Following the BP Oil Spill last summer, 22 Oregonians traveled to the Gulf Coast to bear witness to the impacts of this environmental disaster on the cultural, economic, and environmental fabric of the region. They would be introduced to a complex and ambiguous crisis, and leave considering how their actions a continent away could influence our evolution Beyond the Spill. Now, as we approach the first anniversary of the oil rig explosion that triggered the spill on April 20, the group PDX2Gulf Coast is gearing up to release the comprehensive products of their experience. This includes a comic book, a school curriculum, and a documentary.

Its always an interesting process to come up with a name for a documentary project and my experience may be a nice metaphor for life. I started by writing down some ideas on a blank sheet of paper, then started digging into a thesaurus to find some really catchy diction, then tried working and reworking phrases for some creative wordplay, until the sheet was full of ideas. And as I scanned my brainstorming, I kept gravitating higher and higher on the list, until I arrived at the first idea I had jotted down…Beyond the Spill. And it seemed perfect. My first idea! But I had to go through this long and arduous process of thinking and over-thinking to realize I already had my title. Its a classic example of how the best ideas can usually be very simple and the ones that come to us first.

Its been a lot of pixels to review and months in the making, but the story is taking shape and the full documentary ‘Beyond the Spill’ will premiere on April 20 in Portland, Oregon at the Alberta Rose Theater.

Help fund the post production of this documentary HERE.