I'm a major fan of the work of Diana and David von Glahn and The Faithful Traveler. As such, I'm anxious to see Diana's next project come to fruition:

THE FAITHFUL TRAVELER: EXPLORING THE CALIFORNIA MISSIONS will be a 10-13 episode travel television series, produced in both English and Spanish, that will explore and tell the history behind all 21 of California's historic missions in high definition. Starting in San Diego and traveling up the coast all the way to Sonoma, near San Francisco, the show's host, Diana von Glahn, will present the history of the creation of these missions in a fun and informative way that will inspire viewers to visit the missions themselves.

Learn more about how you can be a part of this project here and visit TheFaithfulTraveler.com for more examples of their excellent resources.

Producers Launch Kickstarter Appeal for Travel Series on California Missions in time for Canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra

Diana and David von Glahn, the husband-and-wife team behind the travel series, The Faithful Traveler, which broadcasts on EWTN, are turning to Kickstarter to raise funds for their latest series, Exploring the California Missions. The 10-13 episode travel series will look at the history and Catholic tradition behind all 21 California Missions, and will be produced in time for the canonization of Bl. Junipero Serra. With just 45 days to fund the project and six months to get it ready for broadcast, the producers are hopeful that potential funders will support their efforts to tell the story behind the Missions. 

Philadelphia, PA (WEB) February 2, 2015 — Independent television producers, Diana and David von Glahn are turning to crowdsourcing to raise funds for their latest series, Exploring the California Missions, a 10-13 episode series in which they discover the history and traditions behind the 21 California Missions. With funding as the first major obstacle to getting any travel series off the ground, filmmakers have embraced sites like Kickstarter.com, and the von Glahns are excited to present their project to potential backers.

Kickstarter.com guidelines give artists a set number of days to raise the funds they seek or the project receives nothing. Exploring the California Missions has a 45-day fundraising window, from start to finish. If the allotted budget ($50,000 US) isn't raised before March 18, 2015, all pledges are cancelled and the series will not be funded.

Kickstarter makes it easy for artists like the von Glahns to receive backing funds from anywhere in the world, to keep their backers up to date on new developments, and to get everyone behind the common goal of raising the funds by the deadline. When asked why she decided to raise the funds through a Kickstarter project, Diana von Glahn said, “Kickstarter is an exciting platform to present your ideas to people, and I’m excited to try it. As a native San Diegan, I’ve wanted to produce a series on the California Missions since we started producing The Faithful Traveler. Now that Pope Francis has announced the canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra, founder of the Missions, the timing is perfect. I’m excited to see if people agree that this is a story worth exploring.”

This is the von Glahns’ first foray into crowdsourcing. The Faithful Traveler in the U.S.: East Coast Shrines, was produced entirely out of pocket. The Faithful Traveler in the Holy Land, was made possible through the assistance of Select International Tours, although there were many expenses the production team had to cover. With their next two productions, an as-yet untitled special on Pope Francis’ pilgrimage to the Holy land and The Faithful Traveler in Portugal both due out later this year, the von Glahns’ travel costs were covered by sponsors. But while travel costs do account for a majority of the costs associated with producing a travel series, there are still other pre- and post-production costs that the von Glahns must cover.

If the Kickstarter appeal is successful, the series will be shot in May and June of 2015 and will be produced in time for the canonization of Bl. Junipero Serra in September 2015. The von Glahns will be shooting the entire series with a Canon5D. To learn more about the film, visit the project's pitch page:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tftcamissions/the-faithful-traveler-exploring-the-california-mis

There’s also a webpage devoted to the series:  http://www.thefaithfultraveler.com/camissions/

A Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TFTCAMissions

About The Faithful Traveler:
The Faithful Traveler is a travel series for television that takes viewers to some of the most amazing Catholic sacred sites around the world. Hosted by Diana von Glahn, the series explores the history, tradition, and spiritual significance behind each location in a joyful and spirited manner that inspires and educates viewers. No other travel series combines the majesty of the world’s sacred sites with a down-to-earth explanation of their religious aspects and is simultaneously entertaining and enlightening.