Special Message to GMW Readers from Wayward Nation

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Hello loves! I've got an awesome treat for you all today - and I warn you there are lots of videos!

A couple of days ago the fabulous duo behind the Gen Y documentary Wayward Nation reached out to me in order to spread the message about their film. I (shockingly) hadn't heard of this yet and was ECSTATIC when I saw what these two guys have been working on.

These guys embody everything that Grad Meets World is about. The idea that we're not totally screwed as a generation. The belief that life is more than chugging along with no real adventure or meaning. The idea that we're supposed to enjoy ourselves. And above all that we can collaborate, create and pursue our passions.

To top it off Mikey and Ethan were AWESOME enough to put together this special video JUST FOR YOU GUYS! Check out all the video and info below and make sure to support Wayward Nation on Kickstarter.

The Story (straight from Wayward Nation's website because I couldn't have put it better myself)

As a generation, we are full of doubt. We see major challenges on the horizon and feel unprepared to deal with them. The world is changing rapidly, and we can't help but feel lost in the storm. We are in danger of becoming a lost generation.

It doesn't have to be that way. History is presenting us an opportunity, much like the one our grandparents had: to be the next Greatest Generation. We know that the solutions to the problems of tomorrow are going to have to come from us. We just doubt our ability to execute them.

That's why Ethan and I have made it our mission to find out if there's reason to have faith in ourselves.

With so much negativity and cynicism in the world, it's easy to overlook the positive stories of our generation - stories of young people living unusual and unexpected lifestyles. These are the stories we tell, because these stories can be powerful.

The right story can do so much. It can give us hope, change our minds, and maybe even make us believe.

So join us in our search for inspiration all across our Wayward Nation.

Wayward Nation Preview

THE WAYWARD NATION MISSION

Gen Y is the first generation to rise to adulthood since the new tech revolution, and we are so very very different from generations past. The old notion of the American Dream we see as not only unattainable, but undesirable. We want greatness. WE WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD. But we're cynical.

It's the mission of Wayward Nation to change that cynicism to optimism. We’re traveling all across the country, creating 5 to 10 minute documentaries on people behaving magnificently. Each episode features a member of Gen Y who identified something they wanted to change about the world, and then just started doing it. Some are more successful than others, and some are just beginning, but they all share the same glorious fearlessness necessary to make a difference.

That's the message we want to show our generation - identify something you want to change, and start changing it. It's time we got off the couch and started being awesome. That's why we're making a drastic change in our lives, and why we're asking you to donate. So please, join us. Give what you can, and be proud to be a part of this movement.

THE WAYWARD NATION TEAM

HARRIS FISHMAN: Produced and directed the critically acclaimed documentary for HBO, Cat Dancers, which won the 2007 SXSW Film Festival Special Jury Prize. Concurrently with Wayward Nation, Harris is producing and writing a feature 3D documentary with IMAX Films based on the organization Doctors Without Borders.

MIKEY MCMANUS: After co-creating Wayward Nation, Mikey left his development position at Magical Elves Inc., where he shot and edited pitch reels that sold shows to Bravo, Lifetime, WEtv, Showtime, ESPN, and MTV. Together with Eric Rusch he founded and runs 4AM Films.

ERIC RUSCH: Eric comes from the ad agency TBWA/Chiat/Day, where he has edited several major national ad campaigns, including Visa, Pepsi, Nissan, Infiniti, Gatorade, Pedigree, Bare Essentials, and an award winning campaign for the 2012 Grammys. Together with Mikey McManus he founded and runs 4AM Films.

SPENCER TUCKER: Spencer is a freelance cinematographer and VFX Artist. He comes from the ad agency TBWA/Chiat/Day where he worked on campaigns for Crate&Barrel, Pepsi, Visa, Nissan, Infiniti, The Grammys, PUR, and Gatorade. He is also known amongst friends and the Wayward Nation team as a vagabond.

ETHAN AMARANT: Ethan has been working for Greenpeace (an international, independent, environmental non-profit) since April 2009. He left to seek adventure and spent 7 months traveling abroad mostly in South America and the Middle East, returning early from his travels to be a part of Wayward Nation and its message.

GREG EPSTEIN: Greg has been fully immersed in the world of production since the age of 14. Since graduating Emerson College, he has been working freelance in LA in numerous platforms, including commercial, film, and live production. Alarmingly, he might be most responsible of the Wayward Nation crew. They're in trouble...

How You Can Join The Movement

WE NEED YOU NOW

We’ve worked, scrounged, and saved (who needs a home when one has a car to sleep in?) and put away $30,000 of our own money, but we’re still short $30,000 (and that’s just enough to hit the road and make a few episodes. We need $100,000 for the whole season).

So WE NEED YOU to join the team and support the project. Become a part of Wayward Nation and get some fun shout outs and gear. Join and Donate because you want to be a part of an entire generation discovering their collective and individual potential. Join and Donate because you are a part of this generation as we rise to power. Join and Donate because we can learn from past young generations. Join and Donate because these stories are worth telling. Join and Donate because you know we’ll entertain you.

Click here to visit the Wayward Nation Kickstarter Page

And finally...