The EpicStep Blog

Inspiration to keep pushing forward… The dynamics and...

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:07:59 -0700

Inspiration to keep pushing forward… The dynamics and beauty of crowd formation.

Think your idea is too silly or off-beat for a billboard? Think again!

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:13:00 -0700

Virtually anything is billboard-worthy: Stewie Griffin for President, Legalize Weed, Happy Birthday Elvis, Music Feeds The Soul, Glenn Beck Sucks… Seriously, anything goes.

I wonder what would happen if we funded a billboard that read, “Smile.” Would it cause some people to smile as they passed it? And would those smiles be contagious to others they interacted with. Could we get an entire city smiling? I think we can.

2 for 2. Bradley Manning billboards go up right in the heart of...

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:07:00 -0700

2 for 2. Bradley Manning billboards go up right in the heart of Kansas City.

August 9, 2011 - Another two EpicStep billboards went up in Kansas City, Missouri in support of Bradley Manning.

Keeping with the times, we decided to go digital. Each billboard will broadcast each of the two winning designs for seven and a half seconds every minute of every day for an entire month. Here are the exact locations of the two billboards: Billboard 1 - Billboard 2.

Over the course of the next month, the ‘Support Bradley Manning…’ designs will be seen by over 2 million viewers.

To view or comment on the campaign, click here.

Gilad Shalit billboard takes center stage on La Cienega Blvd....

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:46:00 -0700

Gilad Shalit billboard takes center stage on La Cienega Blvd. and Olympic Blvd.

The ‘Free Gilad Shalit’ billboard made its debut yesterday afternoon and looks proudly over the consistent traffic present throughout the day. Here is a link to the exact billboard location in case you’re feeling adventurous.

This billboard is loud, thought-provoking, and altogether awesome.

Great job epic-steppers.

To view or comment on the campaign, click here.

Newz-worthy...

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:03:54 -0700

Webservice Helps Launch Cause-Based Crowd-Funded Billboard in LA

New Service Leads to Crowd-Sourced LA Billboard

‘Free Gilad Shalit’ Billboard To Go Up in Los Angeles

Billboard calling for Gilad Shalit’s release to be erected in L.A.

‘Free Gilad Shalit’ billboard to go up in Los Angeles

Billboard calling for release of Gilad Shalit to go up in LA

We were all really excited to hear the news.

Power to the People! Breaking through your social network.

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:33:34 -0700

The world has changed. Social media, barely a blip on the radar 10 years ago, is now a powerful force worldwide. Facebook has more than 600 million users. It’s the most popular website in the U.S. — bigger than Google.

So, when you start a campaign, make Facebook and Twitter a part of your plan. Reach out and inspire others to spread your messages. With the help of your friends and followers, you can accomplish much more than you thought. You have a vast resource at your fingertips — social networking. Use it.

Obama won the presidency by using it. Foreign governments have toppled because of it. Imagine what can you do…

You needz it!

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:33:00 -0700

Communication.

We do it every day. Talk, text, tweet, email. You can barely walk 2 steps without communicating in some form or another. But reaching the masses is still reserved for corporate advertising and well-funded public interest groups.

EpicStep was founded on the idea of creating a platform that gives individuals the same power of expression as the ‘big boys’ — Coke, Ford, AmEx, etc. The ability to communicate with the masses. To reach them. To make our individual voices heard.

It’s probably too early to tell, but I think it’s actually starting to work.

I am continually inspired by the campaigns people submit and fund. It makes me believe in what we are doing more and more every day. Thank you for inspiring this journey.

FREE GILAD SHALIT! billboard erected on the brink of 5th...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:17:00 -0700

FREE GILAD SHALIT! billboard erected on the brink of 5th Anniversary.

Congratulations to Gal and all of the supporters who made this campaign a reality.

The billboard went up yesterday morning and will be viewed by over 1.2 million people in this month alone. Here are the pictures we’ve received thus far.

If you’re in the area, it’s on the northwest corner of 10th Avenue and W 35th Street in Midtown Manhattan (Google Maps).

The billboard is hard to miss and the message difficult to ignore ;)

Great job guys!

To view or comment on the campaign, click here.

OBAMA NEEDS A PRIMARY CHALLENGER bus ads hit the street! The...

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:15:00 -0700

OBAMA NEEDS A PRIMARY CHALLENGER bus ads hit the street!

The transit authority in Washington D.C. managed to get their act together and we are ecstatic to announce that the ‘Obama needs a primary challenger’ ads have finally hit the street.

Because the whole process took so much longer than usual we were able to get our CBS Representative to put out six bus ads instead of one!

We were all pretty shocked with the good news. Six bus ads traveling through the busiest areas in D.C.

To view or comment on the campaign, click here.

Global study concludes: Sharing really is caring!

Tue, 10 May 2011 09:37:00 -0700

If you want your campaign to blast off and get the attention it deserves… Share share share!!! Share it with friends, share it with strangers, share it with your Great Aunt Edna.

Send emails, use social media, write to bloggers, call your local congressman. Do whatever it takes to broadcast your EpicStep campaign to the world. Find a passionate group of supporters who are enthusiastic about your message. These people will be the key to your campaign’s success — they’ll spread it far and wide. If it’s an environmental message, contact Greenpeace, Surfrider, etc. If it’s a sports message, reach out to fans and followers. Tell anyone and everyone!

Be genuine. Get opinions. If it resonates, these followers will support your campaign and spread it like wildfire.

Good luck!

2nd SUPPORT WIKILEAKS! billboard goes up in Chicago

Wed, 04 May 2011 10:15:00 -0700

You guys did it! The Support Wikileaks! billboard is up in Chicago for all to see! The billboard is located near I-90 & Tri State I-294. Here is a link to the exact location on google maps. Drive by and snap a photo (if it doesn’t involve risking your life). We’d love to see your photos and hear your opinions.

It’s people like you who make change happen, and we couldn’t be happier to have you as one of our users. You have made a great impact and we thank you!

By the way, did we mention that this billboard is located on a congested highway serving as an entrance/exit to one of the busiest airports in the world. In this month alone the billboard will recieve over 2.5 million views. Yes, we said “million”!

To view or comment on the campaign, click here.

How to create a successful campaign...

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:57:00 -0700

Have a great billboard idea? Awesome. Here’s a few tips for creating a captivating campaign:

Come up with a catchy slogan — something short and sweet that people can read quickly on a billboard. Got Milk? Just Do It. The ultimate driving machine.
Create a killer design. Not an artist? Ask a friend for help. Your billboard should grab the attention of its supporters as well as everyday people on the street. Make it stand out!
Write an inspiring description. Be persuasive. Spark excitement and passion about your issue.
Videos. We all love ‘em. Create your own or find something on YouTube. Make it shocking, inspirational, exciting, funny. It’s like your campaign’s theme song.

You’re all set. Excellent work! Make the final touches and present your creation to the world.

Facebook on steroids?

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:12:00 -0700

If you’re like most people, you probably have a few issues you care about. If you’re like me, it’s more like 20: global warming (humans are causing it and it’s not “climate change,” for Pete’s sake!), the violence in Yemen and the Ivory Coast (appalling and utterly disgusting), Gators football (so freakin’ awesome), and legalizing weed (yah mon), to name a few.

Using Facebook and tweeting about my issues are fine and dandy, but how much does that really do? Chances are, my circle of friends shares many of my passions. What about the rest of the world?

In a world filled with constant inundation by Budweiser and Apple, now people like us can spread the messages we care about. So, speak out for what you believe in. Let your voice be heard.

One billboard at a time.

The very first EpicStep billboard hits hard in Los Angeles

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:37:00 -0700

Wow, what an amazing and busy week this has been. In case you haven’t heard the news… the very first crowd-funded EpicStep.com billboard went up last week and has already received a lot of media attention - NPR, Huffington Post, Fox, CBS, etc.

The Support Wikileaks! billboard stands triumphantly at Santa Monica Blvd. & Highland Ave, at the middle of perhaps the busiest intersection in Hollywood.

It will remain there for a total of four weeks, so if you haven’t already, stop by and check it out. Enjoy the pics…

To view or comment on the campaign, click here.

Summary of our last week: INSANE!

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:50:00 -0700

Who would have thought that our morning coffee meeting on the 15th would turn into a mini-celebration? The first billboard funded in 6 days? No way! Lev started drinking shots of creamer by the fistful. We had to drag him away.

The crazy thing is, our first billboard in Los Angeles got funded by people all over the world. We never thought people outside of a campaign’s city would help fund a billboard, but they did. People contributed from as far away as Australia, Sweden, Brazil and Germany. To care about an issue so much that you support a billboard in another country? That’s pretty amazing. Chicago is next on our radar — the first billboard there has passed the 20% mark already.

In other news, more exciting campaigns are “live” now and even more are coming in the next week, so keep an eye out. Also, we wanted to thank you for all the feedback. Lots of you have sent along requests for new features and we’re hard at work figuring them all out. We’re learning as we go here, so it really helps to hear your suggestions.

In the meantime, thanks for being a part of this. You rock!

It's ALIVE!!!

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:12:00 -0800

After many sleepless nights and countless 12 hour days, we couldn’t be more excited to release the “alpha” version of Epic Step. During this stage our goal is to learn as much as possible from our users in order to better provide the features and user experience they desire when using the site. That being said, we are absolutely thrilled to start seeing normal people come together to fund the messages you care about!

We are kicking off the “alpha” launch with two super-fantastic billboard campaigns – Support WikiLeaks! and Charlie Sheen has tiger blood!. However, more will be added within the upcoming weeks so go ahead and send us your most amazing billboard campaign suggestions to feature on the site. We’ll keep you posted and let you know if your campaign is selected!

As we approach the next epic step in our journey, we can’t help but anxiously await your opinion and feedback. So don’t hold back — go wild and let us know any little thing you love, hate or would change about the current site. We realize that when all is said and done, the future success of this site depends on the ability to make you, the user, happy.

Let’s get this party started!

How we came up with EpicStep...

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:04:00 -0800

This whole thing started with a phone call. The three of us were talking about that horrible BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Days had turned into weeks and then months at this point and the oil was still leaking. It had just come out that Tony Hayward was spotted at a yacht race while animals were washing ashore! People’s livelihoods were literally being ruined and that douchebag was partying his ass off on a yacht. Bullshit! So the conversation got heated, we were all pretty angry. Someone mentioned that there was a campaign to raise money for people to blow vuvuzelas (those horns from the World Cup), in front of BP’s office. I happened to be driving, I looked up at a billboard and BOOM, it popped into my head. A billboard saying “Screw BP.” Then we all thought, wouldn’t it be cool to actually put up a billboard right in front of their headquarters.

So we started thinking, why should billboards and the advertising power rest with big corporations? Eat here. Buy this. Join this Gym. Individual people have to do crazy things to get their messages out there. Like go on hunger strikes, risk imprisonment or stage protests. It’s ridiculous. Yeah sure, there’s freedom of speech, but there’s no real way to actually be heard, to make an impact. To create change.

So, the three of us set out to see if there was anything we could do to give more power to individual people. Our idea instantly became a reality when we discovered a wonderful thing called crowd-funding. With crowd-funding, a bunch of people with like interests come together and pledge a few bucks each to make something amazing happen. It opens the door to countless possibilities and makes it possible for ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

Crowd-funding works because it’s built into social networking. You’re a new band and you want to raise money for an album. You tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter, everyone throws you a couple bucks and suddenly you’ve got an album. It’s amazing.

So we took crowd-funding and combined it with outdoor advertising. Voila, Epic Step! Now anyone can start a billboard campaign. All you need is $5 and an idea. And with enough support, anyone can have a billboard.

So the next time you look at a billboard for Coca Cola, think of what your billboard would say. Then start a campaign and let’s be heard together.

Video

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:01:00 -0800