Linked to the end of time

      Have worked with Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Twitter decided Forgivenessonline was two characters too long. So, my Twitter account is at OakRidgeHeroes.
      Still haven't figured out how to leverage all these apps, but I think I can figure it out. There is a ton of advice out there on the Internet. If kids can do it, with struggles, an old geezer like me should be able to twitter to his heart's content.

forgivenessonline

Nervous Investors

        Met for a few minutes yesterday with a potential investor. Very weird. They know nothing about screenplays and Hollywood. I know little to nothing about business. Because of this, there has to be a lot of trust on both sides of the table.
        This will be a long process.  Lots of give and take. The investors want to remove as much risk as they can from the endeavor. If I could remove all risk, I wouldn't need investors.
         I have imposed a deadline on myself to have my marketing plan completed by May 24th. It will be, at most, five pages long. Will need to condense it down to essential components. It must be as close to perfect as I can get it.
        Need to work on strategies to reduce stress. The investors, I think, don't realize I am taking a huge risk here too. Quitting my job is a big risk, but it has a huge upside if I can get this screenplay to a major studio.

Entering New Territory

       A few weeks back, I ran into a "person of interest" concerning my screenplay Forgiveness. I've known this person for years. On a total lark, without much thought at all, I asked the person, who has read my screenplay, if they might be interested in bank rolling me for 18 months so I could quit my day job and focus all my energies on selling Forgiveness. In exchange, they would get a percentage of the proceeds when I sell it. It is assumed that the monies on the back end would be far, far more than on the front end. (Greed, fear and fame are the main drivers in Hollywood, based on what I have seen from a distance.)
    
      They expressed an interest that was stronger than I expected. And although they are successful business people, they talked more about how "cool" it would be to get this unknown, epic American story out to a national audience. A chance to fix a mistake of history.

      But, of course, business being business, they didn't want to take all the risk themselves. They proposed that if I could get 3-4 investors, so the risk could be spread out, that perhaps a deal could be struck.

      When others have been approached, they have all expressed an interest. But, of course, why would a business person dismiss a proposal right out of the gate? It would seem wise to always hedge your bets. So now, I have six folks who are hedging their bets.

      Am working on, at their request, a marketing plan. Marketing plans are not my strength. But, perhaps they are my strength. My speciality is fiction. Marketing plans might just be right up my alley.

      Keep your fingers crossed.

forgivenessonline

Here's why I am James Cameron's biggest fan!

Folks. What follows are a few tiny facts. Then I throw out a bunch of my own fantasies about how these facts could be affecting events in Hollywood. I’m throwing it out there so you can give me your comments. Also, if you want to pass it on to your Facebook friends, I am okay with that too.

In January the book Last Train from Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino was published by Henry Holt. Very soon after, it was announced that James Cameron  had purchased the movie rights to the book. Part of the book tells the story of Tsutomu Yamaguchi, the only person recognized by the Japanese government to have survived both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. 

On March 1st. Henry Holt pulled the book off bookstore shelves. A handful of inaccuracies in the text forced the recall. Although small in number, the integrity of the entire manuscript was in question.

Here’s the fantasy part.

When Cameron bought the movie rights, a tiny shudder went through Hollywood. Avatar had just become the largest grossing movie of all time, with a world-wide box office of $2.7 billion. Cameron’s movies have grossed almost $6 billion world-wide.

Cameron had taken out and used his massive $6 billion stamp of approval and credibility which said, “This is a great untold story.” 

Cameron is known to take a long time making his movies. Perhaps the other directors and producers in Hollywood are thinking that if they can get a movie out about the Manhattan Project  before Cameron’s that they can steal most of Cameron’s box office thunder.

But with the book being pulled off the shelves, does Hollywood get all skittish about the subject matter. I don’t know.

I have an active imagination. Keep your fingers crossed.

Forgiveness, the screenplay

     Just wanted folks to know that the video, on YouTube at forgivenssonline topped 28,000 hits yesterday(October 18th).  It is averaging between 100-300 hits a day. Somedays it drops off the cliff, but then there will be a one day spike of 400 hits. Go figure.

     But far more important, is there are quiet little ripples on the water in Hollywood. The video is bouncing around the movie community. The screenplay has been sent out there too. Somebody asked to see it and I sent it out there ASAP. No word yet. As Tom Petty sang, "The waiting is the hardest part."

     Keep your fingers crossed. I will use this blog and Facebook to provide updates.