In April of 2015 I wrote on the back of an agenda. It was orange, with terrible handwriting that resembled a chicken being mowed down in a drive by.

In any event, people were able to read it and they liked the idea.

Thus started one of the most amazing, powerful, and insane rollercoaster rides of my life.

It was a film project, one in which I raised $100,000, got the support of hundreds of people, worked literally thousands of hours, and will probably be one of the bigger accomplishments of my life.

It’s about the tech community.

But really, it’s about people.

As I put the idea in front of people, they amazed me with their authenticity and support. As I interviewed them, I saw the human-ness each brought to the world. Tremendous people, willing to contribute time, energy, ideas, money, and support for the community.

They love the community. They participated to show their stripes and help spread the word to the masses that our companies, people, and ideas are not only worthy, but awesome.

They are entrepreneurs, and they were helping out a fellow entrepreneur to get something going in the interest of a greater good. They helped me, and made me want to help others.

There are many people out there that feel the same. They want to do something, but don’t know where to start. Some folks might think they can’t make a difference. But what I learned on my journey is that anyone can.

At the film release on September 22nd, 2016 I used three key words to express how people can continue to grow and support our community. Participate, Celebrate, and Advocate.

Participate
Go to Minnedemo, Beta.MN, 1Million Cups. Check out CoCo, bring your kids, tell that friend in CA how our startups are lighting it up. Be part of something bigger.

Celebrate
Celebrate what you have. Once you dig in you start to realize it. What we have are awesome people, ideas, and history. Don’t take that for granted. Appreciate it and celebrate. Learn how awesome MNTech past present and future really is.

Advocate
Once you appreciate it, become an advocate for our community. Stand up and be counted as an ambassador.

I wasn’t that person, until I was.

I made a film about how awesome this community is.

I can’t wait to see what you do.