After several months of toiling over this project on my own, I feel very privileged to be joining the “Losing LeBron” team. From their site:

LOSING LEBRON is a feature-length documentary chronicling NBA superstar LeBron James’ first season with the Miami Heat, through the eyes of the fans he left behind.

LOSING LEBRON will go deep into the homes and workplaces of Cleveland residents to find out how they have been affected by this move, why basketball is so important to them, and watch as they adjust to a season without LeBron. Think Hoop Dreams meets Roger & Me. Fans and foes alike will document themselves through user-generated content as we experience this unique chapter in sports history. We will provide selected participants with HD Flip Cams so they can interview themselves, their family, and their friends, and become a part of the film’s production.

LOSING LEBRON is a film about community. We both have family members and friends in Cleveland and Akron who feel betrayed by LeBron’s decision to go to Miami. They, and so many other basketball fans, see his choice as a slap in the face to the people of Cleveland who loved and supported him. But they also see this as a trend in their long-associated history with sports heartache in their city, and a sign of the future of their city’s pride. We want this film to be an opportunity to tell these stories, and to show how beloved the city is by so many.

THE FUNDS: 
We’re hoping to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter. 

More about the filmmakers:

 

Nicole Prowell is a documentary filmmaker who takes the occasional adventure into the world of experimental film. She received her Masters Degree from Emerson College in Visual Media Arts and is currently pursuing her MFA in Media Art. Additionally, she studied filmmaking at FAMU in Prague.

Prior to moving to Boston, Nicole worked for IBM and the Jacob Burns Film Center, a non-profit art house focused on visual literacy. She has worked for MIT’s Nextlab program, traveling to the Philippines to document a medical research team. Her documentary work from the Philippines is being screened at the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York. Currently, she is an assistant editor for documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee, and a teaching assistant at Harvard University.

Nicole is the former Vice President of Women in Film & Video/New England, and a member of Connect the Docs and the University Film and Video Association. Her recent projects include Happy Hunting, a short, personal documentary, which has screened in Los Angeles, New York, and New England.

ALLYSON SHERLOCK
Director, Producer, & Editor, Losing LeBron

Allyson Sherlock is a Boston-based filmmaker and editor. After earning her M.A. in 2005, Allyson co-founded a video production company specializing in socially-conscious media projects. Her company’s clients have included several of the top leading non-profit organizations in the country. Additionally, Allyson has been teaching video production and video editing at Harvard University Extension School for the past 5 years. Her work is dedicated to creating films that explore the essence of community and how individuals come to define themselves in relation to others. Her films have screened in both festivals and on television. Allyson is currently working towards a Master of Fine Arts degree at Emerson College.

After meeting with Nicole and Allyson, I was very impressed by their dedication to telling the story of Cleveland—and LeBron—organically. That is to say, without bias and without a pre-set storyline. I hope you will join me in supporting them toward their goal.

In the meantime, please, please, please visit the Kickstarter site and contribute toward the $10,000 goal before December 19th. This is the minimum amount necessary to cover production expenses—including transportation, lodging, and equipment. As the site says, “the more money we raise, the more time we can spend shooting in Cleveland and helping to discover and share all its hidden gems!”