A Virus Ate My Movie! Indie-film journal by Alden Olmsted
In 1990 I dropped out of college to start my own BMX bicycle company, Homestead Bicycles. After finding a shop in Tennessee to fabricate my design, I ordered 50 frames and set out to promote the fledgling brand. What began with such promise would soon come crashing down around me. After selling 30 bikes, a request for the remaining 20 would be met with word that the fabricator had gone out of business. I was forced to put my dream of Homestead Bicycles to bed and move on with my life.
Forward 23 yrs. later - one of my original Homesteads surfaced on a BMX website, stoking the curiosity of an online community into just what happened to that mysterious green frame from the 90's.
This became my documentary 30 Bikes: The Story of Homestead Bicycles - but it's only half of the story.
After a successful hometown debut I had premieres set up at multiple cinemas, in prestigious places like Santa Monica and Pasadena, even an offer to show the film in Tennessee. It was March, 2020 and unless you lived in a cave you know what happened next.
This book chronicles a BMX childhood, the making of a low-budget film, and how to pivot in the face of a global pandemic.
I think you'll love it.
A
Coming soon