Northwest Native James Beck Launches Kickstarter Fund to Create a Documentary with HBO Emmy Award Winning Director Jeff Stimmel

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 12, 2013 (Press-News.org) In December, 2010, James Beck woke up with a simple idea that changed the course of his life forever, 'What if I gave everything away and spent a year serving a person in every state?' Today, two-and-a-half years later Beck has made this dream a reality and now aims to start a social movement by creating a documentary out of the year's worth of raw footage. Partnering with HBO Emmy Award winning documentarian Jeff Stimmel, Beck has launched a Kickstarter fund and they are looking for community support to produce the film.

Over the course of the year, Beck traveled to 50 states helping hundreds of people and asking in return that they pay the service forward - he called the project Serfbliss. Throughout the trip Beck recorded over 300 hours of video footage and experienced unimaginable things including coming close to death three times in a blizzard, electrical storm, and a tornado, being betrayed by the love of his life and commissioned to find a "sacred rams horn" the very next week, and much more. From April Fool's Day, 2011, when he gave away all his possessions to the next day when he got a flat tire only one hundred miles out of Los Angeles to pulling back into California a year later, Beck's story is an adventure of epic proportions. The documentary will capture not only Beck's story but the stories of everyone he encountered - and the importance of following your heart and giving back.

"When I decided to make Serfbliss a reality, I committed to following my heart with reckless abandon," said Beck. "I set out on a journey to serve others, meet amazing people, and test the very fabric society holds to - that one person can make a real difference. I truly believe that my story will help inspire others to give back, take risks and commit to making a difference, which is why I want to create this documentary."

In the spirit of Serfbliss, where one person's contributions can make a big difference in aggregate, Beck and Stimmel are looking for the community to help them by donating to the Kickstarter Fund with the goal of raising $30,000 by June 30. The funds from the community will ensure Beck and Stimmel will be able to tell a pure and truthful the story without the influence of a major film industry donor looking to make a blockbuster and inflating truths to make this possible. In the same way Beck reached out to help the community, he's looking for the community to help him now.

Serfbliss' Inspiration
In November, 2010, Beck spent two weeks with a long time friend and former 'Biggest Loser' contestant, Alfred "Frado" Dinten. Frado is known for his generosity, hosting groups to dinner at nice restaurants in Manhattan, then suggesting the most expensive dish so they feel comfortable ordering anything on the menu. After Beck witnessed this and the way Frado would wad up $20 bills and slide them to homeless people unnoticed, Beck asked himself, "How can I be more like this man? And how much of a difference could I make if I took this generosity to the next level?" The next morning, Beck had the idea for Serfbliss.

To read more about Serfbliss and Beck's story, visit the site, blog, or Facebook page and to contribute to the documentary, visit the Kickstarter fund here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/serfbliss/serfbliss-documentary.

Contact Information:

James Beck - Serfbliss - james@serfbliss.com
Los Angeles, CA
Jeff Stimmel - Divided Eye Films - dividedeye@gmail.com