WHAT KIND OF CONTENT CREATOR ARE YOU?

The wonderful phrase, "Beware the Ides of March" reminds us of the power of the chosen words, which can turn into a book and then a movie.  Words give us a source where we can not only communicate, but project into the future prophetically.  The very words we select to talk about our "intellectual properties futures" should always be chosen wisely. 

The "promoters" of the world are often misunderstood.  Sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a very bad way.  People who believe and stand for what they believe in are special. There is also a dark side to promoters. These are people who do the opposite of "under promise and over deliver". They are often fraught with non truths, they "lead people on" and do not follow up with their word. Beware of the deceivers in the motion picture industry just as we have to beware of the authors who are deceivers.

WHO ARE YOU?

So the real key in the world of the FILMMAKER'S ROUNDTABLE and a critical success factor remains with this question.  Who are you in the world of promotions in regard to your own books?  Don't feel you need to "sell us" on your book, it's value or the team around you, because books are adjudicated on their own merit, not on your pitch exclusively.  

Working hundreds of authors and publishers, we have heard many "stories and book pitches" and normally they are "promotional" in nature.  Personally, this is a good thing because it gives us context, demonstrates passion and illuminates the strengths of each project.  

Some of these are good and some are bad, but what we have learned is to never "judge" prematurely.  The key is to not oversell.  We have authors who have taken over a year to get everything in place and then, like a domino chain the pieces begin to fall in place. Remember the old wise "turtle wins the race" story is trure. 

A word we use a lot in this industry is PERSEVERENCE.  You have to be unconditional in your pursuit of excellence.  Don't give up and stop believing, but don't expect things to happen fast.  This is not like ordering a new car and have a delivery date. In fact, it is impossible to predict a timeline because every situation is different.  Our team works very hard to ensure we communicate the strengths, weaknesses and barriers, but you will never hear us give a "timeline" or critical path schedule to our content creators. 

Don't make up stories as to the "why", just tell the truth.  Honesty means, "Accurately reporting the facts to those  you love, even when it hurts."  This means it takes courage to deal with anyone when you have a dream.  Resist the temptation to paint a picture that is "bigger than normal" to buoy up your intellectual properties. 

SEED CAPITAL

The next key fiscal element of the TABLE has to do with recruiting, finding and securing seed capital to begin your journey.  Most authors believe books can be optioned to a film studio.  If you are a best selling author, you "may" have this luxury, but this is not for the masses and it doesn't work this way.  In the coming months I am going to be talking about this area a lot.   The seed investment for any new business start up is vital.  Some people do not have any seed capital, but they have a dream.

A wise man once told me to "Aim Small and Think Big".  I believe those words are the very words of truth that are key in making your story a movie.  You will need to learn to trust a filmmaking team, so be wise in selecting the production company you work alongside of and make sure, they are not "promoters" only.  

The reality is this.  There is a dark and a light side to every individual, so be very careful to find people of integrity.  Our team has made mistakes in believing people we thought were credible, but they turned out to be the opposite.  We all learn through our failures don't we?  Don't be afraid to ask for references and find the best people because the film process takes years and you need to feel comfortable with whom you are working alongside. 

THE VISUAL LANGUAGE

Using the Visual Language is not easy and most people do not write within this context so don't be surprised when you are working alongside of a group of screenwriters for the purpose of transitioning your book, into a full length screenplay, when the direction of the story needs to change.  These are words you will want to fully understand to have a successful launch.

Visually, showing something verses saying something is vital to understanding the world of film.  This will require a group of people that are professional in this area. Remember, it is a "team" not an individual who makes a movie.  It is an author, not a team who writes a book.  They are different kinds of creative worlds.

The FILMMAKER'S ROUNDTABLE is excited about the future because we have an author who has just expanded their screenwriting objectives to include a trilogy. This is a huge undertaking and we are honored to be a part of the lives of our authors who are now, filmmakers.

Here is the good news. Each day is new and it gives you the opportunity to decide what kind of author you will be.  Make the decision to change, if you are doing things wrongly and decide you can transition into a trustworthy partner for the future.  

​My faith and the God I choose to follow has helped me in so many ways. If you don't have a faith, consider this future to decide what direction you will want to head. Decide today to live a life of the golden rule and simply wait to see what can happen to change your life. 

Have a great March!

Coach KMAC