The last week has been insane. It started last Saturday. I was on a bike in Sturgis, but I started getting calls from friends telling me there was a story about STARBUCKING on the front page of the Kearney Hub, the newspaper in the town where I live. I had been interviewed by a reporter but didn't know when the story would be coming out, and hadn't dreamed it would make the front page. Then on Monday, I was contacted by an Associated Press reporter from Omaha, NE. He interviewed me about the documentary and also talked to Winter. The article hit the AP wire sometime Monday evening. Then all hell broke loose.
On Tuesday I found phone messages from CNN, Good Morning America, and Inside Edition. I talked with MTV, Nightline, and major newspapers and radio stations across the country. The story was on the front page of Yahoo, it was on Fark.com, USA Today, and in newspapers world wide. I've seen the story in Spanish and Italian and it's probably been translated into other languages as well.
The website got 22,000 hits on Tuesday. I've sent out tapes of footage to numerous networks and tv stations. Winter appeared on CNN yesterday and is slated for a number of other tv and radio shows.
Now, on Friday, things seem to be slowing down. I've still got some radio interviews slated, but the flood of emails and calls has subsided. The damage is done. Now EVERYBODY knows about Starbucking. I've received emails from people excited about the movie and people who think both Winter and I are idiots. By the way, if I haven't responded to your email yet, I hope to soon.
So where are we now? I'm just starting to reflect on all this publicity instead of just reacting to it. I'm still just blown away by it all. It confirms what I already knew, that this is a very good idea for a documentary. What Winter is doing with his life is so different from everybody else that you can't help but be fascinated. Winter and Starbucks have this in common: People either love 'em, or hate 'em.
My enthusiasm for this documentary has never been higher. I've been quoted a million times as saying I hope to have it done by the years end. Looking at the calendar I realize that's sneaking up pretty quickly. The expectations have never been higher, and thanks to the amazing things that have happened to Winter that I've captured on tape, I don't think the final product will disappoint.
So now friends, it's time for me to get busy. I've got 40 hours and growing of great footage that I've got to transform into a 1 1/2 hour documentary. You're going to see the best of all the good stuff I've got. My creative juices are flowing! The muse has arrived! The wheel of fortuna has spun the responsibility of telling an amazing man's story to me. I shall not disappoint!!!
