On Feb 25, 2020, Anders Hofman completed the first long-distance triathlon in Antarctica, the Iceman. His goal was to show that limitations are mere perceptions.

Anders Hofman quit his job as a management consultant and decided to pursue his teenage dream of becoming a professional athlete. The purpose was to inspire others to dare pursue their “impossible” dreams. This was not an official race or competition. This was just an ordinary guy achieving the extraordinary by swimming 3.9 km in ice water, biking 180 km, and running 42.2 km in ice and snow on Antarctica’s glacial surface. It was a 33-day expedition by boat from Ushuaia, Argentina, across the Drake Passage to Antarctica. Yes Theory – a community with millions of followers online – decided to produce a documentary around this feat. Ammar Kandil, one of the founders of Yes Theory, directed the film and agreed to an interview over Zoom.

What made you want to do a documentary and bet on a project that had all the probability of failing?

When I met Anders, I felt he was special. There was something about his energy that made me trust he could defy all odds. I saw a fire within him that would melt any snow that would come after him. That said, of course, I was also worried. But the motto of our company is Seek Discomfort. That’s what I live by. The way to really bond with our community is to say yes to our fears. This story would prove that right. It was much more than a single event. I wanted to document the whole journey to show how we make it all happen and to provide practical tools for people to use on their path towards their dreams. This was also a chance to promote public awareness of climate change and the vulnerable nature of the Antarctic environment.

Anders happened to be the first athlete sponsored by Seek Discomfort. How did he receive the news?

Seek Discomfort is a brand created by Yes Theory. We were looking for inspiring stories to sponsor. This one seemed perfect. We had heard that Anders had gotten a personal loan to finance all the equipment and his training. Now, that’s a sign of pure commitment. It inspired us. He had a lot at stake. He had quit his job, put all his money into this, and we knew he was having trouble finding sponsors. I get it, it’s a risk for a brand. What if he didn’t make it? He had no proven record. We decided to go all in and publicly share our support. We gave him some equipment, a check. Most importantly, we provided a community of support that was rooting for him throughout the whole process. He was over the moon.

How has been the journey of distributing this film?

We have spent 13 months pitching it to distributors, but we came out of all the meetings feeling there was a scarcity mentality. Hence, we decided to fund the project through NFTs. We were quite successful at it. As a result, we went on a world tour and showed the film in eight cities in seven countries. The crowds seem to love it and it also won this year’s Los Angeles Film Award.

What’s the next step?

The documentary will be available on the Iceman platform in June. In July it will streaming on other platforms. We want to inspire and, through this story, prove that discomfort is our compass towards growth.