Tornado filmers funnel profits to victims

[Eric Friedebach]

Roanoke teenagers who shot July twister will help families

Friday, October 22, 2004
By KAREN McDONALD of the Journal Star

ROANOKE - Two Roanoke teenagers could have spent the $25,000 they made selling video footage of this summer's Woodford County tornado on computer games, clothes or even a car.

Instead, Jeremy Hodel, 19, and Josh Sauder, 17, are funneling $17,500 in profits to the five families whose homes were leveled July 13 and to the Roanoke Rescue Squad and Fire Protection District.

"I think it's a marvelous gesture that they would do this," Emergency Services and Disaster Agency Director Bob Hix said Thursday. "It certainly will help the families and departments to cover some of the expenses. I think it's great that they would think to do that instead of using it for other purposes."

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/102204/TRI_B...QHRHN.028.shtml

 

[Mike Sharp]

Proves there are Kids out there who are not selfish. Hats off to them, a great benifit to their community. :angel5:

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

Of course what you should be asking is how you can sell (according to the website) 1700!!! copies of your chase video. That is the most amazing statistic.

Aaron

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Agreed... I've seen the video maybe once.. And they got $25000 for it?!

 

[Gayla Drummond]

That was great of those kids to think of to do. I bet their parents are so proud of them!

 

[Jeff Wear]

Here's another story about the video......

http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/090204/n...040902034.shtml

Although I do like the gesture of donating proceeds to the victims - I have to wonder if they have enough left over to cover their expenses - hiring someone to produce 1700 DVDs and VHS tapes sure can't be cheap. I'd have to think the bookstore and the jewelry store distributing the video would need their cut of the proceeds as well.

 

[Matthew Havin]

That was awesome..... and I am still shocked they were able to sell so many in Central IL, but it definately helped sales since the $$ was going to a good cause.

 

[Andrew Pritchard]

I just recieved a copy of this dvd, and was amazed by it. It is the best tornado segment I own on video or dvd now. These guys get the entire F4 tornado from its intial multi-vortex stage, to the mature stage when it engulfs the Parsons Plant. One of the guys actually gets into the debris cloud in a parking lot, where he steps out of his car, letting you hear the roar of the tornado only a mile from him, as pieces of debris fly all around him. They both catch the final roping out stage which is quite beautiful, and then survey the damage immediately following the tornado before anything has been altered. I dont know if its still possible to get a copy of this, but I would seriously try and pick one up.

 

[Robert Dewey]

It certainly is interesting how they marketed 1700 copies. But, the way I think about it, is this: You take the number of people that are in America, then figure out how many people you believe would like your product (a video in this case). From those people, you would then have to figure out the best way to attract their attention/reach these people... Sounds simple in theory, but not exactly, since the cost to reach those people often exceeds the available starting capital and/or return on investment.

 

[Shane Adams]

I'd imagine that targeting the area affected would be a big help. Also, if you want anything to sell like wildfire, all you have to do is put "for charity" somewhere in your advertising banner. It's a lock. A third thing, IMO, is the fact that these aren't chasers, just a couple of kids. The "helping your fellow man" aspect of that is like gold.

 

[Doug_Kiesling]

Stormchasers help Doyle buy Celtic Ray buildings

Its along the same lines as the tornado video but we helped them save their business. And the best part, we get our own booth in the new place thats going to be called the "Chase Lounge" and a free beer tab ;-)

Stormchasers help Doyle buy Celtic Ray buildings
http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/011...ry=tp10ch18.htm

Also, what has been talked about a little bit in the chat room, yes its true. The video has now turned into a movie and is opening at the Miami International Indy Film Festival next month.

Hurricane Charley, Punta Gorda Florida, Friday The 13th, 2004 will be up on the big screen for all the big shots from Hollywood to see.

Sunday 13th February 2005 - Screen 14, seven months to the day after the storm.

Here is a list of the other movies being screened.

http://www.nyfilmvideo.com/cgi/schedule.cgi

Doug

 

[Andrew Pritchard]

Re: Stormchasers help Doyle buy Celtic Ray buildings

Its along the same lines as the tornado video but we helped them save their business. And the best part, we get our own booth in the new place thats going to be called the "Chase Lounge" and a free beer tab ;-)

Stormchasers help Doyle buy Celtic Ray buildings
http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/011...ry=tp10ch18.htm

Also, what has been talked about a little bit in the chat room, yes its true. The video has now turned into a movie and is opening at the Miami International Indy Film Festival next month.

Hurricane Charley, Punta Gorda Florida, Friday The 13th, 2004 will be up on the big screen for all the big shots from Hollywood to see.

Sunday 13th February 2005 - Screen 14, seven months to the day after the storm.

Here is a list of the other movies being screened.

http://www.nyfilmvideo.com/cgi/schedule.cgi

Doug

Doesn't this belong in a completely seperate thread? I'm not sure what it has to do with the teenagers donating $17.5K to people hurt by the F4 tornado...but see it more as a personal ad.

 

[Dan Cook]

Re: Stormchasers help Doyle buy Celtic Ray buildings

Its along the same lines as the tornado video but we helped them save their business. And the best part, we get our own booth in the new place thats going to be called the "Chase Lounge" and a free beer tab ;-)

Stormchasers help Doyle buy Celtic Ray buildings
http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/011...ry=tp10ch18.htm

Also, what has been talked about a little bit in the chat room, yes its true. The video has now turned into a movie and is opening at the Miami International Indy Film Festival next month.

Hurricane Charley, Punta Gorda Florida, Friday The 13th, 2004 will be up on the big screen for all the big shots from Hollywood to see.

Sunday 13th February 2005 - Screen 14, seven months to the day after the storm.

Here is a list of the other movies being screened.

http://www.nyfilmvideo.com/cgi/schedule.cgi

Doug

Doesn't this belong in a completely seperate thread? I'm not sure what it has to do with the teenagers donating $17.5K to people hurt by the F4 tornado...but see it more as a personal ad.

That's because it is.

 

[Doug_Kiesling]

Re: Stormchasers help Doyle buy Celtic Ray buildings

Doesn't this belong in a completely seperate thread? I'm not sure what it has to do with the teenagers donating $17.5K to people hurt by the F4 tornado...but see it more as a personal ad.

That's because it is.

No, its not an ad. For one simple well known fact. Chasers don't buy chase video. Thousands of copies sold, and less than a dozen were purchased by chasers. Storm chasers don't by, they trade videos!!!

If you read the story, we helped a family save their business and save a historic part of their town which was suppose to fall to the wrecking ball after hurricane charley. We could have put the video in dozens of stores and made more money but who ever thought to sell chase video out of an Irish Pub and give them an exclusive on it? We did something to help those out who we watched and video taped during the hurricane and saw their lives and way of life become changed forever by one of the worst storms on record.

The only other time I have heard of anyone doing anything on a scale like that was with these kids who donated profits from there tornado video to help people. I don't know of any storm chasers that have given all that much to help out those who lives become changed by the storms they love to watch.

 

[David Schuttler]

Re: Stormchasers help Doyle buy Celtic Ray buildings

Doesn't this belong in a completely seperate thread? I'm not sure what it has to do with the teenagers donating $17.5K to people hurt by the F4 tornado...but see it more as a personal ad.

That's because it is.

No, its not an ad. For one simple well known fact. Chasers don't buy chase video. Thousands of copies sold, and less than a dozen were purchased by chasers. Storm chasers don't by, they trade videos!!!

If you read the story, we helped a family save their business and save a historic part of their town which was suppose to fall to the wrecking ball after hurricane charley. We could have put the video in dozens of stores and made more money but who ever thought to sell chase video out of an Irish Pub and give them an exclusive on it? We did something to help those out who we watched and video taped during the hurricane and saw their lives and way of life become changed forever by one of the worst storms on record.

The only other time I have heard of anyone doing anything on a scale like that was with these kids who donated profits from there tornado video to help people. I don't know of any storm chasers that have given all that much to help out those who lives become changed by the storms they love to watch.

And somehow you still manage to put what these kids did below you and your good deed.

These kids gave it all. Yours seems to be more of an advertising gimic. The result was a good thing ,don't get me wrong but it sounds like the ones donated are the ones sold at the pub to people that wouldn't have bought it otherwise. Nothing was taken from normal sales and helped draw attention for your other videos.

I never could reach my back wearing a thick heavy jacket. :wink: