Mike Buffo is a Carmel videographer and director who is now embracing a new project. He and his young family will participate in an event called National Pilgrimage—a big, four-week-long family trip and grassroots initiative, led by author and leadership coach Brandon Peele, that aims to renew American democracy, purpose and belonging.
Buffo’s three sons—Theodore, 13; Jamison, 11; and Wesley, 7—will be his film crew; his wife, Brittney Buffo, is also a filmmaker. The story will be told through their children’s eyes and experience.
On June 9, a convoy of families and everyday Americans will depart Philadelphia on a month-long road pilgrimage across the U.S., visiting sites of civil rights history, Indigenous memory, women's rights and civic reckoning—culminating in a National Assembly in Chicago on July 6-7.
“I have been commissioned to document the journey as a documentary series and to assist with the convening of the several thousand participants whose mission is to articulate a new civic vision for the nation,” says Buffo, who is also associated with ManKind Project USA, a nonprofit that offers experiences such as The New Warrior Training Adventure, “described by thousands of men as the most powerful personal growth opportunity they have ever experienced,” according to the organization’s website. ManKind Project USA is participating in the pilgrimage.
“Our country is at the crossroads,” Buffo says, expressing hope that talking to American families about what works for America and what doesn’t, and visiting important places in the U.S.—from indigenous sites to places of civil rights-era activism—will lead to a positive outcome.
The documentary about the experience will be ready by the end of 2026, Buffo hopes. He is appealing to the community for support for the ongoing campaign to make the pilgrimage happen.
You can follow along with Buffo's journey on social media at instagram.com/bohemian_buff.