A Success Story - The Wolfout.TV Click-Click-a-thon
On Wednesday night, Wolfout Television did something weird, maybe the weirdest thing we’ve done. And that’s saying something. We held a 3-HOUR Variety Show on the internet to raise awareness for our INDEPENDENT VIDEO NETWORK! And we did! With great performances by Anthony Salas and Dustin “Mark” Harmon of Dogs of War, Art Paul Shlosser, Magician Lachlan Masters, and Atlas Improv. But that’s not why I’m calling it a success.
I’m calling Wednesday night a success because for 3 hours, Wolfout Studios was full of the people who care about Wolfout, who care about me, and who care about fun. It was a success because the sheer scope of this thing forced me to let go of control, to let the evening unfold as it would, to embrace the chaos of Fun, and to trust in the WolfPack that surrounds me.
And yesterday, as I put Billy the CPR Dummy back in his case, it hit me that I did this. Not alone, surely. I’ll get to that in a minute (or so, depending on how quickly you read). But I’ve created something that has become a place for people to be involved in something fun and positive, to create, to use their imaginations, to feel the hum that vibrates through Wolfout Studios when we’re making movies and to add their own frequencies to that hum. I’m not one who processes pride or joy very well, but I have never felt more proud or joyful.
And I have many to thank for that. Thanks to everyone who has come by the Studio to help out, be on the shows, play games, and Wolf Out a bit. Thanks to all of you who watch and share our video data, who tell your friends, and who reach out to me to tell me you like what we’re doing. Thanks to my Momar and Pops for being so supportive of the weirdo they created (that’s credit, not blame, Ma), and to my publicist/brother Rob Chappell for always howling out about me. Thanks to all the people who travel in my Pack (Go Pack!): Mike Palzkill for all of his expert production help, of course, but even more for stepping so far out of his comfort zone to be my Partner in Cat. Thanks to John Fisher for managing the hell out of that stage and for your loyalty and commitment to Wolfout - it means a lot to me. Thanks to Tyler Ensrude for making me a better collaborator and for making great music. Seriously great. I listen to him almost every day. (https://soundcloud.com/tylerensrude) Thanks to Fin Hammond for his musics and for always helping out from our West Coast Offices in sunny Portland, Oregon. Thanks to Terry Westrum for helping to dream up Up Periscope and for being such a terrific guy. And of course, thanks to the guy upstairs for not making too much noise while we record audio.
Oh, right, the one who is such a part of me the I sometimes forget she isn’t: my WIFE4LIFE, Vivian Chappell. Viv runs camera for some of our shows. She caters ALL the shoots (under the name “Bulky’s”), and it is THE BEST CRAFT SERVICES IN TOWN. I mean that. We had macaroon dip in a pineapple! Uh, yeah! She’s getting her own show, too! The Hearty Vegetable will be coming out this winter! But most of all, she is my CONSTANT creative consultant. I run every edit by her, she makes suggestions, I disagree but do it anyways, because I’ve learned that she’s always right. And she is. But more that any of that, she is and always has been firmly planted by my side, often propping me up, giving me the space and support to do the things I do best. She believes in me when I can’t, and in Wolfout when I can’t. Also, she still laughs at my jokes. Which I thank her for frequently.
I’ve replayed the Wolfout.TV Click-Click-a-thon in my head a few times, as I’ll do, and there are things I would do differently. But maybe for the first time, I have no regrets. I changed as a person the other night, and Wolfout.TV changed forever. Thanks to everyone for watching and helping and continuing to howl at the moon with us. Let’s go get this.
To join the Wolfpack, go to Wolfout.TV, follow us on Twitter, Periscope, and Instagram @WolfoutTV, and check out the Facebook Pages for Wolfout.TV, Cat Chat, and Up Periscope.
And, as always, be excellent to each other.
