12 in 2012

One of the best things about my “jobs” is the variety of people I meet.  Customers in the construction industry are always unique, the staff and clientele at Summa Joe’s are beyond amazing and my Mr. Mom adventures always lead me to something new and different. 

Enter Daniel McCord.

I met Daniel at The Community Tap where he is a part time beer slinger.  He loves good beer just a bit more than most anyone you know and he is tailor made for this position. Like myself though, he cannot be defined by his part time job regardless of how cool it is.  He is a former Michelin engineer turned language teacher, beer connoisseur, blogger, kickass t-shirt maker and most importantly – artist. 

You can check out Daniel’s work at his personal website, his Vimeopage, or the most hilariously vulgar beer blog on the Interweb.  I promise you that any of these links will take you to a place far more entertaining than anything we can put together on this page. His videos are incredible, his blogs are hilarious, and his photography makes me want to quit taking pictures of anything ever again.

The next time you are surfing the interweb when your boss is not looking over your shoulder, you should definitely check out his websites.  However, since you are online at this very moment you need to check out his newest project right freaking now.  Well, let me tell you about it first….

12 in 2012 is a film project that Daniel is putting together to celebrate the end of the world.  No, actually the Mayans are celebrating that and Daniel is just making awesome films.  Prior to this project his work includes films, music videos, photography and, well, basically making everything that you see with your own two eyes better than you could see them for yourself.  To say he has an artist’s eye sounds cheesy and cliché so I will just say this: He makes stuff look really damn cool.

For this project Daniel is not just filming movies but making them.  He is making 12 actually.  In 2012. Does the name make sense now? Don’t worry; it took me a second to wrap my mind around it too.  Considering the fact that I would not know where to begin making one movie, I have a hard time figuring out how one plans to make 12 in a year.  I guess this is why I install glass and make pizzas while Daniel makes movies but that is beside the point.

His pics of beer and bourbon are like porn for alcoholics.

Twelve films. One a month.  January’s film was a narrative about the day in the life of a process server.  The next eleven months will include tall tales, narratives, documentaries on local bands and restaurants, or anything else in Upstate life that might catch his eye.   It really all depends on what kind of mood Daniel wakes up in at the first of the month and that sort of depends on what kind of bourbon or craft beer he drank the night before.  

This kind of creative energy is not just something I respect but I embrace.  These films are not “work” for him.  They are features on pieces of his soul.  He loves his work and works on what he loves. Be it food, music or a great story, he looks at his subject as a parent looks at a child.  The result is a film that is not just a video recording but more of a front row seat to something truly special.

The Upstate Under Your Nose does not have ads on the sidebar.  We write about people, places and things we enjoy with no contribution from our featured characters.  Our reward is not monetary but just the feedback we receive when somebody says that we pointed them in the direction of an adventure they shared with people that matter. 

This being said, we would like to ask you for money.  It is not for us, so bear with me for a moment…

Go to the 12 in 2012 Kickstarter page. Read the story, watch the video and try not to get bogged down in figuring out the parallels between the real beard and the one on the hand printed t-shirt Daniel is wearing.  Instead, appreciate the fact that someone in downtown Greenville is combining amazing talent with a love for the Upstate and seeing what he can come up with.  To do this he needs a few bucks and you can kick in and become a part of the project. A one dollar donation buys you thanks and everything in excess buys you actual stuff.  You can even donate enough to get Daniel to film your own cinematic vision (If you choose to take this path I promise to purchase your film and promote it on this website.  Regardless of your subject matter, I am fairly certain that Daniel will make it cool.  On my end I will keep my fingers crossed that your movie features midgets...  Lots of them.)

Fundraising ends on Wednesday so try not to dilly dally. Click the links now and come off the hip with some dinero for someone doing something cool, local and unique.  If you are here in the first place, this is what you are looking for anyway, right?

NOTE: Somewhere between me writing this story on notebook paper at a bar and actually typing it up and posting it on this page, Daniel hit his Kickstarter fundraising goal.  First off, huge congrats to him for getting the support he needs.  Secondly, do not let this dissuade you from contributing to this project.  You can still be a part of a really cool project and every extra dollar beyond the original goal will only go to making the films even better than Daniel planned.