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Q: Is this the official The Secret City (1985) website? Are you connected to Mark Kistler?
A: (Short versions)Q: What's the status of The Secret City show? Has it been recovered?
Yes - this is an official The Secret City website.
No - we are not currently affiliated with Mark Kistler, the teacher and artist who portrayed Commander Mark.
Since 1993, Mr. Kistler has continued teaching and inspiring through independent projects, which he promotes via his own web presence outside of DrawSquad.com. For more background on the history and ownership of The Secret City, see our separate FAQ entry HERE.
A: We've completed the digital preservation of all 65 original episodes of The Secret City (1985)! These high-quality transfers were made from the best known broadcast tapes. We now have access to two complete sets of digitized source material (from two different studio formats) to guide the eventual restoration process.
Q: Are there plans for a full restoration and DVD release?
A: Yes! We're preparing a full restoration and collector's edition The Secret City DVD box set - but to make it happen, we'll need support from fans. We're working toward launching a Kickstarter campaign to coincide with the show's 40th anniversary. Before launch, we'll gather quotes from professional video houses to accurately estimate costs for a high-quality, multi-disc set (expected to span at least 13 DVDs).
Q: Will anything happen before the DVD campaign?
A: To build momentum, we may begin with a smaller print-based Kickstarter - starting with a reprint of the original Learn to Draw with Commander Mark booklet. This will help us grow community support and prepare for the larger video restoration effort.
Q: How can I stay informed about these projects?
A: Join our official mailing list on our Contact page HERE! It's the best way to make sure you don't miss important updates about campaign launches, project milestones, live events, and opportunities to get involved. Every new subscriber helps build the momentum needed to bring this long-lost classic back to screens.Q: I've seen Draw Squad tapes listed on Amazon.com and with other art instruction media vendors. Are these the same as the Draw Squad Classroom Video Series?
A: No. There were three Draw Squad titles produced specifically for the home viewing format. The titles were:Adventure 1 - Escape of the Twinkies
Adventure 2 - Pigasus Goes on a Diet
Adventure 3 - Moonbot's Birthday PartyThe rights to distribute and market these video cassettes were originally contracted to another company. That legacy agreement for VHS sales has effectively ended, so it's possible that we may re-release these Adventures in modern formats in the future.
The Draw Squad Classroom Video series that we promote was produced in a non-broadcast format and intended for classroom use. The videos in this classroom series were designed as a companion to the book Mark Kistler's Draw Squad, available from most book retailers nationwide and here on the Internet. We highly recommend obtaining a copy of the book as a companion to the classroom series. Lessons in the book may be photocopied for your students.
Q: Can I place an order with you and charge it to a credit card?
A: No. We currently are NOT set up for taking online orders or doing any secure payment processing on this website (we ARE set up for secure payment processing in person at live events).
Q: Other than your Amazon links, where can I get official Secret City merchandise?We have looked into getting the Draw Squad Classroom series available for streaming through apps that would have their own native payment processing and may do so in the future. Also we ARE NOW an Amazon.com affiliate and have set up links on our Shop page HERE to some products that are now available through that merchant.
A: We're developing an official Printful store. For now, that will be the only source for licensed The ORIGINAL Secret City (TOSC) merchandise.Thank you for supporting the legacy of The Secret City!
More FAQ's will be added at a later time.
