(below is the first ROUGH draft of the basic documentary proposal. It most likely will be revised as new teammembers are added).

The Proposal:

Not All Dads Are Deadbeats will be spearheading the creation of a feature length documentary that focuses on issues that parents often face post-seperation. The goal for this documentary  would be to encapsulate the issues of injustice, bias, neglegence etc. in an educational and informative format. The primary method of exposing these issues would be to film the perpetrators of the injusitce themselves and to use their own words (or lack thereof in the case of being kicked out of their establishments) to illustrate our collective frustrations.

There will be a definte start and stop date for this documentary. I suspect it would be efficient if we started immediately and planned to launch the final cut on January 1st 2011. The justification for this concerns time. As you could imagine this could be a massive project and without a clear launch date filming this documentary could take years. We have far more opportunities for solid footage now more than ever and with a clear storyboard/outline I feel very confident we will obtain that footage within the alotted timeframe.

The documentary will be segmented into five 20minute parts that each cover a specific issue. The proposed issues are listed below. The opening for each issue will focus heavily on motion graphics and tell the backstory/history behind the issue. My goal at this point is to provide "shocking" and "eye-opening" scenes of discontent by the perpetrators of injustice themselves. I foresee this as the filmmakers being kicked out of establishments, offices etc. We will present ourselves professionally and cordially however I suspect that when faced with the questions we will ask on camera that they will arbitrarily refuse to answer any further questions. My goal is to seek fair and balanced reporting however based on my prior experiences I will not hold my breath for them to be forthcoming with explanations into their practices.

This is where we can really do some damage and I fully intend to (Dave Flook). I would like to have an honest approach to this expose and I am confident that THEY will provide us with more than enough solid "eye-opening" footage to use in this documentary. Obtaining this footage must be conducted in a legal fashion however I anticipate risks.

People need to hear about the horror stories and injustice but moreso they need to see it happening on screen. NADADS WILL expose this. I (Dave Flook) will ensure it is reported. I will ensure that this record is public and freely distributed.There comes a time when such risks are justified. Look no further than my digital recorder investigation (http://notalldadsaredeadbeats.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=173&Itemid=135) for a clear example of what this documentary will expose.

The Basic Format:

The documentary will be segmented into the following topics (each 20 minutes in length):

• The Politics Of Parental Inequality
• CAS
• Lawyers
• The FRO
• Domestic Violence

Each segment will contain the issue and notable guest speakers. To contrast our issue I anticipate using undercover footage, raw footage etc. of the organizations/government. Ideally it would be good to have them on record with honest, open responses however I will not discourage rogue videography in order to expose them.

As of now, I forsee tying it all together with the story of NADADS. A good documentary needs that human quality. I think we all have a good story here and I think using this to promote the NADADS members would be very fulfilling.

This kind of documentary MUST be published... by any means necessary.

The Team:

As this is a basic proposal I have not yet compiled a list of required help. There have been a great number of people on the facebook page willing to help out and we here at NADADS cannot express our gratitude enough. As of right now I can anticipate needing the following:

• Media Relations (traditional) - you would be responsible for contacting media outlets and informing them of the documentary.
• Media Relations (interviews) - you would be responsible for contacting "celebrities" for interviews. This actually is easier than you may think. Last year I interviewed Wayned Gretsky's dad (Walter) based on a simple request by a NADADS member.
• Planning committe - we will need to storyboard the doc. and finalize the proposal.
• Film Crew - I have a small digital camera however all film crew applicants will be considered. This will be a very low budget documentary and Im not expecting it to be "superior" quality. That said it would be wise to work with knowledgable people when it comes to filmmaking (please contact me regarding website hosting/CMS for all who are interested).

That should be it for now. It gives you a few things to think about. Please give us your input by visiting (http://www.facebook.com/NADADS) our facebook page.

Time is ticking. I dont know what this will be but I have a very firm idea (which is better expressed in speach rather than type admittedly). I might make a quick audio post to recap.

We can do something very unique here.....Lets expose them by using their own words :)

~ Dave Flook
"It's better to be pissed off than pissed on"

Bring Baby Connor Home......This is a Rally to gain awareness of the Injustices within the various 53 Family & Children Services across Ontario. Eight other provinces have adopted this legislation to protect our children from Absolute Power because Absolute Power Corrupts...there are thousands of complaints within the system itself regarding custody, access, and placement issues that go unheard, children are continually hurt in the very system sworn to protect....these are the very reasons for ALL of us to stand up and Rally for Accountability of the C>A>S>.....Show your support for this local family and many others....

To RSVP please visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120218927988185#!/event.php?eid=120218927988185

~ Dave Flook
Proud Father of Stevie Lee

Never underestimate the power you have to make positive change in people’s lives. Two months ago I took the initiative and created the concept for a local Family Festival that I named “CK Family Fest”.  The mandate was simple. Organize a free family festival for no other reason other than I can. I often find myself searching for activities and events to take my daughter to on the weekends I have her. I wanted to be able to provide parents in Chatham Ontario with someone to take their kids on April 17^th 2010.

I initially jotted down a list of things I would like to have at this festival. This included games, prizes, face painting,  crafts etc. I own a bouncy castle so I wanted to toss that into the event as well. I also run a tribute agency called Legendary Tributes Ent. I aimed to have a “Chatham Idol” singing contest for the kids as well.

Thankfully I had the support of a fellow NADADS member Cindy who gave up a lot of person time to help seek donations and sponsors. This even was going to be free however we still needed support. We managed to acquire roughly $400.00 in donations ranging from an MP3 Player to gift certificates. The hall was donated by the Canadian Auto Workers Local 127.

The local media picked it up as well. I did two live radio interviews, a newspaper interview and got free printing of our ads from Express Printing in Chatham. In these interviews I mentioned that I am the founder of Not All Dads Are Deadbeats however the Family Festival is not pushing an agenda. I was putting in my time and effort because I feel we need to exemplify our roles as proud parents and be as active in the community as we can.

The day went far better than expected. We had close to 400 people show up over the course of the day. The pay off for me was to see all the kids with big smiles on their faces. I had countless “thank yous” from the parents who appreciated the effort. Several business people approached me and said that they will financially support the festival next year.

The bottom line for me is that I feel we MUST get outside and talk to people. We must get away from our computers and engage in real world solutions. CK Family Fest will not change the courts but it certainly gives NADADS that extra validity that is needed. The idea is to change the climate of our culture and we do that one person at a time (or in this case 400 people at a time).

Now we can say “NADADS also runs one of Chatham-Kents biggest Family Festivals”. This festival will be run again next year and will be even better. I strongly encourage everyone to exemplify their roles in any positive fashion you can.

As a footnote to CK Family Fest – I didn’t even have my own daughter that weekend. So, I spent a month of hard promoting and work for a family festival that I couldn’t even take my own daughter to.

I hardly consider it to be self-sacrifice when I stood on that stage and saw so many kids enjoying themselves.

Hopefully, on a weekend that I have my daughter there will be an event that a proud parent spearheaded that I can take her to.

Be the change you wish to see in the world. No matter how much work is involved.

It’s worth it.

Here is the website if you want to check out the sponsors - http://ckfamilyfest.com/

~ Dave Flook
Proud Father

Hey Gang,

                We have been incredibly busy over the past two months here at NADADs. We are kicking off a massive fundraiser, getting shirts ready, etc. We are also spearheading a Family Fest here in Chatham (www.ckfamilyfest.com). The proceeds from this event will go to NADADs (more details will be up on the website this weekend). We will need help with this event - so be sure to volunteer your time and energy.

We have set up the next NADADs meeting at the Masonic Lodge here in Chatham. Please see details below:

NADADS General Meeting
Tuesday March 16th, 7-9pm
Masonic Lodge
430 Riverview Dr, Chatham , ON

Discussion Topics:

• CK Family Fest
• The State Of NADADs & Plans For The Future
• NADADs Chapters
• Fundraising

There will be time for specific questions & answers as well.

It is important that everyone attend this meeting.

Regards,

~ Dave Flook
Proud Father