Building a support system

Building a support system.

Building a support system

Throughout this campaign for “The Last Straw” project on Kickstarter, I have met many new friends and supporters. The key to building a strong support system is surrounding yourself with the right people, which will lead to your success. “If a delicate flower consumes soft-drinks and darkness rather than water and sunlight, it will eventually die.” So in the same sense, our minds need to be well fed to become strong and confident. Every person you invite into your life should enhance your life! You need people that will be on your side no matter what the circumstances are. When you win, these people are happy without reservation or qualification, and don’t celebrate like they did “it” themselves. When you’re losing, these same people do not condone your screw-ups and they will be with you no matter how many times you screw up. I invited “tough love” into my support system because these are the people who will tell you what you need to hear, no matter how much the truth hurts. I removed the negativity, competition and enablers from my support system and decided to be my own best friend. Well, what does all of this have to do with “The Last Straw” project? All of the backers to date are a part of my support system and I greatly appreciate them. I also have supporters that donated their time by re-tweeting my “tweets” on Twitter, Liked my Facebook page, shared the Kickstarter link with others, offered marketing services, and those that simply took the time to see what my campaign is all about. Most of my supporters are people that I don’t even know, and I would like to thank everyone that continues to support me down to the last day. I learned a lot on this journey and I definitely enjoyed the experience!

Related articles

• Who is Kickstarter for? (kickstarter.com)
• Crowdfunding vs. seed funding: All money is not created equal (venturebeat.com)

WInners and Losers

WInners and Losers.

Some people get hung up on titles and feel they have to be #1 to be considered a winner. But that’s not always the case! Every industry has businesses or individuals that compete for business, ratings, and bragging rights. But what most people don’t know is that you are still considered a winner even if you don’t walk away with the title “Winner”. You are considered a threat once you reach the level of competition with someone else. For instance you have Polo Ralph Lauren and Beverly Hills Polo Club clothing, in which they have identical logos, target markets and clothing. Even though Beverly Hills Polo Club may not sell as much clothing as Ralph Lauren, they are still a successful clothing company. Another example would be top movies this year. So far, Iron Man 3 has grossed ($400M), Fast and Furious 6 ($220M), Star Trek into Darkness ($211M), The Great Gatsby (est. $136M) and Man of Steel has grossed ($129M to date). Just because Iron Man 3 has grossed the most so far does’t mean this film is the only winner because the other films are just as successful as this one. Politicians (Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney) television networks (NBC vs. ABC), sports teams (San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat) and crowd funding (“Veronica Mars” vs. “The Last Straw”) are also examples of individuals and businesses competing for the winning title and are still successful even if they don’t win. Just remember that there is always a winner and a loser. But as long as you give it 100% and try to win, you will be successful and still considered a winner!!!

WInners and Losers

Some people get caught up with the fact that they have to be #1 to be considered a winner. But that’s not always the case! Every industry has businesses or individuals that compete for business, ratings, and bragging rights. But what most people don’t know is that you are still considered a winner even if you don’t walk away with the title “Winner”. You are considered a threat once you reach the level of competition with someone else. For instance you have Polo Ralph Lauren and Beverly Hills Polo Club clothing, in which they have identical logos, target markets and clothing. Even though Beverly Hills Polo Club may not sell as much clothing as Ralph Lauren, they are still a successful clothing company. Another example would be top movies this year. So far, Iron Man 3 has grossed ($400M), Fast and Furious 6 ($220M), Star Trek into Darkness ($211M), The Great Gatsby (est. $136M) and Man of Steel has grossed ($129M to date). Just because Iron Man 3 has grossed the most so far does’t mean this film is the only winner because the other films are just as successful as this one. Politicians (Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney) television networks (NBC vs. ABC), sports teams (San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat) and crowd funding (“Veronica Mars” vs. “The Last Straw”) are also examples of individuals and businesses competing for the winning title and are still successful even if they don’t win. Just remember that there is always a winner and a loser. But as long as you give it 100% and try to win, you will be successful and still considered a winner!!!

Independent Film Outlets

Cover of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Image via CrunchBase

It’s great there are several outlets these days for independent films to thrive such as:www.imdb.com, film festivals and netflix.com. Go to www.imdb.com and they will even show you the most popular independent films for 2013. There’s one independent feature film called “Fruitvale Station” which is about the true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008. This film was acquired by The Weinstein Company for $2.5 million on January 21, 2013, two days after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. I believe other independent films such as “The Last Straw” will have the same success, given the same opportunities and support system as this film. One of the outlets and support system that “The Last Straw” project is utilizing is Kickstarter.com. And once this project has reached it’s funding goal, production for the film will begin and it will be showcased at film festivals and will seek distribution as well. For more information on “The Last Straw” project, click here.

Related articles

• Top Indie Films of Summer 2013 (allthingsfulfilling.com)

Cable Television Alternatives

There was a time when cable television was mandatory in every household, because you couldn’t see your favorite TV show, sports or movies without it. Now, you have several companies like Netflix, EpixHD and even Amazon offering digital streaming of your favorite shows and movies. I have cable TV in my home and I usually DVR my favorite shows to watch them at a later time and date. But I am seriously considering these other alternatives because it saves money and I don’t even have time to enjoy TV as much. There are always reruns on cable TV, and and can’t watch what you want to watch when you want to watch it unless you pay an additional fee. With Netflix, EpixHD and Amazon, you pay a small monthly fee to see a vast amount of TV shows and movies. There is old and new content, and the good thing is, you can watch it anytime you like. Netflix even has independent films that you can watch on their website, which is great for indie filmmakers like Jeff Renfroe’s “The Last Straw”.  Take a moment to visit explore these sites and see what they have to offer!

 

 

 

Are we there yet?

San Antonio Spurs logo 1973–1990 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Image used at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwyane_Wade (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kickstarter (Photo credit: Scott Beale)

They say that time flies when you’re having fun, well let me add that time flies when you stay busy and stay productive as well! I can’t believe that it’s 16 more days to go before “The Last Straw” campaign on Kickstarter ends. It almost seems like it was just launched a week ago. I have celebrated Fathers Day, Memorial Day, Mothers Day and several birthdays during this campaign. I have made new film contacts, picked out the film equipment needed and have chosen the actors and film locations. I will be attending the Film Fest at the BET Experience this month and the LA Film Fest this weekend. I am looking to make new contacts and enjoy myself. I have definitely enjoyed the experience and I will continue to give 1000% until the shot clock runs out. This has been as challenging as the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. If you haven’t had the chance to see what “The Last Straw” campaign on Kickstarter is about or watch a snippet of the film, make sure read all about it and spread the word to your extended circle of friends. For more info go to: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1778627466/the-last-straw-1

 Until the next time!!!