“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ― Sun Tzu

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Premieres, Professionalism & New Projects

Hello friends,

It has been a great week filled with few distractions save one of my furry children had surgery on his knee but he has been so very good. Luckily resting peacefully when it is cold and winter-like is a strong suit of his. So the nice part is I don’t have any real comments from the week other than I still am waiting for communication from one or two people on some business. I guess I’m already looking past those people because if they drop the ball on something small why would you entrust them with anymore greater. It is sad but that is business. I’m not a hobbyist and so I have to keep some clear lines. Other people are really impressing me and you will see how that affects them. Those people will grow as they adapt a new way of conducting themselves. PROFESSIONAL.

Okay let’s get onto some good updates.

Business with Germany is coming full circle now as “Wicked Spring” released and “Darkest Night” will be next in April followed by “Locked in a Room”. We are in talks on additional films now.

Also we are in talks with companies in Brazil, UK, Australia, India, Asia and soon I’m confident I’ll be announcing new deals.  Also many development talks underway with a handful of companies foreign and domestic. The fruits of many years work is starting to ripen.

“7 Stones” is now on the market and “Darkest Night” just released to Hulu Plus which is exciting. They have a lot of movement through there and we are excited to be reaching so many. And with the recent announcement of the resurgence of “found footage” at Berlin I see many sales ahead!

I’ve got a project that looks like it will shoot in May and so PR on that project will be released in the coming weeks. I’m excited about the genre and the role itself. Some casting will be done on this project – stay tuned for announcements.

“Soul Eater” is also making some real strides and this does look to be the year that we find out what led to “The 8th Plague”. (Great watch if you like horror/gore)

In additional to all this business/creative work I am happy to say I have another writing project on deck. The paperwork should be done end of next week and PR will also go out on that. I’m feeling blessed by all the good progress being made on many fronts. All these calls, emails and writing are perfect snow day activities so I’m just staying warm and knocking stuff down. We’ve also started serious discussions on the premiere set up for “Ashes of Eden” that will be done end of the month. Lastly, “Bestseller” rough cut is getting close and we will also be putting together some behind the scenes and the first look teaser trailer. So I’m extremely excited by all this and can’t wait for audiences/fans/you to see the work.

Enjoy your Saturday!

DJ

Posted by  |  February 8, 2014 | Categories: Blogroll | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Updates & Hints on New Projects

Hazelnut coffee is flowing as another bout of snow gently falls. I’m happy to be here with all of you recounting the events of the week. The traction on deal making is really picking up. I will take a moment to give some heart-felt advice that they don’t teach these kids in their film studies. PROFESSIONALISM IN COMMUNICATION – By this I mean if you are contacted by someone (especially if they have paid you prior) you need to respond in a timely fashion. I would bet that not one of these individuals I’m speaking about has the work load I do. Even if I am extremely busy I will respond back to say I’m extremely busy. From there a mutual good time to communicate can be set up. I’ve been disappointed because a few people who I saw as developing a foothold in our organization may not be. If I’m offering work I’m always amazed at how quickly some people respond and that same person can procrastinate over other call backs. This is a sure sign that this person will have a limited time in our industry and likely not a good investment of time. I want to develop people who really want to be in our industry because it is hard. opportunities are hard to come by and someone given one needs to make the best of it.

Okay onto updates!

“7 Stones” is getting some heat with its entry into VOD/DVD market. The doc film “Outside the Wire” is following behind that release with one of our new release partners.

More talks with companies on our “Supermodel Showdown” TV series. More companies are reviewing our 3 shows that are put together. This is a new area for me so things are a tad slower.

Great distribution and development talks this week with a few companies. We had an offer on our Civil War film but I think we may have to pass. I have some larger deals brewing and I think it will benefit better from one of those deals.

We are still waiting to see what product some new foreign film buyers like. I’m looking forward to expanding our alliance of companies to distribute with.

I had good sit downs with one of our new attorney’s and we will be doing some PR on this new team member. He is dealing with a small handful of issues that is pretty common in our business.

“Ashes of Eden” is closing in on the final scoring and after that a mix and we are done. “Bestseller” is in full editing now with our editor Chad Ice. Marketing will start to ramp up on these projects and we’ve started discussing premiere showings on “AOE”. It is great to note that both films have a lot of interest from distributors and we will find them a great home.

I’ve also been in talks on a few acting projects and I’ve got a secret project I’ve been writing on. It would shoot out-of-state in the spring because the story calls for it. I’ve had some talks on this project and will announce more later. It is a great role that I’m ready to sink my teeth into. I’m also putting some work into gathering investors on “Soul Eater” the prequel to “The 8th Plague”. I would love to film that this winter in Michigan so let’s see how that unfolds.

So my friends, stay warm and be productive. This time is great for buckling down and making stuff happen!

Happy Saturday.

DJ

Posted by  |  February 1, 2014 | Categories: Blogroll | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment