Tiny House Video Submissions

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Call for submissions: do you live in a small space and want to be profiled in a video?

I’m Kirsten Dirksen, a former television producer (MTV, Sundance Channel, Oxygen, Travel Channel) and I now create videos for my husband’s and my website – faircompanies.com – and as a blogger for the Huffington Post.

I am looking for people who live in small spaces (house, apartment, trailer, yurt, etc) who are interested in being profiled for video stories. You would have to have access to a digital video camera (whether a camcorder or something simpler like a Flip camera).

I would then edit your story and it would appear on faircompanies, on the tiny house blog, on my youtube channel and possibly on the Huffington Post and in a documentary I’m working on (see Can living smaller and simpler make you happier?).

What we are looking for:

  • People who live in what they consider a small home.
  • Access to a digital video camera or the ability to digitize analog video.

The process:

  1. You submit a few paragraphs describing your small home (ideally with photos attached) and explaining why you have chosen to live small (or if you didn’t choose it, what works about it for your lifestyle).
  2. I will select a few people that we think would make great videos.
  3. I will send you more information with shooting tips.
  4. You will videotape your home and I will either interview you via Skype (for an example, see video The Burden of Stuff) or ideally, you (or a friend) will record your own interview describing your home and why it works for you to live small.
  5. You will send me your digital footage via dropbox.com (I’m open to other options, even mailing tape to me in Barcelona, Spain).
  6. I will edit your video and post it to the websites mentioned above.

Please contact me with your submissions at faircompanies@faircompanies.com. I look forward to hearing about some unique small spaces.

9 thoughts on “Tiny House Video Submissions”

  1. Kirsten,

    It seems that what you are seeking is basically people’s stories who have been called “Radical Homemakers” by Shannon Hayes in her book by the same title. If you haven’t read it, you ought to consider it. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, but it would definitely be great to learn from other people who have achieved a radical homemaker lifestyle. I look forward to seeing your results.

    Reply

  2. Hey, the more the merrier- I think this project is a GREAT idea- and having just checked out the other film faircompanies did- I’m sure it’ll turn out great.
    That said- I have several small house mini-episodes/footage (some not used/shown yet)- almost all shot on a Sony Red Camera= in HD- if you need any tiny house stuff. Some footage with Jay Shafer and I as well, and beyond. Most is of small weekend shacks I’ve built, but I myself live in a somewhat smallish home (micro to some, HUGE to others)- 850-900 square feet- with 4 people and a HUGE dog though.
    I’ll send you an email as well…

    Regardless, best of luck with the project

    -Deek
    “Tiny Yellow House” TV and Relaxshacks.com

    Reply

  3. Wonderful video and fantastic idea! I’ll have to talk to Tammy about getting a submission together for you or at least the skype call option. 🙂

    Have you seen the peakmoment interview with Shay Salomon? Shay is the author of “Little House on a Small Planet” and I think you would enjoy the conversation on happiness and small living. I believe its Peak moment TV episode number 119.

    Cheers, 🙂

    Reply

  5. I have liked all of the faircompany videos that I have seen in the past, as well as this one. When I am on my day to day search of tiny homes and the people that live in them, my main goal is to find ones where the people tell their storys, like Zoe’s one year in her tiny house. I want to read/see what people go through, and how they live in their homes, what challenges they face, and how much happier they are now. It helps to make me feel like this is something that I can do! So I am really looking forward to seeing the outcome of your videos, good luck I and I am really excited about seeing this!

    Reply

  6. Great concept but for those trying to play catch up in a movement trying to reverse an out of control over spending, keeping up with the Jones’ monster. Remember this has been a way of life for many of us. Some of us after the 60’s never traded in out tarot cards for Visa cards, never played stock market, training homes to do flips and cared more about the green around us than the green in our pockets.
    I asked a film maker friend if he was willing to do a brief video on his small dwelling life style and he declined for privacy reasons.
    My personal grand plan is to take my current 5 bedroom home in Aptos, CA and provide co-housing to several families. couples or individuals. In the meantime, continue work on my Isuzu NPR conversion into a road warrior- mobile eco home. This all the while continue my work on designing fluid processing which has lead to recovering and recycling water that has reduced our consumption from the meter to a daily average of about 18 gallons per person per day. The daily average person per day in the US is about 120 gallons at home.
    The point is, this is not just about tiny living, reduced spending or finding more time, it’s about finding how we were meant to live on this planet. What used to be about living in Harmony is now called living green in other words, the Big Picture….

    Reply
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