Mike Fonseca, President of First Flight Society, and documentary producer Clay Johnson met in Nags Head to discuss Wingman, a documentary Johnson is producing about the life and career of aviation pioneer Francis Rogallo.  Also in attendance were Debra Torrence, the project’s development director, FFS administrative assistant Jennifer Hill, FFS bookkeeper Erika Paynter and Billy Vaughn, manager of Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School who is writing a book about Rogallo.

The meeting was a chance for everyone to get to know one another and discuss fundraising and marketing strategies for the production moving forward. FFS is the fiscal sponsor for Wingman and will help submit grants and manage and disburse funds for the documentary production.

The post November 27, 2023 appeared first on Wingman: The Francis Rogallo Story.

First Flight Society President Mike Fonseca constructed and launched a website for the documentary Wingman, a one-hour television documentary that will tell the story of aviation pioneer Francis Rogallo. FFS is partnering with Clay Johnson Productions on the project. The website includes a GoFundMe page which has been set up to raise initial funds for the production to capture key interviews with Rogallo’s family, friends and colleagues while that is still possible.

Fonseca has also set up a Facebook page for the project called “Wingman – Francis Rogallo Documentary.” The page will provide information and updates about the production.

The post August 10, 2023 appeared first on Wingman: The Francis Rogallo Story.

PBS NC, the statewide PBS network in North Carolina, has written a letter of support for Wingman, a television documentary about the life and career of aviation entrepreneur Francis Rogallo. The letter states the following:

“As a public broadcaster, PBS North Carolina has a deep commitment to showcasing our diverse history and mix of cultures, including our state’s important role in early aviation. We believe a public television program about Francis Rogallo’s contributions to this field, particularly his development of the “Rogallo wing” and its impact on modern-day hang gliders, paragliders, and kite surfing, would be of interest to our audience, particularly in light of the growing recreational sports industry on our coast.”

PBS NC would premiere the documentary and help distribute it nationally through PBS broadcast and streaming platforms.

The post June 16, 2023 appeared first on Wingman: The Francis Rogallo Story.

Members of the PBS NC management team held a Zoom meeting with Clay Johnson and Debra Torrence to discuss the documentary Wingman, which will chronicle the life and career of aviation pioneer Francis Rogallo. Johnson will produce the documentary and Torrence, who is a grant writer, is the project’s development director. Joining them in the meeting was James Mieczkowski, PBS NC’s Content Development Producer, Galen Black, PBS NC’s Director of Local Productions and LuAnn Pendergraft, PBS NC’s Director of Grants.

During the meeting Johnson asked for a letter of support from PBS NC to assist in fundraising, discussed fundraising strategies and possible supplemental educational components to the documentary.

The post May 31, 2023 appeared first on Wingman: The Francis Rogallo Story.

Debra Torrence, president of Grants for Good, will be the development director for Wingman, a television documentary on the life and career of aviation pioneer Francis Rogallo. Torrence has over 30 years of experience in non-profit administration, university research, marketing and fund development.

She has successfully secured dozens of grants for a host of community, research, education, arts, human services and local government entities. Her business, Grants for Good provides contracted organization support, fund development and marketing services.

First Flight Society is the fiscal sponsor for the documentary production and will submit grants, receive and manage funds and distribute funds to cover production costs.

The post March 16, 2023 appeared first on Wingman: The Francis Rogallo Story.