The Strings That Control Professional Film Production In Florida

And the Fog gets Foggier.

2010-04-10T06:55:00.000-07:00

The Fl. Senate threw one past me again. I missed the memo. I did not know, until recently, that the Senate allocations were reduced from the Haridopolos Bill. Lowered from $75mil/ea.yr over 3 yrs. to $ 20mil over 5 yrs. If Don Gaetz's Bill would become law, the first $20mil. would be gone in 2 months. The $25 million, that we had 3 yrs ago was gone in 3 months.
Just as I was feeling bad for doubting our State Senate, they lift my spirits for doubting them.
The House passed a better proposal. $55mil/ 1st yr., 50/2nd, 27/ 3rd 4th and 5th yrs. That is probably the best they can do and it is a Giant step toward getting Film Tax Rebate Incentives where they need to be.
The Senate is on break until April 15th. Tax deadline. Appropriate is'nt it? You could also call it a Tax Rebate Deadline for the Film budget. Their will be members of the House that will be encouraging Senators to support the House Bill.
We should not back off of our efforts to contact our State Senators. This is not over until the Governor puts his signature on the final Bill that is put before him. This is not a time to quit. This is a time for our heaviest outpouring of support for HB697. Please contact your State Senator that represents your voting district. You can go to www.myflorida.com to find the Senate branch and then click on the Senate member that represents you. Don't stop now. This is not over.

The Good, The Bad and Ugly....

2010-04-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

Most everyone should know of the excellent job the Fl. Senate has done for this years budget session. They passed Casino Gambling on Seminole Indian land. They passed a Jobs Bill that contains SB1430 which states that: There will be a Funding of Allocations to Film Producers of $75 milluion each yr. over a 3 yr. period. At a Tax Rebate of 20%. There will also be improvements in Education and other areas. They worked as busy as Bees to come up with a smart and much needed budget that will bring work back to Fl. and increase much needed Tax dollars that will be a result of more people working. The Senate passed this budget unanimously. That's what I call bi-partisanship.
Then there is our State House of Representatives. Stephen Precourt starts out with a Bill that mirrors Senator Haridoplos's Bill. Then Precourt has a vision. That vision is to keep Gay characters out of Fl. Films shot in Fl. Pretty much telling Movie Producers how to produce their Films. That rocket blew up before it left the ground. That's when the House's Tax & Finance Committee suddenly decided that maybe $75 Mil./yr. is too much. Let's start out with $55mil for the 1st yr., 50 the 2nd, and 27mil the 3rd, 4th, 5th.....and...whatever...years. Had they made this as their initial proposal, then their point about tough times would make more sense. However, with all considered; The timing reeks of retaliation. The House also has not approved Casino Gambling on Seminole land in their budget. Such an approval would immediately bring in 415 million dollars to our States empty Coffers. They also want to cut and slash education...AGAIN! Oh, by the way! Guess what? The House budget was strictly passed among party lines. 74 to 44. The House does'nt have the teamwork that the Senate has.
I am Happily surprised with our State Senate for their diligence and workmanship. Special Kudos to Senator Mike Haridopolos; who authored SB1430 and Don Gaetz; who authored the Jobs Bill. The Fl. Senate has shown us all that they GET IT! Alas our poor and lackluster House...does not.

News for Newbies.

2010-03-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

There are times, especially when work is slow, when I like to volunteer my acting craft to schools. I have done 6 productions out at Valencia CC East and and 5 student film pdns. out at Full Sail University. I learn alot working with students. The last group of students that I worked with, at Valencia, were highly energetic, and professional. Every student film that I have done at Full Sail, has been a very pleasant experience. The Crews are professional and thoughtful as well as energetic. When I audition at Full Sail; the folks, that are in the production crew, are hard working and very helpful.
I auditioned for a few roles this past Saturday. I saw something that was very bothersome. I saw 2 young auditionees carry on a loud conversation right smack dab in the middle of the casting lobby. A long loud giggling conversation. People were trying ro read and study their sides. It was very annoying. They desperately need to read Lori Wyman's "The Organic Actor". When people audition they should be concentrating on the sides of the script. Not anything else. That's why we actors are there. To audition. To give our best audition possible.
I would have loved to have been in that audition room when those gabbers auditioned. I would have really been surprised if they did well. If that would have been a paying gig, the Casting Director would have remembered those people, and not with good thoughts.
When we audition, our minds should be focused on one thing and one thing only. THE AUDITION! To carry on a loud conversation, where people are trying to learn their sides is rude. It shows a lack of common courtesy. Auditions are not supposed to be social events. They are not meeting places...like a BAR. If you are interested in getting cast in the production, then you want to give all of your attention and focus to the Production. Is'nt that why we are there?

Plugging Along...

2010-03-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

Kudos to the Florida Film Production Coalition (FFPC). Those people that represent the FFPC do everything they can to bring Major Film Pdn. back to our State of Fl. They hold events to attain funds to support the cause. They have people working their heads off lobbying in Tallahassee to convince the legistlators that they need to pass bills to make Florida a place producers will want to come back to. Leah and everyone else that is working so hard; deserve a standing ovation!
I admit that there are times that my cynicism has gotten the best of me. No matter how we feel we have to contact our State Representives and tell them that you want them to support House Bill 697 and Senate Bill 1430. I told my State Senator that very thing in a town meeting a few weeks ago. I emailed my State House Rep. We have to be persistent. It does'nt matter if you are Union or non union. If you are a student film=maker or a hotel employee. YOU WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE PASSAGE OF THESE BILLS.
I'll give you the website, again, to locate your Reps. www.myflorida.com. Click Government and then navigate to the State House and Senate links. If you do not do this, then those lawmakers will have no interest in improving the Film Incentive program.
I admit it. I'm guilty of complaining. Now is not the time. Now is the time to contact your State Representative and do your part to help bring Major Film Pdn. back to our State.

The Fun Starts...Again.

2010-02-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

The Title sounds like a Country and Western song. It might be. Obviously I'm not a CW fan.
On Tues, March 7th, the Fl. Legislature begins the 2010 budget session. Yes, we have traveled this road before and got banged up last year. Unfortunately, until our State can compete with Michigan and Louisiana, when it comes to film tax rebates, we should continue to travel down this road. The road that seems like there is no light. We have to continue to fight to get Major Film incentives until that light does shine on that road.
Last year, the Florida Film Production Coalition sponsored a petition for Film Incentives. That list, if memory serves me and it rarely does anymore, got just short of 6500 signatures. 6500! And that was last year when we had more Film Industry people still residing in Fl. That number demonstrates the amount of apathy on this subject. Especially when Tens of Thousands of people are directly or indirectly affected by this Industry.
Do you know the name of the State Senator that represents you? Have you contacted your Senator on this issue? If not; Why? It's as easy as http://www.flsenate.gov/ .
I'm going to pick 5 State Senators that, allegedly, did not support Film Tax Rebates in last years budget session.
1) Senate President: Jeff Atwater. He represents the Palm Beach and North Broward County areas.
2) Senator Paula Dockery: Represents parts of Hernando, Lake, Polk, and Sumter Counties.
3) Senator Carey Baker: Parts of Lake, Marion, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia Counties.
4) Senator Andy Gardiner: Pts. of Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties.
5) Senator Mike Fasano: Pts of Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, and Pinellas Countys.
Do you live in any of these areas? Are any of the above; your State Senators? Have you contacted them about supporting MAJOR Film Incentives, such as Tax Rebates? Have you asked them to support Senator Haridopolos's Bill: SB1430? If no, Why not? I understand about the Legislatures failure to bring Film jobs back to Fl. Does that mean we should give up? I'll never give up acting. It's in my blood and I want it to thrive, once again, in Florida.
Look at the bright side. At least, this year, we have primary elections in August and The main elections in November. That is if we have'nt given up. What good would that do?

Live and Learn.

2010-01-29T07:58:00.000-08:00

I attended a Town Hall meeting in Longwood, this past Wednesday evening. The Guest Speaker was Senator Lee Constantine. For those that have been reading this blog over the past couple of years know that I WAS not a big fan of Senator Constantine. Couple years ago I tried to make and appointment with Sen. Constantine and was told that it was'nt necessary for me to see him. Obviously, I got my feathers ruffled.

Fast Forward to today. My opinion has changed about Sen. Constantine. Not because he told me that he is supporting Film Incentives, in the upcoming budget, but because the man has a disarming personality, Great wit and sense of humor, and I learned that I agree with most of his views. That really threw me. I apologize to Sen. Constantine for pre=judging him. It's not that I did'nt try to meet him but, in fairness, he has been very busy with other very important issues.

I remember the Senator saying, in his closing words; that he had made some mistakes. I'm sure he has'nt made near the amount of mistakes that I have made. It's beautiful to be human.

I hope all of my readers will contact their Senators and tell them to vote in favor of SB 1430. Our Film Infrastructure is on its last legs. It's up to us to not go away!

Snakes outta nowhere...

2010-01-29T07:52:00.000-08:00

Something else, that I learned about at the Longwood Townhall meeting; PYTHONS!! Sen. Lee Constantine explained the urgency to enact laws that will protect our children, pets, and natural habitat. These snakes are not nateve to Fl. nor are they a native species to the United States. We need tougher laws on the import of these snakes as well as punishment for those that bring the snakes into our country.
Please contact your State legislators on this frightening issue. Thank=You!

2009-12-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!! WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT OUR STATE LAWMAKERS WILL FINALLY GET IT, AND INSTALL A STRONG FILM INCENTIVE PROGRAM THIS SUMMER. WE CAN ONLY HOPE!!

ENJOY THE NEW YEAR! ENJOY ALL OF THE COLLEGE BOWL GAMES AND I HOPE THIS NEW YEAR WILL BE MUCH BETTER FOR EVERYONE! GET OUTTA HERE 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Florida Jobs Summit.

2009-12-29T08:20:00.000-08:00

THE 2010 FLORIDA JOBS SUMMIT
Florida's next Senate president and House speaker will convene a statewide-focused Florida Jobs Summit in January to build consensus on a policy direction for the 2010 session of the Florida Legislature for boosting investment, economic growth and job creation in the Sunshine State.
With some economists predicting that Florida's job woes may persist to 2012 or beyond, the Florida Jobs Summit will focus on developing a targeted state strategy in three key action areas:
Identifying and removing barriers to new jobs development,
Developing appropriate financial and tax incentives to lure new jobs to Florida, and
Enabling existing employers to create new jobs and retain existing jobs.
The Florida Jobs Summit will be held in Orlando Jan. 15, 2010, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel, and will bring together diverse stakeholders representing business, government, education and labor to discuss and develop a smart, strong and strategic agenda for restoring the state's economy to robust growth.
Already, leaders of several key professional organizations have indicated support for the summit and an intention to actively participate. Groups that have already expressed such interest include Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Retail Federation, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the AFL-CIO and the Florida Education Association.
Sen. Haridopolos and Rep. Cannon are seeking input and participation from leaders in all sectors of Florida's economy. We encourage you to register for this important event to help build consensus and develop a new policy direction for promoting job creation in 2010.
Note:
The Florida Jobs Summit will hold a public comment session in early afternoon following the lunch program. This session will be free and open to the public.

Can't touch this...yet.

2009-12-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

I promised to cover the Governor's race this month. I have yet to receive a reply from my emails to Bill McCollum and Alex Sink. Probably due to the Holiday season. When I learn where they stand, on bringing Major Film Pdn. back to Fl., I will pass their comments on to you.

Orlando Sentinel: Fl's. Job losses...

2009-12-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

Florida sees worst job losses in U.S.
Metro Orlando unemployment jumps to 11.8%

There's little holiday cheer in the latest unemployment figures, which show Florida lost more jobs in November than any state in the nation.Employers shed 16,700 positions last month, pushing unemployment to 11.5 percent. Michigan lost the second-highest number of jobs, with 14,000 positions eliminated from October to November.Florida's unemployment rate is up two-tenths of a point from October's revised rate of 11.3 percent and is at its highest point since May 1975.Metropolitan Orlando's unemployment rate climbed even higher, to 11.8 percent, up three-tenths of a point from October's revised rate. At the county level, Osceola came in at 13.3 percent, Polk at 12.9 percent, Lake at 12.7 percent, Volusia at 12.3 percent, Brevard at 11.9 percent, Orange at 11.7 percent and Seminole at 10.9 percent.Flagler County had the state's highest jobless rate: 16.8 percent. Tiny Liberty County in the Panhandle had the lowest: 6.1 percent.The statewide average represents about 1.05 million unemployed people out of a labor force of 9.2 million. Florida's unemployment rate has climbed 4.3 percentage points since this time last year and is now 1.5 points higher than the national average.Companies aren't hemorrhaging workers the way they were early this year, but they aren't calling back laid-off employees either."We're seeing less and less bad news," said Mark Vitner, a senior economist with Wells Fargo & Co., "but there's really no evidence yet that businesses are hiring."That reluctance to add employees is likely to continue for several months. Even with some economic indicators brightening, employers will not want to add jobs until they are comfortable the recovery has taken root and consumers are willing to open their pocketbooks.Consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of all economic activity in the U.S.Analysts also said businesses will remain guarded until it is clear how they'll be affected by ongoing debates on health-care reform and environmental regulations."They need to see how those things are going to shake out," Vitner said. "They're not ready yet to take risks."As grim as Friday's numbers are, they don't reflect the full misery of the state's labor market.A broader measure includes discouraged workers who have stopped looking for jobs and people who have been forced to work part time when they would prefer full-time employment. When those folks are thrown into the mix, the percentage of people unemployed or underemployed soars to 18.7 percent.Florida's losses have come from virtually every sector of the labor market, with construction taking the biggest hit. In the past year alone, state officials said, more than 73,000 building jobs have vanished — a 15.4 percent drop. From October to November alone, the jobless report said, more than 9,000 construction jobs disappeared.But Craig Thomas, a senior economist and vice president with PNC Bank, is skeptical about that number. He thinks losses in the building industry may be overstated in Friday's report, because surveyors tend to focus on larger companies at the expense of smaller operations."I don't think they're catching those workaday crews who are working out of a truck," he said. "The guys doing a single house or maybe a few refurbishing jobs."Thomas said there are a handful of national indicators that bode well for Florida: People are saving more, corporate earnings have improved, retail sales were up in November and the stock market has rallied.The net effect, Thomas said, is that "household psyche is improving" — and that will ultimately help Florida."All those things may lead to a pretty good travel season," he said. "At least compared to last year, when it looked like the world was going to end."Tourism-industry officials are less sanguine, however. They don't expect an upturn until 2011.Politically, the state's stubbornly high jobless rate has become a liability for both parties. Democrats have tried to hang it around the neck of Republican Gov. Charlie Crist — saying he has done little to bring it under control — while the GOP has blasted Democrats for supporting a federal stimulus package that they contend has been ineffective.

Register to Vote...NOW!

2009-12-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

Then go vote in the Primaries for your political party. They should be in Feb. or March. Then vote OUT every single incumbent in our States Legislature. That's our State of Florida's House of Representatives and Florida's Senate. No excuses. PLEASE! JUST DO IT! Just because they tell you they promise to be for an Improved Fl. Incentive package does not mean that what they MIGHT support will be enough. Ask them about how they have voted, in the past, on Film Incentives. Anything short of a 30% Tax Rebate over a span of three years will not be sufficient enough to compete with Louisiana and Michigan.

From the Orlando Sentinel blogpage...

2009-12-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

The following article was in the Saturday, Dec. 19th, edition of the Orlando Sentinel which was in the "Etan on Tech" blog by Etan Horowitz.

Video game maker Electronic Arts’ Tiburon facility in Maitland is often cited as the cornerstone of Central Florida’s digital media industry.
But as I’ve reported before, other states like Louisiana are gunning for those local EA jobs and trying to land other pieces of the EA’s operations.
Today, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported that EA is looking at both Atlanta and Savannah as possible locations for a game development facility that would focus on product testing. The paper said that the facility could employ up to 300 people and that Georgia is believed to have offered EA a free lease on a warehouse in downtown Savannah.
Craig Hagen, EA’s director of government affairs for North America, confirmed that EA is looking at Georgia, as well as at Florida, Louisiana, Quebec and Ontario. Hagen said that EA is “actively looking to move development out of high cost locations like California,” where EA is headquartered. Hagen said that the company has ruled out Texas.
“Investment incentives in GA, LA, ON and QC make them attractive,” Hagen wrote in an e-mail. “There is a great opportunity for FL to pass a tax credit incentive and become even more attractive.”
Although Hagen has said EA is not looking to abandon Florida, he has said that the state needs to become more aggressive with its tax incentives so it can better compete with states like Louisiana.
“Florida is at risk of not being competitive with other states relative to these incentives programs,” Hagen told me in October. “I understand the fiscal pressure that Florida faces, and it is a difficult thing, but they need to realize the economic incentives are what should grow the economy and turn the pressure down.”
Last month, EA announced that it expected to save at least $100 million a year by cutting 1,500 jobs by the end of March, closing some studios, and restructuring its businesses to focus on its most-profitable games and on the growing mobile- and online-gaming markets.
Although Tiburon makes some of the company’s most successful games including Madden NFL Football and Tiger Woods PGA Tour, it was not immune from the cost cutting as 51 employees there were laid off.

Is It Our Turn Now?

2009-12-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

From the Thursday Dec. 17th edition of the Orlando

Sentinel.

TALLAHASSEE - With an old steam engine and the planned site of a depot just yards away, Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill into law Wednesday that should lead to the construction and operation of SunRail, Central Florida's first commuter train.The downtown Orlando ceremony, repeated in three other cities by Crist, triggered applause from an estimated 200 civic leaders, politicians and residents who gathered at Church Street Station."This will be one of the most significant days in the history of Central Florida," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who joined Crist and seven others on a platform placed in the middle of the street near a set of tracks that SunRail could use.Crist, calling the event "an A-letter day," said, "This is about jobs, jobs, jobs. If ever there was a time that we needed an infusion [of jobs] … this rail project makes our statement loud and clear."Dyer predicted at least 8,000 jobs would be created to build the $1.2 billion train system, which eventually will run 61.5 miles from Deland in Volusia County through downtown Orlando to Poinciana in Osceola County. Thousands more jobs could result from related development along the corridor, he has said.Construction could begin in June, once a funding agreement with the federal government is made final and the tracks are purchased from the CSX railroad company in Jacksonville. In total, CSX will be paid $491 million.Trains could begin to run along the first 30 miles — from DeBary in Volusia to Sand Lake Road in south Orange County — in late 2012, though that could slide into 2013. The second half of the system could open two years later.A handful of protesters attended Wednesday's celebration, holding waffles and signs that decried taxes. The breakfast food was in reference to three SunRail-related e-mails from within the state Department of Transportation bearing the subject lines of "Pancakes," "pancake" and "French Toast."State Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, and one of her supporters, Orlando political consultant Doug Guetzloe, say the subject lines were an attempt by agency officials to dodge Dockery's public-records requests for SunRail-related correspondence during last week's special session that produced the bill.FDOT Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos denied that, saying the language was used merely to get her attention amid the scores of e-mails she receives daily. She did not travel with Crist for any of the events, and the governor said he did not know where she was.Crist said he did not consider delaying the bill signings because of the controversy."I don't think they affect the legislation at all," he said.Crist called the bill passed by the Legislature last week a glimpse into "Florida's transportation future" that could set the stage for commuter trains in metro areas as diverse as Orlando, South Florida and Tampa and Jacksonville, all possibly connected one day by high-speed rail."These passenger-rail projects are the building blocks of a better statewide transportation network. They will yield benefits far beyond the rail lines themselves," Crist said.The new law set up an insurance-liability agreement with CSX that determines who pays for what if there were an accident with SunRail, and it allocated $15 million in gas-tax money to South Florida's cash-strapped commuter-rail system, Tri-Rail. The law also created a state transit board.Supporters think the legislation could position Florida to win up to $2.6 billion in federal stimulus money to build a high-speed train that would link Orlando with Lakeland and Tampa.The Obama administration has set aside $8 billion for the venture, and transit administrators are sifting through 45 requests from 24 states seeking a total of $50 billion. An additional 214 applications from 34 states are asking for $7 billion for planning and smaller projects.Critics contend that SunRail won't attract many riders because it doesn't connect to Walt Disney World or Orlando International Airport. They also maintain the job-creation numbers for the project are overstated.The SunRail law was defeated twice in the Senate before winning passage during the special session last week.Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs, called the first two attempts as "strikes" followed by a home run.Dan Tracy can be reached at dtracy@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5444. Aaron Deslatte can be reached at adeslatte@orlandosentinel.com or 850-222-5564.
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Hope Your Holiday Season is a Joyous One!

2009-12-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

These, certainly, are not the best of times for our Professionals in our Film Industry. Let's hope that people will take the steps needed to bring Major Film Pdn. back to our State.
HERE'S HOPING THAT YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON AND A NEW YEAR THAT HAS POSITIVE CHANGE FOR OUR INDUSTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEXT MONTH WILL BE A POST ABOUT THE GOVERNORS RACE. A VERY IMPORTANT ELECTION!

Florida's Jobless Rate Up.

2009-11-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

The Front Page of Saturday's Orlando Sentinel stated: "Florida's Jobless rate up...again". It's in double digits at 11.2%. Let's hope people show-up at next year's election. A big part of that will be the Governor's race. The outcome of that race could truly decide the ultimate fate for Film Production for Fl. Think about that when you are having your tryptophan withdrawal on Turkey Day!

Those Tallahassee Puppeteers.

2009-11-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

It's that time again! You know the one. The one when the folks at Film in Florida, the Governors employees, get everyone's hope up...again. It's time to compete, with 38 other States, for a piece of the Film Production pie.

Last March, there was a bill written to Thank Film Producers with a 20% unlimited Tax Credit program. Whatever happened to that? It seemed to just disappear during last summers Budget session. Cue the theme music to the Twilight Zone. Instead, the wonderful and charitable Lawmakers approved a paltry $10 Million. That covered, pretty much, only the productions that already were here. To say that it just was'nt a busy year would be an insult to those folks in our industry that had to move out of Fl., or to those that have been away from family for periods on end. It would also be an insult to those that had to go on unemployment and/or foodstamps. An insult to those that had to foreclose on their homes. I could go on, but; WHY?

People, in this industry, have been lectured for years about the politics of Tallahassee. Do you think anyone has learned anything from those lectures. Those same people have also been informed that you just can't change a Leopards spots. That means that you can't change a political party's core values and pricipals. However, it is very important to know what they are.

The majority of Legislators, in Tallahassee, are either Republican or Democrat. Do you know what they're bottom line principals are? Is that Important? Yes it is...financially speaking. If a politician believes in low taxes and reduced spending, they are not going to support a tax credit for film production. Even though people will argue that Fl. will get several dollars back for every dollar the State spends, there will be a majority of politicians that will see that; as either a tax increase or, more importantly, they will fear that their constituents will view it that way. This has happened the past two years and if our upcoming budget session proves that Fl. will be in the Red again; then expect another paltry raise in Film Incentives, at best. They just don't get the fact that Film Production will help REVIVE the economy. You can tell them that over and over and over and over again, and they still won't get it. To be fair; the Democrats spending and raising taxes created this mess. People finally got tired of giving their hard earned money away and voted-in the majority that we now have representing us.

We just don't have a decent selection of smart-business-type, middle-of-the-road-politicians running for office. I'm talking about smart business people that when see a bargain, they know it's a bargain and they jump on it. The folks up in Tallahassee are harder to convince than a four year old child. That pretty much says it all about our State Reps. To make things worse; the State's Budget is projected to stay in the Red up through the year 2013. This is a budget projection that the November 20, 2009 edition of the Orlando Sentinel featured on their Front page.

Should we continue the fight for bringing Film Production back to Fl.? Of course. We just have to be realistic about the odds of that happening. We have to understand what we are up against. We have to understand that these Legislators are not your everyday Business Professionals. Persistence can only win with those that are willing to change the minds of people that place persistence at the highest level of achievement. The Lawmaker, in Tallahassee, cannot do that if that persistence interferes with one of their core values. You might not want to believe that. You might not like that. I can assure you that at the end the day: that's the way it is. That is what fuels politicians. Core values. If there is a projection that our State of Florida will be in the Red by 2.6 billion dollars, during the next Budget session in the early summer of 2010, do you think our leadership will act any differently from how they acted last year? Do you think that same leadership will invest in our State by bringing Film Producers and their hundreds of millions of dollars back to Fl.? Or... will they continue to cut and slash the budget, thereby leading to a loss of more jobs? Do you honestly believe that they will honestly do something that helps the people of Fl.? That they will take new steps to create jobs in Fl.? That, We the people, can influence our Representatives decisions? Have you spoken to a Four year old lately?!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

Wishing You and Yours the Happiest and safest THANKSGIVING...EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What to do, What to do?

2009-09-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

Yippee Kay Yay, or something like that.

I was thinking about changing the title of this blog, then I decided...naaahh. The target will always be bringing massive film production to Fl. With that said, we also need to support the Orlando Downtown Performing Arts Center. They are talking about breaking ground for two of the Theatre forums. The sooner...the better.

There is a lot of Community theatre going on now. Support this in any way you can. If you are an Actor; audition. If not; volunteer your time to a community theatre as an usher, or program giver, anything. If you have money to donate to a theatre, then by all means please do that. The best way to prove to people that we deserve a Performing Arts Center is to support our Community Theatres.

Actors: we need to keep our acting skills sharp. Continue to go over your monologue and audition at every opportunity you get. You can't control the weather but you can always be prepared for it.

One last thing. This State, especially the Orlando area, has taken a severe hit with the loss of so many Acting Schools and Teaching professionals. There should be alot more of a demand, for acting schools, than there is. There are people attending auditions with no training whatsoever. Here's a clue: IT SHOWS!!!

Buh-Bye!

2009-05-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

The term Better is in the eyes of the beholder.

2009-05-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

News & Events
DIRECTOR’S CUT
5/1/2009
Regular session is not over yet but, we now know where we will stand in the appropriations bill – $10.8 for the film and entertainment incentive and $453,296 for the operating expense of the Office of Film and Entertainment (OFE).These appropriations represent roughly a 100% increase in the incentive and a 40% decrease in the operating expenses. Note that the four salaried positions in the OFE are not part of the operating budget, and they have stayed intact. The House members exhibited solid support for the incentive appropriation holding their $12 million position until the very end of the Joint Budget Conference process and the Senate generously came up from their original $5 million to $10.8 million. This bodes well for next year considering we just doubled our incentive appropriation while other programs were slashed or completely eliminated. I interpret this as validation that we (and I mean the “collective we”) have accomplished most of our key goals this year: educating legislators about the value of the industry and what it can contribute to Florida’s economy – both short and long term; identifying new champions for our cause; and gaining broad support in both chambers. We have a good foundation for our continuing efforts to increase the competitiveness of our film and entertainment incentives in Florida. Session extends into next week, and we expect that the conference committee report will go to printers on Monday and be available for the public review process, also known as the 72-hour cooling off period, beginning Tuesday. Legislators will return to Tallahassee to vote the budget out on Friday and send it to the Governor for his signature. For those who wish to thank the joint budget committee conferees, I’ve provided e-mail addresses below. Transportation and Economic Development Budget Committee members (Senator or Representative can be determined by the e-mail address):

So, It's Pretty much done.

2009-05-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

It's pretty much done. The House and Senate have agreed to a 10.8 million dollar film budget.
Am I surprised? No. In fact, it's kind of what I expected. We asked people to vote for change last year. They did'nt. We asked people to sign an online petition: Most did'nt.
Through the fog of disappointment we must give Bravos and Curtain Calls to the following:
The Florida Film Production Coalition. They were new this year but they did an outstanding job. They did everything in their power to make things better and we should applaud them.
All of the people that signed FFPC's Petition for Tax Credits and better Film Incentives.
All of the people that wrote their representatives.

Now. For the people that disappointed:
Lucia Fishburne. She should resign. She had two years as the directior of Film in Florida and she has failed.
FFEAC: They are great at getting people's hopes up but, other than that, they are pretty useless,as well as powerless.
Gov. Crist: Can you say Senate Run in 2010. Captain Spineless is more concerned about his political future compared to our State's future.
The State Senate and State House. Sorry folks. There will be more disappointment every budget year until People vote them out and bring in those that will truly support our Film Industry.
Those people in our Industry that did'nt support our movement. Whether it being: signing the petition, or writing your State Representatives, or VOTING!! Most of you do-nothings are usually the ones that whine the loudest when you don't get work. Note to You: Don't whine to me!

Time to Rock, or Get Rolled Over.

2009-04-30T17:08:00.001-07:00

April 28, 2009
Florida Film Production Coalition Inc. News Bulletin
Calling All Film Industry Workforce, Associations, Support Services Into Action Today - May 6, 2009.
Email Blast, Phone Calls, Faxes Campaign: Calling All Film Industry Professionals Into Action.
The Florida 2009 Legislative Session: Extended until next week ending between May 4-8 with a deadline for the Budget to be presented on Sunday, May 3, 2009. At this time your voice is crucial, therefore we request you to call and/or email/fax this week Key Leadership and Conferee's based on the attached email/phone list of Legislatures/ or go the link http://www.floridafilmproductioncoalition.com and click write a letter tab. There is a letter template with a mail merge.

Recommended targeting: Key Leadership , Committee Chairs &, Co Chairs in both House and Senate, and the House & Senate Conference Conferees, to support both funding for the transferable corporate tax credit and appropriations that have been marked for our industry. Both the House, and the Senate is going into conference this afternoon in order to finalize the state budget by Sunday. The House has $15 million, the Senate $5 million and Governor $10 million, currently allocated under Appropriations.

Our Message: We request support of BOTH the Transferable Tax Credit using film industry as pilot model for tax credit based on our performance track record and Appropriations at a minimum of $15 million. Share your personal message and gratitude for the vote of support of this critical incentive legislation.
Below:
FFPC Template Letter ~ Flyer of Top 10 Reason to Support the Film, TV & Digital Media Industry
Attached:
Committees & Members contact list ~ Budget Conference Conferees ~ Copy of FFPC Letter ~ & Top Ten Reasons to Support the Film, TV & Digital Media Industry.
Some Key Leadership Names to Target: Representative Crutel, Speaker of the House, Rep. Dean Cannon, Rep .Richard Gloriouso, Rep .Carroll, Rep. Dave Mursin, Rep. Precourt, Rep. Ambler, Senator Atwater, President of the Senate, Senator JD Alexander, Senator Mike Fasano, Senator Altman, Senator Rudy Garcia, Senator Haridopolos, Senator De La Portilla, Senator Dan Gelber and Senator Gaetz
________________________________________________________________________________________
TEMPLATE
See below...this can be written as an individual constituent, hence the use of "I", as well as for a business or collection of businesses, as in "we."

TEMPLATE USED BY:

A Senator's take on Tax Credits.

2009-04-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is from the Brandenton Herald.

MANATEE — If you saw “Marley and Me,” a film featuring scenes of a goofy dog enjoying daily runs along a gorgeous Florida beach, you’ll understand why legislators are discussing how best to lure film and video production companies to the state.
“Of course, our big hit was ‘Marley & Me.’ That was pretty super, filmed in Fort Lauderdale,” said state Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Sarasota, a co-sponsor of legislation designed to attract the entertainment industry. “Plus, it’s such a great free ad for the state of Florida.”
Detert’s bill, Senate Bill 350, is among Florida’s latest attempts to attract a greater share of the entertainment business as competing states ramp up their offerings.
The legislation would convert the existing incentive from a cash reimbursement based on a company’s expenditures to a transferable credit the company could claim against sales and corporate income taxes, according to a staff analysis of the bill.
“My goal is to not just offer tax incentives to make one film, but to attract the entire industry for full-time film-making,” the senator said. “This is one of the few industries we can promise to provide a fully educated work force.”
In addition to postcard-perfect scenery and an enviable climate, Florida is blessed with many film schools, such as Sarasota’s Ringling College of Art and Design, the University of Central Florida in Orlando and Florida State University in Tallahassee, Detert noted.
Many famous film stars already own homes here and would like to work here as well, she added.
“I’m sure if we offer the right kinds of financing, they’d make films here, and that’s the direction we need to move. We need to be job creators instead of talking about cutting everything,” Detert explained.
“Those are all high-wage jobs and great for Florida.”
Whether almost $20 million in incentives the state has appropriated in years past will still be part of the package is as yet undecided because of the dearth of money available this year due to recession, said Detert.
“Our biggest competition is other states. Everybody would like to have film-making, so our biggest competitor in prior years was Louisiana because they can make Louisiana look like Florida, and they get paid for going to Louisiana,” said Detert. “They put $70 million in their fund; we had $20 million.”
Despite a huge budget deficient, California came up with $100 million to try to hang onto its film industry, she said.
Rep. Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, is among the co-sponsors of a companion bill in the state House of Representatives.
Detert predicted the bills would win passage before the end of the legislative session May 1.
“I would think this one is a very easy bill to pass,” said Detert, the Senate’s majority whip.
Sara Kennedy, Herald reporter, can be reached at (941) 708-7908 or at skennedy@bradenton.com

Message from FFPC.

2009-04-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

Earl Perque sent a message to the members of Florida Film Production Coalition (FFPC).

--------------------Subject: Last Week To Sign Online Petition!!

The Florida Film Production Coalition

For Immediate Release:

FFPC Alert Last Week to Sign On- Petition.

The Florida Film, TV and Digital Media Financial Incentive Online Petition is to be delivered to State of Florida Leadership next week. Please sign and send to your Clients, Industry Workforce, Friends, and Family today. If you have signed we thank you for your time and support. This is our last week to sign.

We have less than a month before the Florida Legislative Session is over on May 02. Time is of the essence. Please sign today! Your voice counts. The Bills are Senate Bill 350/ House Bill 47 and HB Bill 43.

April 6, 2009South Florida:

On March 3, 2009, the Florida Film Production Coalition released an online petition to gain support from Florida Residents, Film Industry Workforce, Support Services and related industries for the Film and Entertainment Financial Incentive Legislation for the State of Florida 2009/2010.

Click this link to sign:http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.PetitionOnline.com%2Fffpc09%2Fpetition.html

The purpose of this online petition is send a strong message of the importance and critical nature of these important Legislative Bills to Governor Crist, Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, Leadership in the House of Representatives and the Senate of the State of Florida.

The need is urgent for a competitive, strong, transferable corporate tax credit film and entertainment incentive program in the State of Florida. We cannot wait for until next year. Why? The Workforce and related industries are suffering unemployment, loss of business, forced to work out of State at the same time away from their families, furthermore may be forced to relocate out of State. Our infrastructure is slowly deteriorating , some businesses are forced to close or relocate to states that are prospering from a generous film incentive programs.

"Marley and Me" was the last full length feature film that ended principal photography in June of 2008 in Florida. Due to the lack of quality incentives, Studios have gone to other States that offer a bang for their buck and as a result the workforce in the State of Florida has lost jobs and Florida has loss millions of dollars in revenues.

The Film Industry has been in the State of Florida since the early 1920’s beginning with its' root in Jacksonville, the capital of the Silent Film Industry. This industry creates jobs, needs jobs and is fighting to survive and maintain it's infrastructure that grew as a solid foundation over the years since Flipper and Gentle Ben began filming in South Florida in the sixties. Our crews and support services have an excellent reputation in the United States. We are in jeopardy of loosing our solid crew base and support services to other states i.e. Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan and New Mexico.

The Film and Entertainment Industry can contribute to Florida’s Economy through smart incentives attracting immediate Iinvestments with an infusion of Film Productions into our State thereby creating jobs, strengthening our infrastructure and attaching tourism through marketing.

Click this link http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.PetitionOnline.com%2Fffpc09%2Fpetition.html

Together We Can Make A Difference!

Maria Kittyle Chavez
President
Florida Film Production Coalition

http://www.facebook.com/l.phpu=http://www.Floridafilmproductioncoalition.com ffpcoalitoni@aol.comCell: 305 588-0087--------------------

To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/inbox/readmessage.php&t=1075181717952&mid=436658G3de9693bG346c99G0

Deja Vu?

2009-04-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

Below is a report, from Film in Fl., about the current status on the upcoming fiscal year's film budget.
Sometimes you have to read behind the lines, because that is how the Governor's people deliver bad news.
On the Senate's front burner is the same as last year. $5million in tax incentives. On the House's side $15million. The first will destroy the Fl. Film Infrastructure, the latter will just put another nail in the coffin.
Oh, what about those attractive tax credits; you ask? As it says below, in code, SB 350 is on hold in the Tax and Finance committee and has a very good chance of dying there. Ken Pruitt sits on that board and there should'nt be any secret about his disdain for any kind of Film Incentive. He was the Senate President last year. As far as the House goes: The tax credit bills have not even been read by any committee.
Now, do you understand why I was imploring everyone to vote last year? People said, well there are new people in Tallahassee. But who were those new people? You can't put lipstick on a pig and turn it into anything else.
The fat lady is warming up for her debut at Fl.'s Film Funeral (FFF) and the apathetic ones among most of those in our States industry, that have'nt signed FFPC's petition, are strongly encouraging her to give her final performance!

NEWS:

DIRECTOR’S CUT

Appropriations Progress

Senate: Senate Transportation and Economic Development (TED) Appropriations Committee this week passed its appropriations bill (SB 7060). There were no changes to their earlier proposed budget items for the Office of Film and Entertainment operating expenses ($753,296) and the entertainment incentive ($5 million). The bill, submitted by Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee as SPB 7072 goes to Senate Policy and Steering Committee on Ways and Means on Tuesday afternoon.

House: The House Transportation and Economic Development (TED) Appropriations Committee finalized their Chairman's recommendations to send to the Full Appropriations Council on Education and Economic Development for vote next Tuesday afternoon. They increased their budget recommendation for the entertainment incentive from $12 million to $15 million. No increase for the Office of Film and Entertainment operating expenses ($453,296) which represents a $300,000 reduction to OFE operating expenses. The Full Appropriations Council on Education and Economic Development bill, CEED1-09, was filed on 4/2/09.

Keep an eye out for amendments for both these bills that might impact the film appropriation. Below is the deadline for amendments; however there can also be “late-filed” amendments:

Senate
Monday, April 06, 2009 - 1:30 pmAmendments to bills and amendments to proposed committee substitutes must be submitted by 1:30pm Monday to the appropriate appropriations committee staff to be considered.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - 10:00 amAmendments to amendments and substitute amendments must be submitted by 10am Tuesday to the appropriate appropriations committee staff to be considered.

House
Friday, April 03, 2009 - 5:00 pmAll main amendments for the proposed General Appropriations bills and related implementing and conforming bills must be filed by 5pm Friday, April 3rd, for Full Appropriations Councils meeting on Tuesday, April 07, 2009. Amendments are to be filed with the Council that is considering the bill to be amended.Monday, April 06, 2009 - 8:00 amPackages of amendments will be available no later than 8 a.m. Monday, April 06, 2009 - 1:00 pmAll amendments to the amendments and substitute amendments must be filed with the Council that is considering the bill to be amended.

Tax Credit Bill Progress

SB 350 (Haridopolos) remains in Senate Finance and Tax. It is not anticipated that it will be taken up next week. Senators Detert and Sobel are signed on as co-sponsors.

There appears to be no movement for either of the two tax credit bills in the House (HB 43 and HB 47). HB 47 (Precourt), the companion to SB 350 (Haridopolos) has however, attracted more cosponsors. They include Representatives Bovo, Holder, Hudson, Kelly, O'Toole, Porth, Rehwinkel-Vasilinda, Soto, Tobia, and Steinberg.

The Senate Select Committee continues to work on their package, which includes an entertainment industry tax credit per the language of SB350.

It is anticipated that the legislature will wrap around noon next Wednesday and resume work on the following Monday, April 13th.

Lucia Fishburne
State Film Commissioner

Waiting...

2009-04-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Pretty much a fact of life. Things don't go as quickly as we would like them to. However, there are also times when we wish things would slow down. Film Production did'nt just slow down, over the last year, it pretty much died. Most of us never wished for that to happen.

The Florida Film Production Coalition did a Brilliant job in Rallying folks to Tallahassee, on March 18th and 19th, and all of the people that traveled; did a great job stating our cause to bring Film Production back to Fl.

As many know, by now, FFPC also has an online petition. Just go to:
http://www.petitiononline.com/ffpc09/petition.html . Then register, it's very easy. Trust me. I did it and I'm a computer illiterate. The petition started out like gangbusters. At times there were anywhere from 100 to 200 signatures a day. Now it has slowed to a snails pace. With about 2 to 7 signatures a day. The last time I viewed the petitions signatures; it was just over 3600. How can anyone, directly affected or indirectly affected, accept that number when we have some 100,000 people that have directly worked in Film, TV, or commercials when there was work?!

This post is going to be the only type of post, with the exception of different words, that you will be seeing until the budget session is over and we find out what the conclusion will be.

I'm sorry. Yes, I am taking this very personal. This is how I make enough money to buy and do things that I have to do. There are workshops and classes that I would like to take. I would like to get my car's AC fixed, which has been broke for over a year. I could use some decent clothes. Many are in a worse predicament...and by granting tax credits; it will not be putting Film Production ahead of Schools or Healthcare. That argument is so rediculous that I question the intelligence of those that even think that. BRINGING FILM PRODUCTION BACK TO OUR STATE WILL ONLY BRING MORE MONEY INTO THE STATES COFFERS TO HELP TO FINANCE SCHOOLS AND HEALTHCARE. PLEASE WRITE THAT DOWN.

I said before; We will need at least 10,ooo signatures on FFPC's petition. FFPC wants 20,000. The way things are going; we might not reach 5000 signatures. Not unless the apathetic ones get over their apathy. Not unless, those that have signed, spread the word to every business and business person to sign the petition. Not unless those, that are working in other States that can't find a few minutes to register and sign up, will suddenly see the light and find a few minutes to sign up.

If you don't care enough about our State to sign your name to an online petition, Then go ahead and buy a house in Michigan or Louisiana. Because that is what most of those, in our industry, are going to do after July.

Thee Petition...Part Two.

2009-03-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

Since last week, FFPC's petition has increased by about 1000 signatures. Kudos to all that have signed. It shows that you definitely want change.

The bad news is that, in today's newspaper, the State underestimated the budget deficit by about one billion dollars. If the legislature does not support Governor Crist's request to approve the 4.7 billion in Stimulus money, that our State got from Wash. D.C., and approve the added gaming tables at Seminole Hard Rock ( Tampa ), which will bring in over 100 million dollars a year. It's a very good chance that the cutting and slashing could hit the Film Budget, again.

I don't know how to tell you how desperate this situation is. I've tried over the past three years. I don't know what I can say that I or someone else has'nt already said.
Our State should not have any trouble at getting 50,000 signatures on a petition for this film industry. There is no excuse for all of the apathy from people in our Industry.

Keep talking to your friends, students, teachers, classmates, actors and crew on the set, waiters and waitresses, Hotel people, anyone and everyone!!

This very well may be our last chance to do something. Believe it!

Thee Petition...

2009-03-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

Since the Florida Film Production Coalition's ( FFPC ) petition started, it took off like gangbusters. Now it has slowed down. The last time I viewed the list of signatures, just minutes ago, it was at 2372. Some will say that's not bad. The problem is that when that petition is submitted to our State lawmakers; it's going to have to have, at least, 10,000 signatures. Where do I get that number from? Everyone has told Tallahassee legistors that the film industry employs about 100,o00 people. We would need at least 10% of that 100,000 to appear on that petition to have any kind of impact on those same lawmakers.

I looked at all the names on that petition and about 3000 FL. SAG Actors are not on the list. Is that professional? Do they care if Fl. loses it Film infrastructure. Where Are They?! We need them now, more than ever. Where is the Fl. SAG leadership when it comes to informing all of the members about this petition. The stakes are too high for the Status Quo.

Thousands and Thousands of people, in this business just don't get it and their apathy is going to kill Fl.'s Film Industry in the near future.

FFPC Petition.

2009-03-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

If you have'nt signed Florida Film Production Coalition's Petition to encourage our State lawmakers to pass a healthy Film Incentive program; Please click this link and register to put your name on the list at:http://www.PetitionOnline.com/ffpc09/petition.html . I know that there are FFEAC members that have ties to alot of the tourist industry's workplaces. Theme Parks, Hotels, Restaurants, and on and on. The word has to get to those that are indirectly affected, but still ARE affected by Fl.'s Film production standstill.
I must say that I do not understand why my friends, in the acting world, have not responded. Someone asks a favor from me and I'll do everything I can to help that person. We're talking about a signature. We're talking about re-creating jobs. We're talking about keeping Fl.'s Film Infrastructure from crumbling into ashes. What sane person would have a problem with that? I don't ask favors from anyone very often and, like in the GodFather, I will not ask for a second favor when I have been refused the first.
People need to take this issue seriously and do so very soon! We're running out of time.

SAG Get-Together

2009-03-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

Last Friday evening, Central Fl. SAG folks turned out at the Ember Restaurant and Lounge. This was the Third get-together orchestrated by SAG Central Fl. Rep.: Dave Fazekas.

This was my first but it was great to see old friends and meet new ones. Everybody was great and smiling and having a good time.

We talked shop and this 'n that and just had a great time together. We all enjoyed each others company...together. When you are among friends, happiness warms the blood.

There was no bickering, no in-fighting. It were as if we had ALL been friends for a long time, even though many us had met for the first time.

We need more of that. We need to hear more good things than bad. A friend came up to me and grabbed my shoulders and told me how much this blogsite had meant to him. He might have known, or he might not have, that he was giving me a huge infusion of support and encouragement. I must say that there were times that I would ask myself if there was anybody out there listening. It's a great feeling to know that there are some that do listen and do care.

It is my sincere hope that more people will show up, Union or non-Union, at the next SAG Party. We all need that infusion every now and then.

Now it Starts.

2009-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's March and it's that time of Year. The time when the House and Senate start their sessions to come up with a new State budget for 2009 to 2010. That includes either a Film Incentive plan or Tax Credit plan for Film Production.

Sadly, the Governor's proposed budget for film is a mere 10 million dollars. Twice of what last year's film budget was, but would barely make a ripple in our predicament.

As I mentioned in a previous post, there are 2 House bills and 2 Senate bills. One proposing $25million per year in tax credits over a 3 year period and the other offers UNLIMITED TAX CREDITS OF 20%. The last one would bring a truckload of Theatricals, TV Series, and Commercials and possibly: webisodes. It would create thousands of jobs related directly and indirectly to the Film Industry. If we don't succeed in getting a major tax credit budget in film, we will see our film infrastructure vanish before our very eyes. There were the naysayers last year when I warned them of the circumstances that we all would suffer from slashing our film budget from $25million to a paltry $5mil in the last budget. Where are the naysayers now. The unemployment line...that's WHERE!

I'll say it again and again. If our lawmakers do not hear from us, we will really suffer this time. Take it to the Bank. This put a smiley face on and hope for the best is nothing but a giant pile of Crapola. As far as the people that are getting involved for the first time go, good for you; and welcome aboard. We need every single person that we can find that is willing to support our cause. Again, whether or not they benefit directly from film: does not matter. The probabilities are close to 100% that they will be effected indirectly, even if they have'nt been already. Have you seen all of those Job Fairs on the local news? Have you seen the crowds and long lines of people that have attended those same Job Fairs? Get the Picture? Not many did last year.

If you can afford to go to Tallahassee for the "Rally in Tally" on March 18th or 19th ( whatever date they finally decide on;it's changed several times already), you should go. If not: you need to write to your State House Representative and your State Senate Representative. Like right now! We have a second chance. Don't count on a third. There won't be anyone left in the State for a third chance. Not anyone in the Film business.

School Days, School Days...

2009-03-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

You've heard it over and over again. To stay sharp, while you're not working, you should take classes and workshops. If not you lose the ability to properly exhibit your craft.

I went to three acting schools. All three are pretty much now defunct, with the possibility of KVG ( a school owned by Ken and Valerie Grant ), That was my first school, when it was a Studio over on Pine Street. They had some great instructors; Rus Blackwell, Brett Rice, Tracey Frankel, Ginny Kopf, Greg Neff, and, of course, Ken and Valerie.

I then attended The Studio Acting Co., owned by David Goldin. The school featured the teachings of Eric Morris and Jeff Breslauer was the Instructor.

Next stop: Zoe & Co. Again my instructor was Rus Blackwell and another very good instructor at Zoe's was Dennis Neal. I also attended several workshops offered by Casting Directors and Acting Coaches.

There are now some new acting studios and maybe a handful, such as Lisa Maile, that have been around for decades. However, it seems that many more don't seem to last very long. Why is that?

Most, if not all professional actors have, at least, the basics when it comes to training in the acting field. Many wannabes do not. They do not invest in the training it takes to work in this business. Harsh, but true. One year of High School drama class does'nt come close. Some don't even have that...and it SHOWS!

One element in Fl.'s acting infrastructure that is terribly weak is; the lack of acting schools and instuctors available in our State. In order to grow a large professional talent pool, this has to change.

I have an offer to any acting school. If you want to advertise on this blogsite, I will put your business card, or whatever advertisement you have on file in the advertising sidebar of this blogsite. I will do this for FREE. No catch. This blogsite is here to promote MAXIMUM film production in our State. Doing this will be a contribution to that cause. Just make sure that your ad can fit in the blogs sidebar. That's all you have to do.

It's not only up to our lawmakers to bring change to our Industry. We have to do it as well.

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Vocal Notes
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Your Training Option.Home Training Books and CDs.

Vocal Tip of the Day:

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Email Ginny

March 2009
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They Changed the date again.

2009-02-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

The date is March 18th for the Rally in Tally, at 9am, again. Let's hope this is the final change.

From the Florida Film Production Coalition.

2009-02-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

THE INFO BELOW IS FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA PEOPLE INTERESTED IN GOING TO TALLAHASSEE. ....INFORMATION FOR OTHER AREAS OF THE STATE WILL BE COMING SOON.....
CALLING ALL ADVOCATES !

Do You Want Our Industry To Be A Top Public Priority In Florida?Film Day in TallahasseeMarch 19, 2009 (Thursday) 8 am-3 pm. The WIFF, DMAF, FCCA and Florida Film Production Coalition, in support of the Floridas Film Industry, needs you to show your support of Florida's production industry to our legislators during this session of the General Assembly.

Once again, it is time to begin lobbying for film incentives and other funding and work-generating legislation. Your voice is critical to telling the story of the hardships FloridaÕs production community is facing. Film Day is the day to make this case to your Representatives in person in an effort to give a much-needed boost to our industry.

Date: March 19, 2009 (Thursday) Time: 8 am 3 pm Location: Florida General Assembly BuildingWe are trying to make arrangements for transportation to the General Assembly Building for Film Day.

With many of us in our industry not working or being forced to work out-of-state, it is extremely important, now more than ever, to change the course of direction.If you are unable to attend, we ask that you email or call your Representatives to tell your story. Visit the Florida General Assembly website to find your local Representative.

In the past, our combined organizations with the cooperation and support of Film Florida, has successfully voiced many issues regarding our industry to our legislators over the years. We have could not have done this without your cooperation and support.

We want to get a bus but we need you to commit now!

Reserve a Seat for Film Day Bus Trip!Join us in Tallahassee for Film Day as we meet with representatives from the Florida Legislature.

Film Day in TallahasseeMarch 19, 2009 Thursday The Trip we will board 7:00 am buses at a location TBA. Reservationsthe cost of a bus seat is only $40.Reservations should be made as soon as possible! CALL OR EMAIL me and let me know so we can reserve a bus Sponsorship. A limited amount of sponsorship money is available to help students and others who are unable to raise sufficient funds to pay the full price for a bus seat. To inquire about the availability of sponsorship money, please contact us. If you would like to help sponsor one or more deserving individuals (someone to attend in your place, perhaps), this would be very much appreciated!More InformationFor more information, please call (407) 835-8701.

Sign-Up Now!

I would like to pay for ____ seats at $40 per person.

I cannot attend but would like to sponsor _____ seats at $40 per person.

Please consider me for a scholarship. I've attached an explanation of why you should consider me!Please email me at artwsmithjr@ earthlink.net or call (407) 835-8701 for additional information.

Before March 6

Art:mailto:artwsmithjr@%20earthlink.%20net"

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

"Ð C.S. Lewis

Editor's Note: There was an error in an earlier post about the Date. Above is the Correct Date per FFPC.

Tallahassee Pilgramage.

2009-02-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

The Florida Film Production Coalition ( FFPC ) will be coordinating The "Rally in Tally".
There will be Chartered buses going up to Tallahassee on March 18th. The Rally will start at 10am and end at 6pm. As of now, it would cost $125 per seat. We could use some big time sponsors to help us with the cost. Outside producers might want to help us out since our cause is also theirs. That goes for all Corporations that will benefit from Film Production in Fl.
Go to this website: www.floridafilmproductioncoalition.com to keep up on the latest info.

No More Excuses!

2009-01-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

I just read Lori Wyman's: "The Organic Actor". I have read many books about this Industry but I must say that I believe Lori's is the best. She covers everything an actor needs to know in this business.

She calls her Chapters "Morsels". The Book starts with her introducing herself and giving us her background; from graduating College to now. Then she covers Castings (decisions made from opinions), whether to submit or omit an actors audition, having a career plan, getting an agent, marketing oneself, headshots, reels, resumes, SCAMMERS, becoming SAG versus staying non-union, THE PERSON to get to know, extras, audition preperation, sides, yes or no to memorizing, dressing for an audition, using props, slating, being in-character, be on-time, audition inhibitors, no excuses, breathe, be in the moment, have fun, perfume/cologne, sabotoging yourself, the waiting room, horror stories, words that harm or help you, don't take things personally, set etiquette, Please and Thank-You, letter writing, don't get a big head, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, never take no for an answer, and the summation.

If you are one the few that are working all the time and support your family by working in this business, I can understand your argument for thinking that their is'nt anything in that book for you. However, I believe otherwise. I think everyone can learn something from this book. I learned many things and I was surprised to learn as much as I did! This book is especially a treasure trove for beginning or inexperienced actors.

Inside every morsel is a tasty tidbit. Lori covers her experiences with wit, seriousness, and, in one of the later morsels, surprise if not shock. I also appreciated the clarity of the book. For every piece of advice, Lori gives examples by giving us actual instances that will illustrate her point.

If you are looking for an agent, if you don't get call-backs, if you don't book a job...this book is a necessity; not a luxury. You need this book. For those that constantly book, you may not "need it" but you can still learn from it.

I bought my book on http://www.borders.com/ . I believe you can also purchase it on http://www.theorganicactor.com/ . I bought my book a few days ago and it was $27 for the paperback plus shipping. I believe I have made the perfect investment and I know that I will make much more than that investment in the future. Please buy the book. Thank-You.

Knock Knock Knocking on Heaven's Door.

2009-01-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

Our State House and Senate have Two Bills, each, that will bring Film Production back to Fl.

They are: House Bills HR43(Ambler) and HR47(Precourt) and Senate Bills SB312(Ring) and SB350(Haridopolos). The Ambler/Ring bills are identical. They offer 25 million, in tax credits, over a period of three years. The Precourt/Haridopolos are also identical. Their Bills offer unlimited tax credits.

If either one of these Representatives or Senators are in your district and they represent you, then I wholeheartedly ask you to write them and ask the four of them to sit down and work out one bill in the House and one bill in the Senate. If they are not your Representatives, then write to yours and tell them that you would like for he or she to speak to the above Representatives and Senators and ask them to sit down and have a meeting of the minds.

Obviously, everyone in our Industry can pick out the more attractive bill. Unfortunately we are not at the point where we should pick out the two that we like, and ask our Reps to pass them. We need one bill in the House and one in the Senate to get behind 100%. One thing at a time.

The Governor's budget will come out sometime in Feb. and that film bill could be even more attractive. He has the opportunity to lead on this issue.

Many people, in our Industry, have had a tough time over the past budget year. They need to support bringing back Film Production to our State. There are those that have done well under the circumstances. They could do alot better if we can get a strong Film Tax Credit bill passed into Law! Write! PLEASE!

To know what district you are in: it's on your voter registration card. You will see numbers at the bottom of your card. The numbers under Fl. Senate and Fl.House are the district numbers.
If you don't have a card, call your County Voters Registration or County Elections office to find out who your State Reps. are.

Below are the HTML's that give a list of State House of Representatives and the State Senate members.

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives.apx

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Legistors/index.cfm?Chamber=Senate&Submenu=1

If the above links don't work, please go to: http://www.myfloridahouse.com/ and navigate to the members pages of the House and Senate. Thank-You.

In Memoriam.

2009-01-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

It is with a Heavy Heart that we state the passing of Jett Travolta. The State of Fl. mourns his passing and their hearts go out to the surviving Family: John, Kelly, their daughter, and their entire family.
John Travolta and Kelly Preston have done alot for their community as well as this State. Our Thoughts and Prayers are with them.

Another Testimonial...

2009-01-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

From the Orlando Sentinel Editorial section:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed02109jan02,0,3946978.story

GOOD RIDDANCE TO 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-27T11:54:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WELCOME TO 2009!

For me, 2008 was a nightmare. Although there are economists that say 2009 won't be any better, there are signs of better things in our State of Fl.

Housing has started to show an upturn and it seems we have support, for a good Film-Incentive plan, from State Senator Mike Fazano. Would'nt it be great if Sen. Fazano took up the Film Incentive torch from the late Representative: Don Davis?

I thought that; Rep. Dean Cannon, would take up that same torch in Fl.'s House of Representatives but I'm not so sure anymore.

This State is in Desperate need of jobs. There was no reason to Nuke Film-Incentives, last year. The lawmakers knew that this program made 6.5 dollars for every dollar spent. They knew and they still crushed the Film Industry in Fl.

Many people did not write their Representives, last year. Especially those that thought this issue would not affect them because they worked for a Hotel or Home Improvement Store, or at a Car Rental place. Many of those people are now in the unemployment line.

We need to start writing to our State Representives, in the House and Senate, NOW!!

Maybe we need to sound more desperate, this time, when we write. UHHHHHHH...... BECAUSE WE ARE? Trust me, when I tell you that nobody is going to do it for you.
(Before the correction, I wrote that Dean Cannon was Speaker of the House. That was my error. The Speaker of the House is: Ray Sansom.)

Another Testimonial.

2008-12-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

I believe that this article is the best written article on the subject of the Film Industry. I also want to give kudos to WESH Channel 2, in Orlando, for telling it like it is on this subject.

"Florida's film-industry star fades"
Sarah Talalay (Fort Lauderdale) Sun Sentinel
December 26, 2008

When Marley & Me, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, opened in theaters across the country Thursday, Florida moviegoers could enjoy picking out landmarks from Las Olas Boulevard to Dolphin Stadium.South Florida is as much a character in the film as Marley, the story's unruly Labrador. The two months spent shooting the film in the region last spring pumped more than $10 million into area businesses and paid wages for nearly 1,400 local film-industry workers.But Florida is beginning to fall off studios' radar. A fund the state provides to attract big film productions was slashed from $25 million last year to $5 million as the state struggled with its fiscal crisis.Now in its fifth year, Florida's budget for incentives is being dwarfed by other states, such as Louisiana, New Mexico and Michigan.

"It used to be we could compete with less-attractive or less-generous incentives because we were Florida," said Lucia Fishburne, the state's film commissioner. "There's obviously an incentive war going on, and everybody's beefing up their war chests.

"Major film and TV productions that spend at least $625,000 in the state can qualify for a rebate that is typically 15 percent of the amount spent in Florida. The rebate can reach 22 percent if filming occurs during hurricane season and if the production is family-friendly. Productions also get a sales-tax exemption.

Marley & Me, based on the best-selling book by former Sun Sentinel columnist John Grogan, got a $1.5 million rebate for spending nearly $10.3 million in Florida, including booking 6,300 hotel room nights.

But Florida film officials say these days, big-budget films such as Marley & Me could be shot almost anywhere.

Other states are providing much-larger incentives, some worth 40 percent or more, and have no budgetary restrictions.

That worries Sam Tedesco, Marley & Me's location manager, who has homes in Pompano Beach and Southern California, and other film-industry workers who live in Florida."It turns film crews that have their homes in Florida essentially into migrant workers," Tedesco said. "People are starting to migrate to other states; they're working in Louisiana, New Mexico."Michigan enacted its incentive package, which can reach as high as 42 percent, this spring.

Already, 25 major productions completed filming in 2008, including Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino, compared with two the previous year, said Anthony Wenson, Michigan Film Office chief operating officer. Another 50 are planned next year, he said.Lawmakers in some states don't want to lose their competitive edge, but have grown concerned about film-incentive budgets growing out of control.In Florida, two bills that would lift the $5 million cap on incentives and offer a choice between a straight rebate or tax credit have been filed in advance of the spring legislative session."We know this is an uphill battle. We want so much to make the business community, as well as make legislators, understand this is a complement for tourism," said Elizabeth Wentworth, Broward County film commissioner.

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said Florida has to compete with other states for film and TV production, which provide jobs and stimulate the economy. According to the state film office, 100,000 people in Florida are directly employed in the film and TV industry."The only way we're going to increase revenue for our state is to stimulate the economy and grow jobs and investments. If we don't step up to the plate and show our side of wanting to invest, why would the private sector want to come to our state and invest?" said Fasano, who chairs the Senate transportation and economic-development appropriations committee.

In a recession, proponents say spending on films flows quickly through the economy, be it on jobs, hotel stays, rental cars or lumber companies that provide materials for sets.And, other than mountains, Florida offers a wealth of settings."If you want westerns, you can go out to the western part of the county; if you want yachts, you can come to the east. If you need condos, come to the middle of the county," Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson said. "Anything is here for any filmmaker that wants to come."

'Marley & Me,' starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, is set in South Florida. The state's film-industry workers fear Florida is losing movie productions to other states, which offer Hollywood studios more-lucrative incentives.

It Never Ends...

2008-12-22T16:42:00.000-08:00

The Trail of Tears.

I have this secret that few, if any, outside of my family, know. I am One-Eighth Cherokee Native American. I can hear the Heinz 57 jokes flying around already.

My Relatives and I have tried to trace our lineage back in our Cherokee Ancestry and we can't get past our GrandMother, who was One-Half Cherokee. This is very important, as well as frustrating, for us. I finally heard about an Event that involved mainly Five different Tribes. The Cherokee, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles. That event happened on May 23, 1838 and was called " The Trail of Tears".

In the early 1800's, the Cherokee Nation Home was in DeKalb county, Alabama but most of the Cherokee lived in North Georgia. They lived on beautiful land that many settlers wanted for themselves. There was also the rumor of Gold being discovered on that land.

When the US Gov't heard that the British wanted to try to take over American land, again, this time via Louisiana, the Gov't. put General Andrew Jackson in Charge.

Jackson had problems finding people to fight a war. It was'nt that long ago that they had to fight in the Revolutionary War. Jackson turned to the Native Americans to help him fight in, what was to become the War of 1812. Jackson promised that if they fought and Won, that he would see to it that they would keep their Land.

History tells us who won. Jackson. After he became President, he betrayed the Native Americans and went back on his word. He sent in the Army to remove them from their land and on May 23, 1838, They were forced to begin a Journey to Oklahoma that is now known as: "The Trail of Tears". About 4,000 human beings lost their lives on that Trail. Most of them Children.

Now we fast-forward to the present. The Seminole Indian tribe have land with Gaming Casinos on that land. They have brought in New Gaming Tables from an agreement with their Seminole Chief and Governor Crist.

The State Legislator's are crying foul because the issue should have passed by them before it got to Gov. Crist. The problem with that was, at the time, the Seminoles gave the State of Florida a chance to take advantage of all the Tax money that the State would receive if the State acted now. If they did'nt; the Federal Gov't knew that they would have to grant the Seminoles those gaming tables. The Legislature was against adding the tables...Period! Keep in mind that the Seminoles could have just said that we are adding tables and we're not going to spend one dime in State taxes and let's take it all the way up to the Supreme Court. The Conservative Supreme Court Judges are'nt high on Taxes and the Liberal Justices would have a problem with the way Gov't was trying to dictate to Native Americans on THEIR LAND!! So do you think the Supreme Court would have ruled in favor of the State of Fl.? I don't!

So Now what happens? The State Attorney General, Bill McCollum, wants to prosecute an ethnic group that had been persecuted, for over a hundred years. We have returned to Paleface trying to bully Native Americans. Oh Joy!

The Seminole Indian Tribe is offering to pay Tax Money, on a silver platter, in return for being left Alone. That would start out at 100 Million dollars a year into Blazing Red State Coffers which needs money desperately. That amount could possibly increase each year. Which begs the question: Are Tallahassee Lawmakers Stuck On Stupid??!!!

The State Legislature needs to do the right thing and agree to the Seminoles requests, for Crying Out Loud! It's time to show the people that we have advanced in the past One-Hundred and Eighty years and let Bill McCollum know that we don't need another "StoneWalling" Jackson!

Latest New Headshot.

2008-12-20T18:03:00.000-08:00

I know that there is a rule of thumb; for how often one should get new Headshots but I don't fall under that rule or that thumb.

Working out; affects my look because my body changes shape fairly fast, especially in my face. So, I get a new Headshot anywhere from 3-6 months. This is the exception, NOT THE RULE, nor...the...thumb. I do this until I reach my goal and then hope I can stay there.

My photographer is Tim Tew. He now does Headshots on a part time basis because he decided to serve as Deputy Sheriff and protect the community. See: http://www.studiotew.com/ .

Tim has been my photographer for about 11 years. I was comfortable with him from day one so I stuck with him. He shot my latest pics, and again I am very happy.

There are other Great Professional photographers: Michael Cairns, David Nations, and Caroline Ross; to name a few. They have the same type of clientel that share a calm and comfortable relationship. Please keep in mind that I am talking about Photographers in the Orlando area.

In my case, unlike other clients, I owe Tim and Greg ( at photoscan ) alot. This is my way of saying Thank-You.

HAPPY EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE!

2008-12-10T06:19:00.000-08:00

I'm taking the rest of the year off. Alot has been going on and I'm going to enjoy some down time but will be back in 2009. Which reminds me. I'm changing the blog address from 2008 to 2009 ( If it lets me.). Anyway here goes ( and I'm sure I will leave a holiday out, but not on purpose.

HAPPY CHANNUKAH AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY KWANZAA!

AND A PEACEFUL, JOYOUS, SAFE, AND PROSPEROUS
NEW YEAR TO ALL!!

And The Hits Keep Coming...

2008-11-30T17:51:00.000-08:00

Now the local media is reporting a 5.9 Billion dollar shortfall for the State's 2010 budget. That means the State budget will have been in the Red for 3 years of Governor Crist's First Term as Governor. What will those of us, in the Biz, do for the next 2 and a 1/2 years? If they are depending on Housing Construction to bail us out, what does that tell us about our State lawmakers? They seem to have pinned all of their hopes on one income, instead of being more creative with other possiblities.

Don't shoot the messenger! I just call 'em as I see 'em. I'm preparing those that have'nt been keeping up with news that effects our livelihoods. Is that a bad thing?

As bad as things are now, they will probably be worse in two years.

Where are those that spoke out against bringing in Outside Film Production? Have they put people to work and paid them handsomely and helped our State's Economy? Uhh...NO!!!! Though, I am quite sure that they are happy to see all of those without work and whose families are suffering. Especially at this time of year. As the saying goes: "Misery Loves Company".

You see, when the industry was thriving, those anti-incentive folks were'nt making a dime from the windfall anyway. They were'nt hired. Does that tell us something about where their animosity comes from?

It's too late to do anything about those in the legislature. The same people got voted back in, or if someone new got elected: that person thinks the same way as those that got re-elected. Which means that most of the Legislators will be voting against a meaningful Film Stimulus Budget.

The word from a local newspaper is; that most State legislators only make around $30,000 plus a year. Those that are in office are rich due to other incomes. If they raised the income to, at least double that, we might see better candidates for the job, in the future.

At this time of year I write with a Heavy heart. It's going to be a tough Christmas for most of us. On the other hand, for those of us that have our health, we are all the more richer. That's the greatest gift of all. And even though I have Hospital Bills and other Bills, I, thanks to the Hospital at South Seminole Hospital ( in Longwood ) still have my health. I don't know how long my health will hold up with the Looney-Tunes minding the Store ( In Tallahassee). But I hope I will endure so that I will see better days to come in this Industry. Just as how I hope the same will happen for you.

Unbelievable!

2008-11-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

Almost a year has passed us by already. Where did all the time go?

I started this blog one year ago in Jan. Many of you started out with me and I give my heartfelt gratitude to all of you that have supported this site, and me, over the past year.

When I started this site, our State had passed a $25 million dollar tax incentive for Film Production, earlier that year. I thought that the State Lawmakers finally got it and would continue to support the Incentive since it had proved that it brings income and jobs for tens of thousands of people. I thought that with all of the film production going on, that it would be a good idea to have a blogsite to promote Film Production in Florida. How Wrong I was.

As we all now know; the State Legislators panicked. Because of a 6 billion dollar deficit, the State took away a program that brought money into the State and would contribute to putting Florida's budget back into the black. The same holds true for Seminole Gaming.

State Legislators are fighting to prevent the Seminole Indian Tribe from expanding the number of Slot Machines and bringing in new gaming tables. The State's revenue on these improvements would be; about $160 million, or more, a year. To vote against these extra revenues would be reprehensable as well as ignorant.

You can't have a Film Industry, in Fl., when the State Lawmakers do not support such an Industry. I've said this many times. Yes, I know.

I hope all of you enjoy your Thanksgiving Day!

From The Hollywood Reporter.

2008-11-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: MADE IN FLORIDA

The Ultimate Guide to filming in Florida

On December 12, The Hollywood Reporter will publish a feature on filming in the Sunshine State - where the generous incentives, beautiful locations, and strong infrastructure have continued to lure filmmakers. This large, diverse state is filled with a variety of locations from coast to coast. Whether it’s the Venetian Gothic Ca d’Zan Mansion or Ponce DeLeon’s fountain of youth in Sarasota, the famous Suwannee River, the cypress swamps, the horse farms of Ocala, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, the Everglades, the launch pads of the Space Coast, Palm Beach’s Singer Island or the hot, hot, hot nightlife of Miami Beach – Florida has it all – and Hollywood is ready to do business.

If your company, hotel, film commission, production facility or organization relies on the motion picture, television or commercial production industry, this issue is the perfect place to get your advertising message to the producers, directors, and location scouts who can hire you or house their crews for their next big project set to shoot in Florida. For advertising rates and premium positions contact:

Sue Raymer
(323) 525-2245
Sue.raymer@thr.com

Publish date: December 12
Deadline for materials: December 9

Who's on First?

2008-11-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

I've been very fortunate to receive Film in Florida's newsletters and emails. Most people, in this Industry, should be receiving this info. You can go to http://www.filminflorida.com/ to register so you will receive their communicae.

Unfortunately, I must say that I am quite confused. I'm hearing alot of things, from Film in Fl., that I have been hearing for the past few years. It's the same thing every year. Contact the lawmakers and tell them how important the Film Industry is to those of us that have worked in it. Contact the new blood up in Tallahassee. "Mold" them into Film Incentive supporters.

NEWSFLASH!!: They already have been "Molded". They are ideologues to their Political Party's Policies, Ideas, and Values. The majority says they are Tax-Cutters. Political Science will tell you what happens when they do that. It happened in our State. Education took a horrendous hit. Staffing has been cut on all State operated facilities. Such as: State funded nursing homes. I recently visited one to see a relative and I was horrified of stories where people had to wait for long periods of time when they tried to buzz the Nurse. Many are left in their beds waiting hrs. for a bedpan or urinal. There are cuts in Police and Fire Depts. These cuts have caused alot of pain for alot of people. Now the word is; that the upcoming State budget will be facing a deficit of 3 Billion dollars. Of course, people will scream that it's either that or Raise taxes. No it isn't and it should'nt be.

The States politicoes have their eggs all in one basket. Home Construction and Real Estate Sales. They bring in heavy revenues to the State when they are flourishing. Well, now that industry is virtually dead. Why would any Leader depend on one resource to put our budget in the Black?

Daytona Beach Kennel Club ( Dog Track ) just opened up 50 new card tables. That's more Tax revenue. Where is it? The Seminole Hard Rock Casinos added a bunch of new slot machines plus they will be featuring table games for the first time. That's a Ton of Tax Revenue: Anywhere from $100,ooo to $5oo,ooo a year. Where is it? Outside Film Production provided a huge infusion of dollars to Film workers, Hoteliers and their employees, Car Rental agencies, Restaurants, Food Stores, Fast Food Restaurants, Theme parks, Box Stores, Antique Stores, Caterers, and many other businesses. Those workers, in turn, spend money and generate tax revenue for the State. AND STILL, STILL: Many of the above workers voted the very same people back into office that made our lives miserable. Amazing!

Not a single one of the House Representatives has demanded to take the torch, that the late Dan Davis so proudly wielded, and lead the House back to the path of Film production money to our State. Please don't say Dean Cannon. I don't want to hear it and I sure have'nt seen it.

The State Senate is worse. Burt Saunders has failed miserably in leading the State Senate to support Fl. Film Pdn. There is no leadership in the Senate on this issue. The State Senate will always be the first to try to eliminate Film Incentives...Completely. Every Budget year; the Senates first offer to the film incentive budget has always been $0. It's true.

Finally, there's Governor Crist. In his first year, I must be fair, he was a big reason why the Film Incentive Budget got $25 million dollars which led to a good year for Florida's Film Production Industry as well as other Industries that were
indirectly affected. Now we see a Governor that has other career interests that are taking up his time.

All of the Politicians, in Tallahassee, know the spiel about what Film Incentives does for our State. They don't need to be informed. They just don't CARE!!

You're State Legislators.

2008-11-14T07:49:00.000-08:00

The following piece of an article was taken from Sunday's, 11/16/08, edition of the Orlando Sentinel's local section.

Commentary: Capitol View
digg_url = 'http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-capview1608nov16,0,1254601.column';

Freshmen lawmakers angling to become speaker unintended consequence of term limits
Aaron Deslatte Capitol View
November 16, 2008

House Republicans are planning a lavish golf retreat at the lush Panhandle WaterColor Inn and Resort near Destin this week after their new leaders are sworn in at the Capitol.Given the austere economic climate, incoming House Speaker Ray Sansom, R-Destin, seemed a little squirmy when reporters asked him about the appropriateness of an expensive getaway when revenues are plummeting and education and social services could be on the cutting board again."We budgeted this retreat 18 months ago," he said. "There's not one penny of tax dollars paying for it."
True, the party will pay. And the bonding between the 27 new and 49 returning House Republicans could be more critical than ever.

While that article shows that the House Republicans did nothing illegal, it shows disdain to the people that they serve whom are suffering from those lawmakers budget cuts.

They budgeted the retreat 18 months ago. So What?! They could have had just a little sensitivity and postponed their partying until the economy improved...drastically.

State House and Senate Reps. have got to realize that people in this State are in serious difficulty and those Reps should not be dancing while many of their constituents are suffering.

Kudos to Those that Voted!

2008-11-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

It gave me goosebumps to see people stand in line for hours in order to excercise their right as a free American. We had a hard time finding a parking space or had to wait for hours to vote, but we did'nt have to dodge bullets or bombs like in some countries, or worse; some countries don't have the privilege to vote. Again: Kudos to all that did!!

Unlike the National landscape, their was'nt much, if any, change in our State elected officials. That means to expect more of last year. More cost cutting and less for Film Production.

Central Fl. SAG Get-together.

2008-11-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

There will be a SAG get-together on Tuesday November 11th in Downtown Orlando.
Call or email Dave Fazekas for details.

Thee Election Day is...

2008-10-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

Tuesday November 4th; FOR ALL PARTY AFFILIATIONS. There is just one Election Day with the exception of early voting. Early Voting ends Sunday Nov. 2nd.
Don't forget to set your clocks back 1 hour before you go to bed on Sat evening Nov 1st. FALL BACK!!

2008-10-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

LORI WYMAN CASTING/THE ORGANIC ACTOR

OCTOBER UPDATE
Dear Steve,
Do you want to boost your confidence on your castings?Do you want to have better memorization skills?Do you want to ease your nerves on castings?Do you want to improve your booking ratio?Would you like to be able to pay your bills by working in the film business?If you answered "YES" to any of the above then:I HAVE THE ANSWER!!!!
I am pleased to announce that my book: "THE ORGANIC ACTOR: Insider's Secrets to Auditioning for Film and Television"is now available. I have taken 29 years worth of experience being on the "other" side of the camera and thousands of hours of casting major television and film projects and rolled it all into one very insightful book which, if you follow my suggestions, will absolutely improve your chances of working more in the film business.
NO QUESTION!So many of you have been asking me where you can get this book. You can order it right now at www.authorhouse.com There are two other places you can get the book if you are willing to wait a little bit.On Saturday, December 13 at 7PM, I will be conducting a mock audition session/book signing at Books and Books in Coral Gables.
After that date you will be able to come into Lori Wyman Casting and buy the book directly from me.The book includes lots of real stories that happen in the casting room that will amaze you. You are guaranteed to laugh at and relate to these stories.This is the first book that addresses the technical as well as the psychological aspects of auditioning. Being a great actor is definitely important to book the parts, but if you walk into the casting and fall apart in front of the client, it doesn't really matter how well you prepared your audition, now does it?
After so many years as a casting director, I know that these two major components to the auditioning process are integral.I'm excited to present this to you. I know it will help you. I've also made a commitment to donate a percentage of all profits to "arts in education." With all of the budget cuts, I know that the schools can use all of the help they can get and I want to be able to provide that.
I currently teach drama to one seventh and one eighth grade class every week. I know the school would not be able to afford to hire me and it is my privilege to be able to share my knowledge with students who would not otherwise be able to get this type of training. By purchasing one of my books, you too are helping to inspire upcoming performers. So, thank you, in advance.
Good luck.Lori

Get Out and Get Some Excercise!

2008-10-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year: Football Season! Also known as Couch Potato Season. More MEN hit the sofa, at this time of year, than at any other time.

We've read about so many tragedies, this year, it would be a good thing to try to avoid them if it's possible. In many cases, it is. You can trust me on that.

I'm one of the fortunate ones, I had warning signs and did something about it. I excercise 5 days a week. I'm 59 and would like to live longer. Who knows, I might wind up profiting from that some day.

This is also the season when we are tempted with so many Holiday goodies. I'm learning that I can eat, pretty much, anything I like. The idea is to do it in moderation coupled with.... What? Excercise!

Let me put it this way: I would to see all of you hang around for a long time as well!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

HOPING YOU AND YOURS WILL HAVE A SAFE AND FUN TIME ON HALLOWEEN!!

Voting Polls are Open!!

2008-10-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

Early Voting has started. Find an Early voting place in your county and vote before election day and avoid huge lines!!

More Sad News.

2008-10-17T17:51:00.001-07:00

I regret to inform you all that knew Yvonne Lorence of Focus In Newspaper that she passed away this morning. The services for her will be held this Sunday October 19, 2008 at the National Cremation Society, 7565 Red Bug Lake Road Oviedo, FL 32765 from 1 to 3 pm

Sincerely
Ed Donovan

GET WELL JOHN GORING!!!!

2008-10-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

The Theatre Industry Loves you and wants you back!!
John, You have been an anchor in this industry by being the President of "The Playwrights Roundtable for more years than I know.
Your creativity and leadership in Central Fl. Theatre and Stage is above and beyond reproach and since there will never be another John Goring, we need you...badly!
So, Get Well as soon as you can and know that everyone is pulling for you!!

Sad News about John Goring.

2008-10-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

PRT Newsletter SPECIAL BULLETIN: New Board and John Goring UpdatePRT Newsletterwww.playwrightsroun dtable.org <http://www.playwrig htsroundtable. org/> 407-522-6284October 14, 2008SPECIAL BULLETINI'm Chuck Dent, the newly elected President of Playwrights Round Table, andI originally intended to use this e-mail to introduce myself and the newmembers of the PRT Board. But that will have to wait, as we have sad news toreport.Our former President and heart and soul of PRT, John Goring, suffered amajor stroke in late September. He is currently in the intensive care unitof Florida Hospital Altamonte Springs (off 436). He is still paralyzed onhis left side, and is still 50-50 on a full recovery.The latest update Ihave from his friend Rick is that he is improving a bit, and the doctorshope that by some procedures they'll be performing today that he'll start toimprove even further. However, at this point it's still touch and go, andthey have no idea when he'll be able to leave the hospital, much less theICU. But he is hanging in there.Part of what's been keeping him going is the outpouring of love and bestwishes from his many friends and colleagues in the local theater community,and for that I thank those of you who have written, called, or visited him.Although he can't talk right now, when he's awake from the sedatives he isaware of his visits and calls, and is grateful. For those of you who havejust now heard of this situation, I highly encourage you to visit him if youget a chance; it's really helping to keep him going. He is in Room 2808 ofthe ICU, and visiting hours are 9am-2pm, 4-6pm, and 8:30-10pm. Now, here's another way you can help.On Wednesday, October 22nd, from 8-11pm or thereabouts, Playwrights RoundTable will be hosting a fundraiser for John's expenses -- he has no medicalinsurance, and anything we raise can only help. The evening is still underdevelopment, but at this point we have several Central Florida theatersparticipating in staged readings of several of John's short plays such asAugusta and Silly Mary Chop Chop; food and drink is lined up; prizes such astickets to area shows and restaurants will be auctioned or raffled off; andmore. We are also trying to get additional live entertainment for parts ofthe evening, and are in negotiations on that.Admission is a $10 minimum donation (although you're certainly welcome todonate more). The fundraiser will be held at Greater Orlando ActorsTheater's space at 1013 E. Colonial Drive (on the corner of Mills andColonial, next to the Cruises Only building). Please attend and bring afriend!For those of you unable to attend or who have moved out of the area, we areworking on setting up a fund for John that donations can be sent to. If youare interested, please contact me at charlesrdent@ hotmail.com and I willkeep you posted on the details.Also, if you are local and would like to donate your time and talent to thefundraiser, please either e-mail me at the above address or call me at (407)761-2683. OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTSOn Saturday, Oct. 25th at 1pm, join us at the Downtown Library in Orlando aswe present staged readings of the one-act plays MacBetty by John Goring andThe Mayor of Orange Avenue by Al Pergande. Admission is free.Still two more days left in the submission window for Launch 2009 shortplays. We are seeking 10-12 minute plays that are minimal in set, props andcharacters, to be presented at Theater Downtown on Jan. 8-10, 2009. Moredetails can be found on our website at www.playwrightsroun dtable.org<http://www.playwrig htsroundtable. org/> .The submissions window for our Fringe entries will start November 1st andend December 15. We will be posting details on the website and here in theNewsletter just prior to the beginning of this submission period.Thank you everyone.

Who will take up the Torch?

2008-10-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

When Representative Don Davis passed away, there became this huge Black Hole. Nobody around to take up where Rep. Davis left off. There will never be another Don Davis but it would be nice if New Candidates said that they want to be a leader in bringing Film Production back to Florida.

When people run for office they will say alot of things, doing it is another. I have'nt seen any Fire in any of the Candidates about bringing Tourism back to the top. Film in Fl. and Tourism go hand in hand. Yet, I have'nt heard any talk from candidates about giving these businesses a badly needed shot in the arm.

The Film Industry definitely needs to have New Blood in out State's House and Senate that will take up it's cause and Lead!!

No Excuses with Early Voting.

2008-10-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

Early Voting begins: on October 20th and ends on November 2nd, 15 days before election day and ends 2 days before election day! Election day is Tuesday November the 4th!
You need a valid photo ID and a signature ID. You'll have both if you have a State Drivers license.
When early voting starts; you'll see tons of Candidates signs outside of the voting place.
Look for Early voting locations in your County.
Early voting locations will be open 8hr. days/5 days a week and 8hrs on one day on the weekend. Either Sat. or Sun., depending on where it is.
GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!!

Lori Wyman Interview

2008-10-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

Lori S. Wyman, C.S.A., one of the most prominent Casting Directors in the southeast, has been in casting since 1979. Lori attended the University of Miami and she graduated with her Bachelors Degree in Speech and Communications and her minor in Education. Upon graduating from college, she aggressively pursued a casting career and immediately started working for ACT I Talent Agency. At the time, ACT I was the biggest talent agency in the State of Florida. Quickly building a reputation as one of the most outstanding talent agents in the business, she was asked by the company that was handling the Miami Vice casting if she would be one of their staff casting directors. While there, she worked on the Principal casting for "Miami Vice" during the 2nd and 3rd seasons. At the end of the 3rd season, she was approached by the producer of "Miami Vice" and asked to come work for them directly and head up their entire casting division. She did that for the duration of the series. When “Miami Vice” wrapped, she was immediately asked to head up the casting offices of the Burt Reynolds series, “BL Stryker” and to cast the Florida episodes of Stephen J. Cannell’s “21 Jumpstreet” and “Wiseguy.” After these 3 series, Lori decided to make the lucrative move to commercials and feature film casting. In 1989 Lori was invited to become a member of the Casting Society of America, the professional organization of casting directors in the US. She opened her own offices in North Miami Beach in the spring of 1990. With her own studio space, offices and equipment, she was able to expand her business opportunities and provide a wider variety of services. Lori has also served on the Miami-Dade County Film, Print and Broadcast Advisory Board, helping to make decisions regarding the Film industry in Miami-Dade County. Lori is also a member and past vice-president of WOMPI, Women of the Motion Picture Industry, to whom she contributes her casting services for many of their not-for-profit films that the organization produces for the good of the community.She was awarded the Casting Director of the Year award (2005) by the Film Recording and Entertainment Committee. (FREC) She was also nominated for 3 Artios Awards for the Showtime series "DEXTER" and HBO's "Recount." She has also been NOMINATED for an EMMY FOR CASTING HBO'S RECOUNT.
Lori has added motivational speaking to her list of already impressive credentials. Traveling all over the country, Lori draws industry beginners and professionals to hear her expertise on the subject of Auditioning for Film and Television projects. For many years Lori has also offered weekend seminars and workshops on the subject. Besides her own seminars, she speaks at high schools, colleges, universities and film oriented organizations. She has been interviewed for various trade publications, local newspapers and radio and television shows.

Lori's website is: http://www.loriwymancasting.com/ .

PF: Where are you originally from?

LW: Miami, Fl.

PF: From the University of Miami, you went directly into the casting profession. How did College prepare you to make that big of a move?

LW: College did'nt necessarily prepare me to be a Casting Director. I was a Talent Agent, for about five years, when I got out of College. Then, I became a CD with another Casting Director Company. College did'nt necessarily prepare me to be an agent. What it did do was , obviously, give me a Degree. My Degree was in Speech and Communications. So, that was related and I had taken some extra curricular courses pertaining to this business because I knew wanted to be in this business somehow. So, I had taken some small classes that people offered, way back then. This way I would get a general knowledge of the Unions and how castings worked. Between that and my Degree, I think I had a pretty decent package.

PF: If a reader out there wants to be a CD, what should their major be?

LW: Well, unfortunately there really is no Degree, that I know of, in College. Specifically: where you can take classes to learn to be an agent or to learn to be a CD. What I would do is; I would definitely take classes that would be beneficial for actors because I think the more that you know about acting the better you are as a CD. For me, I had actually been studying acting since I was about Five years old. I performed in plays all through my school years, as well as College. Therefore, by doing alot of performances, I had a really good understanding of acting and of actors. I also had a really good knowledge of how to work with actors. Even today, I think that has helped me alot!

So, I would suggest to anybody that would want to get into the Acting business; they should have some sort of acting background, as an actor and a performer. Did you ever hear that when you own a Company, the best way to be a Great Boss is to have done every job in that Company? I clean my own floors, I answer my own phone, and I also write my own checks. Point being: it's important to know all of the aspects of the business. That would be my suggestion on how to get started. Then, I would suggest that your Major be something more in line with Communications or the Arts, say as opposed to a Biology Major. That's not to say that you can't get a Biology Degree and still be a Casting Director, but I think that more employment-oriented-studies will help you more in this business.

PF: What motivated you to go out on your own and create Lori Wyman Casting?

LW: I started out as a Talent agent. I was an agent for Five years. After that I started working for a Company that was a Casting Director Co. I worked for them for a couple more years. During that time, I said: I'd really want my own Co. I want to own my own Co. I want to be my own person here; so that I can pick and choose jobs that I want, and I really liked that idea. The next couple of years, I actually worked in-house for a couple of Television Shows. Miami Vice and BL Stryker, starring Burt Reynolds. I also did a couple of Stephen J. Cannell projects and that's when I realized that when I was an in-house CD casting for Miami Vice, I really could only do one project. I could'nt take on two or three projects and do all of the auditions in the Miami Vice studio. That just was'nt a good idea and I deemed that if I had my own Co., I would be able to take on more than one project at the same time and I really liked that idea. Because, I Love Casting and when you're casting a project, it does'nt necessarily keep you working all day, every solitary day because some of the days you're just prepping. Prepping involves; contacting the agent, waiting for them to call in their names, taking their names, so you have some down time which could be enough time to cast another project. I wanted to open my own place for a long time. Eventually, I bit the bullet, in 1990, and opened my own place. I actually had been working as a CD since 1985.

PF: Did things run smooth from the beginning?

LW: Yeah, but you know; it's scary. I would be the one responsible for Rent, the phone, the paper clips and memo pads. When I would work in-house, like when I was doing Miami Vice or BL Stryker, I would go to the Production office and I would put in my order and then I could get whatever I needed because, obviously, I did'nt have any overhead. Then, when it came down to me to meet those responsibilities, there was more of an urgency to get the job. So, I took alot of Business trips to Los Angeles, at that time, and did alot more advertising. It paid off!

PF: What was the hardest Feature Film you ever had to cast?

LW: Well, if I may use "Recount" as an example, because I have been nominated for an emmy for that HBO Movie. That was a tedious casting process. It was definitely , I don't want to use the word difficult because it was'nt difficult. It just took alot of work.

I really enjoyed every moment of it, but it was alot of work. Because, we had over One Hundred roles to cast. I cast, almost, eighty of them alone here in Florida. We would be shooting the Movie in Jacksonville and Tallahassee, so I'd be casting in Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville. It was a pretty intense casting process. Basically, I would say that the hardest part of that is not the casting in itself, but making sure the actors came in prepared. That is the number one job. I DO my work one hundred percent, but if the Actor does'nt fulfill their end of the bargain, and they don't come in fully prepared; then it does'nt really matter how hard I work. It does'nt look good. That's why I'm always harping on the actors to keep studying. Make sure you know what you are doing. Make sure to learn your dialogue.

PF: I'm sure alot of Newbies would like the answer to this question. Can you explain the Casting process, from the time the talent auditions, to who views the video of that audition and who makes the final decision to cast for Feature Movies, TV, and Commercials?

LW: I can give you a general answer. The person who puts them on camera would be the Casting Director. Then, that tape is shown to the client. Using Film as an example: I would put that person on tape for the Director. The Director would then watch the tape and then take it to the Director's Studio for approval. The Studio has the final say to whom will be cast. Alot of actors don't know that. The Director does'nt always have the final say. The Director has some say but the final decision is with the Studio.

It's a common misconception that the actor is hired by the Casting Director. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have heard that people have said: Well, Lori does'nt like me. If I bring you in to audition...then I like you. Now, if I really did'nt like you, I would'nt waste a time-slot and bring you in here in the first place. Some actors continually blame the CD but the truth of the matter is; if you continually go through different casting offices and you don't book, then you cannot blame the Casting Director. They are doing their job. You're just not doing yours.

PF: Let's talk about the Industry in Fl. What do think about Fl.'s Film Infrastruture?

LW: I'd say OK. Middle of the road. What I find from the Casting perspective, and that's what I really feel comfortable speaking about, is unfortunately, we don't have as much work as New York City or Los Angeles and we don't have as many acting-classes. If you are an actor in NY or LA, my gosh, you can take classes any time of the week. We just don't have that here in Fl. What I found, last summer when I was casting "Recount", which I found to be very suprising, actually was: I brought in the best actors in the State to audition for me. I brought in the people who booked everything. I was surprised at the number of actors who came in and were very unprepared. They did not perform their dialogues to the best of, what I felt was, their capabilities. What I found was that the common answer, from all of those actors was: Welll, there really has'nt been alot of work in town, lately, for us to audition for, or to perform in, so we got rusty. Well, you can't get rusty. You have to continually workout. I think that acting is like a muscle. Let's say you workout at a Gym and you excercise four days a week and in six months you get your body in Great shape. Then, you stop excercising for six months. You're going to get a little soft, a little flabby, you might even gain some weight. It's the same principal with acting. If you work out in a scene or you're in a Play, or in an ongoing show, or whatever, you're constantly working out with your process. You get yourself to a point where you're really really sharp. You cannot stop! You will get rusty.

Last summer, I cannot even tell you the number of actors that came in and I had to do take, after take, after take, after take. I'm talking; 17 takes, 24 takes, 32 takes, until we got it perfect. Because if the actors stumbled over their words, and I submitted that to the Director: They were'nt going to get the part. There was no point in submitting a performance like that. So, I would say to them: We have to do it again, We have to do it again. There were a number of really good actors, that eventually did Book parts in the movie, that actually tried to walk out. I said: You're not going anywhere. They said: I can't do it. I told them: You're going to do it. You're going to do it til you get it right. Some of these actors are the biggest Bookers in Fl. and they were a wreck. I did all of my homework and all of my prep and I gave everyone the opportunity, and there were quite a few actors. We're talking about 400,500,maybe 600 actors that I had to see in three different cities over the course of a couple of months. Very Very few actors came in and got it right on the first take. Very few. I'm shocked actually. So, the problem that I see with the actors is that they don't stay sharp. If they don't have a Movie like a "Recount" to audition for and then all of a sudden it's February and a really big project comes to town; then they are going to be rusty again. I think they should be continuously working their craft. Work on it! Take weekly workshops. Because it is so important. So I think that this is the biggest problem that I see with the actors.

PF: First of all, Big Time Congratulations are in order for your Casting Director's Nomination for HBO's " Recount 2000". How does it feel getting that nomination and, at the same time, representing our State of Fl.?

LW: I'm excited beyond belief! I really am. Last year when I got this job and I saw the magnetude and complexity of the casting for "Recount". You realize, almost everybody that you have to cast has to be a look-alike. We had the Sandra Day O'Connor look-alike, the Ruth Vader Ginsberg look-alike. All the Judges had to be look-alikes. I mean it was Huge! So, not only did I have to find a good actor, they also had to look like their real counterpart. Then to have Eighty of them, it was just crazy. At the time I said: This is an Emmy Award Winning casting and it's Huge! Then a year went by and when I got the Nomination, in July, it was like...WOW!This is kinda nice. This could really happen! So, I am leaving on Friday 9/19 and I am excited beyond belief. I'm nervous...because I really, really want to win and I don't wanto to say: what if I don't win, because I don't to think about the after effect. However, I think it's a very very Big Feather in our cap and hopefully; people will recognize the fact that the bulk of the casting, for that project, was cast in Florida with Florida actors.

PF: Since you have been in this business for a long time you must have a story, from one of your workshops, that sticks out in your mind. If so, please give us the dirt. You can use alias's if you wish.

LW: I've written a book. It should be coming out in about a month and it will be called: "The Organic Actor". The reason I wrote the book was because when I started teaching , so many years ago, I was telling great stories and alot of what I teach, most people do not teach. The reason they don't; is because they focus more on teaching technical jargon. I approach the audition from the Psychological aspect. Because here's the deal: you could be the best actor in the world, but every time you go to an audition; you freak out. You shake or tremble, you throw up in the bathroom, you perspire profusely, then it really does'nt matter how great you are. If you can't do the audition, then you're not going to get the part. People would say to me: Lori, this stuff is great. You ought to write a book. My reply was: Uh-huh, Uh-huh. In my spare time, I should also write a book.When I started working on the book, I started recording my workshops to, someday, transcribe all of the information. So, It's really been a long process, and now the book will be coming out soon. Yaaay! It will be on Amazon as well as other sites. I will also have it on my site which is http://www.theorganicactor.com/ . One of the things that comes to my mind, talking about workshops, is this. There was one guy that took my class, several years ago. Every thing I said, he would question it. "Well, Why? Well, Why?". Everytime he would say that you could see everybody else cringe in their seat. I try to be very very patient, in the classroom. I feel that every student is paying their hard earned money as well as spending their entire weekend to take this workshop. Everybody deserves the same amount of attention. So, I spent the entire first day answering every one of his questions. By the time Sunday came, I thought the entire class was about to kill this guy. FINALLY, before I was halfway through, I said; You know why? Because, I said so! Because I've been doing this for twenty years. Because you are taking this class because you want my expertise. Everybody, in the room, was applauding. As if to say; Thank-God she finally told him! Continuing, I said to him: OK??! That's WHY! There's a Tee-Shirt that says: "Because I'm the MOMMY, THATS WHY! Because I am sharing my knowledge with you. That's WHY! Those are some of the things that I address in the book and in the class, because it's not just about getting your sides and preparing them in advance. It's also about; what you do with yourself while you're in the waiting room BEFORE the audition.That waiting room can make or break your audition. People don't get that. People don't realize that. I can't tell you how many times an actor had come into my waiting room before their audition, and they start chatting with everybody. HEY! How ARE You? That ten to fifteen minutes should be spent on making sure your hair looks right. Making sure that you're clothes look right. Going over the dialogue one last time. Instead, they spend those ten to twenty minutes talking to everybody. Then...I call their name. They walk into the auditioning room and they are completely thrown off. I've seen it, time and time again. I try to impress upon the actors, when I teach, that it's not just about the audition. It's about what happens in the waiting room. It's about what happens on the drive to the audition. It's about what happens in the audition room. One of the most interesting examples, that comes to mind is: there was a young female actress who was going into the audition room. She reached out with her hand to shake hands with the Director. It was a Female Director. The director took the actresses hand and folded it across her heart. Then she took the other arm and folded it across the other arm to where it looked like the actress had made a X across her chest with her arms. This was the director's way of rejecting the actresses attempt to shake the directors hand.The face of the actress turned Beet-Red. I thought to myself: "Ooh No!". Then I said: OK! Let's start the audition! The actress tried to read the dialogue four or five times. She would start it: She would choke. She would start it: She would choke. She did this about four or five times. She could not get through the audition. When we were done, I said; Thank-You. I knew what happened. She allowed the fact that, by the director not shaking her hand, that action had completely thrown her off. Now, a true consumate professional would know whether or not to shake her hand. If your not used to that, then just go with it.

I just recently saw her and I asked her; Do you remember that? She said: Remember that? That was one of the worst experiences of my career, but it taught me. I learned from that. Now it's twenty years later, and she has worked quite a bit since then. So, my workshop addresses the psychological aspects of the audition, because if you don't have that in order; you're not going to be able to audition.

How many actors come in to audition, and have excuses? They will walk in and they will say to me: Oh, I'm so sick! I got out of sick bed to come here today, so if my audition is'nt any good; you'll understand why. Then I'll say: Then why did you come? Well, I did'nt want to miss the audition. But WHY did you get out of sick bed to come to an audition to make an excuse that; if you're bad...I'll understand. Well, I won't understand. Do you think that Meryl Streep is going to perform poorly if she does'nt feel well? Do you think that Robert DeNiro is going to perform poorly if he does'nt feel well? I don't. If they are that sick, they are not going to shoot that day. Consumate Professionals do not walk onto a set and say: I'm not feeling well today so if I do a lousy job; you'll understand. Uh-Uh! An actor who auditions should not be making that lame excuse.

So, some people will say: Oh! Lori's really tough. No, I'm not really tough, I'm really honest. I'm telling it like it is. If you audition for me and you do a bad job, I'm not going to remember; Oh, the poor thing had a fever and was sick. I'm just going to remember the last time your agent sent you out, you really did a bad job. So, agent, don't send them to me again. If you are going to give that bad of an audition, don't do the audition. Because, we will remember the audition. If you are good, we will remember it. If you are bad, we will remember it.

Actors sabotage themselves all of the time. Actors shoot themselves in the foot all of the time and I try to impress upon my students, don't do that because somebody else will come in and they won't shoot themselves in the foot and they are the ones that will land the part.

Every single time I audition. Every single time I audition actors, they come in with excuses. My Pictures are old. They don't look like me anymore. My resume is out of date. I really need more credits, but I have'nt had the time. I need new headshots. I changed cars today, and my headshots are in the other car. I just shake my head. As if I have'nt heard anything like this before. I always ask people: Just what is the Big Surprise that you're having with this audition? It is'nt like I blindfolded you and dropped you on my front doorstep. You knew when the casting was, so you make plans accordingly. You changed cars. Other people have changed cars and have made it to the audition prepared. I understand that you're nervous, but that's not a reason to come unprepared.

PF: I understand that you will be having a Book signing in the near future. When and Where?

LW: Yes. It will be at Books and Books, in Miami, on December 13th, 2008 at 7pm. We're going to try something different at this signing. We are going to simulate audition situations. We will read dialogue, then we will put what we read into practice. It will be Fun!

PF: Taking time out of your hectic schedule, in order to do this Interview, speaks VOLUMES of your concern and Love for Florida's Film Industry and those of us that are in it. Thank-You, a Million times over, for your unwavering support.

LW: Thank-You.

Post Script.

2008-10-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

There is an old saying that: The Person you work for, is'nt the same person outside of the workplace.
I've auditioned for Lori Wyman and she was very pleasant and very professional.
I worked with Lori on this interview, and found her to be a very personable professional. Lori went above and beyond when it came to doing this interview and she made it a very special one.
I believe that Lori Wyman is the last Casting Director an actor has to fear. Just go in prepared and you will have a pleasant audition. Because, my fellow actors, the Buck does stop with us.

50% of the Professional Acting Community.

2008-10-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

50% were not extras. Extras are not included in the 50%. I helped Paul Sirmons on this issue and Melodie Shaw can vouch for this.
Be careful. There's alot of false info. out there.
THIS IS FROM THE FILM IN FL. NEWSLETTER:

HBO MOVIE RECOUNT FILMED THROUGHOUT JACKSONVILLE WINS THREE EMMYS

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sept. 22, 2008, The Jacksonville Office of Film & Television is pleased to announce that the HBO movie RECOUNT, based on the disputed U.S. presidential election in 2000, won Emmys for Best Made-For-TV movie, Best Director (Jay Roach) for a Dramatic Special and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie. This is the first time that a movie filmed in Jacksonville has won an Emmy and the 11 Emmy nominations the movie generated are the most ever received for a Florida-based movie production.

RECOUNT was filmed on location in Jacksonville and Tallahassee with more than 60 Jacksonville industry professionals hired for the film, in addition to more than 2,500 local extras. The local economic impact was estimated at more than $3.3 million which included hired labor, purchased and rented goods and services. The Jacksonville Office of Film & Television assisted the RECOUNT production from August through December of 2007.

THIS AMERICAN LIFE (Showtime), which filmed partially in Tampa, also won an Emmy in the category of Nonfiction Series.

The Primetime Emmy Awards aired on Sunday, Sept. 21.

Tampa Tribune Speaks out on Film in Fl.

2008-09-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

"FILM INDUSTRY MEANS TOO MUCH TO CALL "LIGHTS,CAMERA,INACTION!"

The Tampa Tribune
Published: September 22, 2008
The film business brings big dollars to Florida - more than $256 million in wages, products and services over the past four years. The entertainment industry creates thousands of jobs for Floridians.
But facing extreme budget pressures this year, state lawmakers slashed the film incentive fund from $25 million to $5 million.
You know what happened next.
Production houses began doing business in states that dangle better carrots. Two of Florida's leading competitors - Arizona and North Carolina - now offer better incentives to attract television and movie productions.
One movie company that planned to film in the Tampa Bay area - starring Betty White - is instead headed for Michigan, which annually offers the industry $20 million in tax credits.
"The day it was made known to the industry that we had downgraded our incentives, we lost a recurring series that would have pumped $20 million into the economy," said Graham Winick, Miami Beach's film and event production manager.
Winick is president of Film Florida, a film-community trade group that is working on a reasonable plan to keep the Sunshine State competitive in the entertainment business.
As it stands, the Florida incentive program gives production companies a rebate on the sales taxes paid while doing business here. For example, the hit HBO movie "Recount" on the 2000 presidential election received a $2.3 million rebate last year. And the much-anticipated feature film "Marley & Me" starring Jennifer Aniston, which was filmed in Miami, received a $1.6 million rebate.
But rebates require lawmakers to set aside a chunk of money so that checks can be written in a timely fashion. Under pressure to fund essential state services for people in need, the Legislature saw the film fund this year as an easy target.
Certainly, lawmakers must give priority to children in foster care and seniors in nursing homes. But the movie business is the kind of clean industry that Florida should be working to attract. Middle ground must be found.
It's unfortunate that private companies expect government handouts, er, incentives, to do business in a community. But that's how cities and states play the game these days. And those that refuse to pony up lose business to regions that do.
Still, Florida could take a cue from other states and restructure its movie-business incentives to make them more manageable.
The biggest carrot offered in other states - a tax credit on personal income taxes - can't be offered in Florida since we don't have a state income tax.
But since Florida does charge a corporate tax, lawmakers could explore a corporate tax credit for movie companies doing business here. This approach offers two advantages. First, tax credits don't require the state to write a check, though they would lower tax revenues at the end of the year. Second, this mechanism would encourage out-of-state companies to work with Florida-owned and licensed businesses that build sets, run the lights or manage details.
Film companies prefer the rebate system, since it puts cash on the table. Rather than lose this competitive advantage, the industry suggests a hybrid approach that lowers the sales-tax rebate but adds a corporate tax credit.
The compromise makes sense, given Florida's ambitions to grow its entertainment sector.
Good things are happening with Florida's film industry. "Recount," which was filmed in Tallahassee and Jacksonville, recently received 11 Emmy nominations. On a lesser-known scale, ProductionHUB.com of Orlando made Movie Maker Magazine's Top 50 list of Web sites for filmmakers.
State lawmakers should compromise on incentives to ensure the movie business can play its role in the state's economic recovery.

What is it going to Take??!!!

2008-09-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but there is a clause in Film Fl.'s rules for Outside film producers; to come here and Shoot their productions. It's a clause that states: that a Film Producer that shoots their production here, must hire 50% of Floridians for cast and crew, with a one year Fl. residency, if they want to qualify for the Film incentive package. I think it should be five years, but that's me. That occured under Paul Sirmons leadership. I just thought you should know that if it was'nt for Paul, that clause would not exist. Period!

Alot of people are flustered, to say the least, at how dead film production is in our State. There are people talking about leaving the State for one that has Film Friendly Lawmakers. Two of those people are excellent Acting Coaches. Husband and wife. That would put another huge dent in our Acting Infrastructure. We really don't have enough acting schools as it is. Lori Wyman pointed that out.
I talked to George Cherchiai, with IATSE Local 477 in Miami. He gave me alot of info. on this topic. One that stands out is: that if we, in this Biz, don't turn out to vote in Nov. by VOTING THE PROBLEMS OUT!! Then our infrastucture will be in serious jeopardy.

What have the people that work in the tourist Industry done? I'm talking about employees, not hired lobbyists. I'm talking about Hotel employees that could lose their job because averaging a 33% occupancy rate will not pay the bills. Yet, there has been nothing but apathy among Hotel, Restaurant, and Rental car workers. They just don't see that when Film Pdn. strives here, we all benefit.

All Unions need to get involved! All Unions need to give donations to those State Candidates that will support Bringing Film Production back to Fl. in Hordes. Not candidates that talk the talk, but Candidates that will walk the walk.
If we leave those same people in office, especially those State Senate incumbents that are up for re-election, Then you can expect more of the same slashing to next years budget.

I sincerely suggest that you spread the word. If you don't, you are part of the problem.

News for Newbies.

2008-09-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

When people are asked to describe their personality, you might find that their analogy probably differs from an outside viewpoint.

THE TRUTH! We crave for that word so much, but find it difficult to be honest with ourselves when it comes to acting.

The sure way to cure this, is to find an Acting Coach that will accept nothing less! You can do that when you audit a class and then pay particular attention to the acting coach when he critiques a scene or someone's monologue.

Back in the '70's, when I decided to become a General Aviation pilot, I first thought: Oh, Man! This is going to be a BLAST!! Hit the Buzzer...AAAHHH!! Wrong Answer! It was work! Constantly working on maneuvers: S turns, Chandelles, etc. When I went for my Commercial license, flying strictly on Instruments, I would get out of the plane soaking wet from perspiration...and there was snow on the ground. That's what flying under the hood did to me.

Acting lessons should be about working! I believe that a good acting coach will work you hard, when it comes to Theatre related work. I also believe that an On-Camera coach does not necessarily have to be that intense. Two different Worlds.

Go out there and search for a good acting school. Search for the TRUTH!!

It's Just Me.

2008-09-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

I don't believe SAG Actors keep Movie Producers away, especially when they are given attractive incentives to come here. Don't forget that the cast that they bring with them, from LA, are paid much more than SAG minimums.

There are alot of non-union people that would do the same work for half the pay, or less. If you believe you are worth more, then you will ask for more. That's true in any profession. I'm sure those people, that would work for less, would do the same in Pro Football or Pro Baseball, etc. Like Replacement players. Boy, that was fun to watch!

Lowering ones standards has never impressed me. Getting upgraded in a SAG movie or SAG commercial does. You do have to have something unique, to be able to do that a few times. Booking a character at a SAG audition is alot more rewarding, to me, than being cast in a deferred pay non union audition because the stakes are higher and that makes it more rewarding. I Love a challenge.

If your inner-self leaks out your lack of confidence: Don't blame SAG, or their talent.

Where has the Time Gone?

2008-09-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it?! We're now into the middle of September.
I started this blogsite in January of this year. My, how time fly's.
Next January will mark the One Year Anniversary. Did we accomplish anything? I think so. We helped keep you informed of what our Tallahassee Lawmakers were doing, or were'nt doing, to keep Florida's Film Industry Booming. We all know now that the Boom Fizzled. Those very same lawmakers are preparing to do the very same thing when YOU elect them in November, OR... maybe the light bulb has come on and you will choose not to invite them back.
We also featured some Informative Interviews, as well as covering other issues and trying to be informative at the same time.
What does the Future hold? Who Knows?! But , that's one of the beautiful things about Life: the unknown and with the unknown comes HOPE.

Is'nt it Wonderful?

2008-08-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

The Saturday 8/23 edition of the Orlando Sentinel had an article about the future Arts and Entertainment Center. Folks admired the architecture: "A Giant roof jutting out over Magnolia Ave.", "It's classic looking", said Bob Snow: The original Church St. wizard. "The Building itself is stunning", said another. That's Great. We'll have a great building.

I have'nt heard a whole lot about our local professional actors performing there. Sure, there will be touring shows from Broadway but not every week. I have'nt heard anything about where our local professionals will fit in, and we have some great ones.

Is this project going to create jobs for those Stage actors and crew in the Orlando area? I have'nt heard anything on that. Only how the building will look.

We could have it all. We could see Broadway shows and shows that feature local Equity professionals and local union stagehands.

If the city plans to that, then they should be talking about it...alot!! More so than the looks of a building.

It's Just Me.

2008-08-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when everybody that runs for office wants your vote and will tell you what you want to hear to get it.

Suuure...they'll tell you that they support bringing film production to Fl. after they slashed that budget to smithereens.

How educated is the average voter? How many voters can go to the polls without their ideologies getting in the way?

I've said it before and I'll say it again; so hopefully those that don't get it will finally see the light bulb come on!

If you have other values that trump what is best for the Florida Film Industry, when you vote for a candidate, then keep your piehole shut when it comes to the lack of work in this State. If the Industry does'nt come first, for you, then your existence does not solely depend on this Industry and you are nothing more than an acting wannabe.

Any voter that votes for a politician because they like what they tell them is looking through rose-colored glasses! That voter does'nt have the first clue about how politics works or what the two parties really stand for.

You'll always hear scare Tactics like: Don't vote for them, they'll raise your taxes or Don't vote for them because they are war-mongers. Both parties are so far over the top, at election time, that their shtick gets old fast.

An educated voter does his or her homework. They check into the incumbents past to see how they have voted. Not just over the last year, but over the past two to six years. Depending on what office they hold.

For non-incumbents, the educated voter will look at the candidates background and will seek them out and ask alot of investigatorial type of questions. Example: You don't just ask if they support bringing film to Fl. Duh, Of course they'll say: Yeeah!! Would they vote for spending a great deal of money to bring that Production here? Are they for creatively developing money generating programs to pay for it instead of raising taxes?

Are they against The Seminole Indian Casinos having gambling tables? If Yes, Why? How does that effect other people. It's THEIR Land! The Tax money that those Casinos pay to the State; amounts to $100 to $500 million a Year!

You read in the Orlando Sentinel that this is going to be another bad budget year because of a slump in Tax revenue going to the State. The vast majority of the leadership in the Fl. House and Senate are Republicans. The Republican mantra is NO NEW TAXES!! OK. So why are they depending on Tax revenue to bring Fl.'s budget out of the red?!

If those State Senators that say that Red Light cameras cannot be used because it violates the privacy of a criminal, then how do we expect them to handle issues that are not as Grave to the common Public?

If you can't see the forest for the trees, when it comes to voting, then...Please...stay home on election day.

Winds of Uncertainty.

2008-08-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

First, Everyone that was effected by Faye is in our thoughts and prayers. Even Tropical Storms can wipe away one's dreams in a manner of seconds because they carry deadly Tornadoes.

Many of us get angry at the local TV meteorologists when they mistakenly give erroneous information. It's not their fault. It just goes to show how inexact a science Meteorology is.

This is another perfect example of how important being prepared is. Stock up on water, batteries, a radio, canned food, flashlights, etc. and have a plan. If things look bad have an alternative plan. Leave. Go to relatives or friends that's out of the hurricanes path. Whatever, have an alternate plan.

Anyone that has lived in Fl. for awhile has been through a Hurricane. I've lived here all of my 59 years, with the exception of my hitch in the Air Force. That was in South Dakota. No Hurricanes there.

I was in a walking Boot when Charley hit. I stood in line in my boot at an Ice truck, in a nearby parking lot, waiting to get ice because we ran out. We started out with several bags but the power was out for about six days, which was'nt bad compared to others.

As a matter of fact I auditioned for a play in that walking boot, I assured Chris, the director, that it would be off soon. It was gone about a week later.

This is Fl. and we are all in this together. We'll get through this season just like we have the others!

Bad Acting.

2008-08-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

When you see online emails that are looking for specific positions, in this industry, pay attention to what they are asking for.

For example; if they are looking for a PA, don't send them your acting resume~ with your headshot. Never...Ever do that! You burn the person that was trying to help a Producer. You hurt the industry, in our State, because the Producer will wonder why people can't read here. Lastly, your career will go up in smoke. That part does'nt bother me because you deserve it.

Bad Acting II.

2008-08-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

If you have a resume~ with 30 acting credits as an extra and you submit that resume for an audition, please answer two questions. What is the Director or Producer supposed to do with that resume~? Are you going to mime your way through a side? Oooh! And you have a Reel, as well, featuring you getting a document from your boss. Wonderful.

Extra resume~'s are for Extra agencies for Extra Work!!

If you want to be an actor then search the archives, here, and it will explain what you need to do to get to the point to where you, better yet your agent will submit your Headshot and resume~. Otherwise please don't give Fl.'s Acting Infrastructure a bad name!

It's Just Me.

2008-07-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

Week 3 of my summer Vocation.

I've survived the first two weeks working out. I'm in week 3 and I'm learning that I have muscles that I did'nt know I had because they are all hurting.

In my younger days, it only took about two or three weeks to get past the pain and getting into the workout groove. I don't know how long it will take at my age.

I am making progress, though.

Congratulations to Lori Wyman for getting a Casting Director nomination for HBO's: "Recount 2000". It's about time somebody from Fl. was nominated for something! Hey Hollywood! We also have some darn good Actors/Actresses here that deserve a nomination for one of those award shows!

I heard some Bad News/Good News: Casselberry State Senator, Lee , I want to see the Sheriff, Constatine, will be up in Tallahassee until 2010 because of term limits. However, 2010 will be his last year as Senator.

Whale Magic.

2008-07-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

Whale Magic is the Brainchild of John Kennedy, No...not those Kennedy's. This is a creation that he came up with 18 years ago.

He hopes this project will go into production soon. I believe the Story is a winner and very educational.

Whale Magic should be having open castings soon. When I get the info., I'll post it.

CONTACT: Autumn BaileyMedia Coordinator, The Whale Magic ProjectOrlando: 407-650-3047Direct Cell: 717-586-1526Email: http://us.mc624.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=autumnbailey@jigsawfilmworks-llc.com
Angel WilliamsExecutive Assistant, The Whale Magic ProjectOrlando: 407-650-3047Email: http://us.mc624.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Love4TheOceans@aol.com

Whale Magic: A Global Green Movement & Animation Project“The Prince and Princess of Whales to make a BIG splash for children!"

Major Green Sponsors & Co-Production Sought For CGI Animation TV Series

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - After making a splash at the 2008 National Association of Television Program Executives (N.A.T.P.E.), and receiving Letters of Intent from independent CGI studios, Tipperary Entertainment Group have chosen to move their whale-of-a-project, Whale Magic, to Orlando, Florida. They are also shopping the project to major studios, investors and corporate green sponsors.

“A Whale Magic partnership will provide many new jobs and millions of dollars in job revenue for Orlando, and promote tourism for Florida as most of the environments and scenes in Whale Magic are based in South Beach, the Florida Keys, Atlantic Ocean, Bimini, and the Bermuda Triangle. It will also provide tremendous goodwill for all parties concerned.” Said John J. Kennedy, creator and author of The Whale Magic Project.

In the Whale Magic edu-tainment TV series (season one will have 26 11-minute episodes for broadcasting, with 1-3 minute clips for multi-media downloads) the royal pod of whales, starring The Prince and Princess of Whales, spout email or “Whale Mail” where live-action clips magically appear in the mist to take children on journeys to learn about the oceans, whales, science, nature and an endless stream of fun and interesting topics. As whales are known for their songs our whales sing everything from Hip-Hop to Opera!
The cast also includes a young, talented boy named Nicky Holiday, who, along with his friends and marine-biologist parents, Roman and Happy Holiday, help to save the oceans and whales from the greedy, villainous tycoon, Johnny Networth. Networth morphs from man to oil slick on the ocean (creating toxic waste) then to a huge “ghostnet” or whale net to capture the whales. Networth is joined by his henchmen, The Anchovy Brothers, who often fumble their missions in comedic ways reminiscent of The Three Stooges.

In addition to the TV series, the project will include children's books, music, toys, merchandise licensing, educational & environmental programs, animated PSA's (on ocean conservation-see radio PSA attached below), and a trilogy of animated feature films Kennedy has written. The movies are dramatic storylines of good vs. evil and mirror the events of the world today.

"I believe that Whale Magic is the ultimate GREEN project because whales harvest the plankton in the ocean which releases oxygen into the Earth’s atmosphere. Most people believe that the majority of our oxygen is produced from the rain forests, however this is incorrect. Almost 70% of the Earth’s oxygen is created by whales harvesting the plankton. If we kill the whale, we kill all life on this planet. Therefore, if we do not protect and preserve the ocean kingdoms and her inhabitants, especially the vital lives of whales and dolphins, all life will perish. Then who will look with awe upon the monuments of man?" Kennedy said.

"I have been blessed to surround myself with the best consultants, writers and advisors, including world-renowned marine biologists, whale experts, award-winning educators, Hollywood celebrities, writers and animation experts with many, many successes and credits to their name, all whom have helped me create Whale Magic!” Kennedy said.

To date, more than $1 million dollars have been invested in the project through the sale of stock equity, plus an additional $1.5 million in deferred salaries by Kennedy, for a total of $2.5 million invested in the research, writing & development of the project, including animations tests and some pre-production.

In the early stages of the project, Kennedy received Letters of Interest from celebrities to be voices including Dom DeLuise, Joan Rivers and Jon Bouvier. He has recently received interest from Jason Berrent, former star of Cirque du Soliel’s Kooza to be a voice for the project, as well as a creative consultant for the TV series and has contacted the agents of Nicole Kidman, Orlando Bloom, Hank Williams Jr. and other “green” celebrities to be voices.

Berrent recently sent Kennedy this Letter of Interest: “After speaking with you often in the past months about your project, ‘Whale Magic‘, I am extremely interested in your vision. I am enthralled and happy to offer my talents creatively and possibly even to give my voice to a character. The character, Johnny Networth, has sparked many flowing ideas in my mind. He reminds me of character that I created and played on stage. As you know, I love villains. My interest in ‘Whale Magic‘ goes beyond the character. I feel that its necessary for children to have new wave of phenomenal films to encourage them, and inspire them. My love for marine life and for the oceans I treasure go hand in hand with your project.”

Joan Turgeon, Vice President, Promotions & Business Affairs, The Whale Magic Project is a 25-year industry professional. She currently works at Universal Studios on a project for Nickelodeon and formerly for Sony Pictures Studios for 8 years. Joan recently made this comment about Whale Magic: "Being an entertainment industry professional of both film and television for the past 25 years, I whole-heartedly endorse Mr. Kennedy’s endeavor and have joined his staff to campaign on behalf of The Prince and Princess of Whales to pass their stories and message of conservation, anti-pollution and community awareness of global warming effects on Mother Earth. Whale Magic is one of the most endearing, important and well-thought out projects I have ever seen!"

“Whales breathe new life onto this planet. Whale Magic is a breath of fresh air that teaches us all that love and compassion are always in fashion!” Said Debara Bruhn, Fox Radio host of Calling All Angels.

"Green means GO! And I am calling on every citizen to do their part for the environment and the children of the world. The world is in the eleventh-hour. Humanity is in the eleventh hour. This is no longer a dress rehearsal. It is time to be pro-active and make a difference. I have worked diligently for many, many years, and endured many challenges to realize this dream. Whale Magic is my contribution to what I hold most dear.” Kennedy said.

The Go Green movement promotes clean air and water. It also protects children's health and the environment through a unique educational experience. The Whale Magic Project is the “heart” of the Go Green movement and powerfully unites teachers, parents and students in an effort to create a culture of awareness and conservation at school, in homes and throughout communities in a fun and purposeful way. The Whale Magic Project promotes the “Oneness“ of all life and embraces all of humanity and God‘s creations.

Mr. Kennedy, President of John Kennedy Enterprises, Inc. and Tipperary Entertainment Group is an entrepreneur and international award winning writer, speaker and humanitarian. He is also a marketing expert, featured radio & television guest and a former journalist with many by-lines to his name. For many years he worked in front of the camera as a fashion & runway model (i.e., GQ, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Eddie Bauer, Oxford Suits, etc.). Mr. Kennedy won the prestigious honour of being invited to Harvard University's creative writing program based on his first short story, "Chad Jarman is 40 Today!" which started his life-long passion for writing.

For more information about The Whale Magic Project contact Autumn Bailey or Angel Williams.
www.MySpace.com/whalemagic http://www.whalemagicnetwork.com/ (coming soon)

###
The Whale Magic Project Mission Statement: Education and Porpoise Through Animation"Saving the environment while having a whale-of-a-time!"

PSA: “Whale Magic: riding ON a wave, it's a whale crusade!” Attached please find our PSA (mp3) that has been airing on the radio in Newport & Providence, Rhode Island and the Eastern Seaboard. Feel free to run this spot in your market area or pass it on to your friends to get the message out. Thank you!

CONTACT: Autumn BaileyMedia Coordinator, The Whale Magic ProjectOrlando: 407-650-3047Direct Cell: 717-586-1526Email: http://us.mc624.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=autumnbailey@jigsawfilmworks-llc.com
Angel WilliamsExecutive Assistant, The Whale Magic ProjectOrlando: 407-650-3047Email: http://us.mc624.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Love4TheOceans@aol.com

Whale Magic: A Global Green Movement & Animation Project“The Prince and Princess of Whales to make a BIG splash for children!"

Major Green Sponsors & Co-Production Sought For CGI Animation TV Series

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - After making a splash at the 2008 National Association of Television Program Executives (N.A.T.P.E.), and receiving Letters of Intent from independent CGI studios, Tipperary Entertainment Group have chosen to move their whale-of-a-project, Whale Magic, to Orlando, Florida. They are also shopping the project to major studios, investors and corporate green sponsors.

“A Whale Magic partnership will provide many new jobs and millions of dollars in job revenue for Orlando, and promote tourism for Florida as most of the environments and scenes in Whale Magic are based in South Beach, the Florida Keys, Atlantic Ocean, Bimini, and the Bermuda Triangle. It will also provide tremendous goodwill for all parties concerned.” Said John J. Kennedy, creator and author of The Whale Magic Project.

In the Whale Magic edu-tainment TV series (season one will have 26 11-minute episodes for broadcasting, with 1-3 minute clips for multi-media downloads) the royal pod of whales, starring The Prince and Princess of Whales, spout email or “Whale Mail” where live-action clips magically appear in the mist to take children on journeys to learn about the oceans, whales, science, nature and an endless stream of fun and interesting topics. As whales are known for their songs our whales sing everything from Hip-Hop to Opera!
The cast also includes a young, talented boy named Nicky Holiday, who, along with his friends and marine-biologist parents, Roman and Happy Holiday, help to save the oceans and whales from the greedy, villainous tycoon, Johnny Networth. Networth morphs from man to oil slick on the ocean (creating toxic waste) then to a huge “ghostnet” or whale net to capture the whales. Networth is joined by his henchmen, The Anchovy Brothers, who often fumble their missions in comedic ways reminiscent of The Three Stooges.

In addition to the TV series, the project will include children's books, music, toys, merchandise licensing, educational & environmental programs, animated PSA's (on ocean conservation-see radio PSA attached below), and a trilogy of animated feature films Kennedy has written. The movies are dramatic storylines of good vs. evil and mirror the events of the world today.

"I believe that Whale Magic is the ultimate GREEN project because whales harvest the plankton in the ocean which releases oxygen into the Earth’s atmosphere. Most people believe that the majority of our oxygen is produced from the rain forests, however this is incorrect. Almost 70% of the Earth’s oxygen is created by whales harvesting the plankton. If we kill the whale, we kill all life on this planet. Therefore, if we do not protect and preserve the ocean kingdoms and her inhabitants, especially the vital lives of whales and dolphins, all life will perish. Then who will look with awe upon the monuments of man?" Kennedy said.

"I have been blessed to surround myself with the best consultants, writers and advisors, including world-renowned marine biologists, whale experts, award-winning educators, Hollywood celebrities, writers and animation experts with many, many successes and credits to their name, all whom have helped me create Whale Magic!” Kennedy said.

To date, more than $1 million dollars have been invested in the project through the sale of stock equity, plus an additional $1.5 million in deferred salaries by Kennedy, for a total of $2.5 million invested in the research, writing & development of the project, including animations tests and some pre-production.

In the early stages of the project, Kennedy received Letters of Interest from celebrities to be voices including Dom DeLuise, Joan Rivers and Jon Bouvier. He has recently received interest from Jason Berrent, former star of Cirque du Soliel’s Kooza to be a voice for the project, as well as a creative consultant for the TV series and has contacted the agents of Nicole Kidman, Orlando Bloom, Hank Williams Jr. and other “green” celebrities to be voices.

Berrent recently sent Kennedy this Letter of Interest: “After speaking with you often in the past months about your project, ‘Whale Magic‘, I am extremely interested in your vision. I am enthralled and happy to offer my talents creatively and possibly even to give my voice to a character. The character, Johnny Networth, has sparked many flowing ideas in my mind. He reminds me of character that I created and played on stage. As you know, I love villains. My interest in ‘Whale Magic‘ goes beyond the character. I feel that its necessary for children to have new wave of phenomenal films to encourage them, and inspire them. My love for marine life and for the oceans I treasure go hand in hand with your project.”

Joan Turgeon, Vice President, Promotions & Business Affairs, The Whale Magic Project is a 25-year industry professional. She currently works at Universal Studios on a project for Nickelodeon and formerly for Sony Pictures Studios for 8 years. Joan recently made this comment about Whale Magic: "Being an entertainment industry professional of both film and television for the past 25 years, I whole-heartedly endorse Mr. Kennedy’s endeavor and have joined his staff to campaign on behalf of The Prince and Princess of Whales to pass their stories and message of conservation, anti-pollution and community awareness of global warming effects on Mother Earth. Whale Magic is one of the most endearing, important and well-thought out projects I have ever seen!"

“Whales breathe new life onto this planet. Whale Magic is a breath of fresh air that teaches us all that love and compassion are always in fashion!” Said Debara Bruhn, Fox Radio host of Calling All Angels.

"Green means GO! And I am calling on every citizen to do their part for the environment and the children of the world. The world is in the eleventh-hour. Humanity is in the eleventh hour. This is no longer a dress rehearsal. It is time to be pro-active and make a difference. I have worked diligently for many, many years, and endured many challenges to realize this dream. Whale Magic is my contribution to what I hold most dear.” Kennedy said.

The Go Green movement promotes clean air and water. It also protects children's health and the environment through a unique educational experience. The Whale Magic Project is the “heart” of the Go Green movement and powerfully unites teachers, parents and students in an effort to create a culture of awareness and conservation at school, in homes and throughout communities in a fun and purposeful way. The Whale Magic Project promotes the “Oneness“ of all life and embraces all of humanity and God‘s creations.

Mr. Kennedy, President of John Kennedy Enterprises, Inc. and Tipperary Entertainment Group is an entrepreneur and international award winning writer, speaker and humanitarian. He is also a marketing expert, featured radio & television guest and a former journalist with many by-lines to his name. For many years he worked in front of the camera as a fashion & runway model (i.e., GQ, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Eddie Bauer, Oxford Suits, etc.). Mr. Kennedy won the prestigious honour of being invited to Harvard University's creative writing program based on his first short story, "Chad Jarman is 40 Today!" which started his life-long passion for writing.

For more information about The Whale Magic Project contact Autumn Bailey or Angel Williams.
www.MySpace.com/whalemagic http://www.whalemagicnetwork.com/ (coming soon)

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PSA: “Whale Magic: riding ON a wave, it's a whale crusade!” Attached please find our PSA (mp3) that has been airing on the radio in Newport & Providence, Rhode Island and the Eastern Seaboard. Feel free to run this spot in your market area or pass it on to your friends to get the message out. Thank you!

Kudos to...

2008-07-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

Melissa Gruver and Randy Molnar for Producing a SAG Film: "The Tenant" in the Central Fl. area. We need more Producers like Melissa and Randy in Fl.

Also, Kudos to J. LaRose for his success in this BIZ! J. stars in "The Tenant". He's also been in SAWIII and SAWIV. It's good to see my former acting classmate and scene-partner, from Zoe & Co., doing well!

Cypress Gardens/ Deja Vu?

2008-07-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

In the Weds. 7/30 edition of the Orlando Sentinel's Business Section, It says that Cypress Gardens is, again, having problems. See link:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-cypress3008july30,0,5966079.story . Unfortunately, I tried to bring up the above link and the message said: Page does not exist. Or something like that. I know I checked the link several times and I know I copied it correctly. They got the year wrong, 3008, not me. I apologize for their problem. You can still navigate to the business section and archive Weds. 7/30 and click the Cypress Garden article. pf.

When you only get 200 visitors, in a theme park that size, you've got problems.

Since they will be trimming back their hours in September, they might use their down time to lure Fl. producers to use their Park as a set for Film and TV.

Folks from other States, or other Countries, see it and might want to see the place where a certain scene caught their eye. It happens all the time.

To this day, alot of people claim; that the TV version of Miami Vice made South Beach what it is Today!

The Gardens need to do something. If the Ax falls again, it will probably be forever!

It's Just Me.

2008-07-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

"I'm leaning on a lamp
perhaps you think
I look a tramp"
Got alot of time on your hands? Get busy. There are a ton of things that you can do that is related to our Biz, DO IT!

I mentioned monologues, in a past post, as well as marketing.

Do you like your look. Do you like the way you look. Does your agent? Would your agent tell you if he/she thought otherwise? Probably not. There's not a whole lot that we can do about our faces, short of surgery and don't do that. There are some things we can do about our physical size.

Today is Thurs evening and tommorrow will mark the 5th day and first week of my
journey of working out at the Y. I've heard that once you get past the first two weeks, It's a piece-a-cake. Really? Tell my body that. Still, I am determined to get the eliptical machine going so fast that it will take off and drop me off at Burger King. No. Must....Stay.... Away....from....those....places!!

The point is that things are very slow and we all have the time to do things that we would not have time to do if the Industry was running full bore.

One last thing that is related to this topic. ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?!

News for Newbies.

2008-07-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

But wait, there's more!

How do you find the right acting school for you?

You can get other talent's opinion of their experience with their school or schools. That does'nt mean that school will work for you.

What kind of person are you? What's your temperment? Do your feelings get hurt easily? Do you get angry easily? Do you whine? GREAT!! You are just like I was when I started in this Biz. This Industry is not for the faint of heart!

I believe that the best way for you to find a school is just that. You have to find it. Meaning, Yes, ask around about different acting schools. Then, CALL THAT SCHOOL. Ask them if can you could Audit, sit in for, ONE class for free. This is to see if you think that Instructor will help you accomplish what you want to achieve...WORK!! In agents or casting directors eyes: when you are training you are also working and trust me, You might find an Acting Coach that will work your Arse off. That's what I needed to deflate my huge Ego.

Go out their and find out what will work for you.

I can dream can't I?

2008-07-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Country Club.

It's Just Me.

2008-07-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a Wonderful and SAFE Fourth of July. Note to self: After lighting fire-cracker, toss fire-cracker.

I missed my friends at SAG's 75th anniversary in Orlando. I came down with a stomach virus. What timing. Yes, I'm fine now but I was really planning on attending. Oh well, the best laid plans of...........................

Stay busy! With the slowdown approaching, you want to stay sharp. Take a class, if you can. Practice monologues everyday. Now, is also a good time to market or re-market yourself with new Headshots, Postcards, Business cards, and or Comp cards. All we can do now, is to try to make Lemonade out of Lemons.

News for Newbies.

2008-07-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here we are again.

The question: My agent told me I have to get new headshots because they're in Color and Casting Directors don't like color and she was really nice and she said: I can get you a Grrreeaaattttt deal for a nominal fee of 300 bones. We take credit cards. No checks in case we have to leave town in a hurry.

It's just amazing! How many email groups and web and blog sites have been telling you that you never, ever pay an agent for photos or school or anything of that nature?

I remember a TV show called Taxi. One episode the Reverend Jim, Christopher LLoyd, was with 3 guys with the cab co. at the drivers license bureau. Jim was taking the written test and he asked the guys: " What does a Yellow light mean?". One of them whispers "Slow down". Jim: " OK! Whaaat...does...a... yellow...light...mean?" And the slapstick continued. That's what I think of when all of these people keep asking the same question over and over and over and over and over.

Let's try this again. Do not pay anyone to get an agent. Do not pay the agent anything.

Sorry for being harsh but I would rather be harsh that see someone get taken.

You Gotta Love It!

2008-07-07T16:56:00.001-07:00

Just when you think it's safe to go back into the water.

I read in the Orlando Sentinel's business section where next years budget could also be in the Red because less taxes are being collected. WHAT??!! The bunch that runs Tallahassee are Tax slashers and they expect more taxes to fill the States Coffers?

Just when I thought our State Leaders could'nt get any dumber, LOOK AT WHAT I FOUND!!

Somebody voted those clunkers in. How scary is that? How scary is it that some of those people, that read this blog, are going to vote them back in?

It's Just Me.

2008-06-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

There are many Floridians in our Industry. Many are trying their best to become successful Producers and Directors in our State. I applaud those that, honestly, try to create work here.

Many of those Producers may not be aware that the Screen Actors Guild has various budget production options for hiring SAG talent. For example: there's Experimental Film, Ultra Low-Budget, and Low-Budget Film contracts. I believe that two of those have deferred payment plans for the talent. I also believe that it's in a Producer's best interest to have the best talent pool to select from.

Many SAG actors are available to do the above work. They know that if you do succeed, that they will get paid at least the minimum scale for that particular contract.

How many Florida Producers have the SAG phone numbers for Miami and Central Fl.? How many, of those said producers, have called those offices to request viewing the details of those contracts?

Successful Producers give themselves the best chance to succeed when they allow themselves to be open to any and all resources that will make their project a winner!

By being a SAG signatory, you will appreciate the Fact that SAG talent will conduct themselves in a professional manner. That they will take great pride in their craft, and will be very appeciative of the fact that they were invited to your audition.

I hope more and more Fl. Producers will give this their utmost consideration when they plan their next Project!!

Miami Office: Contact Melodie Shaw at 1-800-724-0767. On the first greeting press #3 and on the second greeting, press #5. Then press *236.

For the Central Fl. office: Contact Dave Fazekas at 407-788-3020

News for Newbies.

2008-06-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

I try to provide information that might, possibly, help some that work in the Film Industry. Information that, some, may not be familiar with. I am not an acting coach. I will not attempt to provide any acting instruction. There are Acting Schools for that. I can inform you that it would be in your best interest to be well versed with a variety of monologues, but it takes an acting coach to insure that you are doing a monologue correctly.

I met someone that had been "schooled" by a Husband and Wife team. She refused to give their names. I found that to be quite odd. I'm very proud of my acting coaches.

There was one thing that she did mention. The wife coach got stiffed by her agent on one of her film projects. That raised a few alarums:

1) The lady got stiffed by an agent. It seems kind of obvious that this was'nt a SAG agent and, if it was, it no longer is. If we go with the first guess, that the agent was'nt SAG franchised, then that tells me that the teacher is'nt a member of SAG. The Top Acting Instructors, in our State, have a Huge list of SAG Features on their resume.

2) Why would a student be reluctant to give out their names? That's just the opposite reaction of those of us that feel that we had trained under the Best.

3) Most likely, that student picked up alot of bad habits which will, probably, come back to bite her. Too many blown auditions and casting directors could give her agent the thumbs down on sending her out to any future auditions that they have.

When all is said and done, she might ask herself: Was it worth it to go on the cheap when it comes to her Acting Career?

Another thing that I will not do. I will not recommend any acting school. You'll have to do your own homework on that. I had to.

Anything You Can Do....

2008-06-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

I have read blogs, from other States, that wish to Lure Film Production there.

One poster wrote: That their State's Beaches are as attrative as any in the Country. OK, but how many States in our Country have Ocean that completely surrounds their State. The State of Florida has the Atlantic Ocean on the East coast and the Gulf of Mexico on our West coast.

You can enjoy being in the present, on one of our Gorgeous Beaches, or travel back to the past in various Central and North Florida locales. We also have the Everglades.

The only thing that your State has, that our State does'nt, is Leadership from your State Lawmakers!

Note to Self.

2008-06-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

There have been times when I am sure that you have observed ads, in the Google Adsense banner, that has nothing to do with the topic of this sight.

I have complained to Google but, unfortunately, that's all I can do.

Please accept my apology for this Circus.

Enough, Already!

2008-06-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

There are way too many innocent people that are being taken by Scammers. Scammers, in this Industry, have it pretty much their way. They deceive the innocent and run away with ill-gotten gains. Those same Scammers, do it over and over again.

When and if they are caught; they should be Fined an exorbitant amount of money and sent to Jail for a minimum of 5 years. This is the only kind of deterrent that can put a dent in reducing these crimes!

You know who makes the laws. I'm sure you will be able to sleep better at nights knowing our lawmakers will do something about this!

Don't Forget!

2008-06-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

If you have something to say in the comments link, you can be anonymous and no one will be the wiser.

I look forward to the day when I can do interviews again. This past year was so busy that many just could'nt find the time.

That's why I am especially grateful to: Annie Kidwell, Brett Rice, and Steve Zurk for taking time out of their Brutal schedules to be interviewed.

Everyone be careful this summer. It has been unusually Smoking hot. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate. And find a cool spot when you can. Use sunblock if you're outdoors.

Film In Florida Update.

2008-06-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

Film in Florida had their annual meetings in Orlando. I did'nt attend. I also have'nt heard what took place or if they have a secret plan to bring in outside Film Production.

I hope they have better luck next year.

Upcoming Events that I wish to Pimp.

2008-06-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Film Florida Annual Meeting will have events from 6/9 to 6/11.
Their annual meeting will be on Tues. 6/10 and that's Free from 1 to 5 pm. * Ding-Ding -Ding! There has been a correction on the time for the meeting! It's Weds. 6/11 at 9am to 12pm.
It will be at the Grand Bohemian Hotel.

On Saturday 6/21, SAG will hold it's SAG Day Party. It starts at 7pm. You must be a SAG member.

Enjoy you're Summer!!

Many Thanks to Ms. Wyman!

2008-06-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Lori Wyman did a Great thing for the Film Industry, here in Fl. She donated her office, her time, and her expertise to get folks to write to Governor Crist to revisit the Film Incentive budget amount for the next fiscal year. I have'nt heard what the final tally of letters was but whatever the final count was, We owe Lori our deepest appreciation.

Thank-You, Lori, for all of your efforts. You have our undying Gratitude!

It's Just Me.

2008-06-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

This month marks the 6 month anniversary of this blogsite.

I wrote posts on a site before, but it was more political. I guess I got the political activism and writing skills from my Father. He was the owner of a political party affiliated paper.

I remember going to his place of work, with him, in downtown Miami on Saturdays in the late '50's. Walking from the car to the office building I remember the smell of the open air diners. Yum. I also remember him taking our family to political get-togethers and Bar-B-Ques and taking my Mother to Inaugural Galas.

When I got older I realized what politics had done to my Father and I promised myself not to get involved with it.

And there I was; getting involved with it. Not because I wanted to. I just want to Act. Unfortunately politicians got involved with my career and I, in turn, got involved with theirs.

I'm not sure if this blogsite has had any effect on anyone. They're are'nt alot of comments. I can't think of any reason why this site should continue.

My initial reason for writing these posts was to help inform the Film Industry about Fl. and it's resources. I'm not sure that I accomplished that.

I'll be doing alot of reflecting and thinking in the next couple of weeks. Should I stay or should I go? I think that was a song...probably not.

News for Newbies.

2008-06-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

Sadly, we hear of another successful scam that was pulled off in Tampa.

Kudos to those that informed as many people as they could, but it's not easy to stop those scammers. They are Great hypnotists. That's why they get away with all of that money.

My heart goes out to those that got hurt. I hope others echo that feeling. It does'nt do any good to dance on someone's misfortune. You can do that watching American Idol. That's a great vehicle for misfortune stomping.

Keep Spreading the word: Do not pay any agency anything. Period. You need modeling or acting lessons. Fl. has lots of those and they are in the Fab book. Those schools are on the up and up. You need an agent. Get a Fab book and mail your Comps, Headshots, and resume~s to them. Network through fabyahoogroups.

Keep your guard up at all times because once a scammer takes you, the chances of you getting your money back are slim to none and slim has left for Bollywood!

Where's the Others?

2008-06-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Correction as of 06/04/08. The Green Room ( see sidebar ) posts casting calls from Full Sail, UCF, and VCC. My Bad and my apologies to The Green Room!

When FSU ( Full Sail ) needs talent to attend their students auditions. They have a couple ways to contact the masses.
1) Talent can register on Full Sails My Space page. * I was not contacted this last time by them but it could have been one of those Glitches. Whatever those are.
2) fabactor@yahoogroups . Annie Kidwells vehicle for talent networking.

It does make me wonder why UCF and Valencia CC film schools don't use these communications networks. Advertising on a website that a person has to monetarily subscribe to will not be read by those that wish not to subscribe.

I've done a UCF student film. The film school is more than capable of turning out a good short film. I wish that they would advertise to the masses more than they have.

I hope more film schools will advertise to outside talent. They will give themselves a larger talent pool to select from.

What to do, What to do...

2008-05-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

With the expected one year, at least, hiatus; what will you do?

Well, you could do what alot of talent and crew-members will probably do. Leave the State. Or, you could concentrate on honing your craft by taking acting lessons, or do stage work, or do student films, or improv. Anything to stay sharp at your craft. Sitting around and fuming does'nt help. Unless you're the author of a blogsite, then that's OK.

But back to being serious. When is the last time you have rehearsed a monologue, or extended your monologue selections. Say: one comedy, one dramatic, one comedy classic, and one dramatic classic. You "Should" have four of those type of monologues in your toolbox. You "Should" be able to perform all four flawlessly.

It's very unfortunate when Politics decides whether or not we will work. All we can do is to let our opinions be known to those politicians and then seek work elsewhere, or work on your craft while waiting for things to change in Fl.

This past film season was good in Central and North Fl. and GREAT in Miami. This upcoming budget season is going to be painful. Many people will lose their homes or have to go on food stamps. The irony is that if State Lawmakers knew how to think outside of the box and create programs that stimulate the economy, like film incentives did, this past season, then we would'nt be in this situation. Unfortunately those politicians only think in black and white. It's either cut taxes or raise taxes. No it's not!

Some conservative State lawmakers tried their best to stop the Seminole Indians from installing game tables in their casinos. Those lawmakers failed. Even had they succeeded the Federal Gov't was going to allow it. Because Governor Crist realized this, he allowed those Casinos to proceed. The difference is that, now, the State will benefit from those tax revenues. Had the Federal Gov't made the decision, The State of Fl. would not have gotten a dime. This is an example of a money-generator. It will stimulate our economy and help bring our State buget out of the red.

Even given this information, you can bet that many will not pay attention to the facts.

This post will push me off of my soapbox, for awhile. I know, better than anyone, that I have to move on, but not before stating the obvious to those, in our industry, that refuse to see the obvious.

A Hypothetical....

2008-05-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

You're the CEO of a Huge Co. You have a board meeting where it's reported that Three of the Co.'s divisions are loosing money, but the other two are making alot of money. You know you have to cut spending, possibly laying people off , or having to shut down a division that will not be a success. Do you do the same thing with the two money makers? Stupid Question? Is'nt that what the Legislature did with the incentive budget? Is'nt this an example of basic business?

To take this one step further, what would happen to the board member that would suggest slashing all five?

The general public is the Boss. We have the power to fire those that can't see the difference between a money maker and one that does'nt.

Money makers are what keep businesses running. Why should Tallahassee be any different? They should'nt.

If you care about Fl.'s Film Future, I suggest you start contacting the Governor, and your House and Senate representatives. Like; RIGHT NOW!!!

It's Not Over til...

2008-05-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

I received a letter, from the Governor's office, saying that the Governor has not signed the Legislature's proposal of slashing the film budget by $20 million. He can still veto this.

Write to the Governor today. Ask him to veto their offer. Ask him to call a special session for the Legislature to come back with a strong incentive package.

Write to your House and Senate Reps. Tell them that if they get an opportunity to correct their stupid mistake, that you may forgive them in November.

Do this now, or don't ever complain about this issue!

Send your letters to:
Governor Charlie Crist and Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp
Office of Governor Charlie Crist
State of Florida
PL-05 The Capitol
Tallahassee, Fl. 32399-0001