Is The American Dream Still Alive? Let’s Find Out While Riding Across The Country.

DreamProject1During these last years you heard it many times from your friends, you co-workers, the media. “The American Dream is dead”, “My future is bleak”, “America’s time is over”, “It’s so dangerous out there”, etc. James Marshall, a native from the Uk, and photographer Todd Williams, an American, grew weary of the constant whining and negative attitude of Americans and of media proclaiming that the American Dream is dying or already a concept from the past. So, they decided to ride across the country, east to west, from New York City to Los Angeles, to learn more about the American Dream, to report about what it means to those they will meet and demonstrating that many Americans still believe in it and make it happen in their personal and professional lives.

DreamProject2This is “The American Dream Project”, a docu-series they will produce during the 5000-mile on their motorcycles, a 2015 Indian Chief and Indian Scout provided by Polaris. They will have a budget of only $250 for food and shelter.  No hotels, no motels, no fancy pillows, no 3-course meals. They will stay with, and depend on, the Americans they meet.  They must work for their keep!  During the digging, the mending, the farming, the baking, the sweating, and the fretting, they will learn what the American Dream means to each individual. In conclusion, the viewer will have an intimate look into what makes up this beautiful country. True reporting, true reality TV.

If the 2 partners don’t ask money for themselves, they still need some financial support for the pre-production, production equipment and video crew transportation and accommodation for 8 to 10 people during 4 to 5 weeks. So, via a Dream Project Kickstarter Campaign they look for you your financial support to help them make an authentic, thoughtful and beautifully filmed and inspiring docu-series to remind people that while there are negative and challenging obstacles, the American Spirit is still well and alive for many Americans. More info at: Kickstater Dream Project  and their Dream Project Facebook Page.

24 Responses to “Is The American Dream Still Alive? Let’s Find Out While Riding Across The Country.”


  1. 1 Woody Sep 3rd, 2014 at 10:26 am

    It’s finally official-the American Dream involves getting somebody else to pay for what makes you happy.

  2. 2 deadwood1783 Sep 3rd, 2014 at 10:42 am

    C’mon guys. If you show up with a TV crew, sure your going to find some charitable people.

  3. 3 Woody Sep 3rd, 2014 at 11:10 am

    Very true, I wasn’t even going to mention that because it would make me a hater 😉 no reality show that involves a film crew will reflect what it would be like if you were I walked up to that door alone.I love the ones where you have a film shot from inside the house of someone opening the door and acting surprised at who is standing there.

  4. 4 James just another crazy Kiwi Sep 3rd, 2014 at 2:45 pm

    This is just another cheap doco movie ball buster

    Cooking shows, reality TV, Cop cam, talent shows and crap like this, it is just cheap to produce and as real as a plastic burger.

    Even TV is dumbed down these days and bloody cheap.

    Let them do a coke deal and smoke some pot with some cool hippy chicks. Maybe find an insane Lawyer and go to the Mardi gra

    Go your own way and do your own thing, your dreams are yours and they are out there to be found.

  5. 5 58_pan Sep 3rd, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    I met a couple in Germany back in 2001, they had sold their small business and most everything else they had and bought two Sportsters and had them modified with racks and big tanks. They took them from Alaska down to the southern most tip of South America put the bikes on a boat to South Africa, rode up the continent crossed over to Spain, rode through Europe then over through Russia and China and back to Milwaukee in 2003 for the 100th anniversary! I asked the guy what (didn’t get to talk to his wife) they were going to do after their epic trip. He said he didn’t know but it was something they had always wanted to do before they were too old to. Talk about living your dreams! Most don’t have the guts for something like that (me included)….

  6. 6 Duke Sep 3rd, 2014 at 11:03 pm

    This trip and that around the world trip sound awesome. Bucket list!

  7. 7 Sportster Mike Sep 4th, 2014 at 2:33 am

    Sounds good – love to do it – would be a whole lot better without a film crew….
    Most Americans I’ve met have been good people – especially after I went to Florida immediately after 911.
    It was mostly ‘Thanks for coming’ and “nice to see you’ ‘You still came?’
    I find if I act a whole lot English and put on a posh accent .. I can get to places other bikers don’t get to go… like that Alabama Sheriff taking me home for Tea!! (another story)

  8. 8 Doc Robinson Sep 4th, 2014 at 7:45 am

    In 2003 HEAVY DUTY magazine brought over 600 of our readers from Australia and shipped over nearly 500 Harley-Davidsons. This was an eight week trip in total taking in Sturgis and the Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Celebrations. It was not a mass tour, but our readers split up into groups as small as two and as large as 24 and rode all over North America. At the final party on the last night before flying back to Australia, I asked many of the participants, the majority who had never previously been to the US, what was the best part of their experience. Overwhelmingly, they spoke about the wonderful friendly people they had met, and many had tales of breakdowns or running out of gas where some local went way out of their way to help. One guy whose bike broke down a couple of hundred miles from anywhere had his bike put on a pickup by a farmer and he and his two buddies spent the weekend at the farmhouse where the farmer’s wife insisted on washing their clothes, gave them beds in which to sleep and on the Monday the farmer drove the bike to the nearest repair shop, which was nearly five hours away. And that is just one story out of many. Every year we bring readers over to Sturgis, Route 66 and also down south and I can tell you the American dream, from our point of view at least, is alive and very well thank you.

  9. 9 JackS Sep 4th, 2014 at 7:59 am

    I am currently accepting pre-tour charitable donations, including free sponsor bikes, for an epic 8,000 mile trip circling the US next summer.

  10. 10 Matt W. Sep 4th, 2014 at 8:39 am

    Would be happy to offer them gas $ and a place to crash….If I can take that Scout for a spin ;).

  11. 11 Mike Tomas Kiwi Indian MC Co Sep 4th, 2014 at 10:33 am

    The American dream has always been here and still lives on. I can attest to it through my business and travels. It comes through hard word which brings satisfaction. And giving back is also a big part of the American dream.
    I have to wonder about ones travels upon new bikes that might be under written by a MC company or dealer. That’s living the American dream too. Plus a big film crew as it can become staged and non reality. I’ve done hundreds of thousands of miles upon vintage Indians, seen tons of sights and met many good people and had candid experiences. Most could never have been captured on film.

  12. 12 ColoradoKid Sep 4th, 2014 at 10:37 am

    Is the American ‘ Dream ” dead ? Well . Not yet . But things are sure heading that way . Spend some time in any multitude of Midwestern , Plains and Great Plains small towns to see the rampant decay along with block upon block of abandoned and empty homes/businesses – Take a tour of the ‘ Real ‘ Detroit … then realize cities like KCMO etc are but a few years behind in their seemingly inevitable downfall – Have a close look at how we’ve transformed from ‘ Producer ‘ to ‘ Consumer ‘ over the past three decades and then do a quick comparison of the Roman Empire before its demise and the only conclusion one can reasonably come to is that things here in the US are on a definite downward swing despite the Hype & Hyperbole not to mention projects such as this attempting to re-write reality in order to accommodate their own personal agenda ( not to mention pad their own pockets )

    Can the reality the US is currently in be reversed ? In all honesty we’ve survived much much worse and come out smelling like a Rose . Will it be though ? Not likely in light of the current corporate and political powers that be .

    In conclusion ; Is the US in a real mess at present ? Why yes we are . But , the fact is we’re still the best mess there is Worldwide .

  13. 13 paparay Sep 4th, 2014 at 10:55 am

    its on my bucket list I start in Daytona and hit every bike event across the country throughout the year and end up in Daytona biketoberfest looking for sponsors and a bagger for Big Mama and maybe even a film crew LOL

  14. 14 BCinSoCal Sep 4th, 2014 at 1:38 pm

    Glen Hegsted (The Striking Viking) did the ride to the tip of South America , then rode around the world, quite some time ago. Not to take anything away from the German couple. Bravo to all of them !

  15. 15 Robert Pandya Sep 4th, 2014 at 2:59 pm

    Other than loaning them the bikes (as I do with motorcycle magazines daily) Indian Motorcycle sent along some apparel. These guys set out to do the trip and record it to inspire other people to get out and have their own experiences. I thought that was a noble cause so we stepped up to help out with motorcycles.

    The goal is to tell that story on video – they started and achieved a Kickstarter fund, and have quite a talented but very small and dedicated crew riding along. Certainly it changes things when interacting with people – but that’s the need to tell the story to more than a few people on a forum or your friends.

    Sponsorship comes in many forms, from Nike coughing up money so baseball teams have nice gear, to a random dude loaning you a tool or a couch for the night. Stickers all over race cars are celebrated for supporting the sport.

    I applaud anybody heading out for their own adventure and being open to strangers on the road. And to anybody who promotes motorcycling in a positive way. We will gain for the exposure that James creates for us of course, this the reason for the loan. I am in PR after all. But I do believe that we all gain when positive riders go out in the world and share that passion.

    Ride safe gents – looking forward to the stories. And thanks for telling a positive one.

    Robert Pandya
    External Relations Manager
    Indian Motorcycle

  16. 16 Woody Sep 4th, 2014 at 5:14 pm

    @ Mr. Pandya. Very well stated. What make this “cringe-worthy” for me is how somehow riding somebody else’s bike using someone(s) else’s money could in any way be labeled the American Dream.

  17. 17 Blackmax Sep 4th, 2014 at 7:29 pm

    Normally, I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Pandya.
    the only thing that throws the thing off for me is that why do you need a crew at all ?
    Take a small hand held camera & shoot it yourself !!
    Have it professionally edited if you feel the need.
    I still believe that there is America out there, Land of the Free & Home of the Brave
    but it is being drowned and surrounded by Gigabits and crap
    like what the Kardashians and that kind of ilk are up to.
    People send images of what they had for dinner and naked photos up to “the cloud”
    Not to mention (Gasp) electric motorcycles !!!! LOL !!!!!

  18. 18 James just another crazy Kiwi Sep 4th, 2014 at 8:20 pm

    The American dream is the wonderful, generous and caring people you find all over the USA.
    You do have a very beautiful country as well, but it is the Folk that make the country.

    I’m sure Robert and his Indian army will get good exposure from this, but it just seems a little (Catcher in the Rye) Phoney .

    Not to mention using a Bloody Pom ( Prisoner of Merry England) surely you threw those whingers out in the war of Independence. Apparently the British recently celebrated the anniversary of the burning down the White House which did not go down that well in some circles.

    Should of been one of the Wild Colonials not a Pom…………….joke guys

  19. 19 nicker Sep 4th, 2014 at 11:09 pm

    Woody,

    RE:
    “… What make this “cringe-worthy” ….. is how riding somebody else’s bike using someone(s) else’s money could in any way be labeled the American Dream. …”

    Dude, you got it spot-on.

    The American dream has NOTHING to do with the “… wonderful, generous and caring people you find…” We all know this to be true, it isn’t a “dream,” it is the American Reality.

    The American dream is all about being free to challenge yourself “t be all your can be”…..to find out what you can make of yourself without burdening or abusing others.

    However, that “Dream” goes further down the tubes every time someone snivels for the Government to solve yet another of their personal problems.

    -nicker-

  20. 20 Woody Sep 5th, 2014 at 10:37 am

    @Kiwi-no offense taken, and when it comes to the Brits burning the White House – they were just 197 years too early ☺

  21. 21 Mike Sep 5th, 2014 at 11:11 am

    It’s great to live in a country where we are free to criticize every one else’s intentions but our own.

  22. 22 Robert Pandya Sep 5th, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    It takes much more than an iPhone and a camcorder to make a professional documentary – sound is critical and all the various systems need support and professionals. Hundred of hours will be shot. You can’t just chuck that to an editor, it simply does not work that way. Files have to be processed logged and the story outlined as it happens. Load of work.

    Seeking the dream is defined by each individual. James is essentially seeking to tell the positive side of exploring America and its people and do it all on a motorcycle. Surely nobody on this site would have an issue with that mission.

    How he’s defined the experience, and how YOU would want to do it (or think you can do it) may be two different things. But we are sure that the positive result will be something that riders, enthusiasts, fence-sitters and fans of our culture will enjoy.

    Robert Pandya
    External Relations Manager
    Indian Motorcycle

    PS – I’ve loaned plenty of bikes to Aussies, and Kiwi’s (a couple active members on CHB), and given that my Mom is from the UK, I’m also inclined to loan bikes to Brits, as well as the many Americans, Germans, French, Italians, Norwegians, Indians, and who can remember who else in the past couple decades of doing this!

  23. 23 nicker Sep 5th, 2014 at 10:42 pm

    RE:
    “… How he’s defined the experience, and how YOU would want to do it (or think you can do it) may be two different things. …”

    With all due respect to your business strategy Robert, you’ve missed the point on this issue.

    There is a BIG difference between our individual “experiences” and what is commonly known as “The American Dream.”

    Apparently it takes we immigrants to tell those who have never experienced an authoritarian state what it means to be an American. For a good reality check read DeSusa’s books and watch his movies. Other good references would be the movies “The Giver” or the three-part series “Atlas Shrugged.”

    If you think it can’t happen here read up on pre-WW-II Germany.
    (then thank your lucky stars your an American…… at least for now)

    -nicker-

  24. 24 New York myke Sep 8th, 2014 at 12:30 pm

    So you really think you can find America by riding across??? Of course you’re going to find kind people doing nice things, and hard working people, just like you will any place in this world, but just like if I have to explain you wouldn’t understand, if you have to search for it you have no clue about what you’re looking for. Freedom is what the American Dream is all about, period! And sure you can measure our freedom against that of most other places and we look good, but not when you measure our freedom today versus a generation ago, or by the intent of the “founders”. Nanny laws, PC attitudes and acceptance,left wing politicians cringing at the “I am American attitude” and buying into the ugly American whining, to many lawyers(way to many!!!), too many laws, not enough motorcyclists outraged by helmet laws, too much government in our lives taking too much of our money and redistributing money to turn millions of Americans into beggars, and I can go on and on… I love riding throughout this great country and I am fortunate to have done just that many times and I hope many more, and I have experienced the elusive dream most are confusing with freedom. I have no illusions however that any of us are as free as we can and should be, but it’s still worth fighting for. The problem is people seem to be looking for kindness and money and you can find that anywhere or nowhere and it has little to do with the crux of the freedom we love. I didn’t go to war and my friends didn’t die for your stinking minimum wage or Obamacare or any other big government program!

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Cyril Huze