The Project

Jump to: The Beginning | The Script | The Production Company | The Connected Revolution | The SoulFire Project

The Beginning

When I moved to Philadelphia in the winter of 2007, I kept in touch with friends and family via email, cell phone and Skype. I didn’t even have a landline.

As an actor/singer aiming to break into the film industry, I began posting videos on YouTube to make my work visible to the public.

One day, I made a video called “21 Accents” to show casting directors some of my vocal range. In the 2 1/2 minute video, I introduce myself in 21 different accents in a single take. The video suddenly went “viral”, getting millions of views worldwide.

Thousands of people started watching my other videos as well, and there was a flood of contact from viewers who were deeply moved and inspired by the work. I was connecting to millions of people around the world whom I’d never met, all from this little box in my little room in a big city where I knew practically no one!

On the one hand, I felt incredibly connected to people through this new technology, but at the same time, I’d find myself entirely frustrated trying to have meaningful conversations with my family and friends through a delayed cell phone signal or the sterility of email.

I started thinking about the effectiveness of our myriad forms of communication technology: internet, cell phones, social networking sites…When does technology unite people? When does it make us feel more isolated?

Next: “The Script”