Two Cowboys: Keeping the Show on the Road to Showcase Local Producers with Cam Clark Ford, Alberta, Canada

Community Sponsor

Today, we have a big announcement.

It is a major milestone on our journey and a huge validation of our cause.

We've obtained the commitment and support of our first large, inspiring, community focused Sponsor. Cam Clark Ford is giving us a hand to bring you more stories from our producers in Southern Alberta. They are helping us to give our entrepreneurs and local businesses a big promotional hand.

We now have extra resources available to feature our people.

See More on Patreon: Click Here

"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

It's been a year since we've launched the first content for Two Cowboys & A Camera. In this year we've promoted many local producers - people that make things. We've promoted local markets where microbusiness operate and where major businesses are validated.

We've covered festivals and events that showcase craftsmen and woman. We've told stories of people with a passion for their art and a commitment to their (often dying, yet iconic) trade. In short, we've been telling the stories of the "little guy" that often works against huge odds to feed their families and make a difference in their community.

They are the entrepreneurs that source, employ, produce and serve locally. They are also the customers of larger organisations like Cam Clark Ford. This company, who once was a small business as well, still nurtures the very important values that made it successful in the first place. It is important for Cam Clark Ford to be focussed on the success of its customers and to dedicate resources to foster healthy local communities and prosperous local businesses.

When we set out on our journey we made a commitment. Every dollar we get from Sponsors and Patrons we will apply right back to further this cause. With a minimalist outlook, we have hit the road in the second half of our lives to devote all our time and resources to find, explore and highlight the local people that fit this profile.

We've invited every one of the people we've covered or encountered to join us in this cause, by contributing to cover our expenses through Patreon and GoFundMe. Some obliged and forwarded the favour. It has helped to strengthen our resolve and boost our confidence.

What we've learned is that while we can highlight the stories of many, it is often the smallest and the ones with the least to give, that are the most appreciative of what we did for them. With the help of a major Sponsor like Cam Clark Ford we now have more resources to continue to promote these local business. They are the people that get it, that our local producers are the foundation of our economy and our communities.

More people should know about them. The Two Cowboys & A Camera will be telling their stories thanks to Sponsors such as Cam Clark Ford.

Hendrik van Wyk
Ford Driving Cowboy

We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. 

If you Sponsor us on Patreon: http://www.travelingcowboys.com or Donate to our cause on GoFundMe: http://www.forwardthefavour.com we can do a lot more for you, your business, event or community.

Traveling Cowboy Wagon

Our Sponsor!

Two Cowboys: Discovering the Role of Business Awards with Westpac Auckland Business Excellence Awards 2016, NZ

Competition

According to evolutionary theory, competition within and between species for resources is important in natural selection. Life is about competition.

See This Video on Patreon: Click Here

"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

People compete. Businesses compete. Regions compete with regions and countries with countries. Without competition, we won't be where we are today as a civilisation and an economy. Competition is good. It favours the agile, enterprising, and resilient members of society. The strong thrive by continually adapting and adjusting.

We are talking about all kinds of competition. Not just the "fair" and "just" competitions. The rules are not always clear or referenceable. A large part of persevering in the heat of battle is knowing which rules favour survival and prosperity, and which do not.

The "favouring" rules serve as catalysts for renewal and growth. The rules against competition contribute to the softening of a population, making it inflexible and complacent. Such a population is one step away from demise. Without the stronger members of our society persevering and growing through competition and sharing the value of their success, the survival of life as we know it may be at risk.

Here are a few benefits of competition in business:

• Competition makes customer service better. If more businesses are after the same customers' spend, then customers benefit from increased focus on their needs, better pricing and more attention.
• It forces innovation. With more business going after the same reward there is an incentive to find better, faster and cheaper ways to deliver to customer expectations.
• Competition exposes strengths and weaknesses. With this self-knowledge, businesses have the opportunity to improve and grow.
• Competition opens up new opportunities and forces learning. New products and services are invented. New markets are discovered and opened thanks to the need of business to survive and grow. 

Everything businesses do every day against the constant backdrop of being in competition. By being in this mode, they often don't have a chance to take time out to reflect. The annual Westpac Business Excellence Awards provides a valuable opportunity to New Zealand businesses. It celebrates business success in New Zealand countrywide. It is also an opportunity for the competing business to learn, reflect and validate themselves with others.

11 Weeks of Focus

The Two Cowboys & A Camera took 11 weeks out this year to interview more than 180 people from more than 148 finalists, sponsors and judges, for the 4 Auckland regional award events. Just saying it is a mouth full.

The real work was producing and packaging around 200 small video clips from this content for four high-profile gala events. It is an annual affair. It is a marathon learning experience that allows us to meet and interact with some of Auckland's most progressive businesses. We cherish the opportunity every year.

There were two takeaways this year. Firstly, businesses are relying more and more on social media resources to market and engage with customers. Some industries are adopting faster than others. It is top-of-mind for everyone. The businesses that thrive incorporates video into their strategy.

The second realisation is the rise of the "Social Enterprise". Since the Two Cowboys are on the forefront of making this our contribution to our stakeholders, it was encouraging to see that more and more businesses recognise the capacity they have for investing in social capital or cause as a force in their business strategy. Companies realise that they have a responsibility in their industry and their community that goes beyond shareholder value creation.

Enjoy the video with us about the highlights of this year's awards.

A big thank you to the Auckland Chambers of Commerce for permission to produce and publish this amazing adventure.

Hendrik van Wyk
Competing Cowboys

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers: Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys and our Producers when you subscribe to our email list.

We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. If you Sponsor us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twocowboys or Donate to our cause on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/twocowboys we can do a lot more.

Photos

2016 North

Cowboys in New Zealand

Travelling Kiwi's

I made this...

Profiling Producers: Update 1 - The Real Producer

The past three months has been a rollercoaster ride. We could not have imagined the amazing people we would meet, the amount we would learn, and the awesome experiences that would come our way.

It is only the beginning. We still have a whole nine months ahead of us on our 2016 Two Cowboys Journey. If it works like we think it will, and with your help we have five more years to do what we love. 

This short Blog post is an update to our loyal followers and newcomers, on where we are, our successes, challenges, and what we believe still lies ahead.

Jumping Off

If you review some of my earlier posts you will know by now that I became a maker in 2010. 

Before, I was an IT Management Consultant in the trappings of "civilized" life, or what is held up as "the way things should be". I spent my mornings and afternoons in traffic, on my way to contracts, jobs and clients I didn't like. Doing "work" through emails, meetings and more meetings, with nothing to show for it when I am done. All this took place while every month I was trying to escape the trappings of mortgage, car, credit card and other debt, to no avail.

Since becoming a maker, my life changed. First came denial. Then anger and frustration. The best and worse part of it all was realizing just how broken our world and its people really are. By making something, I've found relief, and inspiration. My values, purpose and faith in my fellow men have been restored. Change came in a good way. 

The next step for me was to become an activist, and to share what I've learned with anybody interested in listening. This site was the first step. I realized that there must be other people with the same frustrations and questions. A deteriorating economic and political climate in Alberta served to help me strengthen my resolve.

I exclaimed: "This cannot be IT!" There is another way to live and I can help people to find purpose and meaning in their lives through "making something". I enlisted the help of a great friend in the video business in New Zealand (Braam Compton). I gave my son an opportunity to launch his film career, and we kicked off our 2016 journey. We launched the Two Cowboys and a Camera Channel, the Cowboy News Network. 

We took one giant leap of faith by trusting in the support of our Producers and people like you, through our CrowdFunding site. Our thinking is that if we make an entertaining video product that people like, and we showcase inspirational people and their amazing business, and if we can manage to get support for our cause of inspiring more people to "make something" by showing communities and people that does, then who knows where it will take us? 

We may just help to change the world, for the better. 

Highlights

There is no shortage of inspiring stories to be told. 

At the outset, we wanted to offer an international scope for our message. Our video productions are of the highest quality available. We used the cultural bridge between New Zealand and Canada and the fact that we are Citizen's of both countries. You get stories from Producers in both places. Canada and New Zealand's people are similar. Both are entrepreneurial, community focussed, innovative and hard working.

We cast our net wide and deep. You get stories of food producers, engineering companies, training colleges, clothing manufacturers and artists. More are coming: Distillers, brewers, hat makers, shoe makers, and candy makers. All these people make things. Many of them are alone in their craft. Often they are the last of their kind. They employ family and community members. They support their communities. All of them have inspiring and unique stories we can, and will tell.

How do we know we have real Producer to profile? 

Two things usually happens without fail: When we offer to profile the Producer, we get a commitment and confirmation within hours, if not minutes. They jump at the opportunity to have their story told. Secondly, the real Producer we profile supports our cause.

For us there is a moment that we cherish above all. It is when we get a sincere and heartfelt thank you call from a Producer when their video goes online and they see it for the first time.

If we do nothing else with this whole campaign, then it is collecting these moments that fill us with pride, tears and admiration for the authentic people that are the foundation of our society. They are our Producers. Now they are our friends. It is an honour to tell their stories.

Many of the Producers we profile contribute to our cause. They give something so that we can use to continue to tell inspirational stories. Producers know that nothing is for free. Making something is hard work. They show their appreciation by supporting us in our video making endeavour, and recognize our efforts that benefit them directly through the video and indirectly through championing our (and their) cause. We've had sausages, chocolate, burrito's, cowboy hats, and beer donated, over and above financial contributions. 

We can tell the "real producer" from their willingness and contribution in support of our cause. 

Next Steps

The Cowboy News Network is another step to show how amazing our communities and people are. 

There are some stories we can tell that do not require a day of filming and a week of editing. The aim with the Cowboy News Network is to give these smaller entrepreneurs exposure. 

Where do we find them? We find them at our Farmers Markets and at our festivals. In the restaurant kitchens and sometimes we just find them by the side of the road like Motoburrito.

This summer is going to be full of these snippets with news from our communities, and features of our smaller Producers.

We have to monetize. We don't compromise on our video production. Every video we put out must satisfy broadcast quality video standards. If we make something for our Producers, we better make it as best as we can. The value in this is that our audience online, our Blog and Facebook page is growing with people that enjoy our productions and love our journey. People like you.

Soon we hope we can attract a few sponsors that share our values and that is open to be associated with our cause. This will help us to continue our journey. One would think that with all the people and businesses that benefit from our Producers, that this would not be hard to do. We are of the same opinion. We therefore invite potential sponsors and advertisers to get in touch. We look forward to working with you.

For the rest, please don't hesitate to follow-us, share us, and support us. If you like what we do, tell us. We love hearing from our audience. If you think we should profile a Producer in your area. Let us know. We want to meet more of the people that make our quality of life possible.

Hendrik van Wyk

Producer and Cowboy

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.
Please help us to bring you more of these programs by supporting us on Patreon: www.forwardthefavour.com.