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Surprise . . .

2018-09-11 · letter vlog · John · 3:54 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Personal life (also: Books & writing) · mode: Announcements · tags: self promotion, calendar ritual, community lore

John reveals Hank's belated birthday present: billboards near their childhood home in Orlando and, behind his earlier call for sponsorship requests, sponsorships in Hank's book's name for AFC Wimbledon and teams from robotics to Quidditch, because An Absolutely Remarkable Thing explores what people achieve together.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Hank's late birthday present: billboards near their childhood home in Orlando

  • ★★★ John reminds Hank that in May he said Hank's birthday present would be a little late, and says it is here. — 00:00:00 · Hank Green
  • ★★★ Asking what to get a 38-year-old man with no interest in worldly luxuries, John says he got Hank several billboards near their childhood home in Orlando, Florida. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Hank Green
  • ★ One billboard is at their childhood 7-Eleven, where they biked for Slurpees, and another at Wally's. (playful) — 00:00:00

00:00:29 — The sponsorship call was a trick: AFC Wimbledon, robotics, debate, solar car, ultimate, rugby, lacrosse, baseball, Quidditch, a podcast, rowing and quiz bowl sponsored for An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

  • ★★★ John reveals that his call months ago, saying sponsoring AFC Wimbledon made him want to sponsor other things, was a trick: he was buying sponsorships for An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. (playful) — 00:00:29 · AFC Wimbledon, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
  • ★★ An Absolutely Remarkable Thing has ads around AFC Wimbledon's stadium and is the club's training kit sponsor, seen before its game against West Ham United. — 00:00:29 · AFC Wimbledon, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
  • ★★ The book sponsors the Firebirds FIRST Robotics team in Pennsylvania, the Docbotics team in Canada (robot named Carl), FIRST teams in Fort Wayne and Carmel, Indiana, and FRC Rapid Acceleration in Rapid City, South Dakota. — 00:00:58 · Canada
  • ★★ The book also sponsors a speech and debate team in Oklahoma City and one in West Anchorage, Alaska. — 00:00:58 · made of awesome
  • ★★ CalSol, the UC Berkeley solar car team building and racing street-legal solar vehicles, will carry an An Absolutely Remarkable Thing sticker on its next car, Tachyon. — 00:01:27 · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
  • ★★ The book is the official sock sponsor of the Austin Torch, a professional women's ultimate frisbee team in Austin, Texas. — 00:01:27
  • ★★ Hank's book sponsors the Montana State University Women's Rugby Club, which made book-branded rugby balls, and the Stockbridge High School girls lacrosse team in Georgia. — 00:01:27
  • ★★ Next spring a youth baseball team outside Boston will play as the Mission Hill Absolutely Remarkable Things. — 00:01:56 · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
  • ★★ Hank is now left-sleeve sponsor of the Dutch national Quidditch team, the Flying Dutchman, enabling it to compete in the 2019 Quidditch European Games. — 00:01:56
  • ★★ John also got Hank sponsorships on a podcast they both love, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. — 00:02:26
  • ★★ The book sponsors the University of the Western Cape rowing team in South Africa, a rugby team of future doctors at the University of Glasgow, and a high school quiz bowl team in Ohio. — 00:02:26
  • ★★★ John says Hank's book does not need the sponsorships to excite people: it has glowing starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal and Kirkus. — 00:02:26 · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

00:02:55 — Reviews and blurbs; why John sponsored teams: the book explores collaboration, people work together to decrease world suck

  • ★★ Patrick Rothfuss, Ashley Ford, Catherynne Valente and several other writers have blurbed the book. — 00:02:55
  • ★★★ John sponsored groups and teams because An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a beautiful exploration of what humans can accomplish when they collaborate effectively. — 00:02:55 · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, collective action
  • ★★ John learned of many worthy projects after his call for sponsorship and regrets having to select so few. — 00:02:55
  • ★★ The process reminded John that people are always working together to increase world awesome and decrease world suck. — 00:02:55 · world suck

00:03:24 — Together more than alone; release in two weeks, pre-order and tour tickets; thanks to Rosianna

  • ★★★ From rugby fields to robotics labs, John says, we really can accomplish so much more together than alone. — 00:03:24 · collective action
  • ★★ An Absolutely Remarkable Thing comes out in two weeks; pre-order links are in the description. — 00:03:24 · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
  • ★★ John asks viewers to see Hank and him, or Hank alone, on the book tour: Boston and Santa Cruz are sold out, tickets remain elsewhere. — 00:03:24
  • ★ John thanks everyone involved, especially Rosianna Halse Rojas, who made it all happen. — 00:03:24 · Rosianna Halse Rojas

In the description and comments

  • ★★ For Central Floridians who want to see the billboards, John lists their spots: one at Weber and Mills, two at Corinne Drive and Winter Park Road, and two on US 441, before Silver Star Road and before the Glen Eagles Way turnoff. — video description
  • ★ John's links name more of the sponsored groups: the Olympus Robotics team in Fort Wayne, the TechHounds, and Harding Charter Prep Speech and Debate. — video description

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing · sponsorship

Also: People: Ashley C. Ford · Catherynne M. Valente · Patrick Rothfuss

Works: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text

Organizations: 7-Eleven · AFC Wimbledon · Booklist · FIRST Robotics Competition · Kirkus Reviews · Library Journal · Montana State University · University of California, Berkeley · University of Glasgow · University of the Western Cape · West Ham United F.C.

Terms: made of awesome · world suck

Concepts: collective action · Quadball · Ultimate (sport)

Places: Alaska · Austin, Texas · Boston · Canada · Fort Wayne, Indiana · Georgia (U.S. state) · Ohio · Oklahoma City · Orlando, Florida · Pennsylvania · Santa Cruz, California · South Africa · South Dakota

Only in the description or credits: Harding Charter Prep Speech and Debate · Olympus Robotics · Rosianna Halse Rojas · TechHounds

Also centred on sponsorship: Sell Outs!

Replies to

  • continues · Seven Maps to Better Understand the World — “You may recall a few months ago that I was like, I enjoy sponsoring AFC Wimbledon so much and it has made me want to sponsor other things.”

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