{"id":36413,"date":"2024-12-10T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/?p=36413"},"modified":"2024-12-10T09:55:59","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T09:55:59","slug":"meet-the-100k-fund-winner-dan-ramm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/meet-the-100k-fund-winner-dan-ramm\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Artlist\u2019s $100K Fund Winner 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Announcing: The winner of Artlist\u2019s 2024 $100K Fund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meet Dan Ramm. He\u2019s a Connecticut-based filmmaker with big ideas and an even bigger heart \u2014 and that\u2019s not an exaggeration, he has a heart condition. This is partly what inspired his winning idea \u2014 that and his wife, who works in a hospice. Today, we\u2019re delighted to announce that Dan\u2019s 7 Wonders<\/em> series is the winner of Artlist\u2019s $100K Fund 2024<\/a>, and we can\u2019t wait to see it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We caught up with Dan to find out more about his winning project, the many people who inspired the concept, and how he hopes the end result will resonate with the Artlist community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet Dan Ramm, the winner of the 2024 $100K Fund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"The
Dan Ramm, the 2024 winner of Artlist\u2019s $100K Fund <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mortality has always been a part of Dan\u2019s story. Born and raised on the East Coast of the USA, his father passed away from a heart condition before he was born. The condition was hereditary, so both Dan and his sister grew up with heart issues, something that has affected Dan\u2019s outlook on life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy dad died of heart failure after getting a heart transplant,\u201d Dan says. \u201cSo I grew up with this sense of wanting to make him proud in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan fell in love with film through Terminator II, and knew from a young age that was what he wanted to do. \u201cI was obsessed with movies,\u201d he says. \u201cI would watch VHS tapes over and over, and when it was time to go to college, I wanted to go to film school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His parents weren\u2019t so enthusiastic, and despite attempts to sabotage his entrance exams, Dan got into college to study Communications. Soon after, he was diagnosed with Crohn\u2019s disease, which had a knock-on effect on his entire well-being.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt spider webs into other things, like arthritis and anemia, and a few years ago, I started getting heart episodes,\u201d he says. \u201cI was playing volleyball, jumped and landed, and my heart just would not turn off. It was in racing mode, palpitating non-stop for hours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But despite his health battles, Dan left college to become a successful marketer. \u201cI was able to make videos, and I\u2019d freelance in my spare time to make films for other people,\u201d he says. He landed a role at a non-profit called Boys and Girls Club<\/a> and, from there, started making a film about the inter-connected true stories of the kids, which is now in the final stages of post-production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The story behind Dan\u2019s 7 Wonders<\/em> series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dan had been using Artlist for his film projects for years, and heard about the $100K Fund through a newsletter. He looked at his list of ideas and found his Seven Wonders<\/em> series sitting at the top of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy wife Jackie works as a social worker in a hospice, and I wanted to tell her story,\u201d Dan says. \u201cIt\u2019s tough, she\u2019ll get attached to a really cool client, but, like, all of her clients are dying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan learned from Jackie that working in a hospice really levels the playing field. \u201cShe has clients who are everyday people, and she has clients that are Fortune 500 CEOs,\u201d Dan says. \u201cShe comes home and tells me about the regrets people have, so I started writing them down. There\u2019s obviously more than seven but they all fall into a similar kind of theme, so they really boiled down to the same issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, alongside his own personal experiences of health struggles and mortality, is the inspiration behind Dan\u2019s Seven Wonders<\/em> series. Dan plans to create a 7-part mini-series exploring the seven biggest regrets people face on their deathbeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each episode explores one central theme tied to a big regret people have at the end of their lives, building up to one climactic scene in which Dan himself overcomes that regret. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Dan\u2019s submission stood out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dan\u2019s submission has it all \u2014 the sense of adventure, the personal story, and powerful messaging. His submission film and accompanying presentation showcased his personality, humor, and natural presenting abilities, which gave the team a taste for how the series will turn out. On top of that, Dan\u2019s submission was full of interesting personal nuggets of information that made us want to learn more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dWe loved how Dan\u2019s project is rooted in something very personal, yet universal,\u201d says Roy Mayer, Artlist\u2019s Social Media Lead. \u201cWe also loved how he constructed a really exciting concept out of that core idea, in a way that will work well on YouTube with content that feels over the top in a good way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Artlist will help bring 7 Wonders<\/em> to life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Artlist\u2019s $100K Fund has one aim: to help creators like Dan realize their most ambitious and impactful projects. That\u2019s exactly what happened last year with the 2023 $100K Fund winners Sent Into Space,<\/a> who broke records documenting the Northern Lights from space. With this fund, Artlist can empower creators to expand their horizons, while inspiring the community to be more courageous with their creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan will have access to all of Artlist\u2019s resources throughout the creation of his project. That includes access to the Artlist team for consultancy and advice, feedback from the filmmaking team, and, of course, $100,000 to bring his vision to life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrowing up as a kid, the two words I said the most were \u2018I wonder,\u2019\u201d Dan says. \u201cI was just so curious, and I feel like modern generations are kind of robbed of that because we don\u2019t have to wonder anymore. We can just say, \u2018Hey, Siri, how fast is the sun spinning at any given moment?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The $100K Fund means Dan has the opportunity to continue to wonder while providing answers for others who are just as curious as he is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What\u2019s next for Dan Ramm and 7 Wonders<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Each episode will explore a different regret and how to overcome it, and the first episode is all about balance \u2014 \u201c\u2018I wish I hadn\u2019t worked so hard\u2019 is a big regret people have,\u201d Dan says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this episode, Dan will team up with One Inch Dreams, a slack-line and film production team, who will accompany Dan as he attempts to break a world record by slack-lining across two hot-air balloons three miles in the air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The episode will take place in Spain, where they will interview local people, together with Alexander Schultz, co-founder of One Inch Dreams<\/a>, about their thoughts on balance. \u201cHe\u2019s slack-lined across two skyscrapers and an active volcano,\u201d Dan says. \u201cLike, over a volcano spewing lava wearing a gas mask, so I gotta get that guy\u2019s thoughts on mortality and regret.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For his adventure episode, Dan will explore the idea of finding your purpose. \u201cOne regret people have is discovering their purpose in life too late,\u201d Dan says. \u201cJackie will tell me about how someone will start playing violin at the end of their lives and be amazing at it. Can you imagine never being good at much your whole life and then, right at the end, discovering something you\u2019re not just good at, but feel passionate about? I think that\u2019s such a tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other 5 episodes will be centered around:<\/p>\n\n\n\n