Why You Should Not Quit If You Believe

Published in

Rational Anarchy

8 min readSep 18, 2016

Quitting is easy. It leaves the most scars and regret. I am choosing to fight for my dream. There is no cure for regret. There is no erasing the ache of the could’ve, would’ve, should’ve. As I move onto the crowdfunding phase of my plans to grow my company. It is human nature that the haters grow more audacious. I hear them call me names: fake, weirdo, delusional, egotistical, wanna be entrepreneur, and even failure. There are many more but that is just a sample of the few things they whisper. People believe I do not see the stares or hear the snickers. I do. I always wonder how they find the time to worry about me. I am far to busy trying to build a new economic engine for my hometown. Building a business is creating new opportunities not just for me but for hundreds, possibly thousands of jobs for people to provide for their families. This is not Youtube or Vimeo. We are creating a new generation of digital network. I believe we can achieve it. That is why I will not quit. Point. Stare. Whisper. Laugh. It makes no difference to me, because it only makes me dig deeper. I will not quit. My team follows me, if I do not quit, neither will they.

The Path Least Taken Is A Rough Road

It is not easy pursuing a dream. To be the only one that believes in your ambition can be lonely and isolating. Many people accept the idea the road most traveled is the ideal path for life. If you choose that path, I applaud you for doing what you think is best for your life. I do not mock anyone for their decisions. I make sacrifices everyday in order to accomplish my dream. I have a purpose. It is a powerful driver pushing me through the doubt and depression.

We are building a global cinema for the 21st century. The network will deliver fresh content never seen before directly to audiences on the device of their choice. I call it the birth of “Omnitainment”. Entertainment was people visiting a place to see a show to enjoy. Omnitainment is the ability to enjoy movies or shows anytime, any place on the device of your choice. Is that a daunting enterprise, damn right, so is climbing Mount Everest. People have done it. We are not the first to build a digital network. Crowdfunding is my way of building a network for the people by the people.

Pushing Through The Darkness

There will be a dark time when no one believes in you. The temptation to quit will thrust itself in your every thought. Outside pressures begin to mount as people begin to whisper and flat out question your sanity. This is the moment that will define your life. Will you push through? Will you quit?

I refuse to quit. I know I am very lucky to be in a position that I can entertain such ideas. That does not mean people support me or believe that I can do it. There is no such thing as easy. Easy does not make the pages of history. I did it once. I will do it again. You can too, but it is about taking the right risk. It is about doing something that makes the world a better place. Creating things that bring happiness and opportunity to the world.

It is not just about the pursuit of money or material things, nor should anyone’s goal be to hurt people. There is enough pain and suffering in the world. I believe that by sharing more stories we can bring the world together. Stories have been apart of every culture in history. Now we can share our stories with each other to prove, we all have the same problems.

Movies Are My Passion

I love movies. Not just the movies made by Hollywood but movies from all over the world. Movies are more than just box office numbers to me, they are stories given life by passionate people. Those people want to share their story with the world to entertain, educate, or illuminate issues they want the world to know exist. The current system does not allow much room for outsiders to share their films that do not fit the formula’s that ensure a sizable first weekend opening. It is not that I believe that people should not make a living from making movies because that is what I intend to do with my life. It’s just that I think there is more room for discovery in film.

Failing Is An Important Part Of Success

We are building a digital network as an outlet for all the filmmakers that do not want to conform to the formula’s at all times. It is naive to believe that many people would refuse the chase to direct, star, or be apart of a Hollywood production. It is not naive to believe that they want their every project to be apart of a system that destroys artistic sensibility in an effort to maximize profits.

There is nothing wrong with making money. I admire the Hollywood system, and its contributions to the world. I also believe the time has come for new outlets to provide new opportunities for to aspiring and professional filmmakers looking to create something that will push films forward. My first failure in this venture was not making the business incubators. After further review I realize I did not yet have a clear vision that was easily explainable to people. A few of my partners have taken their leave of the enterprise. It is them that will regret not believing. I never said it would be easy. Nothing is easy.

All my life I have done what people said could not be done. This is no different. Of course I understand it is bold to proclaim I am building the future. I share my efforts to provide an understanding. I am building a new network. I want to explain to everyone what I envision. Netflix continues to grow, proving my gut feeling is correct. They release original content that did not originate in Hollywood. Their original content wins numerous awards which helps expand subscribers. It proves the OTT industry is a growth industry. There is plenty of room in this industry for every company to make money. The world wide entertainment industry is set to break 2 trillion dollars this year. My company will help create a new economy in my home city. I am building an artistic oasis in the middle of the country. Kansas City, MO may seem like an unlikely place to start an revolution but it’s where it is going to happen. Not only does Kansas City, MO offer numerous shooting locations that can provide varying backdrops for numerous atmospheres, the cost of living and tax breaks available make it a financially sound investment.

I Am A Dreamer, So What.

I am a dreamer. I am a worker. I am not the only one that wants to create and share stories with the world. It is now during the darkest time that I understand what it takes to be great. It is now when everyone turns their back on me because they believe I am a crack pot, because I speak in grand terms my vision for the future. I close my eyes every night to see my vision come to life as people from all over the world come together to create a new place for talent to thrive. This is not about combating the old system, it is about adding something new to the mix. My own sister can not help but roll her eyes as I explain my vision. Family, gotta love them.

I will not give up. I will not surrender to the banality of life by conforming. There is nothing that can not be done with hard work and dedication to seeing it through to completion. I know I can not complete this enterprise on my own. It seems every journey has its peaks and valleys, but the valleys swallow many people. Not me, I press on, moving up the hill, carrying the lessons of failure. I will not quit. I do not believe I can fail. I refuse to give up when there are small setbacks. The setbacks I face are nothing in comparison to what some people face in their daily struggle to survive. I am grateful to be in the position to pursue such a business. I am grateful to have the imagination and strength to believe in myself when others do not. I am grateful that I know I will succeed. I am grateful knowing I will share my success with others.

Start Spreading The News

I understand different approaches are necessary in order to get lots of people on board. By visiting festivals, film groups, forums, anyplace I can meet passionate people with a story to share. I will help them make a living by sharing their work so they can keep doing what they love. I will be releasing my own film through my network. This is not just about me and my dreams. It is about helping others achieve their dreams. I am in a position that others are not due to my hard work. I consider it my duty to push beyond my limits to prove to the next generation all is possible. I share my journey for everyone that refuses the system by not allowing to fit in neat boxes. We will not disappear into the crowd because no one took a chance. I am taking this chance. We are taking a chance. We are melding technology and art like never before. We are doing more than making movies. We are building more than a digital network. We are making history.