A little over a year ago Frank Eakin of Eakin Films and Publishing and Barking Pixel embarked upon a journey that would take them through the back country swamps and bayous of Louisiana to the Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne’s office in Baton Rouge to a huge media launch with 12 Years A Slave director, Steve McQueen and actor Louis Gossett, Jr.
12 Years A Slave is a true story about Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York, who was abducted and sold into slavery in the South. Steve McQueen and Brad Pitt’s production company brought the story to life in their Academy Award winning movie 12 Years A Slave.
During the app launch, we celebrated racial harmony with actors Deneen and Devyn Tyler and descendants from the actual families mentioned in the book 12 Years A Slave by Solomon Northup. We spent a day touring the Northup Trail with them and ending the day with a wonderful celebration honoring the descendants in the city where Solomon Northup was freed, Marksville, LA.
Our purpose for creating the app? To bring Solomon Northup’s story to your phone. Take the tour from anywhere in the world, or take a historic trip from Alexandria, Louisiana to Marksville, Louisiana and experience in person his years spent as a slave.
12 Years A Slave Solomon Northup Trail Guide App is narrated by Louis Gossett, Jr. and is available for purchase from iTunes and Google Play.