(2) Facebooks. (1) Dream.

Support Evans Scholar Filmmaker, Tom Shimandle & Comedian, Kirk Sells!

Hey Everyone!

It’s Kirk Sells (Northwestern ES ‘08) and Tom Shimandle (Northwestern ES ‘13)

First and foremost, we want to wish a Happy Holidays to all of our friends within the Evans Scholars’ family. It is our hope that 2013 has been a year of great prosperity and that you are able to enjoy some end of the year relaxation with loved ones.

As you may or may not know, we are both independent filmmakers who have discovered a shared passion for creating YouTube content that is both high-quality and entertaining! Our first production, Kisses Night (shot and released earlier in 2013), is a concrete testament to our collaborative potential and an inspiration to continue creating together!

In 2014, we want to focus on consistently making more entertaining content as we take our filmmaking dreams to the next level. Today we are asking you, our Evans Scholar family members, for your support…

We’ve set up a fundraising campaign centered around our next comedy rap production, (2) Facebooks, which we are using as a platform to raise $5,000. Our hope is that, between our friends, families and ES, we can find 100 people willing to make a $50 holiday donation. Below, we’ve included some details of where this money will go, what donors will receive, and a link to THIS SILLY CAMPAIGN VIDEO

Where Does the Money Go?

75% of this money will be used to make an investment in film equipment (Canon 5D Mark III & Lenses) that will ensure we have the ability to freely create and release more high-quality content on a more consistent basis. The remaining 25% will be devoted to the (2) Facebooks production, which we will film and release in January/February 2014.

What Do Donors Receive?
$25 Donors will receive a digital copy of Kisses Night: The Comedy Rap EP by Kirk Sells & Mr. Magnificent
$50 Donors will receive a (2) Facebooks T-Shirt, which you can sport while you s’port the Comedy Rap movement!

DONATE HERE

Also, we thought you would love to know that we strongly believe in post-graduate collaboration with our fellow Evans Scholars. To date, we have worked with 10 Evans Scholars (Actors, Extras & Crew) on projects in comedy and film. Links to a few of those videos are attached for your enjoyment! If you ever would like to be a part of one of our productions, simply reach out. We’d love to work with you!

Thanks everyone! We are genuinely grateful for the continued support of our ES family. Please consider donating today and keep an eye out for an invitation to the (2) Facebooks launch party in early 2014!

Kirk & Tom

—

Kirk is a writer, producer & Chicago’s #1 Comedy Rapper. Since 2011, he has committed his life to bringing others joy through the creation of comedy and video. His 15,000+ YouTube views direct fans to his debut Comedy Rap EP on iTunes with another album slated for release, Summer 2014.

Tom Shimandle is a young, aspiring filmmaker with a film degree from Northwestern University. His early work proves that he is right at the footstep of a long journey of being one of America’s great influencers in film. His demo reel can be found HERE.

Groupons Groupons - 6 Evans Scholars!

Oregon Trail, Bitch - 5 Evans Scholars!

My Comedy Rap Album Release on YouTube!

Dear Friends, Family & Fans-

Today, it brings me great joy to announce that, after two years of hard work, dedication, and collaboration, I am finally ready to release my 6-Song Comedy Rap Video Album on YouTube!

On June 27th, 2013 (my golden birthday!), I will become one of the first artists in the U.S. to release an entire video album online, while joining an exclusive group of Comedy Rappers who got their start by using YouTube as a primary means of music distribution. Though I'm not yet in the same league as artists like PSY, Macklemore, or Lonely Island, my journey is starting quite similarly to theirs: with a funny idea, a video camera and a big dream of sharing my music with the world...

TODAY, YOU CAN HELP TURN THAT DREAM INTO A REALITY IN TWO SIMPLE WAYS, WHILE ALSO SUPPORTING A GREAT CAUSE!

1. Visit the Kirk Sells YouTube Channel Today and Become an Original Fan! 

Take a few minutes to visit youtube.com/kirksells and explore my comedy videos. I guarantee that you will find at least one video of mine that puts a smile on your face (after all, that's the point!). If that is true, the greatest support you can give is in clicking SUBSCRIBE and becoming an original Kirk Sells fan. The Subscription is FREE and will send you notifications only when a new video of mine is posted.

2. Watch/Listen To My YouTube Album

When my Comedy Rap album launches on 6.27.13, take a few minutes to watch and/or listen. If you like what you see and/or hear, follow the links to purchase the album on iTunes for $4.99. 100% of the proceeds from the first 72-hours of iTunes sales will be donated directly to my charity partner, Music Unites. My hope is that, together, we can bring a huge wave of awareness and support to this amazing organization (more details below) while also expanding my reach as an entertainer.

Also, please note that, in the first 72-hours after the album release, all Kirk Sells videos will run advertising. I know it sucks to watch an ad before a video but 100% of the revenues generated in these first three days will also be donated to Music Unites. After that, Kirk Sells videos will go back to being ad-free!

My Vision for This Project & A Word About Music Unites

For me, this album release represents a huge opportunity to expand my reach as an artist, develop a strong and loyal fan base and take one step closer towards my goal of being cast on Saturday Night Live! More importantly, I view it as a great opportunity to support and raise awareness for my incredible charity partner, Music Unites.

Music Unites is by far the most awesome charitable organization I have ever come across. They are committed to offering free music education programs for inner-city high school students, while providing them with the opportunities and resources to pursue music as a healthy means of self-expression. Their overall goal is to introduce music to children who are in desperate need of an engaging and fun way to avoid self-detrimental lifestyle choices. As a musician and a creator, I could not be more supportive of this vision.

Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to learn more about the Music Unites mission and have seen the impact of their work first hand. I have become a strong believer in their foundational principle: that music is one of the best ways to increase the amount of good in this world. That is why I have partnered with them to ensure that any success that I experience with my music, they will also experience in parallel. My growth is their growth and that's exactly the precedent I want to set as I strive for greater exposure as an artist.

I encourage each of you to take a few minutes to learn more about the Music Unites mission at musicunites.org and remember to keep an eye out for my YouTube album on 6.27.13. By simply watching & sharing, you are supporting an amazing cause, while helping me gain more exposure for my comedy. Thank you in advance for that support...

Let's do this!

Kirk Sells

Comedy Rapper

youtube.com/kirksells

--

*If you wish to no longer receive communications from this address, please respond 'unsubscribe' and you will be removed from the Kirk Sells Comedy email chain. I'm sad to see you go but completely understand! 

Yachts by 27. World Peace by 46.

Music Unites!

A Note About The Beneficiary For My Event on 6.27.13

Music Unites is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing music education for children, while working to 'transform inner city landscapes by empowering urban youth with music'. 

When I first came across M.U., I instantly fell in love with their vision of encouraging kids to embrace music as a healthy means of expression and as a deterrent from self-detrimental lifestyle choices. As an artist & entertainer, I could not be more excited to have found an organization with such a relevant vision! 

For me, Music Unites represents a collaborative partner with a shared passion for working towards a world of greater Peace through creation, expression, & non-violence. What a privilege it is to have the opportunity to work alongside them!

Quite simply put: Music Unites is awesome. I hope that you will take a moment to check out their website and look forward to learning more in the days leading up to 6.27.13!
musicunites.org

The Video Launch! - What it's All About

Dear Fans & Friends-

The countdown is on!

In less than 24 hours, my new comedy rap, 'Groupons, Groupons' will hit YouTube and change the face of nerdy online comedy rap forever! Before you decided to click or ignore the link that will be blasted out over Facebook, Email & Twitter tomorrow, I wanted to take a brief moment to shed some light on the project as a whole.

What is Groupons Groupons?

If I had to sum up it up in one sentence, I would say that Groupons, Groupons is 'a parody rap about the modern day ‘wheelings and dealings’ of leisure-loving middle-class Americans'.

The production started last summer in Chicago when a few friends and I bought concert tickets through Groupon. Since none of us had ever bought tickets that way before, we were a bit skeptical about how it might work, thus the phrase, ‘I hope they let us pay with our Groupons’ was born. The simplicity of the origin of an idea always fascinates me and it boggles my mind to look back and think that this whole project started with some simple lyric notes on my iPhone back in July. Now, in January of a new year, that little vision is all grown-up and represents, what I believe to be, a stunning finished product that is more than ready for its YouTube debut tomorrow.

After producing my first video, ‘Oregon Trail, Bitch’ in 2011, I realized that my favorite part of being an E.P. is facilitating collaboration between talented individuals in both music and film. I am fortunate to have had the honor and privilege of collaborating with so many wonderful people on this project and I can’t wait for the world to see the fruits of our collective labor. The principal goal of ‘Groupons Groupons’ has always been a simple one: TO HAVE FUN. With the help of people like Chris Da Cosse (Music Engineer), Keegan Shiner, (Director) and a whole host of others, I can confidently say... we have accomplished that mission.

So what happens now?

Naturally, I want everyone to like the video enough to share it and to encourage others to share it. Whether we get 10,000 views or 10,000,000 views, it doesn’t really matter. The real objective of 'Groupons Groupons' is to bring people joy. Whether that joy comes from having a good laugh in watching the video itself, learning 'The G' (our dance) with your friends, or even simply from thinking about the ridiculousness of someone committing their entire existence to making comedy rap music videos, I don’t care. In truth, if any one of those things brings a smile to even just one person, then this whole endeavor was a success. Seriously, go ahead and laugh at my expense... that’s the whole point!

In closing, I hope you’ll enjoy the video when it’s released on Sunday. If you like it, the greatest gift you can give as a friend and a fan is to talk about it and share it. I couldn't be more excited to share Groupons Groupons with you in the next days/weeks/months. Let's do this!

Be well.

Kirk Sells

YACHTS BY 27. WORLD PEACE BY 46.