When I wrapped up Labor Day weekend in Wisconsin, one thing was clear: Executive Producer Dad and I were officially pulling the trigger on fundraising. It’s probably the most daunting part of this process, but also the most necessary one. While my VP of Marketing may not mind being paid in mojitos, I don’t know many cinematographers who will be satisfied with cocktails as the only compensation. (Although I do make a good martini – just ask my pals Kevin and Monique!)
The plan now is that I’m going back to Wisconsin in early October to co-host two fundraising events with my Executive Producer. Invites have been printed or created online (paperlesspost.com is a great invitation website, by the way – thanks for the tip, Shannon and Amy!) and they’ll be sent out early next week. I need to put together a power point presentation so I can expound for fifteen to twenty minutes on my vision for Deliberate Productions and for the first film from it, Beneath the Surface. I’ll have to be ready to field questions and answer them with some coherence. I’m feeling a little like Roy Scheider in All that Jazz…
"It's Showtime!"
Yes, the search for angel investors has begun. But along the way, I’ve been humbled by the everyday angels who are crossing my path to help in the search. Of course, there are the usual suspects of family and friends…and blog readers! But another angel has emerged in the form of an old friend I reconnected with thanks to…yes…Facebook. Uh huh, after all of my skepticism about the social networking/navel-gazing site, I’ve actually found it to be a pretty cool resource. Some of the things Facebook has brought me include a) experiencing Comic-Con vicariously through my Nickelodeon colleagues, b) viewing pictures of my super-dynamic nieces on their fun and fish-filled summer vacation, and c) discovering a very cool musician named Clem Snide. (Checkout his ukulele cover of Journey’s Faithfully. Awesome!)
Here I go again with the digressing…
Anyway, a long-lost friend of mine, Melissa, contacted me on Facebook. Melissa and I performed together in some Madison community theatre productions when we were kids. The King and I and The Sound of Music were two of our early theatrical triumphs. We went to different schools, though, so by the time high school began we fell out of touch. (Ah, if only Facebook had been around back then.)
High-tech Communication: Eighties Style!
When I told Melissa I’d be home over Labor Day, we made plans to get together for some cocktails and catching up. As I’ve written earlier, that weekend home was a mixed bag of emotions because I suddenly felt the reality of this project of mine…and the heavy weight of that reality. Words were turning into action. And my stomach was turning into knots.
So at one of my favorite wine bars in Madison, Eno Vino, Melissa and I caught up on lost time and traveled down a laughter-laden memory lane together. I eventually told Melissa about my plans in independent film production and she couldn’t have been more excited for me. Her unabashed enthusiasm and support was just the fuel I needed to keep moving forward on this pathway. And, as it turns out, she may be able to introduce me to some potential angel investors, too.
So, I am going to be grateful for all of the angels that come my way on this adventure, investor and otherwise.
Thanks for the encouragement!
NEXT UP: Another movie review? So many Blockbuster envelopes await my attention.