Knocking Things Down in January! CDI Updates in the New Year!
(With my post supervisor and my senior producers)
Hazelnut coffee cheers on a cold Michigan day. I got to feel -13 degrees and it was quite chilly. Today we are getting more warmth but some snowfall to go with it. I had a very productive week and I’m happy with many of the developments. We have been fine tuning several projects at various phases. We will list those soon enough. I will say we’ve had some good back and forth on these fine tuning. It is often needed to LOCK something to move forward. Occasionally a good idea hits after this lock and if the next phase has not started there is time to reevaluate. I’ve discovered that often what makes a film rise to greatness can lie in the final tweaks we make. A color, a font, an added sound effect or a some shift. I remember staying in LA on a business trip outside the Magic Castle with Tony Hornus. Back home they were close to locking the edit on AN ORDINARY KILLER. During my last take on one of the scenes where my detective is looking over his “detective board” has to admit defeat. The last take I violently cleared the desk of all the folders and files flinging them everywhere. Only the DP knew and let’s say the production designer wasn’t happy. We got the quiet sad moment and we have this violent outburst whereas the detective hates losing. After a few glasses of wine and chilling by the pool I had an idea to a debate Tony was having on which shot to use. Use both was my solution. Outside he is calm but inside him there is a storm. So quiet, thrash the desk and return to the quiet shot. You were seeing in his mind what he wanted to do. How he felt. But ultimately the calm detective won out. Both shots were used and it made the scene extra special. To have these talks and brainstorms, especially if the idea is on top of something already liked, can only happen by mutual respect. We could have called it done but that change was one of the last tweaks. You can go stream AN ORDINARY KILLER and see for yourself. Sometimes as I said the special lies in that last, “let’s try this”. That can be hard when you are weary of one phase and want to move to the next. We’ve had a few of those moments while discussing final poster and trailer tweaks. Once it is all done that is what we live with but do enjoy those moments of collaboration. I just ask to be heard and have an idea considered. Occasionally a business angle plays into the suggested tweak and other times it just ties in with other themes in the film. These are wonderful talks that happen on all the great films. Don’t get frustrated and try to enjoy these moments. They come and go and pass into history fast enough.
I will make one other note- I’m participating on a film shoot today acting. A director had a mutual friend introduce us and he is directing his first narrative. It is a one day commit in my home town and they are shooting on 16mm film. I started in film and it has been many a moon since I’ve shot on film and the story is interesting so I said, yes. In my desire to network a touch more one of my 2026 goals was to act in two non CDI films. Check one off after today. I know a few of the cast, crew associated with this film and this will be a nice opportunity to just act. We are suppose to have a snowstorm and I am filming outside but as I always say, sometimes the harsher the conditions the better it looks on camera. To date, Pontiac MI I filmed on a movie called DEAD QUIET playing a homeless man. It was the worst icy snow conditions I’ve filmed in followed by THE NEST, a Korean War film that got hit by a blizzard in Pennsylvania on the last day of the shoot. I will see where this shoot falls in the coldest shoots but I’m pretty acclimated to all the conditions from snow to heat to rain and such.
OK. Onto developments-
- Harsens Island Revenge has joined our streaming films on various platforms. If you have not watched it you should and maybe you would be so kind as to leave a review on whatever platform and http://www.imdb.com
- Wild Faith Christmas opened its run at the State 5 Fridley theater in Algona, Iowa where we premiered SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA (SNIA). SNIA is now streaming and same as above take a watch and review if you can. If you are in and around Algona please do take your family to see our beautiful follow up to WILD FAITH. You can watch the first film streaming and Wild faith Christmas will release to home video Q4 of this year. But we will keep traveling it to various theaters for several more months.
- We made a few more business deals on the AI JESUS film in the past week leaving us with just a little bit of business to go. We are looking to lock the picture on Weds of this week after a watch. We are also close to having a director’s poster and the first teaser trailer for audiences. This film is so very unique filled with humor and thought provoking, emotionally driven moments.
- ROM COMS MUST DIE – I’m still locking the end credits up and I plan to have that done by end of this week. The new master visual will be married to the master audio and we should have a film. Once I get the end credits locked we’ll render and add that to the movie. We might enter a few film festivals but I am looking at April 1st theatrical release and Q3 home video.
- I’ve been also trying to assist Jeff Behrendt on a BTS of ROM COMS MUST DIE. Thank you to our cast and crew helping to get him footage. These BTS are things that we will look back upon many years later.
- Adam Towner has been working on something near and dear to my heart. That would be a 30th Anniversary CDI Highlight reel. He took a fun approach with me narrating and I’m digging it. I’m considering both a book and perhaps a documentary at some point in time. Always things to do.
- I have a meeting this week to discuss the possible uprez of three of the classic CDI films. I would love to see it happen for preservation and to open them up to new audiences. Our early day films seem more primitive in all areas but you can still see CDI forming into what it is today. I also have all the Blu ray rights and so like KNIGHT CHILLS I would love to have several if not all of them mastered to Blu Ray. If you are a Blu Ray distributor feel free to reach out. I love what Saturn Core did with KNIGHT CHILLS. (Blu ray or streaming) * KC was our 1st feature film at CDI.
- We are developing on several fronts with movie/TV projects both large and small. Some projects have years of development behind them before they ever come to be filmed. I won’t jinx anything. I’ll just say we have some exciting opportunities ahead of us. Work hard. Work smart. Keep the faith.
- Thank you to David Gries for the updating he has been doing to our CDI website. It is greatly appreciated. You can watch as we update it at http://www.cdiproductions.com
WRAP UP: I’m going to finish up here and make some eggs. I also need to get my agreement signed and start to assemble my wardrobe for this afternoon. I’m looking forward to today and appreciate the reaching out. As I’ve said before, reach out and you never know. I do say no quite often but if things feel right, I might say yes. I dissolved my most recent agent relationship at the end of last year. I might take on a new one for literary and producing pending how things shake out. Acting wise I’ve done well just off people contacting me directly. I’m fine with negotiating and have my own legal and that usually gets the job done. Part of my issue was I could not keep up on all the acting material hoops they wanted me to jump through because I was too busy acting. I got some headshots taken but I never look like them because I’m usually always prepping for the next role. Even now I’m behind on updating my resume, reel and such but if you want to see my work google me up and you can watch dozens of films with me doing my thing. Okay, it is time to refill the coffee cut and make those eggs. As January 2026 comes to a close I hope your start to the year has been a good one.
I want to thank John Mashni for assisting me in streamlining CDI. We are preparing to handle bigger projects and that means evolution. Thank you to my friends at Bank of America and our accounting firm. Thank you to all our artists friends for the wonderful work you do. I appreciate you all more than you truly know. Until we meet again next week on the first day of Feb stay warm. Stay focused. Coffee Cheers!
DJ
Build on the Past. Dare to Stumble. Find your Strength.
A gentle rain is falling nurturing all the plants we’ve got started and the lawn which has been seeded with clover for the leprechauns and chickens. I want to welcome the abundance of new readers from India, Italy, Poland, Philippines and more. I LOVE that our readers are from all over the world. This year I’ve been struggling a bit but it is with success. I will tell you a story of a silly little boy (Who could that be?) who just wanted to be an artist. My father who was a practical man due to his responsibilities of having a family when young, had a hard time seeing my dream. We had many disagreements in those early teen years and I recall one that ended loudly with me announcing that “I want to be an artist, not a businessman and become an assH!%#& like you.” Boy was I stupid. Unaware of how the world turns I struggled to find my way. My dad was my first mentor and still is a steady voice that I listen to these days versus argue with.
(Jeff Kennedy)
Thanks to people like Lynn Drzick (IN THE WOODS) and later Jeff Kennedy (CDI) and Bill Breakey (Imaginative Endeavors) I started to learn the business that went with the creative. In the case of Lynn Drzick and later Kennedy, they both were dreamers like myself. They didn’t discredit ideas they just helped to illuminate the needed steps to get to that next place. Bill Breakey was a many times over businessman retired to just doing fun endeavors. We had an editing facility together right up to his death at a young 80-some. Our weekly business lunches allowed me to table any issues and get some sound advice. Rance Howard, yes, Ron and Clint Howard’s dad, was my last real mentor and the only one from the entertainment world. I always got straight forward mid west kind of advice without a shred of Hollywood BS. Again these people were very valuable to me in my journey.
(Rance Howard)
My biggest fear is of making mistakes but I’ve learned that by stats alone you will make some. These are some of the best growth building events but don’t feel like it at the time. My college education gave me a process and a path to discover answers outside of me. But most of my real experience has been forged in the fires of doing. As I’ve grown into the fringes of being an elder in our business that often burns people up, I have evolved. I see more clearly my mistakes and miscalculations. Friendships hurt even in trying to do the right thing. You learn that you’re not perfect. Not the perfect businessman, friend or associate. Even those who don’t particularly like me cannot question my passion and drive. At times I keep taking on more and hope the weight of it doesn’t break me. Maybe that is where the slow growth has allowed my legs, back and mind to grow stronger. I was never the genius at the top of my class. My mind drifted off to far away places and stories danced in my head. High school was always trying to keep my head above water. A struggle to keep myself out of trouble for average grades that were in constant danger from my artistic distractions.
(Lynn Drzick front and center)
If I had better budgets I could hire wiser people to handle certain aspects but our modest budgets only allowed needs versus wants. I’ve had to learn to do many things unable to pay for the service. I have adapted and manage but I’m now working to try and streamline. To resurrect older films and ready them for re-entry into the marketplace. But is it worth it? As the storyteller it is. As the businessman it can be a question-mark. Some projects at CDI were ahead of their time. And dishonest distributors early on were the bane of our progress. Now much of that has been worked out and I’m giving my best efforts to make sure these films are not left behind. To die on a format no longer in use and unable to be retrieved. I gain no extra income from any of this and it taxes my peace of mind for fear of doing something wrong in the process. I’ve carried some of this same worry throughout my journey but you stay steadfast and when you look up decades have gone by. In your wake are beautiful stories that elicit the occasional fantail saying how your story helped them in their darkest hours. Maybe I do that for them. Some a grieving couple being torn apart by tragedy can find some healing in FIGURE IN THE FOREST. Or someone struggling with mental illness can feel less isolated and find a spark of joy in HEAVENS NEIGHBORS. AN ORDINARY KILLER will be used by a non-profit that helps military families. I am leaning more into charity as I go deeper into this journey.
I want to thank all of you for being out there. I think putting these feelings into words and confronting some of these fears helps me. I really only have one “pain in the butt” project from the past that is full of complexities. Some 15+ years later trying to breath life back into it and untangle all the strands. But I will spend a certain amount of time each week to this past projects. Already with some great help from Dean Teaster, John Mashni, Brett Frame, Scott Bakkila and others these stories will live on for many more decades. I liked a statement that said, the first time you do something is always difficult. Much truth there. Also, you get by with a little help from your friends. We are a tribe and I’m very thankful to have all these wonderful people on this adventure of life.
READY TO TALK MOVIES? Enough DJ Ramblings…
Harsens Island Revenge – From the director’s POV the film is a lock and he’s very happy. This Weds we’ll get to view it with most of the VFX inserted by our supervisor Erik Steele. This was suppose to happen last Weds but our director’s flight back into the country was delayed. That said, music is already being worked out for some of the chase scenes that were already locked up. We will be having fun in studio working on this film with Dennis Therrian. Next up for discussion will be the theatrical poster and trailer cut. Exciting times ahead!
(Prep in SNIA)
SILENT NIGHT IN ALGONA – The home video release has been going strong and we’ll soon be starting to see the results of our flow. Once received, it is a process of reporting and processing on all the films. Our release to UP Family & Faith is growing closer. I’ve enjoyed all the positive communications from people who enjoyed this film. I think this movie will just grow over the next few years. The story is beautiful and showcases a piece of almost forgotten history. CDI is very good at capturing these stories and making sure they are not erased from the public’s mind. I’m still very curious to hear how the German people enjoy the film as it reaches them.
I’m excited to say that our distributor TWIN ENGINES GLOBAL/DESKPOP has launched their non-family/faith free with ads streaming site called FREE4ALL that features some of CDI’s our CDI associated films like BEST YEARS GONE and BESTSELLER.
WATCH ‘BEST YEARS GONE’ HERE: https://youtu.be/U4lxhZ2CQkc?si=g02ymDiHiZmzbXGR
WATCH ‘BESTSELLER’ HERE: https://youtu.be/NoGBwWEtk7s?si=tUN4zExfQpBC9oX5
Meanwhile the CDI family faith films FORTY NIGHTS, CHASING THE STAR, THE CHRIST SLAYER, WILD FAITH, MAN’S BEST FRIEND, LOST HEART are on Encourage TV for your viewing pleasure. Also good to leave on for your furry friends when you have to step out. Love animated stories check out THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ. Documentary lovers check out FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH.
(Rare pic of just DJ Perry not in character – pic by GW Burns)
NEW DEVELOPMENT
Development has been in high gear here at CDI. Packaging and pitching and the gathering of investors and sponsors are all underway. We are working hard to get into production on a few CDI stories. Some exciting new stories to be told only how CDI can tell them. I’m hearing our new music video to shoot might be coming up here in May. I’ve been doing voice over on another book in the series that has been ongoing the last few years. I even took ten minutes during our pick up shoot for Harsens Island Revenge to have the great GW Burns pop off some new headshot pics for the new agency. My page will be going up on Treasure Coast Talent Agency, so if you want me to consider bringing a role to life on your project please do reach out there. I’ll attach one on this blog in Black & White which is how they use to be. The agency one will be full color. I’ve recently just finished one script for a development package and I’m 1/4 of the way through the next one. It is interesting because it is writing
WRAP UP:
I’m enjoying coming out of winter and with today in the 70’s we might be leaving the days of the wood stove shortly. But maybe a few outside fires. Also looking at a few yard builds this year. I LOVE all the nature that is on our little piece of property. I’m looking forward to more training. The martial arts keeps me limber and ready for action. Soccer season starts NEXT week and I’m excited to be out with the team battling it out. I do truly love that competition and pushing myself to my limits each week.
Inside the office I’ve been doing major organizing and I’m happy about that. Like I mentioned earlier I might start moving some of the swag and memorabilia out as charity to our fans. There are many organizations in need and we’re already doing that with our doc film FOR THE LOVE OF CATCH that helps wrestling clubs and organizations struggling. Dogs, military families…the causes could go on and on. We’re taking steps in that direction and I’m proud to see that keep growing.
I just enjoyed some of our eggs and 4H bacon and I’m going to get on with my Sunday. Maybe a bit of screenwriting but next week will be a busy one. I have some meetings starting Monday and they could be rather exciting. I hope you all have a great weekend and start strong on your TO DO’s for the week ahead. Don’t forget to enjoy the journey along the way. Until next week, coffee cheers! Congrats to the Alpena Bears our friends at Pepsi for a great Willy Wonka Event. We are so proud to be partnered with you here at CDI!
DJ
DJ Perry's Official Blog 'Clawing My Way to the Middle' 