Hockey Night in Texas

Show me the money!

2010-07-27T13:39:00.003-05:00

So I was taught an important lesson as a child if you don't have the money you can't buy it. Too bad others haven't been taught this.

This is the problem that plagues our economy right now. A bunch of people where given loans to buy houses they couldn't afford. This problem is also evident in pro sports. Take the Phoenix Coyotes for instance.

Now before we get into this let me be upfront, I hate the Coyotes. I have 2 reasons.

#1 They used to be the Winnipeg Jets (my favorite team) and were moved to the desert.

#2 They were complete assholes to me when I was making the movie. Originally 30% of the movie was going to be about the growth of the sport in the southern US. My idea was to interview Wayne Gretzky about his role in bringing hockey to the south. Gretzky at the time was the Coach of the Coyotes. I went through the proper hoops, contacted the right people and asked them for a 10 minute interview. I even gave them the option of screening all the footage and having final approval of the shots. In response I got a one line email from their PR guy saying he was too busy. So flash forward to 6 months later, I'm in Dallas shooting stuff with the Stars (who by the way were awesome supporters of the film) for the movie and guess who is in town? The Coyotes. So I figure since I am going to be in Dallas and they will be too this would be the perfect opportunity to shoot a quick interview. I had everything set up. Gretzky was 10 ft away from me and still their PR flunky in a cheap suit wouldn't let me ask him a single question. So screw them.

Anyway back to my original point. The Coyotes are for sale. They went bankrupt almost 2 years ago and the NHL has been running them ever since. The NHL is wanting to keep them in Arizona due to the simple fact they would look like morons if the team failed. Reputable businessmen don't want to come with in a mile of the Coyotes due to the fact in 14 years they haven't made a single dime and they have the worst lease agreement in professional sports.

So enter ICE EDGE HOLDINGS a group of guys from Canada and the US who want to own a hockey team because it would be "cool" (their words). Problem is they don't have any real money.

I did the rough math:

170 mil for the team
25 mil for City of Glendale Losses for this year
25-30 mil a year in losses
50 mil a year in expenses

So being conservative they would need roughly 500 mil to float the team for the first 5 years or so.

No bank in the world would give these clowns a dime let alone 500 mil in the best of times, but we are in the middle of a nasty recession.

The City of Glendale is try to use Tax payers money and creative accounting to try and help ICE EDGE make the numbers work but sadly I fear there is no hope for them.

So the moral of the story. You want to buy something, have the freaking money!

Go Jets!

For the love of the game

2010-07-26T11:33:00.003-05:00

Why do pro athletes have to act like complete jack asses?

They are getting paid to do something I would murder for and yet they act like spoiled little children. Look at LeBron and the fiasco which was his "Decision". Look at the fact that only 2 of all 1st round draft picks in the NFL have signed contracts.

But sadly its just not the pros who do this.

In Hockey Night In Texas we look at how some guys take a recreational sport too seriously. They act as if they are mini LeBrons. They work to game the system, to try and get an advantage. For what?

Its not like they get paid or that there will be any glory attached to their victory. It will not be documented for prosperity nor will children want to pretend that they are a 40 yr who works at Dell who happened to score a goal in C league.

Maybe its ego, maybe its pride or maybe its testosterone and primal extincts coming to the forefront.

I don't think that this is just in this league. I know all over the country there are guys who tend to "try" a little to hard in whatever sport they play.

I'll be honest - I too get worked up a little every now and then but I can say that I have worked real hard to tone it down. I just wish some of the other guys would do the same.

Fighting Fear

2010-07-15T11:35:00.003-05:00

Any artistic endeavor is tough, be it painting, writing or making a film. You have to spend a lot of time alone in your own head and that can be a scary place.

You get filled with this sense of self doubt, you question if you are good enough, if you can really do it, and then the fear takes over. You find yourself putting things off for a day, a week, a month, just so you don't have to confront those fears, those demons.

Its easy when life has its own distractions, your job, your child, anything that gives you an excuse to give into the fear. Anything that keeps you from going forward, because if you go forward there's a chance people might not like your work.

I think every artist goes through this at sometime. But the good ones find a way to power through the doubts and keep working towards their goals. The good ones use the fear to propel them, to motivate them forward. The good ones recognize the fear as a barrier and that they have to defeat it to achieve greatness. They find a way to balance their art and their life, to achieve an equilibrium between the two.

Some days I don't want to write or edit or do anything other than facebook but I try to at least get a few hours in doing something thats creative. As hard as I try I can't just turn of the story maker in my head. Even when I'm playing with my son I'm planning the episodes for a TV series I'd like to do one day.

So now I've decided to just push forward and attack this head on. I've got 2 really good completed scripts, a finished doc, a pilot and the first season of a TV series and a who slew of really good script ideas ready to go.

So here's the plan:

- Hockey Night in Texas - Distribution by Jan 1st or we look into a self distribution model.

- Cause of Cancer - My crown jewel. This is an amazing, innovative, original script that I am going to try and find a good home for. I would love to make it myself but I know that I'm not going to be able to come up with the financing needed to do it right.

- Tapestry - A crime thriller that I think could be made for a low enough budget that I might be able to find financing for. This is a really good script that has a lot of potential.

- Schizo - This is a TV series which I have wrote the pilot and have written a bible outlining either a 20 or 13 episode season. I am going to try an get this into the right people's hands.

Plus I am going to get 2 more scripts done by the end of the year.

Enough blogging time to get to work :)

The Blog is Back!

2010-07-12T12:16:00.002-05:00

OK so I've been a bad blogger - I'm sorry but I've had a lot going on.

We are actively pursuing distribution for the film. It just takes a long time to find the right opportunity that will give the film max exposure. We have had some interest but it really wasn't what we were looking for so we will just keep plugging away.

We are also looking at alternative forms of distribution, like amazon, itunes, online streaming and a few others. The landscape has changed so drastically in the last few years due to the economy and technological developments that no one really has a good blue print for distribution these days.

So maybe its time to create our own?

I am also thinking about maybe touring the film across the country, having local hockey leagues sponsor screenings of the film. This idea is just in its infancy so if anyone has any ideas I'd love to here them.

I am also going to expand the website and perhaps do a weekly vlog, pretty much anything to get so grassroots support going.

Please invite your friends to join the FACEBOOK page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hockey-Night-in-Texas/147524131488?ref=ts

So look for more (hopefully daily) blog posts and tell your friends about the film!

Swing of things

2010-03-31T10:35:00.004-05:00

So things are getting back to normal after a very hectic last month or so. SXSW was a blast working with LP33.tv. We shot +40 interviews in 4 days. Some of them are available on their site http://www.lp33.tv and the rest should be up there soon.

Right now I am trying to figure out which script I am going to submit to AFF this year. Last year Hockey Night in Texas had the honor of screening there and I desperately want to go back. I don't have a film to submit this year so I'm going to try my luck with a screenplay.

Both are really good yet very different. Cause of Cancer is really a fantasy story with a good mix of drama and humor and to most peoples surprise a lot of action. But its a tough read. Its very high concept and can be emotionally draining. I think the subject matter turns people off. I'm sure when someone sees it the think.

"Great another script about a guy getting cancer and then finding himself".

But it is nothing like that. Its a war story. The war takes place inside the guys body and soul but its a war story none the less. This is not a lifetime movie. The guy doesn't get sick and then magically see the error of his ways and make up with his estranged father. Its original and sadly thats the problem some people have with it.

Tapestry is a complete 180 from Cause of Cancer. On the surface it is a simple story. There has been a mob hit and we have to find out who did it. But of course things are not that simple. I've had the idea for tapestry for a few years but really never was able to figure out how to make it work. One days I was walking and it came to me.

I needed to keep the story small.

I love small stories. Hitchcock's Notorious, or Gran Torino come to mind. Stories where you can know the basic plot in one or two lines. Sure I like complex films too magnolia is one of my favorites but it always seems the best are the smaller stories.

Anyway I'm letting a few people read both so I can try and make a proper decision.

Winnipeg Jets - Its happening

2010-03-30T08:54:00.005-05:00

It's going to happen. I am sure of it now and I have proof.

It's not the countless rumors or the endless stories. No one has confirmed anything but I still know its going to happen. And here is why. A throw away quote from the Deputy Commish of the NHL Bill Daly.

“With respect to Winnipeg and Messrs. Chipman and Thomson, we have had ongoing discussions over time regarding their potential interest in owning an NHL franchise and potentially bringing an NHL franchise back to Winnipeg. It remains an intriguing possibility and one we would consider given appropriate circumstances, but there is nothing new to report on that front at this time.”

You might as well get the Jets Jersey out of moth balls because this means the NHL is serious about bringing a team back to the promised land. It may not be the Yotes and it may not be the next season but it will happen.

Winnipeg has exactly what the NHL is looking for. A revenue generating arena - an ownership group with very deep pockets - a community that will embrace the team and a very positive story if they have to relocate a team there.

Think about it if the Yotes were to leave Glendale to go to Kansas City then the story would be about how the NHL is in trouble. Yet if they go to Winnipeg it will be about how the NHL brought hockey back to a city that was wronged 15 years back. The NHL WANTS that story. The NHL NEEDS that story. Hockey NEEDS that story. I NEED this story.

I was there when they announced the Jets were leaving. I went to the funeral. I cried when Don Cherry hugged Steen. I was there when they tried the grass roots campaign. I was at the forks when we raised 13 Million dollars. I stood on Portage & Main waiting for an announcement that never came. I went to the final games and openly wept when Detroit beat the Jets in the playoffs.

And now I am ready for the Jets to come home.

Movies I like - Sci-fi/fantasy

2010-02-12T10:50:00.005-06:00

Now this is going to be a long list:

Star Trek 2 - Wrath of Khan
Moon
District 9
Empire Strikes Back
Contact
The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers
2010: The Year we make Contact
Strange Days
Willow
Open your Eyes
Timecop
Bladerunner
Children of Men
Cube
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Dune
The Last Star Fighter
The Matrix
Labyrinth

Movies I like - Action Movies

2010-02-11T17:28:00.002-06:00

Part 2 - Action Movies

Die Hard - Best Christmas movie ever!
Aliens - Cameron is a d-bag but this movie is awesome.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon - Sure the desert parts are crappy but the action scenes are super cool.
Raiders of the Lost Ark - No aliens no Shia leBeouf - nuff said.
The Rock - Bay usually sucks but this one is lots of fun.
Starship Troopers - This movie is getting up there in years and it still holds up.
Spiderman 2 - By far the best of the series
Braveheart - This movie is a period drama but it also has kick ass action.

There are a lot more but they can also fall into other categories like sci-fi or crime.

Next sci-fi!

Movies I like - Dramas

2010-02-11T12:39:00.002-06:00

This isn't really a favorite list, well ok it is but lets not call it that. Today I'll give you my favorite dramas. I am going to have a different category for crime dramas.

Searching for Bobby Fisher - The final confrontation is just amazing.
American Beauty - It is beautiful and heart breaking at the same time.
Notorious - Hitchcock at his best.
Ordinary People - Redford proved he could direct.
The Contender - A fantastic political thriller.
In the Company of Men - A low budget cringe inducing masterpiece
Brubaker - Saw this one night and it quickly became a favorite.
Last Night - Great indie movie about the last night on earth.
The Sweet Hereafter - What a depressing yet amazing film.
To Kill a Mockingbird - Gregory Peck was a bad-ass.

Now of course there's others but these were the ones that popped in my head first.

Other projects

2010-02-10T09:21:00.002-06:00

As I slowly move into the realm of distribution for HNIT its time to also think about the dreaded "what's next".

I have a few things I am working on:

Cause of Cancer
This is a script I wrote a few years back. I lost a few people in a short span of time to Cancer and wrote this as a form of therapy. It is not your typical Cancer movie. I like say its Fight Club meets My Life. I had some Hollywood interest in CoC a few years back then got busy editing other peoples projects. I pitched it to a studio exec once and was told that it was "Too original" and he asked if I had anything like Dodgeball (that was the flavor du jour). In a perfect world I would be able to make this movie myself since it is so personal but finding funding these days is tough so I might have to see what my options are. Its an amazing script that needs to be made right.

Tapestry
The script I just finished about a cop investigating a mob hit. This was one of the easier scripts I have ever written. The story is extremely complex but I was able to wrap my head around it and pound it out very quickly. I like this script because you could do it for a small budget but it also scales up very nicely.

Lifeboat
A sci-fi horror script about 6-8 people trapped in an escape pod during an attack. I am in the process of getting the outline down and then I think I should be able to write it very quickly. This is actully part of a bigger universe that I have been working on for a while. I've mapped out about 150 years of history and am thinking that I can use this for movies, comics, TV etc. It is a really interesting universe that could spawn multiple stories.

It's My Kid Damn it!
This is a non movie project. It is a book I am currently working on about parenting. Its a first hand look at raising your kid and how other people judge you. I'm writing it because I am sick and tired of people telling me and my wife that the choices we've made as parents were wrong. Our son is smart, healthy and well behaved so I think we did OK. Its going to be a very funny, raw look at rasing a kid, with the simple premise of "it's your kid, your choice".

Untitled Stop Motion Short
No real clue what I want to do other than a stop motion short. I have been experimenting with stop motion for about a year and would like to try a little 2-3 film. I don't have a script or anything. What I may do is do it as a music video for a friends band or something like that.

And hopefully a couple of editing gigs to keep the wolves away.

Types of Doc

2010-02-09T16:18:00.002-06:00

There are a few different kind of docs out there

• The Issue Doc
Think of Bowling for Columbine or Who killed the Electric Car - these docs are about a single isse with various subjects. It has a broad theme and usually comes up with a conclusion at the end.

• The Single Subject Doc
About one very interesting person and their life story. That person could be interviewed but this kind of doc is usually done from a historical perspective like The Presidents or something along that vein but it could also be something like Hoop Dreams.

• The Weird subject Doc
Growing a Beard, Helvetica and Spellbound are example of this type. This is where they look at a non traditional subject.

• Quirky Culture Doc
Hockey Night in Texas falls into this category - this is where a group of people who do something that is not of the norm. Darkon and Hands on a Hard Body are example of this type of doc.

• The Political Doc
A candidate or group of Candidates are followed during the course of an election. The War Room and Journeys with George are example of this.

Now of course there is no hard fast rules - some films don't fit any classification but it is safe to say most docs fall into one of these categories.

Here we go!

2010-02-09T10:59:00.000-06:00

So I'm going to try and blog about the movie. We will see how well this goes. I might get bored and give up on it in a week or two but I think that this will be a good way to get some more exposure to the film.

So the question I am most often asked is:

When is the movie coming out?

The short answer is we are working on it.

Film distribution in this economy is tough and we are slowly taking steps to find a venue to release the film in. We are looking at Producer's Reps, online distribution models, pretty much keeping all avenues open.

Hopefully we will be able to announce a couple more screenings in different parts of the country very shortly. I am waiting to hear from a couple festivals both of which asked us to submit so thats usually a good sign.

I am going to try and post on here every day and not just about HNIT but other projects I have in the works and other things of interest. So check back often!

Out!