As @hardfork-series flies towards pre-production WITH YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT, I thought I’d take a step back to give a little context…

![brain_trust_C.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYFEk2k1VTq3VvgwLd8bNUAXnTrBztYecGqnJx9trVRws/brain_trust_C.jpg)

# My earliest memories are of the movies #

As a child, my best friends' mom said I reminded her of the little boy in Cinema Paradiso. 

![cinemaparadiso1.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmefKKEtntGFj9k96ZZendBS5cc3W4HrNAtyvd4uY9gSCV/cinemaparadiso1.jpg)
[*(If you haven't seen Cinema Paradiso, you're in for a treat)*](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095765/)

When I was 9 (back in '89) I saw a 70mm print of Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen and for the first time I had an inkling of what I was going to do with my life. And then I started to do it. At 16 I partnered with a 35 year old record-company owner and co-directed my first films which went on to screen at major festivals. I dropped out of film school after three months to chase them on the festival circuit. I moved to New York in 2006 to open a film company and had the great fortune of making a short film with a fantastic crew of collaborators that got into Sundance, where I met my wife. I was able to leverage that ladder climbing into making my first feature. But as I progressed along the path I felt the effects of the film industry crushing in around me and my friends and collaborators, the race to the bottom was on, much like had happened with the music industry. 

![MV5BMTQ5NzY5ODM0Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTc3Nzc2._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVWoCthNEneNQkjr2cZ79V5qvbx6zTxraKxQ1aKkiwGNk/MV5BMTQ5NzY5ODM0Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTc3Nzc2._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg)
*(A scene from Lawrence of Arabia that aplty evokes the disruption the music industry went through... watching David Lean’s directing as a child is still one of the most influential cinematic experiences I’ve ever had)*

For years I've imagined a way of working on a project in a purely collaborative form, where a brain trust of inspired talent use the power of technology to make motion pictures that are novel, futuristic and immensely satisfying viewing experience. And a way to monetize that effort that didn't involve putting concepts before gatekeepers who don’t ultimately push them through their gates or waiting patiently for a cavalry to come that never does.

Then 10 months ago I found Steemit and shortly thereafter the fabulous @the-alien and was quickly magnetized to @ericvancewalton's amazing work. But I continued to be lulled and distracted by the safety and security of a thriving commercial directing career (which too was beginning to suffer from the race to the bottom but in a slightly slower rate than artistic endeavors).

![_MG_2552.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQme13m1tBEJ4mTdCHUpydMQGFqTYkvYuECQDtVC2iecA3a/_MG_2552.jpg)
*(looking a little stressed out on a recent commercial shoot -- this is how I get all my gray hair!)* 

Simply put… I was in a rut.

# FUTURISTIC FILMMAKING #

Cut to a little over a month ago and serendipity struck. After finally introducing myself to this incredible community, I reached out to @ericvancewalton with the vague kernel of an idea that rapidly spun and grew as we worked together into an exciting and far reaching series concept. With the addition of the fabulous @the-alien and the hugely talented and wonderful @bakerchristopher, the amazing @andrarchy, radical @nickytothenines and top cinematographer and oft-collaborator @jowvic, the brain trust I've longed to find for so many years was born.
 
# AND NOW EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED #

I feel so deeply thankful that this wonderful community embraced the @HardForkSeries as rapidly and wholeheartedly as it did. This brain trust is allowing us to move incredibly fast in crafting the series arc and driving into pre-production of a trailer and soon the series itself. 

![114298629.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdwL46dyrFjaCp6aJiNYMjxZfDUqBU5CQkwLK2bJLDjiB/114298629.jpg)
*(a much less stressed, jaded, and younger me pitching a narrative project at the LA Film Fest back in 2009 when I was there with my film Ten for Grandpa)*

Steemit.com is a gamechanger for me, it's turning the race to the bottom upside down. The fact that we can retain artistic control while creating quality content with and for an audience that's excited and engaged in what we're doing is a wondrous gift. Everyone involved in blockchain has some understanding that we have a chance to change the world. But any change in culture needs guidance and that's often spearheaded by literature, music, art... and (since the 1890's) film. I'm so humbled to be a part of a project that has the potential to add to such a vital conversation that will undoubtedly shape our future in countless ways. I promise to first and foremost keep that in mind as we move headlong into the production of HardFork.

<center>https://media.giphy.com/media/gizaQ692URcgo/giphy.gif</center>

Creating in such a futuristic fashion is a dream come true. With your help, we can make a groundbreaking and deeply engaging narrative series. 

# The future will be DECENTRALIZED! #

Steem On,
Doug 

Oh and as a bonus here's my Sundance ‘09 film, Ten For Grandpa:
https://vimeo.com/26271710

To learn more this project and hear updates, follow the @HardFork-series

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I am a Brooklyn based writer, film & commercial director, and crypto-enthusiast, the @HardFork-series is an upcoming narrative crypto-noir, my novel Dwelling will soon be premiering exclusively on Steemit, and you can check out more of my work at dougkarr.com, piefacepictures.com, and www.imdb.com/name/nm1512347

Please comment, up-vote and resteem and I'll gladly upvote your comments!

<center>![dk_bioshot_thumb.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmekQtCyLUykSspa5vjPUtHS7FznMUAVqk9uyfwWv9SJpb/dk_bioshot_thumb.jpg)</center>

<center>![Hard_Fork_LOGO_07_25_17_small.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdcd63H3g8k18yR9SZ2DULh2tuRWXxuzxPYh5nWUWsMZo/Hard_Fork_LOGO_07_25_17_small.jpg)</center>
<center>@hardfork-series</center>

<center>![dwelling_logo_steemit_footer_07_28_17_small.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdV9FEvqAStrMCVsDVgwGgPvjm7yUrTVNFqUtYC2CMVEB/dwelling_logo_steemit_footer_07_28_17_small.jpg)</center>
<center>#dwelling-novel</center>