Here we are again. It’s now the 3rd annual “What’s Up for the End of the Year” post. These are actually some of my favorite posts because I get to look back at what I was up to exactly a year ago. I get to see what my plans were, what I expected, and then compare it to what happened. Some of the stuff looks pretty silly in hindsight sometimes.

This year has been kind of impressive. Finishing out last year my primary focus was on Scrimshaw. What I thought would be my third project, Pedal for Pongo!, wound up really taking on a life of its own. It’s now “complete” (in quotes because it’s in that stage where I’m kinda done but really everything is insane). I am incredibly excited about this project because it’s the most comprehensive project I’ve done to date, and it’s also the most well-suited for the Anthrospin name, with the most original content.

It’s also on DVD with three different versions.

The first is a standard version. If you buy it from the web store this will most likely be the version that shows up at your house. If you represent a college or something, you’ll spend a bit more and get more comprehensive licensing for screenings and all that…which is the second version.

The third version is a special edition that has some extra content on it and is exclusively available to those who participated in the project, donated to Orangutan Outreach through our fundraiser, or who were involved behind the scenes in a way that’s really important to us.

Anyway. I’ve now got 2 feature-length documentaries published to DVD. And  Scrimshaw isn’t forgotten about! In fact, there’s a teaser trailer for it on the DVD! I don’t know when or if it’ll be publicly shared, so really this is your only way to get it.

Some time next year I’ll be sharing Pedal for Pongo as a series of episodes on the YouTube channel.

Speaking of which.

This time last year I mentioned that I was finishing up my final introductory video, on anthropological linguistics. Well, not only is that video complete, it’s also my most popular video (more than 1,700 views in under 9 months), I’ve also received a lot of excellent feedback on it.

I’ve even made a friend, Ari, from it. They commented on the video saying that they’re working on a career-path project and were interested in linguistics. I’ve created an anthropology major and that statement is one of the high points of my life haha.

It’s kind of weird working to reorient myself with the other stuff I do. Pedal for Pongo was intense. My previous projects have all been kind of more leisurely. Sure they’ve been time consuming, but they’ve all been done on my time. This was a multi-state bike ride with stops that were coordinated with the schedules of people whose time I consider much more valuable than my own.

Then, once back, I started setting deadlines and working very intently on making them. I got a time clock app on my phone, and apparently spent 309.2 hours in post-production. That’s just the editing and all that. Never mind the months spent planning or the time on the trip. I’ve learned a ridiculous amount about what to do and what not to do, and it’s already being reflected in my work going forward.

I think Rhode Island’s Industrial Revolution has had 7 or 8 screenings in the ~2 years it’s been around. One is actually coming up! I just got the date for it last night. I’ll share the link to it once I create the event, but it’s on Saturday, November 9th.

Pedal for Pongo had screenings confirmed before the first DVD was complete. As of now it’s being screened at Rhode Island College and the West Warwick Public Library, with likely screenings at the Barrington Farm School, the Coventry Public Library, and the Providence Parks Partnership (all dates TBD), and a good chance of screenings with the Roger Williams Park Zoo and the Rhode Island Audubon Society.

Again…I’m the only person in possession of a DVD copy of this documentary at this point, so that’s pretty exciting that so much is already in motion.

There’s still so much to do, though. I’ve fallen way behind on my goal of two blog entries per month. Although with the Pedal for Pongo blog, some of that is offset. I still have some catching up to do, and do intend to get back to it as soon as possible.

Going into 2020 is going to be awesome. I’ve got a mini camera drone on the way, which will give me much more dynamic filming capabilities. It’s got face detection and can follow me around, allowing for much more organic video flow than I’m used to (remember, 99% of my videos are shot by me. I feel like it works well, but it has its limitations).

I’m going to focus on shorter, more concise videos. Y’all know anthropology pretty well at this point. You’ve been listening to me babble about it for a while, and you’ve watched 5 videos introducing the different sub disciplines.

I want to have shorter videos that can be watched and digested in one sitting. Not everyone has time for a 20 minute lecture. Now that you’ve got a decent background, I can make more specific and (in my view) exciting stuff.

I feel weird typing this next part, but a big part of my push in 2020 is going to be financial. This has become a full time job for me. And I don’t care, I’m doing it no matter what. But it’s conflicted with my jobby job, and my ability to stock pile money for things like buying new gear or eating more than I should.

If I can get Anthrospin to pay like a part time job, then there’s nothing I won’t be able to do with it. My intention is to finish Scrimshaw next year, and to also get the next, and biggest, project in motion. I’m not positive what it is just yet, but I have a few ideas and don’t think I’ll be able to pull it off without Pedal Powered Anthropology being able to cover some of my bills while I’m gone.

So please forgive me if I start being a bit more talkative about things like my Patreon or my web store. I just can’t grow this in the way it’s been growing without support, so I’ll be asking for your help–financially if you can, and if not, just through networking. Help share my posts and content, tell friends about screenings. Suggest screenings to your friends who work at libraries or as teachers/professors.

That’s really it for now. I’ve got a lot to wrap up by the end of this year, and a lot of exciting stuff in the works. I’m going to be posting a lot more about current topics in anthropology, and within the next week or so I’ll be doing another write up about my gear and how what bits are used for what content.

Expect a lot more writing through the rest of this year. My brain is back with it, it’s just got some catching up to do.