This week, I tried to brace the bad news with an increase in momentum. I heard 'no's' from SCMS and Redrock Micro, but hopefully we can still work with Redrock in the future and I am looking for alternatives to SCMS. I am still talking to contacts from Sundance and SXSW, although I am sure they are extremely busy, so communication is slow. Many places have not responded or answered their phones when I call. I have sent another wave of second or third emails to all the places I have not heard back from. I have begun exploring a number of new options, such as Etsy private sellers, Wooden Camera, Varizoom, Movie Forms Pro, No Film School, and others. I have also found a new contact for Digisuites with an indication that we will get a similar deal as last year, which is great news.
I am getting faster at responding while the number of contacts is shrinking. I probably only worked five or six hours altogether in contacting, calling, responding, and following up with people, with an additional four or five hours probably watching the rest of the films for programming.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Task List 2/19/2013
Unfortunately, this has been a much slower and less productive week than I would have preferred. I have sent some follow-up emails to those I haven't heard from and Joey Powell and I have made some phone calls to a variety of different companies that have been particularly difficult to reach. These efforts have been met with little to no progress.
I have had some contact with Redrock about a follow focus and they are reviewing an order inquiry I sent them. I am still waiting to hear back from Sara Barney of SXSW about tickets as an award.
I sent an email to Jaclyn Vigeant regarding the Super 8mm One Reel Festival and I told her that we would not be able to host One Reel this year but that I would be in touch with her after the Visions Fest about maybe a partnership with them for next year's festival. I will organize a presentation for the class for after the festival to try to sell the idea and the various possibilities that accompany such a relationship.
I only did roughly five hours of work for Awards this week, not including the considerable amount of time it took me to watch this past week's batch of films for programming. Momentum is drawing down a bit because a lot of the initial legwork has been done and the list of cooperative sponsors is dwindling, but this week I will be more proactive and try to come up with a few fresh ideas and more actively pursue some that I have been waiting on. I also need to draft up a letterhead receipt for Adobe about a Creative Cloud.
I have had some contact with Redrock about a follow focus and they are reviewing an order inquiry I sent them. I am still waiting to hear back from Sara Barney of SXSW about tickets as an award.
I sent an email to Jaclyn Vigeant regarding the Super 8mm One Reel Festival and I told her that we would not be able to host One Reel this year but that I would be in touch with her after the Visions Fest about maybe a partnership with them for next year's festival. I will organize a presentation for the class for after the festival to try to sell the idea and the various possibilities that accompany such a relationship.
I only did roughly five hours of work for Awards this week, not including the considerable amount of time it took me to watch this past week's batch of films for programming. Momentum is drawing down a bit because a lot of the initial legwork has been done and the list of cooperative sponsors is dwindling, but this week I will be more proactive and try to come up with a few fresh ideas and more actively pursue some that I have been waiting on. I also need to draft up a letterhead receipt for Adobe about a Creative Cloud.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Task List 2/12/2013
This past week has been a lot more of the same but a little more in depth since it has been less about establishing new contacts as much as reconnecting or following up with specific contacts. Audio-Technica has confirmed that they will send us a Pro 24CM stereo condenser microphone with a windscreen, battery, and video camera shoe mount. Pro8mm's 1 hour HD scanning for Super 8, Regular 8, or 16mm film has come in. Jaclyn Vigeant, our Pro8mm contact, has also discussed with me the potential for Visions to host the Super 8mm One Reel Festival. After this year's festival, I will present the opportunities a more involved relationship with Pro8mm and the One Reel Fest could be. Adobe has offered a one-year subscription for the Adobe Creative Cloud. I have also been in contact with Rosie Wong about a possible contribution of a festival pass to next year's Sundance. I have just gotten in touch with Sara Barney from SXSW about a festival pass as well.
Joey Powell and I are starting to call businesses who have not responded to multiple email attempts. In addition to following up and intensifying our pursuit of certain companies, I have sent out about a slew of emails to new places, such as Barnes & Noble, Criterion, B & H Photo, SMCS, Jungle Software, AZ Grip and others. Many of the companies do not offer specific contact information, so I have filled out their inquiry forms and I am awaiting responses.
All in all, receiving and sending out emails, research, finding contacts, looking up award information, and tailoring responses to specific contacts is difficult to accurately measure. Last Thursday, I spent a solid six or seven hours plowing through a list of tasks. Another three hours can be added to that from other times where I work in a more sporadic manner as I am receiving information from people I have contacted. I would estimate I spent another two to three hours reading through the papers for this week's programming, although I might have spent more because I did not do all of the reading in one block of time.
Joey Powell and I are starting to call businesses who have not responded to multiple email attempts. In addition to following up and intensifying our pursuit of certain companies, I have sent out about a slew of emails to new places, such as Barnes & Noble, Criterion, B & H Photo, SMCS, Jungle Software, AZ Grip and others. Many of the companies do not offer specific contact information, so I have filled out their inquiry forms and I am awaiting responses.
All in all, receiving and sending out emails, research, finding contacts, looking up award information, and tailoring responses to specific contacts is difficult to accurately measure. Last Thursday, I spent a solid six or seven hours plowing through a list of tasks. Another three hours can be added to that from other times where I work in a more sporadic manner as I am receiving information from people I have contacted. I would estimate I spent another two to three hours reading through the papers for this week's programming, although I might have spent more because I did not do all of the reading in one block of time.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Task Update 2/5/2013
This past week, I have been getting in touch with lots more companies and people about more awards. Lensbaby is confirmed, having sent us a gift card already worth $300 for Composer Pro and they have also sent me their logo. There has been some rough news with Working Films; Robert West, our contact from last year, has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and has forwarded me to a couple new contacts. I have also been in touch with Saul Molina of American Cinematographer, although I am skeptical that he is actually reading my emails because his responses don't always seem to match mine. Nonetheless, he has reconfirmed that they are contributing. Intellect has also given me their logo and are putting their award contribution through.
I am now talking to Jesse Duoma, a Community Leader for The Writer's Store, about a Movie Forms Pro Combo Pack for Narrative (or maybe Visionary). I have been redirected by Red Rock, Audio Tech, and B & H, so I am still traveling through various departments trying to find a specific contact. I have not yet heard back from an actual person from Dragonframe, Jungle Software, Lynda.com, and Wacom. The rest I haven't heard back from at all yet.
I have been trying to get in touch with someone about a conference badge to the Austin Film Festival and my contact is terrible for Notre Dame.
Outside of awards, I got in touch with the downtown restaurant The Greeks for after party catering and they said they would be happy to cater and work out a deal with us. After my initial contact, Chandler took over.
This coming week will be more of the same: confirming and searching.
I am now talking to Jesse Duoma, a Community Leader for The Writer's Store, about a Movie Forms Pro Combo Pack for Narrative (or maybe Visionary). I have been redirected by Red Rock, Audio Tech, and B & H, so I am still traveling through various departments trying to find a specific contact. I have not yet heard back from an actual person from Dragonframe, Jungle Software, Lynda.com, and Wacom. The rest I haven't heard back from at all yet.
I have been trying to get in touch with someone about a conference badge to the Austin Film Festival and my contact is terrible for Notre Dame.
Outside of awards, I got in touch with the downtown restaurant The Greeks for after party catering and they said they would be happy to cater and work out a deal with us. After my initial contact, Chandler took over.
This coming week will be more of the same: confirming and searching.
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