Drifting Unplugged:
THE AMERICAN DREAM IS STILL ALIVE.
VISION
Drifting Unplugged follows comedian Jimmy McCartney bringing the American dream to life
Jimmy McCartney did what no other comedian has done. He bypassed the entire ladder and all the gatekeepers of stand up comedy, by going directly from being an open mic nobody, to a nationally touring headliner. What makes his story special, is that he did this without inside help, massive following on social media, or any connections. He did it totally alone by spending 5 months endlessly researching and cold calling hundreds of venues to self book shows. This led to his first headlining tour, and that credibility led Jimmy to touring nationally, appearing on TV, and performing for the military across the country.
Viewers experience every part of the journey, from the lows of endless rejection, and going last at open mics, to the highs of getting standing ovations and having crowds line up for pictures after shows. Drifting Unplugged gives a clear window into the reality of what the American dream is really like.
Why Now?
THE MESSAGE PEOPLE NEED
Most people, and nearly all artists make the mistake of waiting and hoping for a door to open to them; for someone to allow their dream to become real. Drifting Unplugged shows artists, entrepreneurs, and even regular people who want to make change in their life that instead of waiting for doors to open, you can smash the doors with a sledge hammer to carve a unique path, to create opportunity, to change your life; and make the American dream real.
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Comedians face gate keepers based on friend groups, brick walls, and a twenty-year long ladder starting with open mics, then hosting, then opening, before headlining to mostly empty rooms and no money. Jimmy bypassed all of these steps by becoming his own booker, and did what no other comedian has. This documentary shows self determination can overcome nepotism, and a better life awaits those willing to create it.
Meet the Main Character
Jimmy McCartney grew up in a small town with terrible stage fright. After failing at multiple dream projects, Jimmy took a leap and moved to Seattle, where he faced more failure and rejection. In order to face his fears of public speaking, Jimmy started doing open mics, and got accepted into a talent agency where he kept failing and getting rejected, but was learning to be confident in front of a camera. Jimmy then worked in sales at PBS and was eventually able to self produce his own TV series. Afterwards, Jimmy moved to Florida where he was rejected from hosting at local clubs, so he quit his day job and used all of his savings to tirelessly research and cold call venues across the country. This created his first tour, and using reference letters from that tour Jimmy kept the dream going and built it further. The skills Jimmy learned in his other projects and sales job directly lead to his success and breakthrough in comedy.
Jimmy has been a full time comedian for the past four years, headlining shows at colleges, comedy clubs, performance halls, and military bases from Northern Alaska, to Key West. Jimmy has been a regular guest on “The Blaze” for the past two years, and has grown a Tik Tok following of 250,000 and 38 million views. Jimmy performs with both the USO and the Department of War for all branches of the military.
Synopsis
ACT I
Back story. The underdog from nowhere deciding to chase dreams at all costs. Endless rejection and failure.
ACT II
The leap. Having clear vision with full commitment and no back up plan. Endless cold calls, getting bookings.
ACT III
Touring Headliner. Jimmy lives his dream and is totally free, headlining shows, having lines of fans, and getting standing ovations, before getting back to the grind of cold calling to do it all again.
Themes
Hard work
Creative thinking
Thinking outside the box
Chasing dreams to change life's trajectory
American self determinism
Freedom
Underdog who overcomes adversity
Refusal to quit or accept status quo
Target Audience and Market Fit
Males, specially 18-50 who want to see a message about hard work and betting on themselves, who want to know it is possible to make a dream real.
This film is meant to appeal to independent thinkers, creatives, people who want to change the trajectory of their life, and pro American entrepreneurs.
Current messaging is focused on the hopelessness of things getting better, and that millennials cannot have the American dream. This documentary is meant to counter that messaging with direct proof.
Current Project Status
Completed final cut that can use some edits to make it even better.
Needs a couple interviews, removal of a few profanities, added footage, audio and visual clean up, and shortening of current footage to add new footage. All edits can be done in house for no extra development cost.
This documentary has never been released online so it can be a network original. It was screened one time in person at a theater in Jimmy’s hometown to great reviews.
Trailer
Thank you for your time.