A Dream Documentary (or a nightmare waiting to happen?)
What are Americans and the American situation really like, beyond the mass media representation, within the grass roots culture, beneath the radar?
Introducing: an exhilarating, edgy film project: capturing a hitchhiker's quest for humanity, across a troubled, divided nation. Does the kindness of strangers still exist...can love still win, on the raw, vulnerable, open road of adventure in the USA, in 2025? Or is it too late, too dark, game long over and gone, for hitchhiking and any spontaneous, open trust, toward a random stranger on the highway side in need of a ride?
Hello! My name is Jay Bishoff.
A longtime active local on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland - as a live music performer and community event organiser - I am now seeking financial support/sponsors toward a long-term personal dream: completing and releasing a 'Hitchhiking For Humanity' film series documentary, capturing the raw, living adventure of hitchhiking across the USA during these troubled times on Earth. I started this project in 2009, and soon I will return to the open road in America, this coming September 2025, once again travelling exclusively by thumb, filming the entire journey, to, at last finish my project, sixteen years later.
Born American, I immigrated to Australia, where I have spent the most recent half of my life. Sixteen years ago, in 2009, I returned to the USA, my country of origin to make a documentary film, capturing an epic, coast-to-coast hitchhiking adventure across the USA. The trip was awesome, and I began editing the footage upon my return to Australia. Parenthood and work - life - intervened, and that film project sadly fell into hibernation for many long years. I was busy raising two wonderful daughters, performing live music and running local community performance events.
Fast forward 16 years. Last year, in 2024, I pulled out and dusted off the old hitchhiking doco hard drives. Since then I have put in hundreds of hours of editing work, coming to the exciting realisation: there is so much humanitarian gold captured! Guided and encouraged by film makers, and all who have had a glimpse at my footage, I have come to realise this is a project well worth completing and releasing to the wider world.
In order to preserve the relevance to today's global situation, I must bridge the gap, from 2009, to a very different America in 2025. I am also sixteen years older: America has changed, and so have I. It is time to return to the USA, to once again cast my thumb out on those, currently troubled American highways, to capture the entire journey on film. Assuming I survive this grand adventure - heading out on the open road in northern California, early September this year, to thumb my way north into Oregon, then across the northwest, into the southwest states - I will return to Australia once the adventure is completed, to edit, put together, and, at long last releasing the entire documentary project to the public.
Social Media Updates!
There will be (live on the day) social media updates along the way, for those who wish to monitor my progress, struggles, wins and losses along the way.
I have many hours of exciting, edited footage from 2009. Beneath the radar, in the cars, homes and personal lives of the people, out on the open road of high adventure, with my thumb out wide, one more time... It is time for a raw and real update on the state of the American soul.
Here's the original film trailer, from 2010!
The project has grown and evolved since then! Moving forward from here, the likely format will be a series, rather than a single movie.
The Book Came First
The doco project began in 2009; however, way back in 2004, I 'audio-interviewed' Americans right across the country, capturing, writing and eventually publishing a book about hitchhiking the USA. 'By Grace And Thumb (Hitchhiking America in the Age of 'Terror') is a non-fiction book, my faithful re-telling of my thumb adventure, from New York City to California, then up the west coast into Canada in 2004.
Let's Go Again and Film It!
Five years later, in 2009, I returned to the USA with a ragtag, two-man film crew (the project I am now preparing to complete). This September 2025, I will have a professional videographer, who will follow me across the USA, capturing the adventure, from an 'outside eye'. Meanwhile, I will be hopping in and out of cars, interviewing drivers: listening, learning, asking Americans penetrating questions about the state of their country, their world views, and about their personal lives today (all the while greatly appreciating being rescued from the side of the road!).
Expensive!
As most of you will immediately recognise, this massive project incurs significant costs: air travel, car rental for videographer, wage for videographer, travel costs (including food, fuel, accomodation for videographer, NOT the hitchhiker!), camera and costs of filming, including editing, post-production, advertising, releasing.... it goes on and on.
These costs are currently daunting, especially for a single parent, career professional performing musician. This Go Fund Me aims to garner funds toward fulfilling the long-term dream of completing this 'Hitchhiking for Humanity' documentary film project.
The Living Magic
I was introduced to humanitarian magic, the true wonders of hitchhiking, when I ran away from home with my best friend at age 16. Throughout my life, hitchhiking - in many countries around the world - has taught me, again and again, how the level of media-promoted fear is way out of proportion (so much higher) than the actual (much lower) level of danger on the ground. Human beings surprise us in their random, spontaneous acts of kindness, their generous capacity and willingness to pull over on the side of the road, welcoming a complete stranger into the car, and often right into their lives!, simply in recognition of a fellow human being in need of a helping hand.
Hitchhiking in North America, Europe, Australia, the Virgin Islands, Hawaii has given me some of my most wonderful life memories: heartwarming experiences, lifelong friendships, endless inspiring reminders of how wonderful human beings and life can be, when we simply remember, and act on this: we are all together here, meant to be conscious custodians of the Earth and each other. Without having experienced the wonders of hitchhiking, I would certainly not be who I am today.
But.....hitchhiking across the troubled USA at my age, in 2025?! Really?! YES.
Well...let's find out, anyway, shall we?!
I look forward, once again, to stepping out into the unknown, putting my trust in Life itself. At the mercy of the road, and something bigger, I trust I will, yet one more time, be carried across America on the wings of those few, flying golden hearts, not yet grounded and overcome by fear.
If you find this 'Hitchhiking For Humanity' project inspiring, I hope you might offer some financial support, however big or small: all appreciated! If you, your company, or someone you know might be interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact me.
Thank you for your support for this long-term dream!
Sincerely, Jay