Randall Blaum Back From the Edge Film Blog

A Photo Journey from Randall

Namaste everyone.

As I wrote about in the last blog, our trip to the Pacific Northwest and the East Coast was jammed packed.  I have had several people ask me if there are any photos from the trip and, yes there are.  Here are a just a few and check out the new photo category labeled interviews for more.  This is Gordon Janow the Operations Director from Alipne Ascents, the expedition team that got Werner up Mount Everest.  Gordon rides his bike to work 20 miles every day and doesn't own a car.

This next photo is of me and Dr. Bruce, who went on the trek to Everest and is now hooked on mountain climbing.  Dr. Bruce runs a family clinic in Seattle and is part of a dying breed...  Doctors that work for themselves that truly care about their patients.  He even makes house calls!!!   For more photos check out the "interviews" category on the right side of this blog.

Be well,

Randall

Westbound and Down, Loaded Up and Truckin'

Namaste everyone,

We arrived back in San Diego at 1:30 this morning from our east coast swing and are now getting ready to head to LA for the day to complete round one of the expert interviews.  This past week has been grueling for the crew and we're all looking forward to a few days off.

To reiterate our travels; in the the last 11 days we have had an average of 16 hours of travel, shooting, and prep per day and have been to, San Fransisco, Seattle, Vancouver, B.C., New York, Philadelphia, Pottstown, PA, Orlando, Charlotte, and Las Vegas.  Whew!!  And based on the questions some of you have sent me, these facts may surprise you.  You see, movie-making is not glamorous.  It's hard work, with long days and just the logistics to get our crew on location at the right time for all the interviews has been a huge task in itself.

The next round of interviews will take us to Toronto, New York, Salt Lake, Houston, Dallas, and Scottsdale.  The travel schedule is hot an heavy, but after this next round of interviews, we'll be e mostly completed with principle photography for the film.  We'll still need to pick up a couple of experts and take a trip to Mexico, but overall we'll have most of the footage.

We are digitizing tape right now (getting it from the tape form to the electronic form in the computer) and logging all the shots (literally making notes on every shot we took at Mount Everest.  This is laborious and critically important work, for without it, we couldn't even start to edit the film.

Be well and I'll write more when I get back from LA tomorrow.

Randall

Werner's Welcome Home Party

Namaste everyone,

Wow!  Last night if you weren't able to make it, you missed a great party for Werner as he finished up his international media tour and event schedule after he came home from summitting Mount Everest.  Last night over 50 people were on hand to see and hear Werner's presentation on health, nutrition, and of course, climbing Everest.

The event was held at the Pottstown Athletic Club and while we were filming Werner lifting weights, doing pull ups, and using the stairmaster, event the young guys at the gym were amazed at what Werner cold do.  All around a great time.

The film crew and I left Pottstown around 10:00pm and raced back to New York to be able to catch a couple hours of sleep and to get on board a 6:00am flight to Orlando to interview Lyle McWilliams, one of the world's leading nutrition experts. 

We're all a bit tired after the three-hour drive and early wake up call, but it was well worth it to be able to film Werner at the party.  I need to end this short blog now as we are heading out the door for the interview and getting ready for another interview with Dr. Melissa Andersson tomorrow about an hour outside of Orlando.

Be well and I am yours in success,

Randall

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