Thursday, January 27, 2011

5 Questions With Anna Campbell - Producer Of "Hood To Coast"

As I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago, I had the good fortune to run into Anna Campbell, the producer of Hood To Coast, on Facebook just before the debut of the movie.  While messaging back and forth, I asked her if she'd have some time to answer a few questions when things quieted down after the movie premier, and she agreed.  So here, they are - 5 questions with Anna:


Patrick: To me anyway, Hood To Coast was not a film about running. It was a film about people that just happened to be brought together by a running race. I got so drawn into the stories that I found myself getting a little annoyed when the Bowerman elite team was on the screen talking about actually "running". Thoughts on this?

Anna: I completely agree, Hood To Coast is a film about people, they happen to have dedicated themselves to running. The best stories are human stories, and we all are attracted to stories that remind us of ourselves. It's harder to identify with the Bowerman team, perhaps, because their story is one of extremes. They are INCREDIBLE runners, and care about the sport so much that they become almost a foil and a contrast point to those who are just struggling to get through! They are wonderful people too, and had we followed them more closely, I'm sure their stories are just as inspiring (if extreme!) as those we ended up focusing on.

Patrick: One of the team members had had a heart attack, one of the teams was brought together by a heart attack, and then of course Salazar talked about his heart attack. Coincidence or is there a back-story?

Anna: The heart connection was a complete accident, but it made for an interesting through line, didn't it? You end up seeing both sides of the story- survival and loss, and with Alberto, it just happened that one of the sport's greats had experienced something similar and ended up with the same amazing doctor. For us, it was just about compelling stories, and how open these people were to sharing with us.


Patrick: What's next in terms of the film? Will there be a normal theatrical release or a DVD release soon? I would assume that there is a big pile of footage that everyone from the production team wishes made the film - can we expect a nice dose of bonus features on the DVD release?

Anna:  WELL - We have JUST found out that the film will come back for an encore performance! It will show in about 100 of the theaters that first aired the film, and this will be the last chance to catch the Red Carpet and the expert panel in the movie theaters. The Encore Performance will be on February 10th at 7:30 PM and it will be playing in most major cities. We're thrilled that there was enough interest to bring it back. The DVD will be released later this year, and yes, with 600 hours of footage, the extras will be epic!


Patrick:  As someone who is both a runner and has witnessed this race from so many angles, do you have any insight for people that will be doing this race in the future (like me actually)?

Anna:  The Hood To Coast race is all about being there with 12,000 other people. You WILL get tired, you WILL have to push yourself to finish, but you will be supported along the way by an incredibly generous, supportive community that wants to see you succeed. Oh, and make sure you have fun with costumes and van decorations, they go a LONG way towards giving you the energy to make it through! 


Patrick: I honestly think that Hood To Coast has set a new standard for sports related films. Any chance we will see another film based around another big participant event like triathlon or cycling? Or are you moving in a new direction?

Anna:  So sweet of you to say! We adored making this movie, and are so glad the running community has made it their own, which was always our hope. We will absolutely be making more movies in the future, but we have to get through this one first :). 


Also, Anna was kind enough to offer up a few 11x17 inch movie posters (see image above), signed by director Christoph Baaden.  I've got 2 to give away, and I'll pick 2 winners using random.org on February 1st.  All you need to do is leave a comment on this post on or by January 31st and you will be entered.

20 comments:

valen said...

what are the chances of getting #1 on random.org?
nice interview, though.. got me to know a bit about the race

Amanda@runninghood said...

This is some good stuff! Your questions are wonderful and I totally enjoyed reading her answers. I'm so glad it will be playing again because I missed it the first time. What a great event. I've done it a few times...last one was when I was prego with my first child and I was exhausted but it was still great! Hope to do it again soon. Thanks for such an awesome post!

Johann said...

Thanks for this as I only read about the movie and now know much more. I'll have to wait for the DVD but it sounds as if it would be worth it.

KovasP said...

ooh ooh pick me pick me! Great Q&A, even though she didn't bite on your leading questions.

Lora Abernathy said...

Very cool post.

The Green Girl said...

Your comment about the Bowerman team was so interesting to me because I would have loved to see more of them - and to have had more insight into their team.

Thank you so much for sharing this - and great questions!

Caratunk Girl said...

ohhh Pick me!!!

I have to see this movie!!

Great interview, makes me want to see the movie more.

Shawn said...

Good questions....will have to see that one for sure

Unknown said...

Excellent interview Patrick -- can't wait for the Feb 10th encore!

Christi said...

A great interview! I must find a team so I can do this whole Hood to Coast event!

Pretend this is real said...

Great post! So awesome that you got to talk to the producer and got such honest answers!

TRI714 said...

Good job P. I still want to know how they have kept this race with out a pro field purse.

Jill said...

That is so cool you got that interview, wow! I had the opportunity to run H2C last year and had to pass on it due to my heel ... I've done a couple relays here in Colorado but H2C has always been on my bucket list. Maybe we can get a blog group to do it one year!!

Aimee said...

That is awesome that you got to interview her! Nice job!

Unknown said...

great interview questions. I can't wait for the DVD to come out; it will likely be the only chance that I'll have to see it.

Lucas R. Tucker said...

pick me pick me!!!!!

Unknown said...

Missed it in the theater so I am glad for other opportunities to see this. Thanks Patrick!

Anne said...

I wonder if it's showing in Montreal...I'd love to see this movie. Will definitely be looking forward to the DVD!

J. L. said...

Nice interview! And I'm glad to see it's coming back for an encore performance. Hopefully I can catch it this time.

Bryan S said...

Awesome. Thanks for sharing! I'll be looking forward to the DVD and also hearing about your adventures at H2C this year.

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