In 1989, the U.S. Navy discovered a mysterious 52 hertz frequency on a series of underwater microphones that been used to track enemy submarines ever since the cold war. After much debate, an elite bio-acoustian named William Watkins determined that this unique sound was coming from a solitary whale who had been calling out at a frequency that no other whale could understand. It is believed that this whale has never once received a response, making him The Loneliest Whale in the World.
Watkins would spend the next 12 years tracking the whale, whom he nicknamed “52” for his unique 52hz call until his death in 2004. That same year, The New York Times published an article about the whale prompting an intense response among the thousands of people who identified with this creature’s lonely plight. However with Waktins’ death, no one was left to track 52, leaving the loneliest whale friendless once again... that is until now.
52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale is a feature length documentary that follows the expedition to once again, find 52. Overcome by the enduring reaction to 52, now known through social circles as the lonely whale, director Joshua Zeman and producers Adrian Grenier and Lucy Cooper felt a moral calling to explore this fascinating mystery. Assembling a team of marine scientists to embark on a deep-sea expedition, they are choosing to unite the lonely whale’s prolific community through Kickstarter—the internet’s home for crowdfunding creative projects.
The film will explore how one incredible whale’s experience of profound solitude has made us all more connected to the ocean—and to each other. The quest will be guided by experts in marine science and the modern human condition. This network includes oceanographers, marine biologists, bio-acousticians, animal psychologists, musicians, artists, journalists, activists, designers, bloggers and many more. In addition to their search for the lonely whale, the expedition will help to raise awareness over the growing scourge of ocean noise pollution that is doubling every decade. The expedition will be collecting data in some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, as the team helps the scientific community to better understand the threat of ocean noise pollution and how it affects the welfare of marine mammals across the globe.
The Kickstarter campaign will go towards funding the expedition. Funding beyond the goal will go into production of the film. Rewards in return for donations include whale watching with Adrian Grenier, a visit on set, an opportunity to connect with the bio-acousticians that will be on our expedition and custom artwork by Shepard Fairey revealed for the first time through this campaign.
Learn more about this compelling Kickstarter campaign here.
Watkins would spend the next 12 years tracking the whale, whom he nicknamed “52” for his unique 52hz call until his death in 2004. That same year, The New York Times published an article about the whale prompting an intense response among the thousands of people who identified with this creature’s lonely plight. However with Waktins’ death, no one was left to track 52, leaving the loneliest whale friendless once again... that is until now.
52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale is a feature length documentary that follows the expedition to once again, find 52. Overcome by the enduring reaction to 52, now known through social circles as the lonely whale, director Joshua Zeman and producers Adrian Grenier and Lucy Cooper felt a moral calling to explore this fascinating mystery. Assembling a team of marine scientists to embark on a deep-sea expedition, they are choosing to unite the lonely whale’s prolific community through Kickstarter—the internet’s home for crowdfunding creative projects.
The film will explore how one incredible whale’s experience of profound solitude has made us all more connected to the ocean—and to each other. The quest will be guided by experts in marine science and the modern human condition. This network includes oceanographers, marine biologists, bio-acousticians, animal psychologists, musicians, artists, journalists, activists, designers, bloggers and many more. In addition to their search for the lonely whale, the expedition will help to raise awareness over the growing scourge of ocean noise pollution that is doubling every decade. The expedition will be collecting data in some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, as the team helps the scientific community to better understand the threat of ocean noise pollution and how it affects the welfare of marine mammals across the globe.
The Kickstarter campaign will go towards funding the expedition. Funding beyond the goal will go into production of the film. Rewards in return for donations include whale watching with Adrian Grenier, a visit on set, an opportunity to connect with the bio-acousticians that will be on our expedition and custom artwork by Shepard Fairey revealed for the first time through this campaign.
Learn more about this compelling Kickstarter campaign here.
- 3/4/2015
- by Erin Grover
- Sydney's Buzz
A former showrunner at Disney's recently acquired Maker Studios is suing the company, claiming that he's owed as much as $19 million in stock and deferred payment. In a lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Los Angeles on Monday, William Watkins claims that he came aboard Maker Studios during its 2009 formation, agreeing to a $90,000 yearly salary in exchange for serving as a producer, director and showrunner. According to the suit, Watkins agreed to accept $1,000 a month in cash, with the remaining $6,500 of his compensation to be paid in Maker stock. After which, Watkins “immediately embarked upon building...
- 8/27/2014
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
The Real Housewives of Atlanta 4.19 Review: Built Like a Donkey
Change is something that doesn't happen overnight on a lot of reality shows like The Real Housewives of Atlanta. If something happens and people like it, there's often a rush to protect the status quo and not allow for any evolution. It's understandable, as getting a hit isn't as hard as maintaining it, but real life doesn't take producer demands or the 18-49 demographic into account. It just happens and the powers that be simply have to adjust their expectations, trusting that they've built strong enough "characters" that the audience will follow.
Now that we're at the end of the fourth season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, it's logical that there'd be a little change going on amidst the cast. There can't complete stasis for 20 episodes of television and if there is, it might be time to change the...
Change is something that doesn't happen overnight on a lot of reality shows like The Real Housewives of Atlanta. If something happens and people like it, there's often a rush to protect the status quo and not allow for any evolution. It's understandable, as getting a hit isn't as hard as maintaining it, but real life doesn't take producer demands or the 18-49 demographic into account. It just happens and the powers that be simply have to adjust their expectations, trusting that they've built strong enough "characters" that the audience will follow.
Now that we're at the end of the fourth season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, it's logical that there'd be a little change going on amidst the cast. There can't complete stasis for 20 episodes of television and if there is, it might be time to change the...
- 4/2/2012
- by Shilo Adams
- TVovermind.com
Tonight on The Real Housewives of Atlanta: All Pomp But No Circumstance
After another season of name calling, backbiting, and out and out tomfoolery on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Phaedra, NeNe, Kandi, Kim, Sheree, and Cynthia are busy thinking about the future. For a group of ladies that thrive on regurgitating past information on a continual loop, it's a step forward. A baby step forward, but a step forward nonetheless.
On tonight's edition of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, change is the name of the game, as most of the main wives are moving onto another plane in one aspect of their life or another. The star of the sneak peeks, though, is Miss Phaedra, aspiring mortician and resident southern belle. Having nearly completed her funeral apprenticeship, Phaedra finally gets to make arrangements for a grieving family's ceremony, but there's a catch. The family she's trying to console...
After another season of name calling, backbiting, and out and out tomfoolery on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Phaedra, NeNe, Kandi, Kim, Sheree, and Cynthia are busy thinking about the future. For a group of ladies that thrive on regurgitating past information on a continual loop, it's a step forward. A baby step forward, but a step forward nonetheless.
On tonight's edition of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, change is the name of the game, as most of the main wives are moving onto another plane in one aspect of their life or another. The star of the sneak peeks, though, is Miss Phaedra, aspiring mortician and resident southern belle. Having nearly completed her funeral apprenticeship, Phaedra finally gets to make arrangements for a grieving family's ceremony, but there's a catch. The family she's trying to console...
- 4/1/2012
- by Shilo Adams
- TVovermind.com
The holiday hiatus is over, the Real Housewives of Atlanta are back and sparing no time getting back to the doom and gloom. Fantasy Funerals by Phaedra is still very much alive. Phaedra is serious about this funeral business and dragging Apollo along for the hearse ride. “Let’s throw them in the ground with a bang,” didn’t quite sell Apollo on the idea so Phaedra took him on a tour of Willie Watkins and the Funeral Factory. His fears of fleeing souls and vampires -- don’t ask -- assuaged, Apollo gets on...
- 1/10/2012
- by Chima Simone
- The Wrap
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