.png)
The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience
The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families. Through the perspective of a community of former graduates and Naval Academy insiders, this podcast will help you learn about life at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Through our shared experiences, Academy Insider guides families through the anxiety and frustration caused by lack of understanding, misinformation, and confusion. This platform is designed to better relationships between midshipmen and their loved ones. This podcast is not affiliated with the United States Naval Academy, the United States Navy or Department of Defense. The thoughts and opinions are exclusively those of your host and his guests.
The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience
#062 Spirit Spot Update: Direct from Rylan Tuohy
What does it take to gather nearly $43,000 in just one week? Discover the incredible journey of Rylan Tuohy, the "King of Spirit Spots" and Naval Academy Class of 2016 graduate, as he shares the exhilarating progress of his latest Spirit Spot Kickstarter campaign. With overwhelming support from the Navy community, alumni, and fans, Ryland is on the cusp of meeting his $50,000 goal. Hear first-hand about the nerves, excitement, and unwavering commitment behind this ambitious project.
Join us where Rylan opens up about his initial anxieties and the immense relief of seeing such a positive response. With only $7,000 left to reach the crucial milestone, Ryland discusses what this means for the future of the project and how every contribution brings them closer to bringing this new Spirit Spot to life. Tune in to learn how you can be part of this inspiring journey and support a project that embodies the spirit of the Naval Academy community.
The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families.
Grant Vermeer your host is the person who started it all. He is the founder of Academy Insider and the host of The Academy Insider podcast and the USNA Property Network Podcast. He was a recruited athlete which brought him to Annapolis where he was a four year member of the varsity basketball team. He was a cyber operations major and commissioned into the Cryptologic Warfare Community. He was stationed at Fort Meade and supported the Subsurface Direct Support mission.
He separated from the Navy in 2023 and now owns The Vermeer Group, a boutique residential real estate company that specializes in serving the United States Naval Academy community PCSing to California & Texas.
We are here to be your guide through the USNA experience.
Connect with Grant on Linkedin
Academy Insider Website
Academy Insider Facebook Page
If you are interested in sponsoring the podcast, have an idea, question or topic you would like to see covered, reach out: podcast@academyinsider.com.
Welcome to Season 2 of the Academy Insider Podcast. Academy Insider is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that serves midshipmen, future midshipmen and their families. At its core, this podcast is designed to bring together a community of Naval Academy graduates and those affiliated with the United States Naval Academy in order to tell stories and provide a little bit of insight into what life at the Naval Academy is really like. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for listening and reach out if you ever have any questions. Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Academy Insider Podcast. Today's episode is an update. We're just giving you an update about the recent announcement of the release of a new Spirit Spot that Ryland Tuohy is going to be producing. Again, ryland Tuohy, a class of 16 grad from the Naval Academy and you know who I've dubbed as the King of Spirit Spots is just coming on to give you an update about how the Kickstarter campaign is going and his crowd fundraising to support his new project. So if you're interested in hearing a little bit of an update, getting a little bit of insight into where your money would be going and how it's going to be actively contributing to the production of the Spirit Spot, then take a listen. And if you ever have any questions about anything regarding this or the Naval Academy, feel free to shoot me a message. I'd love to help. However, I can Otherwise enjoy the listen. Hope you have a great day. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:The Academy Insider podcast is sponsored by the Vermeer Group, a residential real estate company that serves the United States Naval Academy community and other select clientele in both California and Texas. If I can ever answer a real estate related question for you or connect you with a trusted Academy affiliated agent in the market which you're in, please reach out to me directly at grant at the Vermeer groupcom. You can also reach out to me on my LinkedIn page, grant Vermeer, and I'd be happy to respond to you there. Thank you so much, and now let's get back to the episode. Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Academy Insider Podcast.
Speaker 1:Today's episode is just that. It's an update. We're just doing an update on the release of the Kickstarter campaign for Ryland's new spirit spot, which we're all looking forward to bringing to life and making happen and contributing overall to the creation of this project. And so if you haven't yet listened to episode number 59 of the Academy Insider Podcast and you want to learn a little bit more about what Spirit Spots are in general, kind of the history of Ryland's progression through the Spirit Spots, and then a little bit of teaser the fact that there may be a new project coming out.
Speaker 1:Well, here's the spoiler If you're listening to this one. There is one coming out and we're a week into the release of the Kickstarter campaign and within a week you know your goal, ryland. That you set out originally was a $50,000 raise within, within or less than seven days. We're already close to, or over a little bit of, $43,000 in the raise. So the question to you, and just kind of this quick update is was this in line what you were hoping for and kind of the expectations of the initial release, and how is everything going from your end on this initial reaction to your new spirit spot?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I will say that I'm floored. I did not think that we would be at 43,000 within less than a week. The reaction as soon as the project was announced, I think, was just overwhelming. It was so cool to see the alumni, navy fans, the Navy community come together and I remember 36 hours, I think, or 24 hours, we raised 24K. So to have that type of buzz, I think was just so, so cool. On my end, I will say that I've had some nerves around announcing the project and it not being a success. I think that to me would be a nail in the coffin. But knowing that we are at 43k now and being very hopeful that we can reach 50k, which that is the green light for the project, I think we're just right there knocking on the door. So I'm thrilled and just absolutely elated that we've had this type of reaction.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and you mentioned that 50K is the green light just to get the project off the ground, but it doesn't necessarily end there. And so my question to you is again once the community hits that $50,000 raise, what's your call to action to continue it? What improves, what happens if that budget continues to go up and increase?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was thinking about how best to describe this, because for those individuals who aren't in the video production world, I think a number appears like a number In the sense of 50k sounds like a lot. You can probably do a lot with that, right, but what I'll say is that there are a lot of production value components that can be contributed to a larger budget. When was the last time you watched a movie or TV show and they had CGI graphics and you're like, okay, that's fake. Then you go to a Marvel movie with their $200 million budget, so you're like, okay, that's kind of cool. And so what I will say is that, at 50K, that gives us the bare bones minimum budget.
Speaker 2:The crew that I'm partnering with is the same crew that I shoot a lot of the USAA commercials and content for, and they believe in the project and they are already offering many reduced rates for their crew. What that means is basically, for production crew, you earn a daily rate and there are pretty much standards, industry standards and right now they have pledged to basically offer below standard rates, and at one hand, I'm very grateful for that. On the other hand, we shouldn't have to be pulling teeth to make this project happen. And so I think when we hit that 50K budget, that's our green light. It means that we can make this. But the more we raise will directly go into the production value. So, aside from being able to fully compensate the crew of about 15 on set right and mind you, that rate is their labor, it's not profit so it's the same way if you hire a carpenter or a plumber or electrician, right. So it's the same way if you hire a carpenter or a plumber or electrician, right. These are technical rates that basically go into how you make a production crew and make something happen. But the other component I kind of alluded to it earlier with CGI and graphics there's actually some CGI and graphics that I've written into the script as is currently, which at the 50K budget we are not able to achieve. It's just a lot more expenditure and cost into the script as is currently, which at the 50K budget we are not able to achieve. It's just a lot more expenditure and cost. And so at the 50K and more, we could begin to just go and start having those discussions about, okay, what can we accomplish, what can we do, and I think it just will elevate the production value and as we go up and up and up.
Speaker 2:There are some other components, too, that I'm really excited about, one which I think is no secret now if you've read the Kickstarter campaign it's definitely bringing in an A-list celebrity. I have a couple of people in mind. I'm not going to share who and I'm also not guaranteeing that that would happen, but the cool thing is that, with that increased budget, it gives us some room for negotiation, to chat with, you know, respective agents and so on and so forth, to have those conversations. And you know. The one thing I'll also say to ease anyone that's thinking hey, what happens if you raise all this money and then you can't get a celebrity?
Speaker 2:The thing is is every dollar raised will go to the production value. We will ensure that we are using it on that and no money is left over. So for me, my call to action to everyone else is please, please, donate $5, $10. It doesn't have to be a large amount. Just would love to have and have your support, because I really think that having a thousand alumni, a thousand Navy fans a part of this project and bring you along the journey would be really, really cool and I think we can make something awesome.
Speaker 1:Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:And just again, seeing the Kickstarter campaign and following along, right, the number of backers that we currently have on the project for you is, again, it's right around the 300 mark and I think, kind of like you're saying, I think it was something that you wrote into your Kickstarter campaign that I thought was really awesome, which was like made by Navy fans for Navy fans, right, and so, again, this is just a call to action for all the parents that are listening, all the people who are just supporting the Navy at large in this video that, again, like you're saying, hopefully it'll be a great video regardless, but the more contribution we can get from just the sheer support of the Also the amount of money that helps improve the quality of it can turn a great video into, quite literally, the best Spirit Spot that's ever been produced and goes viral throughout the United States in support of the Army-Navy game right, and raising a heightened kind of like pride in Spirit regarding the military service in general.
Speaker 1:So I mean huge factors there. We really appreciate it. And, yeah, any last thoughts or updates from this recap of the week that you want to leave the people with regarding anything from the Spirit Spot?
Speaker 2:I will say that whenever you pledge, no matter how small or large that pledge is, even if it's $5 or $10. In fact, I will you know what. I'll tell you right now if it's $5 or $10. In fact, I will you know what I'll tell you right now. What's really, really cool is we've had 7% of the backers have just pledged to support it, and that's 5% of the total money raised. So that means that, let's say, you only want to, hey, I just want to join the journey.
Speaker 2:Because what happens when you pledge is that you are then connected to the campaign and any updates throughout the entire process. You get immediate updates for and that's a Kickstarter unique trait Of course you can go ahead and pledge an amount that meets a reward and that gets you, of course, increased components and increased experience for this spirit spot. But pledging $5 means that your name is officially attached to the campaign and anytime we send out updates, anytime we're like, hey, here's the video, it's coming live soon you will have direct access and get the first in the know. And that only costs $5, right, that's. I should say you could even pledge $1. Like it's, I just would love to have a large, larger number of backers who just want to join and be along on the journey and be along for the ride, and so that's my call to action, that's what I would pledge and hope for everyone else to sign up for.
Speaker 1:Love it Well, ryland, you're the man. Thank you Again. Here on Academy Insider, we're going to do whatever we can to bring your project to life. Again, I stand by for anyone listening. The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve and support midshipmen, future midshipmen and their families, and I think there is nothing more like more powerful and fun in support of the Naval Academy community that brings laughter, it brings joy, it brings spirit than an extremely well-executed spirit spot. And so that's why Academy Insider is going to support this project and be behind you in whatever way we can, because this is just an incredible contribution to the Naval Academy community and the Navy community at large, so super excited about it.
Speaker 1:Again, if anyone's listening, you want to learn more about what Spirit Spots are. In general, you're not familiar even what we're talking about. Again, go check out episode 59, where we run through this in depth. You can also go to the Academy Insider website and check out the blog article we've posted about this, just to give yourself a little bit of context about it. Otherwise, tune back in next week same time, because we're going to continue to give some of these updates, going through the process as well, just to keep you up to date with how the Kickstarter campaign is going and keep you abreast of everything that is happening in this process. So really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Ryland, you're the man. Thanks again for coming on joining us and giving us a little bit of an update. Thank you All right, everyone. I hope you have a great day. Enjoy the episode. Reach out with any questions, thanks. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Academy Insider Podcast. I really hope you liked it, enjoyed it and learned something during this time. If you did, please feel free to like and subscribe or leave a comment about the episode. We really appreciate to hear your feedback about everything and continue to make Academy Insider an amazing service that guides, serves and supports midshipmen, future midshipmen and their families. Thank you.
