What ever happened to the OU Student who tried to sell his soul on eBay?

Seven months ago, then-Ohio University senior Jason Reynard was in the midst of selling his soul on eBay in order to fund the filming of a documentary searching for the American Dream.

Today, Reynard has yet to actually sell his soul and is still looking for the American Dream himself.

"It generated more humor than actual bids," Reynard admitted. He hoped the project would draw in more attention and planned to raise $10,000 selling his soul.

On March 8, 2008, The Athens NEWS reported that Reynard, a political science student from Newark, Ohio, had his soul up for auction, trying to raise money for a cross-country trip and documentary that would examine American's views on the world and the American Dream.

"It's going to be about getting people to understand each other," Reynard said at the time. "(The documentary) is something we could still do."

At 23, Reynard said he still believes that many voices in America need to be heard and that his project would be an ideal way to make that happen.

"It would be a reflection of what's wrong with America," Reynard said. The film would not be political or biased, Reynard said. He has only been to Chicago and New York City, and said his lack of traveling experience would make him a great candidate to get a picture of what America is really like.

Reynard originally pitched the idea to Rolling Stone, but the magazine failed to respond to numerous e-mails from Reynard. He and his partner, Evan Smith, who graduated this spring as well, still hope to find funding to film the project. Smith has camera equipment and extensive skills in film and video production, Reynard said.

The project would cost between $17,000 and $20,000, mostly for traveling expenses like fuel and lodging, Reynard said. Smith and Reynard would film more than 200 hours of interviews across the country with everyday people and politicians alike in order to see how the American Dream changes from place to place.

The project is an extension of gonzo journalist the late Hunter S. Thompson's venture across America 40 years ago, when his search for the American Dream resulted in the cult novel "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." The novel was full of drugs, though Reynard said he wants his documentary to steer clear of drug-induced scenes.

"I'm tired of feeling distant from other people, and I'm tired of this settling feeling of the entire country going to hell," Reynard stated in his eBay pitch. "Everyone feels it, and nothing is done. We're watching the toilet overflow while looking at the handle that cuts the water off."

Reynard spent time in New York City this summer running a campaign of a city council candidate who lost. It was his first job out of college, and he said it exposed him to the corruption of politics that he wants nothing to do with. Since political science was his major, he hopes that he can still do the documentary somehow so that he does not have to work in politics.

"My goal in life is to never have a real job," Reynard said.

The original plan was to spend part of this summer traveling first from Chicago to Pittsburgh then to the boroughs of New York City, then down the East Coast. They would go from Nashville to Atlanta to New Orleans. From there, they planned to head west to El Paso, then Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco. While the trip has been put on hold until more funding becomes available, Reynard said he hopes it will still happen.