Two years ago I quit filming and touring with Family Force 5 during the 2008 Warped Tour. A week after making this decision I was on a plane heading towards Africa to shoot a pilot episode for what will hopefully be the start of a documentary series called Search for Joy. Search for Joy is the search for joy in the midst of poverty, disease, prison and misfortune. To show the viewer that money truly doesn’t equal happiness.

When the average American thinks of third-world citizens they picture young children on the street with bloated stomachs and surrounded with flies. Search for Joy isn’t to discredit the reality of their situation but to be honest with it. To show that those kids, those people are humans with emotions of laughter, love, sadness, pain and joy. To recognize them as humans is to embrace their full range of emotions and reactions. It’s easy to forget their humanity when all TV shows us is lifeless skeletons. Search for Joy is a documentary to show that, despite their pain, we all are humans on our own search for joy.

I will say that the pilot isn’t quite there as far as content, but it’s mainly to show potential investors my vision for the project and hopefully film another one with an experienced camera operator. This pilot was filmed by an Kenyan native which, by the grace of God, was available to film, but not quite experienced. Also I learned a lot through trials myself, which gave me a bigger vision, better direction and a lot of excitement to start the next one.

thanks again,

your friend,

-Isaac

Before starting the filming of Search for Joy, I was on my 2 year of working with the band Family Force 5, after those years, their fans became my fans and friends. So when I was leaving for Africa, the band let me write a blog on their website. (To avoid confusion: their fans knew me as Tub-O) This is it:

This is Tub-O,

Some of you may have already heard that I am leaving Family Force 5. You have heard right, I heard a few rumors going around that we’ve got into a fight. Which luckily wasn’t the case [though it would have made a great final Really Real Show]. I felt that it’s time for Tub-O to move on, to start pursuing my film career in other ways. It has been incredible touring with the band and I have so many great memories of sleeping on the floor of the van one night and puking on a private jet the next. From having dance parties in the bus to driving in the van to eat at chick-fil-a for the first time.

The band and I have shared incredible memories of touring, dancing, playing shows and filming Really Real Shows. I remember showing Soul Glow each really real show before showing it to the thousands of you and both of us laughing at this or that. It’s great to know I have such a fun thing to show my future kids or even just look back on for the memories we’ve had making them. I still have the first phone call with Sammy Stephens saved on my phone.

Right now I am in California typing this in a park, I leave for Africa tomorrow to film the first of a series of documentaries I am making about “Finding joy in poverty” showing that you don’t need money to laugh. If you like the humor of the Really Real Shows and anything else I make, I hope to continue to use that in different ways.

I would really appreciate all/any support by checking up on my website or myspace [I know it's shameless] but I hope to continue to entertain you, even if Family Force 5 isn’t in my videos.

I appreciate all your support and thank you for allowing me to enjoy such a great job for almost two years. It’s crazy to think that when I make a video, you are ready to watch it.

thanks so much for all the great memories.
I would hope to make more with anyone willing.

Farewell my friends,

your friend,

-Isaac “Tub-O” Deitz