ABOUT THE PROJECT
Welcome Message & A Brief Backstory
Quick Technological Note:
AI will NOT be used to generate content at any stages of PROJECT: FORWARD. The real value of this project is in building awareness of human potential when we all join and dream together and to show a future path of global and cross-cultural cooperation, therefore the use of AI during the creative process will essentially be hypocritical.
AI should never replace human creativity, as tempting as it may be. AI’s place is in streamlining processes, automating infinite tasks, robotic operations, etc., not as a replacement of human thought. Therefore, a great effort will be spent making sure that the entire video library of PROJECT: FORWARD is filmed by humans, with and about humans, and edited by humans.
Generative AI, just like special effects, has the capacity to entertain us and wow us with extraordinary visual noise, but I wish to remind people to slow down, to see the eyes of real humans in their reality. This project is a dream about a possible future, but deeply, profoundly anchored in our present reality. It is vital to stay connected in the now, even as we envision the future. While flying cars would be exciting, this project is about hope, responsibility, civic strategy, global citizenship, human connection, and charting the course for a path of progress and well-being of all people. If we dream responsibly and with honesty, humanity has the ability and the power to move away from greed, intolerance, prejudice and indifference. True greatness is within reach.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
PROJECT: FORWARD is a 2-stage exercise in imagination, a declaration of intent, and if successful — a support and collaboratively independent citizen journalism platform. Stage 1 of PROJECT: FORWARD is the journey, while Stage 2 is the emerging collective destination for it.
Stage 1 is an online Documentary Series, comprising 10-12 episodes to be strategically released through a network of international educational and international NGOs. This is the main component of the project from where the subsequent second stage can and is expected to emerge.
PROJECT: FORWARD docu-series will come from every UN official country in the world and will be told by young people in their own national official language. All 195 United Nations-recognized countries will be represented (with Vatican City being the only possible exception since there are no minors registered as citizens there) through stories told in approximately 100 languages. These young thinkers will imagine and explore what our future civilization could look like if redesigned through the lens of mutual respect, cultural diversity, and non-ideological social inclusion and cooperation. Project:Forward Docu-Series intends to highlight the necessity to collectively imagine our future, and to remind everyone that imagining and designing our future society is the blueprint of progress.
PROJECT: FORWARD is a statement of resilience and hope, and a call to action toward a world centered around the well-being of all human beings and protection of nature.
While the age range is not locked in yet, I intend to accept entries ranging from 16 years old to 25 years old. This is still not absolutely set simply because of how the participation will be acquired. For instance, a 14-year-old’s entry might be so extraordinary that an age limit will not make sense. Although there are legal considerations involved with younger ages, this is not an insurmountable obstacle.
PROJECT: FORWARD‘s theme is a vision of a shared global future told by younger generations as they envision a future for humanity AND inquire on the status of our journey to that envisioned destination.
“Are we there yet?” is the question that will permeate throughout the PROJECT: FORWARD series, pointing both to the possibility and the necessity of a culturally inclusive global civilization based on cooperation, mutual respect, and genuine love for being alive as a human being creating the future.
Oftentimes, we are told that it is the journey that matters more than the destination, but this leaves out a crucially relevant aspect of any journey: having a destination, or more, informs the journey itself from preparations to planning and strategies for ensuring the safety and wellness of those participating in the journey. When it comes to our collective future, as a species, while it is difficult to pinpoint universal values as a final destination, we can generally state that humanity is driven by a desire for safety, love, and communion.
One vital element of our actions is the presumed reason for everything we do as a species - which is to ensure the wellbeing of future generations. However, we never really asked the future generations what they would like their future to look like. For the most part, authoritative figures in places of power and control, design the future according to a multitude of factors, many entirely unrelated to the hopes and dreams of our young.
Brought together from “every corner” of the world and from across cultures, this docu-series will invite a global audience to have a glimpse of what the young generations envision for their future, and to be presented with the real possibility of reaching that collective destination.
More importantly, PROJECT: FORWARD - “Are We There Yet?” is a message of hope and a reminder of the greater responsibility we all share - to build a better future and to bring our younger generations that follow after us to a safe future filled with potential and opportunities, a future belonging to everyone, regardless of their social status, cultural background, place in their regional or global history, and any other artificially created boundaries.
Ultimately, PROJECT: FORWARD: “Are We There Yet?” is a call to action, a plea from those with less power and control to be safely delivered a future they envision, need, and require.
Each episode within the series will bring awareness to different future aspects of human life — from healthcare to education, economic systems and social infrastructure as it is envisioned by our Youth.
Each episode will contain mini-segments from a number of countries and weaved by a given topic. The format will combine interview-style shots as well as on location footage - oftentimes creating a dramatic contrast between reality and vision.
Audiences will not only be taken on a journey, but also will be offered a path we can all embark in the present in order to create the future. But first, we must all imagine it and share it with each other.
Stage 2 is a Citizen Journalism Collaborative Media Platform emerging as a natural progression and expansion of Stage 1. It will begin almost immediately as creative assets will begin to input into the project. The goal is to create and sustain a multimedia space consisting of articles, stories, videos and podcasts — all being published by youth and sourced via media programs in schools, youth organizations, NGOs, and more.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
It is important at this point to elaborate on why I believe that PROJECT: FORWARD is necessary and also what the project is not.
First, PROJECT: FORWARD is becoming a necessity because the current global socio-political environment is in disarray and as a result of economic pressure, we are seeing the cracks in almost every aspect of human life.
War, poverty, cultural intolerance, and extremism are holding progress back at a psychological level. Hardship and conflicts impact our ability to think creatively; survival mode kicks in. Stress kills dreams. Culturally speaking, the emergence of newer technologies and platforms have been documented to hijack human potential and algorithms have infiltrated and influenced mindsets on a global scale.
Not only that we need to dream of a better future, but at this point we need to make sure that we do not forget that a potential of a better future still exists.
PROJECT: FORWARD ‘s mission is to offer a global vision of possibilities AND to ensure that we do not forget that the quality of our future as a species will always be in our collective hands - if we are willing to act on it.
PROJECT: FORWARD is not meant to be a political statement. Instead, it will attempt to rise above all political ideologies and focus solely on the core human values we all share. Audiences will have the chance to hear from young dreamers whose countries may be currently at war or in a state of conflict. We will see huge divides and contrasts in imagery as we will travel across continents and countries, and yet we will experience a common sense of compassion, curiosity and hope unaffected by our personal beliefs. Through an empathic approach, PROJECT: FORWARD will strive to bring us closer together in sharing a common hope for a healthy and safe future.
PROJECT: FORWARD is also not a commercial opportunity. The project is designed to only accept financing via private donors, NGO’s, and/or grants. While advertising is one of the components intended to add to the sustainability of the project, money will not be accepted from any corporations and/or religious or political entities. The main source of advertising will come from NGOs once Stage 2 of the project emerges (more details will be available upon request).
To ensure as much independence as possible, PROJECT: FORWARD will not use traditional means of content distribution such as Amazon, Google/YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, etc. except for advertising and awareness campaigns. The final docu-series as well as the entire library of user-generated content will be hosted and published using independent hosting and storage coupled with self-hosted newsletters and a private online community. The goal is to minimize as much as possible any possibility of the PROJECT: FORWARD being interpreted as political and somehow throttled in any way. Above all, PROJECT: FORWARD is a civic enterprise.
PROJECT: FORWARD will NOT endorse any political activities of any kind, but it will also not shy away from using a contrast between reality and vision when the storyline will call for. Whenever possible, PROJECT: FORWARD will gratefully accept people of influence to represent the project or to speak for it, but these people will be carefully selected in order to make absolutely certain that who they are as individuals would not be interpreted as an endorsement for external for-profit or political activities and/or interests.
For example, Jeff Bezos will not be accepted to the project, while a teacher from Ohio or a scientist from Nigeria will be gladly invited. In other words, just because the project needs support, I will not accept any profit-motivated kind of support. Participation in PROJECT: FORWARD must be morally justified.
ABOUT THE PROJECT

PROJECT: FORWARD will need financial backup, networking support, and know-how experience. While all help is welcomed, receiving it needs to address a concrete need directly related to the development of the project. Once the project begins attracting financial support, I will start a volunteer campaign open for anyone wishing to help with time and experience in various capacities.
Below you will find a chart reflecting the strategic approach from development to sustainability. You are positioned at the very foundation of PROJECT: FORWARD or rather at its origin point.
Initially, PROJECT: FORWARD needs financial support, immediately followed by international networking support. Near the completion of the project, self-sustainability needs to be achieved via NFPM (not-for-profit marketing) in order to support the costs of a wide distribution.
The entire project will first be transcribed and translated in the six (6) languages officially used by U.N. then will expand to at least 50 additional languages (based on available budget). The final project will have a TRT (Total Running Time) of approximately 10 hours (10-12 episodes) and it will be streamed globally via CDN (Content Delivery Network).
With an estimated development, production, and initial distribution release budget of $40,000, PROJECT: FORWARD is ambitious in scope, yet relatively small with regards to documentary budgets. While the content for the documentary series will be accumulated from all the countries in the world - a challenge in itself - the development and production costs are being kept under control by using pre-existing media clubs and NGO’s production capabilities as well as user generated content. When available, local, independent production crews will be contacted and invited to help. For those interested in PROJECT: FORWARD - “Are We There Yet?” production schedule and planning, I will be happy to expand on this document and answer your questions.
Once the initial documentary series is released, the project will shift into the next and final stage where cost and advertising revenues will need to match. An important detail to remember is that the documentary series will exist as a standalone product, independent of its final stage and format.
PROJECT: FORWARD - “Are We There Yet?” offers you a few ways to financially support it and it provides an excellent overview of everything related to the project.
Besides the financial support needed, PROJECT: FORWARD will benefit greatly from expert contributions as well as social capital. The project will be distributed via multiple channels such as educational institutions, NGOs, and local community youth projects.
ABOUT THE PROJECT

ABOUT THE PROJECT
PROJECT: FORWARD - “Are We There Yet?” is unlike any other documentary in the sense that it pulls content from every single country in the world, in multiple languages, and from a younger range of people who need to already have a sense of civics and history in order to envision a collective future.
This presents a number of challenges - from logistical to legal - and they will be pre-emptively tackled on a step by step approach.
Reaching the “right” people is the greatest challenge, especially in countries where government censorship has a stronghold on cultural exchanges, or, the communication access is problematic.
This challenge will be addressed by connecting with legit and established NGO’s in that region in order to open the submission window to as many young people as possible.
When absolutely necessary, I will tap into a country's Expat community if the situation demands it.
Legal environments range quite a bit, so acquiring distribution rights will be paramount. PROJECT: FORWARD - “Are We There Yet?” will comply with all the local requirements in procuring media releases for everyone involved.
The cost of transcribing and translation in such a great range is a complex challenge even with the use of AI, because the final cut will have to be validated by a human being, fluent in the specific language being used for each segment.
While media hosting and streaming has a significant cost attached to it, the plan is to grow progressively and hand in hand with public support. Since the release of the entire docu-series will NOT be on a “free” platform such as YouTube/etc. the costs will be absorbed by my production company.
The goal is to cover those costs via donations, subscriptions, grants, and a very specific and unique and philanthropic approach to advertising.
This is a very possible civic enterprise, but challenging nonetheless. The ultimate goal and final product is worth the effort and I can already imagine the hundreds or even thousands of young people connecting across cultures and borders - creating lasting relationships and partnerships.
Last, but not least, the greatest challenge of it all is gaining the trust of those who are willing to support the project. This is why I intend to document and present the development of PROJECT: FORWARD - “Are We There Yet?” every step of the way.
While the financial support is vital to the very existence of the project, I welcome every input and every opportunity for collaboration.
This project is meant to become a collaborative platform where local voices merge in a global vision for a collective future of our civilization.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
* Final release will depend on press coverage and post-Production fully concluded. If the initial pre-seed stage needs to be extended, project release will be adjusted accordingly.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
PROJECT: FORWARD - “Are We There Yet?” already starts from a stable logistical position. Through my Arts4Hope company and its available licensing, the project will benefit from the start, replacing a costly number of some of the necessary software licenses, such as project website, marketing tools and analytics, email and newsletter automation, a fully capable online event management platform, and more.
PROJECT: FORWARD - “Are We There Yet?” will also start from an advantageous strategic point, benefiting from my personal Film Production experience as well as my personal network in the industry. More so, my long standing collaboration with various developers from across the world will allow me to tap into technical resources at significantly lower rates if and when needed.
Agentic AI will NOT be used. Volunteers will be welcomed with open arms, in helping some of the promotion for the project and overall online and offline visibility.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
You have noticed throughout this presentation the use of two different terms and I want to make sure I explained them as clearly as possible, so here is a quicker recap of what they mean:
FORWARDTV is where the PROJECT: FORWARD - “Are We There Yet?” docu-series will first be released publicly.
It has been a while since I put my Film Producer hat on and tackled a significantly large project. But these times we're in, give little rest to humanity's sense of civics, history, and civilization.
On my end, as a Parent and Educator, I cannot in good conscience look at my kids and simply say to myself that "it will be alright" - because there is nothing in the world of those who design and decide the direction of our nations and civilization overall which offers me even a shred of confidence that they have my kids' - or yours - best interests at heart and in mind.
I must assume that most regular people, like me, passively witness the changes and the turmoil without much sense of power over these events. At the most, we can exercise our democratic rights to vote while hoping for the best..
But what happens when the systems we trusted break down entirely? When we must, with humility, accept that we have almost no access to the mechanisms of power dictating the design of all of our lives?
What then?
So I started thinking. What do we do when we need to take a bus, or a train, or a plane? How do we make sure we do not board the wrong bus and embark toward the wrong destination?
It would be fun IF we had no destination in mind. It could be disastrous if we needed to go to point A but took a plane that flew us to point Z.
So in essence, we would first need to know our destination and then make sure we boarded the correct bus, or train, or plane to get there.
At least that is what, I believe, any rational and responsible person would do.
As the questions cascaded from one answer to another, from one conclusion to another, this next Documentary project began taking shape.
For many months I kept at it, in my mind, watching the world's leadership slip into insanity and often dysfunction, while also refining the details of this new project. A documentary series like no other.
If you're an artist, or even if you just know one, you must have experienced the doubts and the angst which often accompanies the excitement and the sense of adventure that a creative process brings.
I too, had my doubts.
Will this project matter? Will it make a difference? To whom? Does it only point to a problem or does it at least hint at a solution?
A documentary should, in theory, be neutral, and truly expose specific issues, but it doesn't really have to present a solution to anything. It tells a story, a real story about a part of our reality, then leaves us with more questions. It opens a window for all of us to see through. If we're willing to look.
But my concept is no ordinary documentary. Even if I tried I couldn't make it much more challenging. I do love a good challenge, I always did, but this time it goes beyond the thrill of a challenge.
I wanted to create something that the world could not ignore. Something as powerful as possible, to see and acknowledge as we wait for our next metaphorical bus, or train, or plane.
Every single day transports us through time and, while individually we all face the same final destination, as a species we do not.
This is the origin story of my new documentary project. A story I intend to document live, as it happens - obstacles and successes alike.
One of the reasons I always loved theater and film work was the intimacy of the creative process. The struggle, the hiccups, the “aha” moments, the tediousness, and the joy of things coming together. Above all, I loved the confluence of minds and hands as everyone involved collectively shouldered the effort, hours and days on end.
And even when I went at it alone, I wasn't really alone. There were always people behind me, offering support and sharing the anticipation of a work they took a leap of faith in.
Should you accept my invitation to find out more and help me build this project, drop me a note, a comment, or an email. Or, why not jump straight to donating/subscribing to the project - now is the best time to do it.
I am starting small, with people I met throughout my life in person or even online and with whom I had or have a more personal relationship. This is a beginning and beginnings need care, nurturing, and protection.
I'm inviting you to be part of something outrageously complex, emotionally beautiful, intellectually inspiring.
This idea has sprouted. Would you help me grow it?
PROJECT: FORWARD - “Are We There Yet?” needs your support and welcomes your life and professional experience. Constructive feedback is appreciated and collaborative opportunities abound.
This presentation will soon be followed by a pre-recorded video where I will touch upon more details and also answer some of the comments entered in this document if that is the case.
THANK YOU & Let’s Roll! 🎥
Bogdan (Bo) Heretoiu, Arts4Hope Founder
Project:FORWARD Producer


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