Santa Catalina Film Festival

This is the week of last minute surprises.  Earlier in the week, I was asked to moderate a panel at the Digital Hollywood Content Summit sponsored by SAG New Media on "Commerce and Communication".  I had literally just stepped off of the plane from two weeks in NY, when I got the call.  Even though I was ready for a day off, I couldn't say "no" when SAG New Media called because the panel was on a strong topic and filled with people I know and respect.  While the panel was going on, I received a text asking if I could fill in and sit on a panel about  "Social Media Behaving Badly:  Campaigns That Miss The Mark" at the Santa Catalina Film Festival on Sunday.

The Digital Hollywood Content Summit Panel sponsored by SAG New Media.  

I haven't been to Catalina in about a decade, but it is a small scenic island off of the coast of Southern California.  You get to take a ferry in and most of the island is filled with golf carts versus cars.  It's charming and lovely, so I cannot wait to enjoy the day in Catalina and share the photos with you on Monday.  If you happen to be in the Southern California area and are looking for a great excursion for the weekend, check out the Santa Catalina Film Festival and the panel information here.

Thank you to Canyon Prince and Hayden Black for making my panel appearance at the film festival possible.  I appreciate it.

Pre-panel pose at Digital Hollywood with ElfQuest producers, Paula Rhodes and Stephanie Thorpe.

Now, share your big plans for the weekend!

Photo 2:  Courtesy of SAG New Media
Photo 3:  Courtesy of Stephanie Thorpe

Digital Hollywood Content Summit

Well, that was fast.  I was going to take a few days off after my 22 non-stop days of work, but I got a call (okay, a Tweet) from SAG New Media inviting me to moderate a panel for Digital Hollywood Content Summit today.  The talented panel includes producers, actors, and creators from the New Media space who are going to share their experiences on "Actors, Social Media, and Celebrity:  Communications and Commerce".  I know all four of the panelists on a personal and professional level and this will definitely be a good opportunity to learn from the movers and shakers in the industry.  All of the information for the Digital Hollywood Content Summit panel is here.

Hope to see you there!

On the panel, Paula Rhodes and Stephanie Thorpe. You may remember Paula (photo above) and Stephanie (photo below) from my Live streaming coverage of ElfQuest.  If you missed it, you can find the photos, panel, trailer, articles, and red carpet coverage here and here.

Wrapping up An Elf-filled Week

Ah, my post comes a bit late as I have a bit of an event week hangover.  Not a real hangover from delicious cocktails, but from a week filled with excitement and dreams. I don't know where to begin, so I will just bullet point all of the fun things that happened.

1.  I started the week with my official investment in the Broadway revival of Godspell coming in the 2011-2012 season.  You can read all about it here.

Photo courtesy of Nicholas Sayaan.  Me and Roni B.

2.  LA Premiere Shorts:  It was a blast supporting my pal, Roni B, in her film debut!  Her store was used as a part of the film, Brownie Points, so it was the perfect backdrop for the cute romantic comedy.

Photo courtesy of Robert Welkner, Coin-Op.TV.  Me with Richard and Wendy Pini

3.  ElfQuest:  I was thrilled to be asked by SAG New Media to host the live stream for the red carpet for the premiere of the ElfQuest fan trailer.  It was exciting to meet the creators of the original ElfQuest series,  Richard and Wendy Pini, but what made it even better was watching my friends, Stephanie Thorpe and Paula Rhodes, turn their dreams into reality.  There has been an incredible amount of press surrounding the fan trailer, so here are a few links to take a look at if you are an ElfQuest fan:

The Fan Trailer

Live Stream Red Carpet/Q&A

SAG New Media article

Mingle Media TV-photos

Robert Welkner/Coin-Op.tv-photos

Eddie Carrington AKA Brigwyn article

Interview with Stephanie Thorpe and Paula Rhodes:


4.  I love it when something I cover resonates with fans, so I was pleased to see that my interview with Chandler Massey at the GBK gifting suite was a hit with Days of Our Lives fans on AfterElton.com.  Check out the article here.

5.  Finally, many thanks to my friend, Leah Cevoli, for including me in her series, On the Road with Leah Cevoli. I make a little cameo at about 2:53 and yes, this cameo was done on the fly which means no hair and makeup!  You will see it does take a village to put me together.

Phew.  I think that is it for this weekend.  I have a crazy few weeks coming up with NAB, Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix, and our last Toyota Live run for the season.  I promise it won't be boring.  Have a great weekend and I will see you on Monday at Red Carpet Closet!

Elfquest: A Fan Imagining

Photo courtesy of RadNerd.

If you've never heard of Elfquest, you will soon.  Whether it is tonight's world premiere of Paula Rhodes and Stephanie Thorpe's 5-minute trailer or the possible Warner Brother's production brought to the big screen, this won't be the last time you hear about Wendy and Richard Pini's cult comic book classic.  Tonight, I have the opportunity to host the live stream of the red carpet and then moderate the Q&A after the premiere.  Please join me for all the excitement over at SAG New Media's Stickam page at 6:45PM PST.

Live Stream Link on Stickam.

About Elfquest.

About the Elfquest Fan Trailer.

Here's a sneak peak of tonight's premiere:

Holiday Musings

Where have I been?  What have I been doing?  What I am musing over?  Well, here's a quick list of what I have been up to this holiday season:

1. Apple & Bee Beauty Bag:  On my birthday, I was thrilled to learn that I won a gift from Your Daily Thread, which is a "free daily email on the latest in green living and social good".  They feature everything from fashion to beauty to giveaways, so it was exciting to win this snappy travel bag from Apple & Bee.  It is perfect for the eco-geek in me and for the 200 days I am out on the road with plenty of room for my makeup and toiletries.  I chose the Japanese Red print to add a splash of color to my luggage, but there were a variety of trendy prints to choose from.  The bag is made from all certified organic cotton, bamboo silk, hemp, and burlap/calico and is made in Australia.  A portion of Apple & Bees' profits go to environmental organizations, so be sure to check out their cute designs in totes and travel gear.

From left:  Helenna Santos, me, Stephanie Thorpe, Julie Tyler, Cooper Harris. 

2. The Red Carpet Premiere of the web series, Asylum:  Yes, you have seen this dress before here and here.  I think it is time to retire it from the public event rotation.  Or do you think I can get one more wear out of this DVF dress?  I love it so!  By the way, this photo showcases some inspiring female movers and shakers on/off camera here in LA.  I was honored to even stand beside them on the red carpet.  Finally, a big "congratulations" to Scott Brown who directed the Asylum series. He is another one to watch on the director scene.

3.  Nashville Barbeque:  I'm working in Nashville this week and there is nothing better than a day on set that begins with watching Loretta Lynn singing Coal Miner's Daughter on the soundstage next to you and ends with fall-off-of-the-bone pork ribs. I am a total foodie and barbeque is a must when I am working in this region of the US.  We went to a place called Jack's and the food was so good, I stopped back by the kitchen to thank the chef.  My tummy was happy and full of ribs, mac and cheese, corn bread, sweet tea, and creamed corn.  Yum!

Me, Streamy Award winning writer, Bernie Su, and Diane Beck.

4.  IAWTV Holiday Party:  For those of you outside of NY and Los Angeles, IAWTV stands for the International Academy of Web Television.  Earlier this year, there was lots of strife and growing pains amongst the community after the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards.  It was so nice to see that by the end of 2010, we were able to come together with a common goal and truly enjoy the holiday season together.  It was nice to see not only familiar faces in the crowd, but some fantastic new producers and content creators in the mix. Welcome!

5.  Arm Socks:  Finally, I can't get enough of Arm Socks.  I first saw them during my trip to China in 2005, the ladies wore them everywhere because they kept their arms warm while they biked to work, to lunch, and back home. I didn't pick up a pair then, but I saw a pair at Roni B's and I cannot stop wearing them.  They are cute to wear under a sweater and peeking out below the sleeve to add a dash of color to any outfit. Or, they are awesome in a pinch on set when I am dressed in short sleeves and I want to keep warm.  I am picking up a few for my favorite fashionistas as holiday gifts because they are under $20 and they are sure to brighten any drab winter wardrobe. (For those of you that are crafty, I bet you can make a pair from the awesome print socks that Target sells for even less.)

PS  Don't forget to enter my Makeup Holiday Giveaway!  Entries are due in by Monday, December 20th at 11:59 PM PST!

Photos 1, 2: Courtesy of Apple & Bee.
Photo 3:  Courtesy of Brenda White
Photo 5:  Courtesy of Bernie Su

Fashion's Night Out: Saks Fifth Avenue, Beverly Hills

I am actually surprised I haven't seen more posts today from some of my favorite fashion bloggers about last Friday's big event, Fashion's Night Out.  The event was started by Vogue editor-in-chief and fashion guru, Anna Wintour, last year.  It was fashion's own economic stimulus plan that began in NY and has now become a global shopping event in its second year.  I was asked by Mingle Media TV to cover an event thrown by Girls in Tech LA at Saks Fifth Avenue on the big night.  While I was excited to participate, I couldn't begin to imagine how much fun I was about to have.

The 5th floor of Saks was rocking with a DJ spinning tunes, cosmos waiting for the VIP guests, and a tableful of cupcakes waiting to be devoured.  Girls in Tech LA is a terrific group of women who educate, support, and promote women in the tech industry and they sure know how to throw a party.  With a 15% off coupon at Saks tucked into each of the swag bags, we all jumped at the chance to help out a great cause:  Dress for Success.  Saks was donating 5% of the evening's proceeds to the charity that donates professional attire and career support to women who are re-entering the workplace after unemployment.  Other fun distractions included a photo booth and the Alice + Olivia Fall 2010 collection that was sitting just outside of the VIP room.  Here are a few photos from the evening, video interviews to follow later this week:

Delicious cupcakes from Frosted Cupcakery.

With Cooper Harris on the red carpet. Photo courtesy of Kevin Hahn.

With Stephanie Thorpe and our $200,000 jewels.  Thanks , Saks for letting us indulge for a moment. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Thorpe.

It's tough being a guy at a shopping event.  Mingle Media TV producer, JD Piche, stuck with purses, cameras, and iPhones.

Fun in the photo booth with Cooper and JD, all thanks to Photo Booth Mania.

Yep, I bought a dress. Armed with my 15% off coupon, I found this on sale DVF dress for under $200.  Score!

Did any of you attend Fashion's Night Out?  I want to hear about your experience in the comments section below. 

Behind the Scenes of The Web Files Buzz, Episode 5

Another episode of The Web Files Buzz is here and I think I have the biggest hair ever in this episode.  I'm not kidding.  I think it was the perfect element to battle ghosts and zombies on our set visits to Bumps in the Night and Night of the Zombie King from the Gold crew.  There was enough hairspray to ward off any paranormal activity.

                             Melissa Anchondo making my hair as BIG as possible for the shoot that day.

Our first visit that day was to the Bumps in the Night set with Emmett Furey, John Reha, and Greg Benevent We have talked about a shoot with them since the A Good Knight's Quest premiere back in February.  It took a long time to schedule, but we managed to get them in and get the guys in character for a fantastic Ghostfacers versus Bumps in the Night throw down.  Who do you think would win the face-off?  Also, I love that the blue couch that we were sitting on is from Craigslist and plays a hilarious role in the series:  is it haunted or just a reminder that Craigslist can be creepy?  One thing I wish I had mentioned during the interview was that they are using a variety of guest directors this season.  I think it adds an interesting element to the series by showcasing different director' takes on the show.  The week we were there, it was Rudy Jahchan's turn.  You may recognize the name from the Streamy-nominated and Web Files featured show, A Comicbook Orange. (In fact, their episode remains our highest viewed show for 2010.)  Rumor has it that Rudy may direct another episode in the near future, so be on the lookout for his shows and check out another episode of Bumps in the Night directed by After Judgment's Taryn O'Neill and guest starring The Crew's, Ariel Lazarus.  Bumps is definitely a smaller web series deserving more eyeballs, so go show your support and check out their show.

From ghosts to zombies, we headed just down the street on this prolific web series weekend to the set of Night of the Zombie King from Gold creator, David Nett.  These mini-episodes featuring the character Jaz from season 1 of Gold, are going to help tide the fans over until Season 2 is shot and released.  Joining James Lane (Jaz) are a few familiar faces including Stephanie Thorpe of After Judgment as Jaz's high school sweetheart and Maxwell Glick of lonelygirl15.  Adding to the excitement of the series, is the release of the Season 1 DVD of Gold. Sales of the DVD will go toward producing a Season 2, so get out there and support the show.  I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of the DVD which features extras like commentary on each episode from the cast and crew, an interview with Cricket Lee of GirlGamer.com, and a mini-episode not seen before.  I think it's just enough to excite fans for the upcoming second season.  

And one final note, I will give a prize to the first person who correctly answers this question:  My shirt seen in the photo above was also worn by another actress in a 2009 interview on The Web Files.  What show were we interviewing?  First correct answer in the comment will win some fantastic prize from my collection of goodies.  Ready, set, go.........

If you missed our Web Files Buzz episode, watch it below.  We will see you tomorrow with an interview with the new Backyard FX host, Zack Finfrock.  

  

PS  I received amazing PR materials from Jenni Powell of Bumps in the Night and David Nett of Gold before my set visit.  It really is an important component to any show, make sure to read my tips on Publicity and Web Series or ask your fellow content creators for some help.  This type of professionalism creates a stronger foundation within the web community and beyond.  Thank you both!  It made my job easier that day.  (And if you want to see a spot-on interview, watch David.  He mastered the art of the interview, promoted his show, and his section needed very little editing in post.  Woo hoo!)

Photo 1:  Courtesy of Jenni Powell

Photos 2-4: Courtesy of Jenn Bobiwash

The Web Files Buzz, Episode 5

I will have more later this week with a behind the scenes look at our set visits with Night of the Zombie King from the Gold series and Bumps in the Night. We shot this episode all in one day, it truly exemplifies the growth and excitement in the web industry. As always, I love to hear your thoughts, so comment below or hit the "contact" button listed above. Thanks for watching!

Behind the Scenes of Hurtling Through Space At An Alarming Rate

Okay, this is a really late behind the scenes look at Hurtling Through Space At An Alarming Rate, but it's here, it's finally here! I think I have been talking with Stephanie Thorpe and Mike Davies about doing an interview since I saw them on the red carpet for iTVFest in July. Well, here we are in the late fall and we finally got it done, but there was one tricky part to the interview: Mike Davies was in Canada. Duh-Duh!

Well, thank goodness we have Sandra's creative brain to help with all of the logistics to make it seem like Mike himself was hurtling through space. We shot all of the questions for Mike first, then sent the questions to him via email, and he shot the video on his end to answer all of the questions. Sandra also came up with the genius idea of a crowded space highway with a nice little shout out to other web series we have featured like The Crew, The Cabonauts, Safety Geeks:SVI, and Space Hospital. A big thanks to all of the creators for contributing their footage to the show. Since HTSAAAR was shot in Canada, we obviously did not have access to their set, so Sandra's living room doubled as the apartment floating out in the universe. Now, none of this would be possible without the incredible efforts of Gordon Lee who created all of the VFX for us. The truly amazing part of it all is that he turned it all around for us in little over a week. So, Gordon, thank you, this episode would not have been possible without you.

As for Taryn O'Neill, Stuart Paap, and Stephanie Thorpe, it was great to finally sit down with them and get behind the scenes on their show and their collaboration. I love that they have their own little Canadian posse working together on creating stories for the web. Taryn has found her niche here with a huge slate of web series this year....After Judgment, The Crew, Compulsions, and of course, HTSAAAR. Stephanie showed up in one of my favorite shirts from Bebe. How do I know it is from Bebe? I own the same shirt. In fact, you can see it in my host reelon the QVC clip. So, naturally, I am going to like anyone with the same fashion sense. Finally, I was familiar with Stuart's work on Live from the Future because he interviewed a friend of mine, Zen Gray, about her participation in the Bravo TV show, Workout. It truly was fun to have three web celebs all joining us on The Web Files. Wait a minute, I mean four.....you have to count Mike's cameo too! Come back to LA soon, Mike. I hope you find your way home with all of that space traffic. In the words of Mike Davies, it was "DEE-lightful" to have you"awesomness" on our show. Be sure to check out their show on Babelgum, a site that is starting to become a heavy hitter in the Web TV industry.

As always, a big thank you to e.l.f. Cosmetics for helping with each episode and my favorite wardrobe gal, Roni B. (I cannot stop wearing this shirt!)

If you missed this episode, watch it here:

Update to the Update

Just a quick update on reactions and feedback to Liz Shannon Miller's review of The Web Files on NewTeeVee. There were a lot of comments about the article (both public and in private) and I appreciate your support. I have to say overall, I was happy with the review. I think Liz offered up some appropriate criticism and you will all see The Web Files grow over time as the audience for Web TV expands. The show truly is for the web series community and its fans/supporters. I am getting the scoop on what you want to hear about your favorite shows. Is it breaking news? No. That is what Tubefilter and NewTeeVee are there for. I see the show as a companion piece to all of the work the two sites have been doing over the past few years, we are not the competition. Finally, we have mainly focused on LA web series due to budget. We featured Jeremy Redleaf and his NY-based Odd Jobs because we were able to grab him when he was here in LA. It is our intent to make it to NY at some point in 2010 and feature all of the fantastic work happening on the East Coast. So, keep watching, we hope to have even more for you in the coming year.

Thank you for your views, feedback, support, and comments! Now back to work....we have Taryn O'Neill, Stuart Paap, and Stephanie Thorpe Hurtling Through Space at an Alarming Rate tomorrow. What? No Mike Davies? Hmmmm, maybe he will show up...stay tuned.....

ITVFest Opening Night Gala: Part 3

Here they are, the remaining photos from the Gala. I chose a few of the absurd, fun, and caption-worthy for my last post. Starting right off with the "After Judgment" crew, Stephanie Thorpe and Mike Davies, as we discuss their future interview with The Web Files while I interview them on the red carpet. What a great way to do business.....
Who are going to interview next? Me and Shira Lazar looking for our next interview. Anyone? Anyone?
This was one crowded red carpet! We moved over further and further until we gave up and parked ourselves away from the red carpet to finish up the interviews.
What are you wearing? Checking out the red carpet fashions with the Stickcam.com hosts.
Yes, I am pretending to pose in a photo with Felicia Day where I just end up looking crazy. There she is!
One of my favorites from the night.....no paparazzi, please!
The cast and creators of Dark Room Theater, I am not sure if they look bored during my interview or just dying to hit the bar. And a big thanks to Keith Blaney, who was concerned about my level of hydration during the red carpet.
Watch out, it's the "Dangerous Women" from Strike.tv! Originally conceived as a web series, it is entered in iTVFest as a television pilot showing the versatility of the web format. The series also has a fantastic tag line, "This ain't your mother's PMS".
Shhhh.....worst kept secret for The Web Files. We are excited to interview this talented bunch on Monday.
Finally, I want to give a shout-out to several of the other web series we interviewed including, "Imaginary Bitches", "2012", "Operation Midnight Climax", "Johnny B. Homeless", and "House Arrest". I didn't charge my camera, so the old batteries were exhausted by the time we got to them. We didn't forget you, look for your clips in the next episode of The Web Files on Wednesday!

For those of you who were not able to attend, here is a 30-second behind the scenes look at all of the noise and excitement: iTVFest Red Carpet

PS Did you miss Parts 1 and 2? You can find Part 1 here: iTVFest, Part 1
And Part 2: iTVFest, Part 2

iTVFest Opening Night Gala

My new Twitter buddy, Mike Rotman

Who wouldn't be excited to interview Felicia Day and Kim Evey of "The Guild"?
And our Monday interview for The Web Files: Cast of Oz Girl!!
In deep conversation with Kat Steel of "Show Me Your Clips".

Last night on the red carpet for iTVFest was fantastic, exciting, and energizing. The day started out with Variety noting that web series and TV pilots are carrying equal weight in this year's festival. I have to say, "Web Series, you have officially arrived!" It was nice to see familiar faces like Felicia Day, Kim Evey, Ariel Lazarus (who is destined to be the new "IT" girl of web series), Stephen Leonard, Stephanie Thorpe, and Mike Davies, but it was also a great day to be introduced to newer faces in the web world.

We got more footage than we originally anticipated and I think you will see a compilation version for The Web Files and maybe some longer interviews released throughout the week. We hear you loud and clear! We know that as creators of web content you have a lot say, a lot of stories to tell, and an audience willing to listen. I hope that The Web Files becomes a place to help you tell those stories.

I am thrilled that the cast of Oz Girl agreed to sit down with us on Monday for an interview. It's not often that you get the cast and creator together, especially when they fly in from Melbourne, Australia. I am fascinated by 19-year-old creator, Nick Carlton, with one series under his belt and one on the way, I expect great things from him.

I will release photos each day from iTVFest's red carpet gala, so come on back and join me for the fun!

PS See Part 2 here: iTVFest, Part Deux
Part 3: iTVFest, Part 3