THE BULLISH FARMER

THE BULLISH FARMER is a feature length documentary in post production. Principal photography was completed in June 2016, and we are presently seeking funds to complete the last phase of post production: color correction, sound design, music licensing, mixing, etc. December 2016 is our target date for completion and submission to the festival circuit.

We will only be able to spread the message of this special film with your help!
 

ABOUT THE FILM

"One farmer, one seed, one community at a time."
-John "John Boy" Ubaldo
 

Over a decade ago, John Ubaldo, aka “John Boy,” a successful Wall Street investment banker, decided to call it quits. Distraught over the loss of his best friend in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, John traded in his high finance career for 185 acres of land on the Battenkill River in Cambridge, NY to live a quiet life as a small farmer.

John wanted to farm the way it was done 100 years ago, raising a variety of livestock and crops. His only goal was to raise delicious and nutritious food for himself and his extended network of family and friends. But John’s dream of living an uncomplicated traditional agrarian life gets complicated when he comes up against Big Agriculture (Big Ag) and realizes that his preferred farming methods are not in sync with today’s agricultural practices.

John, the very private farmer, becomes a passionate and outspoken activist lobbying for GMO labeling, animal rights, the preservation of crop diversity and the reduction of chemical fertilizers to help preserve small farms and rural America.

THE BULLISH FARMER isn't just a story about John Boy. It's the story of small farms across the country. It's the story of learning from tried and true, old-school farm practices. It's the story of people whose lives have been changed by a clean eating diet. It's the story of standing up for what you know is right in the face of economic hardship. It's the story that reminds us, "You can't eat money." It’s the story about the difference one man can make when faced with overwhelming odds.
 

WHY HELP?

Your support goes beyond the DVDs, grocery totes, or any of the swag we're offering. By supporting THE BULLISH FARMER, you're supporting local sustainable farming communities and taking a stand against Big Ag. By supporting this film you're spreading information about GMOs, good farming practices, and knowing where our food comes from. We are not just finishing a movie; we are helping to catapult a movement.

This film is different because we learn about the horrors of our food system right alongside John. We learn not only what's wrong, but what we can do about it! John is straightforward and likeable, which makes the film's very important message easily accessible to a broad audience. Join us in this campaign and you will be supporting the most critical phase of the film: taking it to completion for world consumption!

WHERE WE ARE TODAY

Using our own funds, and with support from a small group of donors, we have completed filming! THE BULLISH FARMER is ‘in the can’ and in edit. Yet, we've spent our starter funds, and now we need your help to get through the next phase.

$50,000 will help finance our ability to bring in seasoned post production talent who can help polish the most powerful story possible. With your support, we'll have the film ready by late December for submission to Sundance. Following submissions to the festival circuit, we will submit THE BULLISH FARMER to broadcasters like PBS, HBO, and Netflix. We want to share this message with the world, and you're in the right place to help!

HOW WILL $50,000 MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

$50,000 will help begin to finance our post production process. This will allow us to bring in VFX, color correction, sound design, website, social media, and funds to help run the campaign to bring the film to market. With your support, we'll be able to submit THE BULLISH FARMER to broadcast media and film festivals.
 

ALLOCATION OF FUNDS

OUR LONG TERM GOALS

★ Share the film at film festivals, educational community screenings, local theatres, town halls and schools

★ Seek distribution on broadcast & digital media channels

★ Share the film with educational organizations and grassroots community groups to educate both adults and young people

★ Spread the word and support a FOOD REVOLUTION about clean eating and the beneficial impact of non-GMO farming on both the lives of future generations and on our fragile environment

★ Help save small farms and preserve rural America
 

MEET THE TEAM

KEN MARSOLAIS: Producer/Director

THE BULLISH FARMER is directed and co-produced by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning Ken Marsolais. For over 40 years, Marsolais has worked in theater, film, and the arts, inspiring viewers to open their minds and think thoughtfully about how we view our world.

​Ken produced on Broadway, among others, THE SHADOW BOX, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, directed by Edward Albee and starring Colleen Dewhurst and Ben Gazarra, LONG DAYS JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, starring Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst, and YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, which was taped and shown on PBS and Showtime. He also directed opening and closing ceremonies in Savannah, Georgia for the 1996 Olympics, hosted by Walter Cronkite.

​Marsolais' films include, award winning RONALD MCDONALD: THE HOUSE THAT LOVE BUILT, hosted by Jason Robards; PHILIP C. CURTIS: AN AMERICAN ORIGINAL, a documentary on one of America's foremost artists, which aired on PBS; EACH DAY A DIFFERENCE, a film on children and adults with extreme disabilities,  hosted by Brian Dennehy.

​Marsolais’ goal in making THE BULLISH FARMER is to inspire awareness about the importance of the food we eat and gain support for the small farms and help save rural America.
 

NANCY VICK: Producer/Writer

Writer and co-producer of THE BULLISH FARMER, Nancy Vick, Cornell graduate and MBA recipient from IMD in Lausanne, was Senior Vice President of Ammirati & Puris Advertising Agency in NYC. A member of the heralded new business team, her clients ranged from Four Seasons Hotels, Reebok, and Waterford Crystal, to Club Med and Chiquita. In her role as trustee of several non-profit organizations, Vick has contributed to the arts, education, and human rights. She is President Emeritus of The American Classical Orchestra, trustee of the Greenwich Choral Society, and a trustee of Video Volunteers of Goa & NYC, a multiple award-winning, social entrepreneurial NGO that recruits and trains community video journalists.

It is Vick’s sincere hope that THE BULLISH FARMER will further John Boy’s dream of sparking a critically important debate about the state of farming and food in our country.

 
GERARDO PUGLIA: Cinematographer

Puglia is an international cinematographer and active member of the International Cinematographers Guild since 1990. Beginning his career at age 16, he has worked as Director of Photography for a myriad of film and television entities; including BBC, PBS, CBS, National Geographic, RAI (Italian Television), Imagine Entertainment, and Warner Brothers.

Puglia is the recipient of two Emmys and a Peabody, along with two qualified Academy Award entries. He has won four best in festival awards for his most recent documentary, GOD KNOWS WHERE I AM, including American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, among others. He is an Eastman Kodak Company preferred cinematographer, consulting in the testing and development of Kodak film products. His work has been featured in numerous industry periodicals, such as iCOM Magazine and INCamera.

KRISTEN NUTILE: Editor

Kristen Nutile is a documentary editor and filmmaker based in New York City. She edited the award-winning documentaries, DEEP RUN, a verité portrait of trans life in rural North Carolina, and UNFINISHED SPACES, about the Cuban Schools of Art. She also edited the award-winning EVERY DAY IS A HOLIDAY, STARBOARD LIGHT, INVITATION TO DANCE, and FROM PRISON TO HOME.  Kristen edited a series of films that were published in the New York Times and she has also worked on a number of film projects for Human Rights Watch.

Kristen’s work has shown all over the world including the Sundance Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival, and she is a recipient of the Albert Maysles Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking. Kristen had the privilege of collaborating with legendary filmmaker, Albert Maysles and Tanja Meding on SALLY GROSS: THE PLEASURE OF STILLNESS, a documentary about critically acclaimed dancer and choreographer, Sally Gross. It recently screened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and the Film Forum in New York City.  She holds Master’s degrees in both Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University and Biology from San Francisco State University.
 

HOW TO DONATE

When you support THE BULLISH FARMER, you can choose to receive one of our fantastic perks! For this campaign to be successful, we must raise $50,000 or more by Thanksgiving. We’re confident that with your support and your help in spreading the word, we will get there.

LOW RISK:  The filming is done and editing is 90% complete. We've already shouldered most of the risk. We're almost there! Between our shared skills and professional networks, we are ready to carry THE BULLISH FARMER to the finish line.

 

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

If you are not in a position to make a financial contribution, there are other important ways you can help build awareness about THE BULLISH FARMER: 

a) SEND this Indiegogo link to your friends and colleagues 
b) JOIN our Facebook page 
c) SIGN UP for our mailing list on our website and receive periodic updates 
d) FOLLOW US on Twitter & Instagram — retweet, repost and share, share, share! 
e) TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT with everyone you know
f) WRITE A BLOG POST about the film 

Through this important film, we're excited to help perpetuate a food revolution, to help save small farms and to preserve rural America. We hope you'll join us as we move forward towards the finish line. We still have some distance to go, but with your support the end is in clear view. Together we will all make a difference!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
Ken & Nancy
 

LEARN MORE

Visit THE BULLISH FARMER website
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