Welcome to April! As I sit and sip my coffee I think back on the busy week gone by. Working to help book international tickets, bank wires, script reads and distribution talks.

BUSY

On a personal I’ve been burning twigs and raking the yard while getting seeds and garden ready. Just like the natural cycles this is a good time to plant your own personal seeds. I had talks with two friends (actors) this week where the talk of work came up and yet their reels are not updated. I had to make the time in January to do so but it was worth it. My point is that if you don’t plant seeds you can’t act surprised when nothing sprouts. That is not completely the case with these two friends but I know many aspiring actors have NOTHING to show on a reel and for those that do have material and not showcase it…ask these aspiring actors if they wish they had the showcase materials.

Helpful Hint

I use social networking for just that networking. Actually I use it more for promotion than anything else but it is used very little for personal use. When I hear/see MAFIA, FARMVILLE or any of these other time wasters covering someone’s page or sending stuff to me (I reject all online games like that) and I see news status pleas of NEED WORK or they complain or not getting the ACTING BREAKS I shake my head. EVERYTHING is a cycle and you tend to get out what you put in. Next time you’re about to give an hour to some mindless online game think what you could accomplish with an hour of research or active updating of materials. (Resume, bio, cover letters, production listings…)

Okay enough of that. Final note while the ever-growing amount of emails I get from people seeking opportunity can be difficult on me sometimes I do give props because I climbed by doing what they are doing. I was the guy coming late to the bar because I was 2 hours at Kinko’s preparing send outs back in the day. Now with internet making it easier NO EXCUSES!

Okay for my fans who’ve had enough of this Yoda artist lecture and who just want to know what is next, here we go:)

PREMIERES!

“Outside the Wire” had a great premiere at the 35th Cleveland Film Festival. It had HUGE success at the Cleveland International Film Festival. More than 40K people at the festival thru our three days of screening. We played to large audiences and standing ovations because of the universal message, brilliant photography and places people have never gone inside Afghanistan

Chiller TV launched a series of GPS the Movie showings starting April 1st (No joke)and the reaction so far has been great. Chiller TV website can give you times and location of the channel on your cable networks. It is national but has gaps in showing areas.

I had additional talks this week with another TV network. It is fun to meet some of these executives and learn about their development process. My honest response to some of these executives when confronted by production questions is this. Take several of your TV producers and I will match them with a project I’ve been involved with producing. The only reason that their numbers may be higher than mine is because of network sales teams maximizing the potential of the film. So I will continue to work TV into my distribution patterns and explore original programming for TV.

I did get a couple of scripts and acting offers over the weekend and so it was read, read, read. One project is an epic period drama by the same company doing the “In Our Time” Jesus project no longer at Lionsgate. They will be announcing the new studio attached to both films. ‘In Our Time” is slated for 4th quarter with heavy prep work and this new drama is slated for July. It is not the same time commit as “In Our Time” but that is fine because I have other projects to work into the schedule.

One project is called “The Human Factor” and I did find a character I connected with. If the schedule and negotiations work out I would love to be part of that story. I’m also in final negotiations on a TV film “7 Stones” I’m to co-star in when I return from “Darkest Night” in May.

I’m excited because so many releases still to come. More audiences will get to see “Outside the Wire,” “Renovation,” “Locked in a Room,” “Benjamin,” and so there are lots of projects to look out for. If you get a chance to see something feel free to post your comments on IMDB (the good, the bad and the ugly)

We have snow falling outside – funny and odd. I want to close by my simple prayer that all these energy folks rethink the downside of these spills, contamination and such of earth, air and water. Like Chief Seattle said, we are all connected by the web of life. Whatever happen to that around us will ultimately affect us all. Sometimes a return to simple ways can be powerful. It would surely be safer.

Happy Sunday!

DJ