On Mar 29 at 11:59pm est, the predetermined cutoff time for on-line internet voting in the 2017 Israel Video Network contest, my video, “Israel 4REAL”, had racked up an amazing flurry of 11th hour votes, some 130 or more, during the waning hours and seconds of a hard fought public on-line voting phase of the contest. It finished at 8th place in this semifinal round. 10 days earlier, my video had begun the contest at 12th/13th and climbed as high as 5th and even reached for 4th place in the 1st three days of contestant-driven social media marketing. But when the contest entered the 2nd phase of social media voting, a phase where IVN would begin to promote select Top 10 contest videos to their massive audience, “Israel 4REAL” began to lose steam. It eventually fell out of the Top 10 was in sole possession of 11th place with less than 5 hours remaining in public on-line voting. This contest was designed so that only the Top 10 finishers during public on-line voting would be able to move on to a “finals” round of judging by a distinguished panel of judges. So not making the Top 10 meant GAME OVER for any of the more than 90 videos entered into this year’s contest.
Of the 9 videos promoted by IVN on their primary Facebook page during the public on-line voting phase, 6 finished in the Top 10. However, “Israel 4REAL” was never promoted by Israel Video Network on their primary Facebook and Twitter. It was mentioned in an email newsletter and given a pop on a secondary Facebook page. Nonetheless, “Israel 4REAL” held the 5th spot after the 1st two or three days of voting. I am shocked ‘Israel 4REAL’ was able to finish the online voting in the Top 10. It shows a real grass roots voting base responding to a genuine grass roots social networking promotional effort of my own, including a dozen different memes blasted on FB and Twitter, a texting campaign, a WhatsApp campaign, an email campaign, an Instagram campaign, 4 promotional videos, and 6 Facebook Live broadcasts. I even conducted a 5-hour, non-stop Facebook Live Vote-a-thon finale in the hours leading up to the close of voting at midnight on March 29. That 5 hour, exhausting, Facebook Live stream closed the gap on 10th, bringing my video back from 11th to 8th in a closely fought race for votes, which see-sawed right up to the final tick of the online deadline. I think we started that Facebook Live Vote-a-thon with around 650 votes. Below is a final screen shot of the tight race. What I would give for a screen shot from 5 hours earlier.
“Israel 4REAL” might have won a little favor with people because it did not delve into emotional, political, or religious topics such as discovering the Talmud or making Aliyah or combating anti-Israel sentiments such as BDS. Many of the other videos chose topics like these, and were superbly done too.
“Israel 4REAL” was a homegrown, self-funded, self-produced video on a shoestring budget. Many of the competing videos were created from an already existing and funded filming effort on par with a National Geographic documentary. “Israel 4REAL” was all out-of-my-pocket… utilizing my own gear… and my own film-making efforts. It has NO licensed or stock film, graphics, or music. Everything was created in my production studio and captured with my cameras and mics.”
“Israel 4REAL” takes the viewer on a high-octane 4-minute tour of the land from north to south and many stops in between. It’s one of the fastest, most exhaustive and entertaining travel videos done about Israel. ‘Israel 4REAL’ brags continuously about in a simplistic narrative told with pictures and raw sound and very little narrated script. The message is there, embedded within all those components. I feel it’s not necessary to beat people over the head. Also, ‘Israel 4REAL’ is told from the perspective of an outsider drawn to the land where he enjoys both the people and the “land of milk and honey”. It does not preach religion, nor politics, nor stand on a soapbox. It does not play violins, nor beat on drums, nor blow proverbial trumpets… though ironically it does contain a shot of each of those being played in real life. LOL. ‘Israel 4REAL’ brags about Israel. And bragging is usually best when done by someone other than yourself.
So why did I make the video and enter the contest? I had recently taken a trip to Israel by myself, not really knowing what I would discover or find. I had a loose itinerary. I rented 3 different cars, took 2 bus routes, rode the train, hitched a couple rides, stayed in homes with locals, and booked last minute deals on Air BnB and Booking.com. But this trip, my 5th to Israel, and 1st in nearly 4 years, was special. I was all alone this time, yet I was not alone at all. I mean that on so many different levels too. But people were brought into my path who helped me along the way and with whom I have forged life-long friendships. As a passionate photographer and storyteller, it was a dream come true for me. I was in places all by myself at the perfect, golden, photographic hour. And I was pinching myself, bewildered as to how I even managed to find some of these amazing remote places before those shortened winter sunsets. Even the weather cooperated to absolute perfection. Yes in January! Yes in Israel! I have 2 video testimonies of locals informing me that I picked THE ONE very best day to trek up to Mt Hermon for a date with the ski slopes at Israel’s highest point. And every day was like that too, from the north to the south, from the highest to the lowest, offering challenges and then mind-blowing surprises and reward at the end.
To give some background, about 5 years ago I had decided to move on from producing sports commercials and make a foray into producing long-format television. I wanted to do a series about traveling to Israel and other lands associated with the cradle of human existence. 1st attempts at the series, Footsteps of Lost Truth, underwent the most heart-breaking, financially devastating, even debilitating disappointments. They were hard lessons to say the least. I had all but given up on the idea, completely dejected and nearly dissuaded, when I felt compelled to return again to Israel. In prior trips I’ve always come away from that land with paradigm-shifting epiphanies about human being human… and how deep that goes into understanding, as well into NOT understanding our Creator’s ways as told in our history. This is the land of our ancestors. I am connected there, NO QUESTION. The spiritual revelation is always off the chart. Prior trips to Israel have ignited in me a passion for history too, which has to some degree displaced my obsession with sports. But the beckoning, the calling, the compulsion to return again had reached an irresistible level. So I went back in January, at a time when no one goes. Turns out it was the best time to go. Thus the resurgence of “Footsteps of Lost Truth” or FLT 2.0, where I go in search of a treasure in understanding, and mostly get completely lost in the process. It’s going to be very fun, humorous, and family-friendly, if it ever gets off the ground past the pilot episodes I’m presently working on.
Upon returning from this last trip and telling of my experiences in short videos trying to generate some interest in FLT, a friend of mine challenged me to enter a video contest at Israel Video Network. I had seen some of their vids on Facebook feeds but had no idea how big they were. I had no idea what an information juggernaut they were for Israel and the Jewish State. Nonetheless, I registered and entered the contest. For the longest time their contest updates and instructions were hitting my spam folder, and as a result I was very clueless about the way the contest was going to be conducted. I had no idea until two days prior to the beginning of the contest that the burden of the 1st two days of generating views and votes was entirely placed on the contestants themselves. And I had no idea that after two days if you’re not in the Top 10 or higher your video is likely gonna fall into a sea of oblivion and not get any IVN promotion. I had no idea there were 90 entries. I had not been seeing their contest updates and info.
Here is a :30 video I did on the day prior to contest clock start. You’ll see I’m like a deer in headlights. “Uh-oh, HELP!”
It was a contest that required me to stay in constant social media bombardment mode. And I think it is quite an accomplishment to have made the upper echelon in this contest, given the struggle. Plus it could have been a much better video too.
The contest concluded with IVN announcing the order of finish of the Top 10 on April 18th at an awards show gala held at Tower of David in Jerusalem. It was broadcast on Facebook Live.
http://www.israelvideonetwork.
Unfortunately I was unable to attend. However those appearing in “Israel 4REAL” who hosted me were invited and had tickets in-hand to the twice SOLD OUT awards ceremony hosted by Adam and Gila Milstein. It was a privilege to be able to provide for them a spectacular night under the stars at this very auspicious event They all are very deserving.
As for me it’s back to “Footsteps of Lost Truth.” 1st Episodes (pilot episodes) due out sometime in June or July I hope, with plans to release more throughout the year. Hopefully interest in funding partners will materialize soon. It’s all been a worthwhile experience.