14 MINUTES FROM EARTH

At the break of dawn on October 24, 2014, 57-year old Google Executive Alan Eustace slowly rises into the air dangling below a helium balloon. This ascent is the culmination of three years of planning under an utmost secret mission which started as a scribble on a paper napkin. Eustace realized that as a private citizen you cannot merely walk into a store and buy a spacesuit. He determined that he would have to call upon the brightest minds in the country to pioneer a new technological invention in order to make his dream come true.

What follows is a riveting story of indefatigable vision as told to us by Eustace’s friends, coworkers and family interspersed with slick graphics and candid footage. Despite each nerve-wracking test, it is the camaraderie and humor which brings all participants and viewers through to the ultimate test - “Will the equipment hold up under the extreme circumstances of the outer stratosphere?”

Through achievements and disappointments alike, Eustace’s enthusiasm never wavers and his excitement remains palpable and contagious. He never forgets the team that supports him, lifting him to higher heights of the stratosphere than ever reached before.

—Jule Rozite