The Next Big Thing.   Help Build It!

Jonathan Wilson, our executive producer, attended a birthday party for one of the cast this week, and there were a few ‘old country men,’ in attendance.  (That’s what they use to call ‘Brits’ in 18th century America.) These blokes were all wondering what sort of creature we had in Courage, New Hampshire.   Over the past few months,  several Englishmen have told us our series has all the high production value and wardrobe authenticity of a high level BBC production.

We have to admit, it’s a pretty novel project, not easily defined:

We aren’t a non-profit venture.  You will not see ‘Produced in Association with the North American Arts Council’ in the opening credits.  We have no government or foundation funding.

We are not a single feature film made by an independent band of passionate artists who have a single story to tell.  It’s a dramatic series, hoping to feature at least 12 new stories a year.  As entertainment projects go, that is pretty ambitious.  An episodic drama is actually more difficult to pitch, we’re told, than a single film.

We aren’t making a profit yet.  Although Courage has received a lot of attention and quite a few fans are very passionate about it, you need at least 50,000 internet subscribers to begin paying the bills. Your correspondent, and his family, are the ones losing sleep, and checking the bank balance, on this one.  It has been a high stress affair.  Even with the very generous contributions of time by many very talented actors, crew, and producers, the bills are enormous.

Here’s what Courage, New Hampshire is.  It’s the work of our hearts.  It’s born out of the belief that people really do want better television — television that doesn’t apologize for American history and the American story.   It should be no secret: we have put easily more than $100,000 dollars of our resources into it, and although that is nothing by Hollywood standards, we have been told, because of our place in the country and our background as living historians and the passion of the actors, it actually exceeds the production standards of most period pieces being made today.

So why are we asking you to help us?

We can’t do it alone.

Some of you have the means.  Some of you could help.   Some of you know you should. Will you?

Here’s how you can.