CHECK OUT OUR MINI-DOC & ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORKER:
A Space Rocket for the Common Man
"To look up at night is to confront the enormity of the universe and of our own insignificance. But when the satellite Sputnik was successfully launched into Earth’s orbit.."
By Wei Tchou, November 22, 2016
How did a 9th grade dropout win the civilian space race?
Before Richard Branson & Virgin Galactic... before Elon Musk & SpaceX... before Burt Rutan & the XPrize…
There was ROCKETMAN.
He battled the government, gravity, and dyslexia in an historic quest for space...
and his story has never been told.
Check out the trailer from our recent crowdfunding campaign:
When Ky was a young boy, he'd lie in bed at night, look up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling, and dream of being an astronaut.
Little did he know that his dream of space would turn into an obsession.
Ky Michaelson was a garage inventor from Minnesota who set out to do the impossible: become the first civilian to launch a rocket into space. As his epic journey unfolded, it would cost him nearly everything: his health, his fortune – and his family.
In 1997, Ky and his band of backyard rocketeers headed out to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, a desolate playa 100 miles north of Reno and the only place in the U.S. where amateurs can fly their biggest rockets. Over the next eight years, they made it their second home, returning five times in their quest to shatter the space barrier. They battled sandstorms, fought government red tape, and survived rocket explosions and crashes during their Quixotic race for space.
Throughout his incredible journey, Ky brought along camera crews, making sure every historic moment was documented. With over 300 hours of footage, ROCKETMAN traces Ky’s exploits at Black Rock: the build process, the numerous tests, the misfires, the fights, the sandstorms, the tears, the triumphs… and the explosive defeats.
As Ky fought the Feds for the right to launch, he was also up against another foe: his crippling dyslexia. Ky can’t read, or write, or do math. All his life, he’s relied on what he calls his “mechanical photographic mind” – to build rocket-powered race cars in the 50s and 60s, and then to create jaw-dropping Hollywood stunts in the 70s and 80s. Now, he bent his unique mind to its hardest task yet: designing rockets capable of soaring past 62 miles, the official boundary of space.
Ky Michaelson became known as Rocketman, not only among his tight-knit, determined team of space geeks, but also among space pioneers like Burt Rutan, Richard Branson and Elon Musk. He beat all of these well-financed, equally determined mavericks to space, joining the ranks of the Wright Brothers and Lindbergh as a true American pioneer of flight. Along the way, his efforts generated new rules and regulations that laid the foundation for today’s booming private spaceflight industry.
Colette Sandstedt
Director/Producer | VISIT COLETTE'S LINKEDIN PAGE
I first met Ky on a shoot, where we immediately bonded over a love of space and our Midwest roots. I'm a science documentary filmmaker, and my work with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution can be seen in 3D productions, IMAX films and museums nationwide. I've produced and directed an underwater short film about Titanic for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and have created programming for the History Channel, Discovery Network, National Geographic and Red Bull Media. I'm also a graduate of UC Berkeley and the American Film Institute - and a giant space geek.
Gary r. Benz
President & CEO OF GRB ENTERTAINMENT | VISIT GRB'S WEBSITE
Gary is President and CEO of GRB, which won a 2009 Emmy® and multiple PRISM awards for its groundbreaking A&E series INTERVENTION. A pioneer in the genre, Gary founded GRB in 1986 with a love of documentary, adventure, and science programming. He since created and produced more than 2,500 hours of broadcast, cable and syndicated programming, including live events, specials and award-winning series.
Syd Garon & Chris Kirk
MINDBOMB FILMS ANIMATORS & GFX | VISIT MINDBOMB'S WEBSITE
Syd recently won a 2015 Golden Eye Award for his work on Jodorowsky’s Dune, and he and Chris are currently completing graphics for three films heading to the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The team created the animation and title design for 2014’s PBS documentary AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS, in collaboration with Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One. Their work can also be seen in 2013’s BLACKFISH, which premiered at Sundance and went on to garner 10 awards and 23 nominations. Other credits include 2014’s TOUCH THE WALL, the award-winning LAST CALL AT THE OASIS, and N.A.S.A.: The Spirit of Apollo. In 2012, mindbomb was nominated for an Emmy® for animation and title design on the HBO feature documentary SUPERHEROES.
Matthew Blute
CINEMATOGRAPHER | VISIT MATTHEW'S WEBSITE
Matthew was Director of Photography on CNN’s current documentary series DECLASSIFIED: UNTOLD STORIES OF AMERICAN SPIES, as well as on 2014’s LIFE ON THE V: THE STORY OF V66, 2007’s award-winning DIVIDED WE FALL: AMERICANS IN THE AFTERMATH, THE PASSION OF TONY NATALIE, and THE KING OF SIZE. Matthew’s camerawork can be seen in hundreds of feature, commercial, music video and documentary projects, including Russia’s 2013 Oscar® submission STALINGRAD, Michael Bay’s TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION, and Korean megastar Kim Jang Hoon’s music video NOTHING.
Brad Grossman
EDITOR | Visit Brad's IMDB Page
Brad edited the first season of Netflix’s award-winning docuseries, CHEF’S TABLE, and is currently working on the second. He also edited the award-winning feature documentary HOLLYWOOD HAIR (2012), and YOU BELONG TO ME (2014). Other credits include 50+ short documentaries for DVD extras on personalities such as Marilyn Monroe, Hitchcock and Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Brad is a graduate of the UCLA Film School, where his senior thesis film REST IN PEACE was selected for the Panavision Young Filmmakers Program.
Nyles Lannon
COMPOSER | VISIT NYLES' WEBSITE
Nyles scored the PBS documentary CLAIMING THE TITLE and the narrative film 2ND SERVE. His music has been used in hundreds of commercials, TV shows and movies, including the feature documentary WALK AWAY RENEE. Nyles has released several critically acclaimed albums, most recently 2015’s solo album FALLING INSIDE, and has played all over the world with bands like Film School and Sacred Caves. He is currently working on music for an upcoming animated series and touring with the indie band Rogue Wave.
