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methods of contact

May 11th, 2010

Now let me just say that as a production company, it is not unusual for us to get emails or calls that people want us to forward on to actors that we work with. People often think that we might be the easiest way for them to get through to people who often have layers of protection between them and the public. If people write fan letters, we will pass it on to the manager or PR person…as long as it’s not crazy.
So you can imagine my thoughts as Iron Man 2 opened. I just knew that somewhere out there, someone would get obsessed with Mickey Rourke, and try to contact him through us.

Email 1: (name and location redacted…not a terribly unusual email)
To Whom It May Concern,
Would you please kindly forward this to Mr. Mickey Rourke – thank you so much.
Hi Mickey!
It’s (name redacted) from (location redacted). Saw your performance tonight in: Iron Man 2 – you were great!
I love seeing you back on the silver screen Mickey – you have such a gift…God Bless You with continued success and keeping “in touch with Him.” Sincerely, (redacted)

Ok, ok…not bad. Until the follow up was email #2:

To Whom it May Concern,
Would you please kindly forward this p.s. email to Mr. Mickey Rourke…thank you so much.
Hi Mickey,
It’s me (name redacted) from (location redacted) with a p.s. to my recent email I sent you.
I just read you’re going to do a movie called, “St. Vincent.” Interestingly enough thats the name of the church I go to at least for now. We had a deeply devoted priest named (redacted) who recently was moved “elsewhere”. A number of folks were upset – someone even wrote to the editor of our (name of local paper redacted). I wrote to our Archibishop (name redacted) stating how wonderful his homilies were. Perhaps the latest priest brought to St. Vincents wanted “the show” himself – who knows. Anyways if Father (name redacted) turns up at another church near by I’ll probably switch. Personally, I don’t buy everything about the Catholic church but I do love receiving the Holy Eucharist weekly…
Anyways, I also wanted to mention if you’re not involved with someone and would care to meet – my phone number is: (number redacted). I’d even understand if we met and you felt more comfortable with wearing a “disguise” – fine as long as I know who you were and you’re not hiding under some blanket… Have a great day Mickey – if you’re in town you know the weather is going to be cold tonight. – (name redacted)

and that, my friends, is the definition of awesome-sauce.

Sundance wrap-up

January 31st, 2010

Sundance. That time when half of Los Angeles shuts down, and goes into summer camp mode. Except we’re all wearing heavy coats, and keep not understanding why our iphones don’t respond to our touch (hint: gloves)

This year I did not have a film showing. I debated whether or not I should go. We looked at the calendar, pushed things around, and decided yes. I should.

Now, I have parts of Sundance I love. I’ve been coming to Park City since, I guess, 2004. Of course, in 2004, I only came here mistakenly. I was in Salt Lake City shooting a film (Go Figure), and on a weekend, we decided to head up to Park City to ski. Now, at the time, I was bound and beholden to the House of Mouse, so things like Sundance weren’t on my everyday radar. But, low and behold, I drove to Park City on Saturday morning, got stuck in the traffic, and stayed and played with friends all weekend.

Now 2008 and 2009 I didn’t go. My business partner and I have been so all consumed with the day to day running of the business that taking a week in another city…even when it was work…seemed unfathomable.

So this year, I was back. In the couple days leading up to leaving, my asst and I spend time everyday making sure I’m on all the party lists I need to be on, and planning out my schedule. Now to those of you who don’t do this, what you have to know is that doing the party scene at these festivals is 1. necessary and 2. exhausting Especially if you are like me, and want to go to films in the morning too.

So, a typical Sundance day goes something like this: Up, showered ready and primped for the whole day by a 9am screening, noon screening, lunch meeting, afternoon cocktail party, second afternoon cocktail party, often a third afternoon cocktail party, late afternoon movie, dinner meeting, drinks meeting, sometimes an evening movie, premier party, event party, house party.

did I mention it’s exhausting?

but my favorite part is the films. The fact that I get to spend a week seeing 3-4 films a day is a film geeks dream come true. Were they all good? No. Were there enough that were good to make it satisfying? Absolutely.

So, as I came home, drained….but having reconnected with colleagues and friends from around the world, I can say that the lost sleep and exhaustion was worth it. Being surrounded by a group of people passionately pursuing their dreams is enough to recharge me.

Oh, and it’s super pretty, too.

Do you believe in the universe?

January 16th, 2010

I certainly do. I was raised by crazy hippies…so I am the sort of person that believes that the universe provides…and I have lived my entire life by that mantra…and yet it always shocks me when I am part of that happening for someone else.

Yesterday, we were trying to finish up our plan for the sales posters for A Little Help. I have had someone in mind for quite some time to shoot them. However, today was the day we were finally locking down what we want to do. So, I called the photographer I wanted to shoot the poster and started talking to him.

We started out with the basics, me telling him what I wanted, and him giving me his availability, but I could hear a bit of strangeness in his voice. Now, keep in mind, he is someone that I am friends with socially , so I could talk to him in a way that you can’t with just simply business contacts. So I asked him why there was a hitch in his voice.

It turns out that just that day, while on the treadmill, he had sent out “a voice” (his words…) into the universe. He and his wife are about to have a baby, and he said “today, I need to find a way to $XXXX” Well, strangely, that was the base amount I was able to talk about for shooting.

Or, is it strange? I have repeatedly found that when I put something into concrete terms, it occurs. It’s the concept behind the highly successful “Best Year Yet” book and groups. Be specific, and put your effort behind it, and it will happen.

He had spent the day knocking down other doors trying to make that amount happen. And I happened to be the universe’s messenger that could tell him that was exactly how to operate.

LA Weirdo

January 12th, 2010

Interestingly, with all the strange crap I do, there is one thing I do that repeatedly gets baffled looks from all those around me. They are horrified when I say it, and there is often a low whisper of “…why?”

I commute by bike.

Now, after you have picked your chin up off the floor, let me make a couple things clear. I have a car, and do drive. In fact, I like taking the top down, and heading to Santa Barbara on a beautiful Saturday. But on a regular day, I hop on my bike to make the trek to my office and back.

I know that in some ways I’m in a position that allows me to do this. First off, I own my company. So, when I show up at the office in biking clothes, and immediately head in to change and get ready for the day, my employees get to just chalk it up on their “things my eccentric boss does” list. I also live under 2 miles from my office, and have a parking lot at the office where I can leave my car. This way I have it to get to all my meetings during the day. And lastly, facilitating this commuting style is the fact that The Giant has both a motorcycle and a car, so after I ride my bike home at night, if I need a vehicle for some reason, one is there.

But what I’ve found is that Los Angeles is surprisingly bikeable. If you take the time to look for the streets which are wide, or have good sidewalks, you can get nearly anywhere in about the time it takes to drive. I ride from my office (West Hollywood) to Venice sometimes after work to visit friends. Turns out, the actual distance is only 11 miles. Doing a “fast casual” biking (~13-14 mph), with traffic stops included, it takes me about an hour. That’s about 10 minutes longer than it would take in my car at that time of day.

But the best part is the routine commute. 2 miles each way from my house to the office and back. 10-15 minutes in the morning and in the evening when I’m not available to the world. No rolling calls, no answering emails, no making appointments, no contact. For that short period of time to start my day, I can be alone with my thoughts and my body, just enjoying the morning air. I arrive at the office far more focused, and far more calm.

No all of us bikers are crazy, anti-car, environmentalist, hippie, self-righteous wackos. Some of us just enjoy it.

Posts Tagged ‘fun’

methods of contact

Sundance wrap-up

Do you believe in the universe?

LA Weirdo

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