisconsin, The First Primary


Nine Wisconsin State Senators, including six Republicans and three Democrats, are running in recall elections this summer in response to voter outrage over the questionable process used when Republicans cast votes on the bill to strip public workers of their unions. Tuesday's Democratic Primary will determine which challenger will go on to face the incumbent Senators in the general election next month. In each of those 6 senate districts, there are two names on the ballot: one is a candidate with a history of running and voting Democratic and one is a Republican running as a so-called “protest candidate”. Both are listed as Democrats.

For this video, we checked in on the primary race in Senator Luther Olsen’s district. Senator Olsen represents the Central Wisconsin communities of Baraboo, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, Waupaca and New London, among others. Senator Olsen faced two challengers today: Democratic Representative Fred Clark and GOP Protest candidate Rol Church.

We stopped in on all three polling places in Baraboo. Turnout was light, with each polling place reporting fewer than 200 voters as of 10am. Ida DeKeyser and Karen Lawson, two poll workers at Baraboo’s East School, said they usually see a thousand people vote in a typical spring election.

As voter Bill Schlewey said "Wisconsinites are known fighters and this is another fight we're not going to go down easy on."

Locked in at the Wisconsin State Capital.
June 16, 2011 Video