MiningStore and CEO JohnPaul Baric appear in Unbanked, the feature-length documentary written and directed by David Kuhn and Lauren Sieckmann. Its tagline says what the film is about: “Bitcoin: Be Your Own Bank.”
The filmmakers shot with JP in Austin and on site in Iowa, inside one of MiningStore’s mining facilities — footage that ends up carrying one of the film’s closing moments. The finished film sets Bitcoin mining alongside interviews with some of the best-known voices in the industry, including Michael Saylor, Jack Dorsey, Adam Back, and Senator Ted Cruz, and makes the case that Bitcoin is a tool for financial literacy and inclusion, not just an asset class.
What the Film Covers
- Why Bitcoin exists, told for people who have never held any — the “unbanked” of the title
- Bitcoin mining as real infrastructure: power, hardware, and the people who run it, filmed on the floor at MiningStore
- Financial literacy as Bitcoin’s most durable contribution
- A global story: the crew filmed around the world, not only in the United States
How to Watch
Unbanked premiered through a pre-release screening window in 2025, with theatrical group screenings bookable through participating cinemas and educational screenings available through Good Docs. Current viewing options are kept up to date on the film’s official site.
Official site: unbankedmovie.com · Hear the story behind the film from co-director Lauren Sieckmann on the Digital Gold Podcast: Bitcoin on the Big Screen with Lauren Sieckmann.