“Sometimes you take a trip. Sometimes the trip takes you.”
Four people and a dog take a once in a lifetime road trip in an old VW Bus, cold-calling the most powerful people in the world and taking them out for coffee.
“Inspirational” – The Washington Post
The Journey is a ground breaking film that played in theaters across the country to sold out shows and standing ovations. The short film of the same title sold at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to become one of the highest ranking short films in the world. This lead to a development deal with Walt Disney Studios and the making of a feature film which world premiered at South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin Texas (SXSW). It was awarded Most Memorable Film. The Journey movie went on to play in theaters across the country to sold out shows and standing ovations and lead to appearances on CNN and The Today Show, and in magazines such as Fast Company, Spin Magazine and National Geographic.
Background: After college, Eric Saperston bought a yellow Volkswagon Bus, took his Golden Retriever Jack, and set out to follow the Grateful Dead and work a ski season in Aspen. While out on the road, he called up some of the most powerful and influential people in the world and asked them out for a cup of coffee.
“Stand up and cheer film!” – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What started out as a personal journey to find the answers to life’s biggest questions – Why am I here? How can I find happiness? What is success? – quickly turned into something much bigger than he ever had imagined. As the journey unfolded, it attracted the attention of three others: Dave Murcott, Paige O’Brien and Kathleen Kelly. They too felt disconnected and were searching for purpose and meaning in their lives. So they quit their jobs, risked it all and jumped in the bus. One man’s summer vacation quickly turned into four people’s vocation.
“This is more than a movie; it’s a movement.” – Arlo Guthrie, Folk Legend
This team of eager travelers meandered across the country for close to four years from Atlanta, Georgia to Seattle, Washington, shot 500 hours of footage and interviewed more than 200 people in search of wisdom and inspiration from the famous and not so famous.
“The Journey honored as one of the top ten films at SXSW (South By Southwest)”
“Eric Saperston is Huck Finn with a digital camcorder. He’s Merriweather Lewis with a laptop. He’s Charles Kuralt with a goatee. Saperston set out on a journey with the Grateful Dead — and wound up on a ‘Journey’ fueled by advice from CEOs, movie stars, leadership gurus and a former U.S. president on how to lead a successful life. The result is “The Journey”, an award-winning feature film. Eric’s story is ‘On the Road’ meets ‘Tuesdays With Morrie’. It’s ‘Roger & Me’ meets ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’. It’s MTV’s ‘Road Rules’ with a heart. It’s …well, our advice? See the film.”
—Daniel Pink, Fast Company Magazine
