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Getting Started
Steven Barber was looking for a way in. After years of unsuccessful ventures doing the Hollywood shuffle - pitching books, screenplays, reality shows, etc. - Steven  knew he had to take a different path.  “I quit my job, bought some camera equipment and set out to be the world’s next great documentary filmmaker.”

Fortunately for Steven, his first incredible story was just outside his apartment.  “Every year I would see this buff guy in a wheelchair fixing my neighbor’s brakes.  One year, I heard him talking about a crazy race challenge up in Alaska.”  That buff guy was Geoffrey Erickson.  Erickson had been doing Challenge Alaska, the 267-mile race from Anchorage to Fairbanks, Alaska, for years.  The race was (and is) grueling: approximately 50 miles per day for six days on a hilly two-lane highway in the Alaskan tundra.  For a first-time documentary film maker, the Alaska Challenge was perfect: a narrative of competition, survival, and triumph driven by terrific human-interest stories.

What started as a modest undertaking for Steven, however, quickly morphed into a high-interest project that drew attention and funding. People found out what he was doing and wanted to get involved. “We started with nothing, just filming Geoffrey, then we got a $12,000 sponsorship from Paul Mitchell, then we raised $70,000 and got pitches into Oprah, Clint Eastwood, and others.” Steven’s first-time effort as a documentarian ended up quickly launching his career in a new direction, while also introducing him to a dynamic new story – competitive athletes with disabilities.

Meeting Alejandro
While filming Challenge Alaska, Steven met Alejandro Albor, a paralympian who had won a silver medal in handcyling for the U.S. in the 2004 Athens games.  Steven found Alejandro’s story so compelling that he proposed a second documentary: following Alejandro’s preparation for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

Alejandro, a Mexican native, had lost his legs at the age of 18 when he attempted suicide by driving his car in front of a train.  Since his survival, however, Alejandro had embraced life and become the number one handcyclist in the world.  In addition to his success in the competitive arena, he had become a husband and father and launched a successful business making custom handcycles.  In addition, and not surprisingly, Alejandro had also become an in-demand motivational speaker.  Clearly a great subject for Steven’s next documentary.

And clearly a great collaboration. When Steven talks about filming Alejandro, he laughs “I can’t keep up with him!  He’s always yelling at me to hurry up.  He gets in that chair and peels out; literally skidding around corners.” In fact, at the recent Los Angeles marathon, Steven filmed the start of the race, but couldn’t beat Alejandro to the finish line to catch him winning the race.

Focusing on Ability
When filming a person with a disability, Steven doesn’t change his focus to emphasize disability: “These guys are so amazing that they tell the story themselves.  I just have to roll the camera.  I don’t have to do much to have an incredible story unfold.”  Clearly, Steven believes, it is an amazing story.  So amazing, in fact,  that Challenge Alaska has captured the attention of Dan Akroyd, who will be narrating the film.

Finding Passion
Steven has certainly found his calling in documentary filmmaking.  “I’d been doing everything up to that point about me: book deals, screenplays—all you can do in this town.  But, as soon as I stepped out of myself and did something for someone else, I got huge recognition.  I just really want to be known as a guy who made a great film.  My passion became filming amazing athletes who were following their passion. And then because I followed my passion, everything fell into place.”

To learn more about Alejandro Albor, see I Want to be First: Alejandro's Quest for Gold.

Return to the coverage of the Paralympic Games on Disaboom