Randall Blaum Back From the Edge Film Blog

The Good, The Fat and The Healthy

Namaste everyone,

The headline for this blog may upset some people, but the fact is that North Americans are fat.  More and more people are gaining more and more weight and fewer people are finding optimum health.  This became very evident this week in New York as we filmed people in all states of health.  From ultra-healthy to the "I can't believe you're still alive" unhealthy.

The reason for our film is even more clear as we saw thousands of people who just don't seem to be able to get their health under control.  Either that, or they just don't care.  There are lines of people outside every McDonald's and Taco Bell and very few people lined up at the fruit stands. We saw hundreds of restaurants and very few truly healthy food options.

Tomorrow we're off to Philadelphia do do a couple of interviews and to film the welcome home event for Werner. Then we're off to Florida to interview Lyle McWilliam an internationally known nutrition expert. 

Be well,

Randall

New York and East Coast Interviews

Namaste Everyone,

The film crew and I just got back from Vancouver, B.C. late yesterday and we're on our way to New York this morning.  The interviews in the Pacific Northwest when very well and Dorothy, a 72 year-old cancer surviver, was not only a delight to meet, she was an inspiration to us all.

Her story, which will be in the film was so good, so intense, and so filled with the truth we working on a way to bring it to you in it's entirety.  Everyone who wants to inspire others, or get inspired themselves, should see the whole thing.

Over the next week we're flying thousands of miles (I feel like I'm going to Nepal again) to capture interviews with some of the leading experts in the health and nutrition field.  For now, I must sigh off so we can get to airport.

Be well-

Randall

Dave Morton and Dr. Bruce Lay it on the Line

Namaste everyone,

Yesterday we did two interviews, Dave Morton, the senior guide on Everest, and Dr. Bruce Gardner who treks to base camp.  Dave was his usual quiet and peaceful self with many comments that cut deeper than most people may be able to comprehend.  In my life very rarely have  I met a man who is so quiet yet so masterful of thought and language.  Dave is one such man.

On a purely personal note, it was great to catch up with him and talk about Everest again.  In the hour-long interview Dave had a unique perspective on life and health, but one thing he said stuck with me.  I asked him the question, "What do people experience when they come back from Mount Everest?"

His response was unexpected and interesting.  He said, "I'm still getting emails from people who are waiting to feel the impact of their trek to the top of Everest.  They seem to want to know how they've changed.  The point is that people come back the same as they went up and once you realize that, THEN the change happens.  You are the same person all the time and the location you're at makes no difference."

I couldn't agree more with Dave.  When I cam back from Everest, I felt "changed," but the more time I've had to process, the more I realized that only my perspective on things has changed and I am the same now as I was before the trek.  Good stuff to know and learn!

Dr. Bruce was great and it was good to get an M.D.'s side of the health story.  Dr. Bruce believes in the healing powers of the body, spirit and mind and yet also understands how medicines help as as well.  At the end of the interview I asked him what he knew for sure (I left it an open ended question).  His response blew me away...

"What I know for sure is that as a baby you will take your first breath and someday you will take your last breath.  Everything in between is a crap shoot."

It's true...  We all have choices all of our lives and depending on how and when you make those decisions, your life will take a different path and you will experience different outcomes.  In other words, you life is what YOU make of it.

I must sign off now, we are on our way to Vancouver BC to interview Dorothy about her cancer treatments and it's a 3 1/2 hour drive.  Be well and I'll write more soon.

Randall

I Love Seattle in June

Namaste Everyone,

Mike, our DP for North America and I have spent the last day in the Emerald City (Seattle) and believe it or not, it was in the low 70's and sunny!  A great way to start the road trip for this series of interviews.  Yesterday we interviewed Gordon Janow from Alpine Ascents, the expedition team that lead Werner and his group to the top of Everest.  And would you believe it, you had to walk up a long flight of stairs to get there!!  (Guess that's why they call it Alpine Ascents - you always have to go up!)

Gordon is a great guy and made for an interesting interview.  As a side bar, he no longer has a car and rides his bike to and from work (about 20 miles) every day.

Today we catch up with Dave Morton the lead guide for the Everest expedition and Dr. Bruce Gardner from the Everest trek.  Tomorrow we're off to Vancouver, B.C. to interview Dorothy who has quite the experience with disease and how she over came her medical problems and took control of her life.  If she's half as passionate in person as she was on the phone, this interview should blow you away.

I need to run now, but wanted to catch you up on where we are.

Be well-

Randall

p.s.  We added some photos to the Everest section.  Take a look.

The Interviews Begin in Force

Namaste Everyone,

This week begins our major push for the expert interviews across the US and Canada.  We are on the road now through the 7th of July and will hit the road again for a few weeks in late July.  The crew is ready.  The equipment is checked.  And the experts are excited to be part of the film.

Our travels will take us to Washington State, Vancouver, B.C., New York City, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Salt Lake City, Rapid City, Dallas, Houston, and Phoenix.  Late in July we'll be in Toronto with Werner to do some more pick up shots and interviews locally.   I expect the major portion of filming to be completed by mid August and a rough cut of the film to be ready in mid November.

I just got off the phone with Griber and he was relating his experiences on the mountain.  For John it was as life changing as it was for me at Base Camp and for Werner at the top.  John said something that has really stuck with me and that was, "I am born of the mountains and the mountains are in me."  Yes, John and it was our good fortune to have you on our team!

Be well and have a superb week!
Randall

Canada Goes "Looney" Over Werner

Namaste Everyone,

No, I'm not talking about the Canadian currency here, but the Canadian media.  Over the past few days Werner has done more than a dozen interviews, with more scheduled this week.  When Werner arrived at the Toronto Airport he was greeted by more than 2 dozen well wishers and family as well as most of the major media in the area.

Werner was bombarded with questions about his climb, the movie and why he made the trek in the first place. 

The Marketing Team for Meet Me At The Top Movie was in full gear for the Toronto return of Werner.  His son, Karl, was the "Johnny-on-the-spot" for all the Canadian media and did a truly superb job coordinating schedules and working with the media outlets. 

Chuck from Rob Bailey's office pursued the media he knew and came through like gang busters.  Jolene from my office fielded over 100 emails from the press and handled all the follow up calls the media made.

I was working on the overall coordination of Werner's schedule and travel plans so that everyone would have time to meet, greet and speak with Werner.

And Werner, thank you for showing up on time and ready to speak with your heart to all of the media.  You did a stellar job and made us all proud!
Thanks to all of you, too for reading the blog and keeping track of our exploits!  More soon and I am yours in success.

Randall

Well done, Team MMATT!!!

And the Media Loves Werner

Namaste Everyone,

We still have Werner hitting the media circuit pretty hard and today is no different.  He'll be able to rest (and wash his clothes) tomorrow...  If you want to catch up on all the media just "Google" Werner Berger and you'll get a huge selection to choose from.

One of the publications that covered Werner and the climb was the Metro Publications in NY, Boston, and Philadelphia.  Here is what the article looked like, although it's hard to read here, it is representative of the type of media coverage we're getting.

The movie, combined with the climb, combined with Werner's ability to meet the press head on and give great interviews every time out is helping to get our message of good health out to millions of people.

In about a week, or so, we will have some footage on the web site for you to look at, so hang on until then.

Our filming schedule is now rock solid through July and we are now logging and capturing all the footage from the Everest shoot.

The edit suite is in full swing and we are "crewed up" for the rest of the shoot and the edit.  The right people seem to show up at the right time for this project, just when we need them.

Be well and more to come!!

Randall

Randall Appears on KUSI Morning Show in San Diego

Today I had the opportunity to appear on the KUSI morning show in San Diego to talk about my experiences on Mount Everest and making the movie.  I love morning TV because you can be a bit more laid back and a bit more fun.  It seems the later in the day it gets, the more serious the news gets.

The Meet Me At The Top Movie is such a special project and I am thrilled to be a part of it.  I look forward editing the film after we finish principle photography in August.  We will have some footage from Mount Everest for you to see soon on the website, so stay tuned!

If you would like to see the interview, click here:http://www.kusi.com/news/goodmorning

Namaste-

Randall

Movie Update - Welcome Home Partry Planned for Werner

Namaste Everyone,

The crew is working hard and we are getting ready to start digitizing and logging all the footage from the Mount Everest expedition.  We have over 30 hours, so it's a long haul and the team will all be spread across the country for a while.

David will be traveling to several cities, while Randall works on the edit and then Randall will be in other cities while David crafts the expert's interviews into a cohesive story.  For a week Randall, David and Mike the DP, will hit the road for the east cost swing for expert interviews and the big party for Werner in Philadelphia on the 21st of June.

As the crew, for the most part, concentrates on their core competency, the project moves into high gear.  We expect to have principle photography completed by the middle of August and a rough cut of the film ready by the middle of November.

I have seen much of the footage John Griber shot on the mountain and wow, for any of you that saw the Today Show (www.TodayShow.com) you got a sneak preview of what's in store in the movie.

Once Werner gets done with the national media tour this week, he'll have some time to chill and relax before he gets back to work and we all continue with the film.

Be well and have a wonderful day!

Randall

I Love New York In In June... The Media Blitz Begins

Namaste Everyone,

I just got back from our whirlwind trip to New York to do national media for the movie and Werner's summit of Mount Everest.  We all met Werner at the airport and got to hotel about 1:00am.  Mkie and I were up at 3:00am to prepare for the departure of Werner, Heshie, Karl and the crew.

Once we landed in New York, Mike and I hopped in a cab and rushed to the NBC Studios to select footage from Werner's ascent of Everest which you can see the final product by going to www.TodayShow.com and entering Werner Berger in the search box.  It took three hours to select and dub the shot selects and also involved conversations with three producers at NBC as well as the editor of the piece, who was oddly enough in Burbank, CA.

The next day Mike and I were up and at 'em by 4:00am to make sure everything was in order and to get to Werner's hotel in time for a production meeting with the entire group.  From then on, it was a slam dunk day and we never stopped.

While we were in the green room at the Today Show, we got a chance to speak with the current Miss America as well as Miss Universe.  I must say, they looked pretty darn good for it being so early in the morning.   Rob Bailey, my super-star PR mogul in New York and his partner Chuck, pulled out all the stops and the media tour would not have been nearly as successful without their Herculean efforts.

Speaking of looking (and sounding) good, Heshie and Werner did a great job with Matt Lauer during their interview.  No one had much sleep and Heshie had even less as we took her out of BEA (Book Expo America) which was in NY and flew her to LA to surprise Werner, only to fly her back to NY for a killer day of media interviews.  She was a super-trooper and really kept going, even when she was dead tired.

After the Today Show (almost a seven minute segment, which is almost unheard of) we had a light breakfast (people in the restaurant recognized Werner from the Today Show appearance) and then we were off to ABC Radio for their national morning show program.  At the same time we also covered the Good Morning America national radio program.  Standing on the left of Werner and I is Karl Berger, Werner's son.  Karl was a true asset on this trip as we pressed him into service to handle many of the details.  Thanks, Karl.  A job well done, and much needed!!

From ABC and Good Morning America Radio we zipped over to The New York Daily News for a one-on-one interview for Werner.  While Werner was being interviewed I worked with the photo desk to select a photo for the article.  It's been a while since I've been in a huge news room and it was good to be back.

(Insert heavy breathing here from all the inner-city travel...)

After the Daily News interview we cabbed it over to the CBS Bradcast Center for a national interivew for the weekend program.  Both Werner and I were on this time and it was good to banter with Werner about the climb and the movie.  You can see more photos in the Everest Photo section of the blog.

In the lobby of the CBS Broadcast Center Werner and I did another interview with the Metro Publications for New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.  All during the day we were setting dozens of regional interviews and working with all the press in Philadelphia (Heshie lives near Philly) and the Toronto media (Werner lives nearby).  All told, we succeeded in getting Werner national, regional and local media and by the time it's all said and done, it will be over one million dollars worth of exposure to celebrate Werner's accomplishment and to announce the movie to the world.

Werner and Heshie left NY on Monday night so they could both get to Heshie's home in time to spend a few hours with each other until Heshie had to go to Greece!! 

All day Wednesday Werner was doing more media interviews and photo ops.  He was on the Fox News Program in Philadelphia in the morning and then on the phone with other media outlets around the country all day.  And it's not over yet...

Werner arrives in Toronto tomorrow and will be greeted by his son, Karl and several media outlets all wanting sit-down interviews, photographs and footage from the summit.  Werner will be busy all day and finally on Friday he'll be able to rest... But only for a short while as we have even more media coming soon.

Be well and thanks for hanging in there with us on our fantastic journey!!

Randall