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Explorers Past and Present Converge in Mysterious Worlds!
Join us as we dig into our vast library of true adventures to re-visit early
explorers' accounts of unknown lands, lost treasures, astounding theories
and mysterious civilizations! Our 'pilot' episode is in
post-production now and is an exciting voyage into the world of lost
galleons and sunken treasures- and those who seek them today! Future
episodes (some previewed below) will feature such fascinating topics as:
ancient explorers of the Americas, examination of ruins and new theories of
ancient Mediterranean civilizations, lost gold of the Mayas, treks across
biblical lands, crusader castles, and roman ruins which explorers discovered
in the 19th century, a mysterious ancient oracle of the Etruscans, sunken
cities off the coast of India, a quest for a civil-war era submarine-(not
the CSS Hunley!) and much more! We work with specialists
in all of these fields of interest. Read below for news and
information about the show!
Information about the
series writer, producer and director Mike Olafson
News
5/25/05 - Vintage Adventure Now Distributed Through Canamedia, LTD.
Denver, Colorado based Vintage Venture Media, LLC, creator of Vintage Adventure, (www.vintageadventure.com)
and Canamedia, LTD, (www.canamedia.com)
a worldwide media distribution company based in Toronto, Ontario, officially
agreed upon a distribution contract this month.
Creator of the series,
Mike Olafson, commented that, “I am very excited about this agreement.
Canamedia has an excellent record of providing diverse programming to an
international market. They have been around for over 25 years, so they are
a proven company. This will help Vintage Adventure gain a valuable
position in this competitive field.”
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To request more
information about our programs, you may use the 'contact us' button at the
top right corner of this page, or email us at:
guide@vintageadventure.com ,
or call us at 303-521-8443.
Distributor Information:
Canamedia
685 Queen St. W
Suite 2W
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M6J 1E6
Phone: 416-483-7446
www.canamedia.com
Director Mike Olafson with director of
photography Perry Drake while shooting an
episode on ancient explorers of the Americas in the high plains of southeastern Colorado.
Pilot Episode: (in post-production)
 "Gold
and Galleons:
The Quest for
Spanish Treasures"
In July
of 1715, a fleet of 11 Spanish galleons and one French ship left Havana
bound for Spain. Shortly after leaving 10 of the ships were wrecked off the
coast of Florida from a deadly hurricane, with over $14,000,000 in
registered treasure lost.
In the early 1940s, amateur historian Charles Higgs discovered a series of
artifacts and wrecks along the Florida coast. 1958, Kip Wagner a
resident of the Vero Beach area, followed up on stories of Spanish coins
found on the local beaches and indeed, found some himself. After much
research from many individuals, it was determined that this area was the
final resting place of the 1715 fleet. To date, 8 of the 11 sunken galleons
have been found. A company named Historical Research Development, Inc, (HRD,
Inc) has been working the waters off Vero Beach since 1987- in search of one
of the few remaining wrecks yet to be found. Our Vintage Adventure cameras
joined the crew as they began their 2004 season. What will we find?
Stay tuned...
Future Proposed Episodes:
 "Sons
of the Sun: Ancient Voyagers to the Americas"
Many
people are not aware of the fact that before the peak of the Inca empire
(approximately 1450-1535) there were multitudes of indigenous tribes that
had a vast knowledge of astronomy, architecture and religion. These tribes
were conquered by the expanding Inca people, and most were either destroyed
completely or assimilated into the Incan culture. As a result, little is
known of the beliefs and accomplishments of these earlier peoples and their
past is lost in history. Where did they come from? In 1905 Professor EO de
Thoron cited evidence that they came from the Mediterranean Coast. In
the 1960s, explorer and author Marcel Homet wrote, Sons of the Sun,
in which he further explored this old world/new world connection.
Similarities in carvings, culture and language found in both North and
South America to  cultures
from the Mediterranean are striking! The team journeys to Ecuador as we are
led by explorer Stan Grist to find evidence of one ancient culture that
believes their ancestors are from across the oceans. Further visits to sites
in Sardinia, DNA tests, and interviews with authorities such as Dr. Robert
Schoch make this a
must see episode!
During
the shooting of "Sons of the Sun" on location in Ecuador.
Ancient Inca roads near the site of Ilalo lie in the foreground while the
majestic peak of Cotopaxi Volcano lies in the distance. We were joined
by explorer, author, and adventurer Stan Grist who led our team into these
little-known cities.
 "Stones
and Secrets: The Oracle of
Ancient Etruria"
Etruria:
the land of the ancient Etruscans. From approximately 800 bc to 300 bc,
these people occupied most of what is today west-central Italy, before they
were dissolved and assimilated by the Romans. Their lives,
accomplishments, religious practices, art, and architecture have been the
subject of much research, which is still struggling to fill holes left
in the story of this long vanished civilization. Such writers as George
Dennis (The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, 1876) and D.H. Lawrence
(Etruscan Places, 1927) planted the seeds of academic inquiry and
poetic wonder of the Etruscans that have endured to this day.
 We
traveled, as they did, to this beautiful and ancient land of cypress
trees, medieval castles, and vineyards to meet with Professor Graziano
Baccolini, of the University of Bologna. Professor Baccolini has been
studying one site in particular: Montovolo, a mountain just south of
Bologna where now rests a 13th century catholic church. But what
has been found underneath the church is the real story: an ancient Etruscan
site which is believed to date back to approximately 500 bc. Professor
Baccolini, has been developing some interesting theories concerning the
history and importance of this site, its possible use as an ‘Oracle’ by the
Etruscans, and its relationship to oval stones, called ‘omphalos’ that are
prominent in many Etruscan necropolis’, also known as “cities of the dead”.
He also presents some compelling theories and supports them with
references to a book by Robert Temple, The Sirius Mystery. Join us as
we investigate his theories further by visiting and examining many
interesting Etruscan sites amid the beautiful backdrop of Tuscany, Italy.
"Lost Realms of the Ancient Sands"
Join us as we retrace the steps of 19th century explorer
Jean Louis Burkhardt. Centuries after the last crusaders and
Christians were expelled from the holy land, the near east had become a
mystical realm of legends and unknown worlds. In the early 19th
century, Jean-Louis Burkhardt was the first European to "re-discover" this
land and all its wonders. Vintage Adventure retraces his steps with a fascinating expedition through the wonderful country of Jordan, in the
Middle East.
Led by a Bedouin guide, host Mike Olafson is introduced to an amazing array
of archaeological and historical wonders in this ancient land. A
sample of what is included: Ancient 8000 year old statues (the oldest
known to man), biblical sites- such as the baptism site of Christ-only
recently opened to the public- ancient mosaics of Madaba,
magnificently preserved ruins of Roman provincial cities such as Gerash,
Pella, and Umm Qais, the lost civilization of Nabatea and their capital
city- Petra- a city
 literally
carved from rock, lonely ruins of crusader castles in the desert, and the
legendary Wadi Rum - where TE Lawrence- "Lawrence of Arabia" traveled,
studied, and fought in WWI, plus-mysterious petroglyphs that may suggest traces
of a lost Arab tribe- and more! Visits with local Bedouin
tribesmen and merchants of various cities add more culture and enjoyment to
the program also. Don't be surprised if by the end of the show, you've
determined that Jordan is your next vacation destination!
Note: The episode described below "Wings of Adventure: The Skies of
Old Rhinebeck" has been removed from the Vintage Adventure series, but will
be produced as an independent hour-long documentary, through our production
company Vintage Venture Media.
 "Wings
of Adventure: The Skies of Old Rhinebeck"
On
December 23, 1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright introduced man to the era of
powered, sustainable flight. Soon after this, aviation had become a world
full of adventurous test pilots, bold designers, daring explorers, and
deadly aces. Our camera crew discovered a place
in New York where this pioneering spirit is alive and well. At Cole Palen’s
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, the planes of the past are not only on display-
they are actually flown in weekly airshows June through October every year.
Here, history is truly experienced, for example:
In 1909, Louis Bleriot flew his
Bleriot XI monoplane across the English Channel. Today, a visitor to
the Aerodrome may see an ORIGINAL 1909 Bleriot XI actually fly! And
there is so much more. Join us as we experience the history, thrills,
and adventures of a by-gone era of aviation and explore what it was like to
be an aviation pioneer.
More episodes are scheduled for production in 2006- Stay tuned!
About the creator,
director, and host:
Mike Olafson is the creator
and director of Vintage Adventure. Throughout his life, Mike has
enjoyed tales of exploration, history, and adventure and has become an
"exploration historian" of sorts, specializing in the early to mid-twentieth
century era. Years ago, he began a quest to incorporate his passions
of history, writing and filmmaking into a business and created his own
production company, Vintage Venture Media. His skills as a certified
scuba diver and private pilot have been helpful in the production and
shooting of episodes underwater and in open-cockpit airplanes. Future
episodes will find him and his team exploring and documenting
forgotten cultures, lost treasures, and ancient mysteries in South America,
Africa, India, Europe and the Near East.
As a
historian, Mike is constantly researching the history of 19th and 20th
century exploration and discovering little known adventures from the past
that deserve attention today. In the spring of 2007 he will release his
book, Forgotten Frontiers: Explorers Lost in the Shadows of History,
1895-1970, which will complement the Vintage Adventure series
with similar tales of less remembered explorers from that era. Mike has
also recently published his first fiction novel, The Amulet of Atlantis,
a pulp-fiction genre page-turner which
weaves history, aviation,
espionage, and a bit of fantasy into a tale of high adventure that takes
place in Africa in 1938. The book is now available in
bookstores and online.
More recently, Mike has embarked upon a different tangent: The
production of his feature length documentary film which deals with the history of
rockabilly music and hot-rod/drag racing history and culture in one American
city. The film
is called 'Gears, Grease and Guitars!' and more information about this film
-including a trailer-and other projects he is working on may be
found on his production company website,
www.vintageventuremedia.com
Vintage Adventure, LLC
Phone: 303-521-8443
Vintage Adventure was created and produced by
Vintage Venture Media
www.vintageventuremedia.com
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