*Editor’s Note* I can personally vouch for those involved in this production proposal. I have communicated with both Dr. Valerius Geist and Will Graves on a regular, ongoing basis and are quite familiar with their work. Regular readers are very much aware of the number of times I reference their work. My knowledge and experience with Mr. Swan is limited but I can assure you that Geist and Graves speak very highly of him and would not consider such an adventure if he was not of the utmost trustworthiness.
Several months ago I shared with you a proposal for a 90-minute documentary “Uneasy Neighbors: Wolves, Coyotes and Modern Man.” I am contacting you at this time with a new, revised proposal that is attached.
While I have been doing research, writing and teaching about conservation and ecology for over 40 years, I’ve been working on this project for well over a year. Conversations with new resource people, in part triggered by my May ESPNOutdoors.com column, “The Myth of the Harmless Wolf,” have resulted in a flood of new material coming in that I have integrated into this new document, which includes an Appendix describing a comprehensive way to maximize the impact of this documentary to influence the court of public opinion, which is fundamental to getting wildlife management policy and law into practice..
We plan to begin by producing a 12-15 minute trailer that should be done by Christmas. This trailer will begin with a brief history of wolves and coyotes in North America and then focus on Dr. Valerius Geist’s seven-stage habituation model, supported by the research on wolves in Eurasia by Will Graves. The trailer will be filmed on location in British Columbia, the Northern Rockies and the Midwest using state of the art hi-def equipment. A celebrity narrator is possible.
The trailer, like the entire documentary, will be compelling, visually entertaining and grounded in science, as well as offering considerable perspective into the wide range people and their attitudes on this extremely volatile issue. I can provide more details if you would like.
We are seeking $65,000 to produce the trailer. Production costs for half-hour outdoor TV shows, which are typically shot in 1-3 days on one location, start at $35,000 and go up to $100,000. Any group that donates $15,000 or more will get a version of the trailer that will especially be edited to meet their needs.
This trailer will be of immediate value to groups to educate audiences about the Geist model and its application to wildlife management, ranching and farming, and growing potential for attacks on people. It will also introduce concepts of wolf population dynamics and behavior; interbreeding among wolves, coyotes and dogs; and various zoonotic diseases that can be carried by wolves and coyotes. The trailer will also be crucial to present to networks and/or funding sources to acquire completion funding, as well as to begin the process of educating thousands of people about the realities of co-existing with wolves and coyotes in modern times.
The complete production budget for this 90-minute documentary is $650,000. Details are in the proposal. [Click here for pdf of Proposal] This is less than half of what most mainstream wildlife documentaries cost. For example, a similar-length documentary about the life of Aldo Leopold that is currently in production has a budget of $1.4 million. PBS/BBC wildlife documentaries like the NOVA series easily run over $1 million per hour. A recent hour-long documentary about Annie Oakley that ran on PBS cost $545,000. Reality TV shows that are shot in a week or so on one location cost from $200,000 to $500,000 and up per hour.
The pro-wolf folks understand the importance of winning in the court of public opinion. Last year as a judge in the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, I had the chance to view a number of romanticized tales with staged wolves and carefully selected on-camera people that paint an unbalanced, and often unscientific version of the realities. All of these, as well as many other documentaries that we have screened during our research have expensive productions with budgets 2-3 times what we are seeking.
The version of the proposal that is attached is for donors [Click here for pdf of Proposal] Several non-profit groups are available to serve as fiduciaries. We are also open to working with investors, offering them limited partnerships. As the SEC regulates how many copies of the investors proposal can be out, if you want to go this route I would be happy to send you one on request.
If you would like references about me, several people who are leaders in conservation, law and film-making have offered to vouch for us and our work. I can provide their names if necessary.
The recent court decision in Montana to re-list wolves in Idaho and Montana, and the petition to the US Fish and Wildlife Service calling for expanding and introducing wolf populations all across the US have widespread support because of previous productions that have sold this message to mainstream America. The widespread support for such actions is ample evidence of public opinion in general, and the need for this documentary to redirect people’s attitudes and understanding of wolves and coyotes.
Thank you for considering supporting this project.
Sincerely,
James Swan, Ph.D.
Co-Executive Producer, “Wild Justice,” Nat. Geo. Channel
& CEO, Snow Goose Productions
P.O. Box 2460
Mill Valley, CA 94942
415-383-5064 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 415-383-5064 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 415-383-5064 end_of_the_skype_highlighting tel/fax
www.jamesswan.com
