---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update: Listen to the audio tour "sneak preview" here at www.nelsonwalkingaudiotour.ca
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I heart Nelson BC. 

Heck, lots of people heart Nelson BC.

Well, here's a little project for all you Nelson fans out there which promises to:

• add value to the tourism experience in Nelson
• bring in more tourism dollars into the city during this tough economy
• give locals a new appreciation for this historic and remarkable place
• support local businesses, artists, and musicians
  

What's your idea?

I call it....the "Nelson Walking Audio Tour"!

(That line works so much better if you imagine fireworks and some big hand gestures...)

That's right. I want to give you, my fellow lover of Nelson, an extremely easy and amazing way to experience the awesomeness that is this place.

How does it work?

The tour will be an hour-long walk of downtown, which can either be downloaded from my website as an MP3 or rented from local outlets. It will cover a distance of about a kilometre. 

To begin, simply go to the starting location of the tour, press play and follow the directions leading you around beautiful downtown Nelson.

Admire the wonderful buildings, the colourful people, and the breathtaking landscapes.  You'll have your own personal storyteller to guide you, entertain you, and enlighten you.  All you have to do is relax and soak it all in.

You'll be able to start and stop whenever and wherever you wish.  Can anyone say pee breaks?  Yay!  (Sorry about that - I have two little kids...)

Right, back to the tour.

Expect to hear about brothels, failed bombing attempts, celebrities, ghosts, tragedies and heroics.  Expect to hear great local musical talent between each site. Expect to learn some cool stuff.  Expect to hold back some tears. Expect to have a few awkward moments of laughing to yourself in the middle of a busy street. 

But above all....expect to be blown away.

Awesome. That's a really great idea.  How can I help?

You can help make this happen for you and this city in 3 ways:

Will you join my Army of Angels?

What's the money going to be used for?

Here's the $7,000 breakdown:

• Researchers --- to find the perfect stories, verify the facts, and source the info --- $1200
• Writers --- to script the tour to optimize the user experience --- $1500
  
• Narrators --- to be the voice of the tour --- $900
• Musicians --- for the transitions between the sites --- $700
  
• Audio Production Artist --- to make it all flow --- $1500
• Photographers --- for the website and cover art --- $500
• Graphic Designer --- for the website and promo material --- $300
• Web Developer --- for the website --- $200
• Misc. costs --- ex. domain names, software, archivist fees, etc. --- $200

I promise that every dollar I raise will go directly into the creation of the tour.

What if you raise less than your $7,000 goal?

Very good question.

It all comes down to my "Two Little Goals" and what I call the "Awesomeness Equation".

Sure, I could create a cheap 30 minute tour by recording my own nasally voice on a Fisher Price (R) tape recorder.  And I could rattle off boring stats of Nelson that I find from Wikipedia.  And I could probably steal music and photos as well...

OR...

With enough money, I can hire the best professionals money can buy who will take the time to create a high quality 60 minute tour that will knock your socks off.

Little Goal No. 2 - Hire Local Talent

Sure, I could outsource most of the work to India.  They'd do a pretty good job too.  Would likely cost me half as much to produce.  I mean - who cares if they have no idea where Nelson, British Columbia, Canada is and what it's all about...

OR...

With enough money, I can hire local talent who know and love this town as much as you and I do. And you can be sure they will add that extra something to make this tour really great.

And what if you make way more than $7,000?

First, I will maximize my "Two Little Goals".

Next, I would probably phone Willie Nelson's agent and find out how much it would cost me to get Mr. Nelson to narrate some or all of the tour.  Now come on - how cool would that be?

OK.  I'm in.  What do I get for making a contribution?

Besides knowing you are a part of something pretty neato? (sorry, I've used "awesome" a lot already)

I promise you a boat load of perks.....and the details are on the right hand side of this page.

Every contribution gets a copy of the audio tour as well as a big thank you on my website.

Some other VIP perks include:

• beautiful postcards (signed!) featuring photos by local photographers Phil Best and yours truly.
  
• a batch of homemade wheat-free cookies (but only if you're in the West Kootenays) plus a copy of the recipe which will be signed by this drop-dead gorgeous chef I know. (Hi honey!)
  
• various sizes of ready-to-hang thinwrap photos from local photographers Phil Best and yours truly.
• A 3 hour photography lesson from (you guessed it) Phil Best and yours truly in any West Kootenay city or town.
  
• Finally, the mother of all goodies includes a lot of that other stuff plus a personal, in the flesh tour of Nelson for you and 5 of your closest friends.  I promise to memorize the entire tour.
  

Here's a Phil Best sample photo:

I'm so in.  When will the audio tour be ready and when will I get my perks?

The plan is to have the tour ready for the May long weekend 2011 (Friday May 20th). 

You'll receive some perks within a week of receiving the contribution (like the thank you and the cookies).  Other perks will have to wait until the tour is complete (like the tour, the postcards and the photos).

Is there a deadline on the contributions?

Yes!  I have until November 30th, 2010 to raise the money.  After that, I'll be committed to create whatever tour I can with whatever money I raise.

Remember the Awesomeness Equation:
 
More People = More Support = More $$ = Maximizing Little Goals No. 1 and No. 2 = A More Awesome Tour

So please support the project, give what you can and use those "Share With Friends" tools above.  Spread the word and together we'll make this tour rock.

Wowsers...Are you doing all this by yourself?

Are you kidding?  No way.  I've had so much support from so many different people since I first came up with this idea.  My brothers.  My parents.  My friends at home and abroad - especially Brian, Kelly, Rajeeta, Heather, and Ryan.  Amazing support from local history guru Greg Nesteroff and the fine folks at Touchstones Museum.  Plus my growing number of facebook fans.

Not to mention my fabulous production team (aka the local talent)- Zeb, Trisha, Phil, and Chris

But mostly I'm carried on the backs of my amazing wife and kids.  Thanks Chris (aka the gorgeous wheat-free cookie chef), Mattaya and Ben.  You guys are the reason I keep pushing forward.

And of course....

THANK YOU!

(Sorry, I shouldn't yell.....I'm just so excited)

---

Photo Credits:

Elephant Mountain Fireworks - Ryan Oakley (aka 'yours truly') - www.thepupil.ca
Angel Statue - ZeePack - Flickr
Mr Willie Nelson - Minette Layne - Flickr
City of Nelson - Phil Best - www.bestphotos.ca