Support this fundraiser
Help us launch season two of The King's Guide!
The King's Guide, or "Chuck King's Guide to Spokane History", is a local video series hosted by Chuck King that explores the history of Spokane and the surrounding region. We created about 14 episodes in season one, and they were so well-received, we decided to make a "pilot episode" for an expanded and greatly improved season two.
Our goal for season two is to increase the show length from 4-8 minute mini-episodes to TV-length episodes of about 22 minutes. Our pilot clocks in at over 30 minutes! That's like producing a third of a major film documentary. It's quite a project.
Additionally, we've added a classic car and volunteer driver to every episode! So not only will we be exploring local history, we'll be riding in automotive history. Our pilot episode features Henry Johnson and his 1940 Packard 120 Sedan, and you'll get quite a look at the car. By the end of the episode, you may even feel like you got to ride along!
You can watch the pilot online for free!
Check out our first episode of season two on YouTube, Facebook, or right here:
You can also watch season one on our YouTube channel here:
Season One of the Kings Guide on YouTube
Your support of this project will help us to:
1) Improve our technology!
No doubt, you noticed our audio and video need a little assistance. We've never filmed in a car before! So we'd love to get some better microphones, improve our cameras, and possibly make some upgrades to our editing and production equipment and software.
2) Produce monthly episodes!
Our goal is to produce a monthly, 22 minute episode on a variety of historical topics. Some might be really familiar, like architectural tours of Kirtland Cutter homes and buildings. Some might be less familiar, such as an exploration of the life of jazz singer, Mildred Bailey, who was a member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, and the first woman to front a national touring and broadcasting big band.
We'll talk to the people who know the most about these topics, and take you along, as we drive from location to location in a classic car.
Producing episodes takes time, and your support will help us take a little time off from our other work to make this happen.
3) Start an internship program with local college students!
To make sure our research is fresh and engaging, we've made contact with Dr. Larry Cebula of the Public History program at Eastern Washington University to begin a dialogue about offering internships to graduate students studying local history. Their work will open new topics and history up for our local community, and the King's Guide can then help them cover some of the expenses of going to school.
Since we're freelance, or "entrepreneurial" historians, we need a little assistance from our community to get this project going. Plus, your support shows us there's interest in the community for such an endeavor, and may help us attract sponsors that can help us reach our goals.
In addition to the goals above, we believe the King's Guide can help our community:
a) by promoting the history work that has been done for decades by our local museums, libraries, and archives;
b) by introducing the public to local history writers and authors; and
c) by creating a deeper sense of appreciation for what went on in our region.
Or as the historian David McCullough says:
"[History] is an enlargement of the experience of being alive, just the way literature or art or music is."
Thank you in advance for your support of the King's Guide! We can't wait to show you more of the world that is waiting right here in our own backyard.
The King's Guide, or "Chuck King's Guide to Spokane History", is a local video series hosted by Chuck King that explores the history of Spokane and the surrounding region. We created about 14 episodes in season one, and they were so well-received, we decided to make a "pilot episode" for an expanded and greatly improved season two.
Our goal for season two is to increase the show length from 4-8 minute mini-episodes to TV-length episodes of about 22 minutes. Our pilot clocks in at over 30 minutes! That's like producing a third of a major film documentary. It's quite a project.
Additionally, we've added a classic car and volunteer driver to every episode! So not only will we be exploring local history, we'll be riding in automotive history. Our pilot episode features Henry Johnson and his 1940 Packard 120 Sedan, and you'll get quite a look at the car. By the end of the episode, you may even feel like you got to ride along!
You can watch the pilot online for free!
Check out our first episode of season two on YouTube, Facebook, or right here:
You can also watch season one on our YouTube channel here:
Season One of the Kings Guide on YouTube
Your support of this project will help us to:
1) Improve our technology!
No doubt, you noticed our audio and video need a little assistance. We've never filmed in a car before! So we'd love to get some better microphones, improve our cameras, and possibly make some upgrades to our editing and production equipment and software.
2) Produce monthly episodes!
Our goal is to produce a monthly, 22 minute episode on a variety of historical topics. Some might be really familiar, like architectural tours of Kirtland Cutter homes and buildings. Some might be less familiar, such as an exploration of the life of jazz singer, Mildred Bailey, who was a member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, and the first woman to front a national touring and broadcasting big band.
We'll talk to the people who know the most about these topics, and take you along, as we drive from location to location in a classic car.
Producing episodes takes time, and your support will help us take a little time off from our other work to make this happen.
3) Start an internship program with local college students!
To make sure our research is fresh and engaging, we've made contact with Dr. Larry Cebula of the Public History program at Eastern Washington University to begin a dialogue about offering internships to graduate students studying local history. Their work will open new topics and history up for our local community, and the King's Guide can then help them cover some of the expenses of going to school.
Since we're freelance, or "entrepreneurial" historians, we need a little assistance from our community to get this project going. Plus, your support shows us there's interest in the community for such an endeavor, and may help us attract sponsors that can help us reach our goals.
In addition to the goals above, we believe the King's Guide can help our community:
a) by promoting the history work that has been done for decades by our local museums, libraries, and archives;
b) by introducing the public to local history writers and authors; and
c) by creating a deeper sense of appreciation for what went on in our region.
Or as the historian David McCullough says:
"[History] is an enlargement of the experience of being alive, just the way literature or art or music is."
Thank you in advance for your support of the King's Guide! We can't wait to show you more of the world that is waiting right here in our own backyard.