Who are we?

Crossing Borders is a team of women behind and in front of the camera. Our goal is to give women more representation in the travel show industry on highly-visible platforms, such as Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services, and TV channels like Travel, and Discovery. We also seek to better understand  women’s roles in cultures around the world by experiencing daily life in different places and speaking with the women and men who call them home. There are many misconceptions about where women can or can’t/ should or shouldn’t travel to, and a lot of that comes from a misunderstanding of those countries, their cultures, their values, and their everyday life.

How Much Do We Need and Where is Your Money Going?

The grand sum I’m looking for is $100,000, which I fully expect to gather from multiple sources. All funds will be allocated to the following:

• Hiring a cinematographer and two editors, preferably from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), helping our female film grads get a leg up in their careers right out of college. RIT is my alma mater and supporting my college and its graduates is important to me in this venture. Located in Rochester, NY, RIT is included in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2021 Edition and ranks among the top 10 in Grad Report’s Best Film Schools 2021 Edition. 

• Pre-trip expenses such as vaccines, visas, filming permits, flights, and accommodations

• Trip expenses such as excursions, guides, translators, and transportation

• Post-trip expenses such as legal representation to get our show in front of the right people (Netflix, Hulu, Travel Channel, National Geographic, PBS, Discovery Channel, Amazon Prime, etc), rights to music and/or hiring a composer to write music for the show, and DVD creation.

What Makes me Confident in This Project’s Success?

Crossing Borders  launched a successful Indiegogo campaign, which funded the pilot episode in Iceland  and the acquisition of necessary equipment for filming. The creation of the pilot episode was something that I completed independently with only minimal assistance from others... If I can complete an entire episode, start to finish, single-handed, imagine what I could do with a whole crew behind me! In addition, I received a BFA in Film and Animation from Rochester Institute of Technology, which has afforded me experience in all facets of the film creation process. 

What’s In It For You?

• You’d be helping a local filmmaker in the Rochester, NY area get her name out  in the television industry—repping Rochester and women in film, learning how being in the great wide world affects the views of ourselves and others, and getting a better understanding of cultures around the world. 

• Crossing Borders is represented by the non-profit group, From the Heart Productions, so any amount that you invest is tax deductible!   

• Listing in the show’s credits attached to every episode

Other Ways You Can Help

Spread the word!! Tag us on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter (all with the handle crossingbordersshow), especially when you get your gear! Wish you could donate, but you can’t? We totally get it! We’ve been there and the world is still getting itself right ways up again. You can use your social media accounts to help get our name out there- tag us, share this link, and share our blog link: www.crossingbordersshow.com/blog-1. 

Another big BIG help is, if you think you might have a contact for us in one of the countries that we’re potentially visiting, we’d love to reach out to them. It would be great to see a familiar face among a sea of strangers, get travel tips, and/or spend a day or few bebopping around with a new found local friend! To be clear, we would not be asking for a place to stay, just merely a contact while in an unfamiliar place.  Thank you so much in advance for anything and everything that you all do. None of this could be possible without your help!!

Feel free to message me with any questions or for more information [email protected]. Crossing Borders can also be found at our website, on Instagram and Facebook!