Out of all the interesting people I’ve met online, Drew Bates is one of my favorites. A quadriplegic (C5, injured on a road trip in 2007), I adore this mouthy Southern boy for multiple reasons: 1) He makes me laugh (hard), 2) He’s foine (vs. fine), AND 3) He’s creative, like professionally creative. He is a voice-over actor and writer, with a super exciting project in the works. But he needs your help!
His creation, Redneck Ninjas (think Blue Collar Comedy Tour, animated, and featuring a wacky family instead of whiny men), is an idea he’d LOVE to make into a 60-second short.
To make it happen: Help Drew raise $10,000 by September 30th, 2010. If he meets his goal, he will use the money to pay Powerhouse Animation (animation studio) in Austin, Texas, who will – using traditional 2D animation and Adobe Flash animation – bring to life Drew’s already written and produced 60 second short for Redneck Ninjas.
And have no doubt, IT WILL BE AWESOME. I don’t know about you, but it would be fucking cool to know a quad is behind an Adult Swim program one day. Just sayin’.
Read more about Redneck Ninjas and it’s awesome characters on Drew’s official site here.
Hi there, as a crip myself, I just have to say, I would love to see this same page without the quadriplegic intro. in the link. I am valued on my own merit, not because I additionally have physical challenges. I would leave the fantastic photo in, and let people draw their own conclusions. Crips have been donated to for the wrong reasons for decades. Let’s leave that possibility out. Just my opinion.
Valid point, Swami. I put it in to attract hits/get him $, even though as a quad I too understand wanting to be valued by our merits vs pity thing. I was like, BUT IF IT HELPS HIM WIN….PUT IN :d But yeah, totally get your point. I edited it 🙂
Swami & Tiff,
I had a great counselor, who told me that post-SCI, I’d be spending the rest of my life managing my injury. Part of that is “where, when, why, and how” I must use the tools that I’m given, including my injury.
I wish that my naturally given & well-nurtured talents were enough to get me into doors…but that”s NOT the world that I live in. My injury is such that I cannot be self-sufficient, so I got over asking for help; I got over feeling guilty about why people help me.
At the end of the day, I want people to realize that my talents are too great to ignore. However, if pity opens the door, I’ll roll straight through. Too much is stake; too many other people want “in.” If you don’t agree, I understand, but I’m not hurt. I validate your decisions as little as you validate mine.
The way that I see it: Life is too hard to not use every available tool in the toolbox to navigate one’s way through it. Plus Entertainment is too competitive a business to wait for gatekeepers to see “me” 1st as a human, and not some guy in a chair. However, once I’m in, I convince them.
Thanks for commenting, Swami.