HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE in Theaters March 4 / How I Met Your City, The Real One (New York Times)

Please hit the theatres and support this lovely indie film - and WINNER of the Sundance Audience Award! - produced by my good friend Jesse Hara and his company Tom Sawyer Entertainment. It was one of my favorite scripts and I still wish the company I was working for had been smart enough to get involved when they had the chance!

Josh Radnor (CBS' Emmy-nominated "How I Met Your Mother") wrote, directed and stars in HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE, a sharp comedy centered on a group of 20-something New Yorkers struggling to figure out themselves, their lives and their love.

There's also a great write-up in the New York Times, with a quote from the aforementioned Jesse Hara! (This is particularly exciting since I can now say I'm only once-removed from the NYT - which to me, is a big deal. Huge. And of course, this IS about me, right?)

And though New York may be the backdrop for HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE the title was inspired by Los Angeles. Mr. Radnor came up with it after hearing secondhand about the preachings of a “self-helpish teacher-slash-L.A. guy my friend used to go listen to in the valley,” he said. “He talked about your communication with the universe. He said that when you’re feeling something wonderful, being grateful is not enough. You have to say, ‘More, please.’"

“I never thought the title would stick,” he added. “But the first thing I heard from some people was that they loved it. There’s a positive charge around those words.”

Read the rest of the New York Times article here.
Please check out the film's website here, and find theater and show time info here.

Using Stories to Overcome Fear by Peter Guber (Harvard Business Review)

Leaders must tell a story that makes fear an ally, not an adversary, ultimately conveying the message that fear — F.E.A.R — is "false evidence appearing real." ...

Your story and its supporting facts transport the people who hear them to carry your story forward. Good stories, well told, turn people into apostles and advocates of your brand, service, mission or cause.

Will you look at that! Hollywood's own Peter Guber writing for the HBR. Pretty snazzy. And his article actually provides some good info on how to get away from the data and engage people on a more emotional level in order to move forward.

Read the full article here.

New Model Army (FilmMaker Magazine)

In this series of short profiles, Filmmaker asked a number of leading independent producers about their producing models and how they’re finding everything from financing to material to office space.

This article has short profiles on a great selection of indie filmmakers, including:

Jay Van Hoy & Lars Knudson - For Parts & Labor
Ron Yerxa & Albert Berger - Dona Fide Productions
Diane Weyermann - Participant Media
Lynette Howell - Silverwood Films
Jack Heller & Dallas Sonnier - Caliber Media
Jonathan Schwartz - Super Crispy Entertainment
Jane Wagner & Tina Di Feliciantonio - Naked Eye Productions
Gary Hustwit (director)
Jake Abraham - InDigEnt & Dandelion

Definitely worth checking out!

Read the full article here.

Veteran Producers Rethink the Indie Model (FilmMaker Magazine)

That doesn’t mean smart mid-budgeted films aren’t getting made. But they’re more dependent on independent support. [Kevin] Misher says he’s actually been able to make more movies with the help of non-studio financing.

So if indie equity players are stepping in, what’s the problem? For one, with domestic buyers scarce and international ones more discerning, budgets are dropping and top talent is essential. “There are ways to make specialized fare,” says Endgame’s James Stern, “but you have to do it for the right price and the right cast. What’s tricky is that you have people chasing a small pool of talent.”

Anonymous Content’s Paul Green agrees. “If you come to the market with a strong script, one or two movie stars and an internationally respected director, even with the absence of Paramount Vantage,” he says, “I think you’d still find a home. But it’s definitely threading the needle.”

Oh, that's all you need?! Easy as pie! Glad we got that cleared up.

Read the full article here.

Produced By, Written By, DGA Quarterly magazines (PGA, WGA & DGA)

Who knew? I've just discovered that you can access and/or download full issues - current and archived - of the PGA, WGA, and DGA's member magazines. Thought I'd better share!

Find issues of Produced By here.
Find issues of Written By here.
Find issues of DGA Quarterly here.

Joel Silver, a Megaproducer in a Changed Hollywood (NY Times)

“There aren’t a lot of guys like me left,” Mr. Silver says during a break. “But I’m a war horse. I’ve been through it all. And you know something about war horses? Through the sleet, through the snow — they just keep going.”

I wonder if we'll ever return to the days of lots of producer deals. I hope so - not just because I want a bungalow office on the lot - but because I think a relationship between a studio and a filmmaker is actually beneficial to the industry. Think of it as a return to loyalty, something that often seems to be in short supply in Hollywood.
Read the full article here.

Selling "Inception": How Hollywood Marketing Works (The Atlantic)

... Here's a new Hollywood riddle: what's the difference between a marketing head and a studio head? Answer: It doesn't matter, as long as the marketing head is a whiz kid who believes in your movie.

I'm a big fan of Lynda Obst - her book "Hello, He Lied" deserves a spot on all of our bookshelves - and she's been around long enough to have a great view of Hollywood and how it's changed. She shares some of her wisdom here, and while it's not breaking new ground, Obst's article is clear, concise, unbiased, and definitely worth the read.

Read the full article here.

‘Modern Family’ creator: Why I took on Hulu (THR)

The iPhone and iPad are very successful, but, with all due respect to the prophetic Steve Jobs, I don't see Apple giving them away. It's very simple. Shows like "30 Rock" and "Lost" and "The Office" are expensive to produce. Plus these "hits" cover the costs of all the misses. If viewers want to continue to see quality content like that, then we have to find a way to keep it profitable. Otherwise, we'll all be watching clips of a sneezing panda -- which, by the way, were adorable.

Levitan opinions make perfect sense on all points. As someone who "cut the cord" and gets all of my television from the Internet, I'm in favor of keeping Hulu and similar sites free. As someone who may have content on these types of sites someday, I'm also in favor of making sure creators are paid and audiences are counted. What's the middle ground?
Read the full article here.

AICN Interviews Guillermo Del Toro (Ain't It Cool News)

I think that most of my imagination was shaped as a kid, so it obviously permeates my movies. But I really love the idea that fear can make you go back to your childhood and make you vulnerable and make you susceptible to really not just the sophisticated world, but the world of the otherness and the beyond, you know?

I'm such a fan of Guillermo Del Toro - I think he has an imagination and sensibility like no other. I found this interview quite interesting, and thought maybe you would too. Enjoy!
Read the full article here.

Image Comics Has New Kirkman Imprint, and Two Others (Publishers Weekly)

Reinforcing once more the increasingly interconnected worlds of Hollywood and comics publishing, Image Comics has announced several new imprints with varying degrees of Hollywood connections. Making the biggest splash is Skybound, a new division by Image partner Robert Kirkman, who's funding the line with some of the profits from the upcoming AMC Walking Dead TV show based on his zombie apocalypse comic. ...

Marc Guggenheim — a producer and screenwriter on television (Flash Forward) and film (he's credited as a writer on the upcoming Green Lantern movie) and a well received comics writer on such titles as Spider-Man—has launched his own mini-imprint, Collider, which is looking to develop transmedia properties with comics as the launching pad. Producer Alisa Tager (Serenity) is a partner in the venture. ...

A third new line of comics at Image is being spearheaded by producer Michael Benaroya (New York, I Love You), which will eventually release six titles...

I have nothing against these type of deals, but wonder if they don't still impact Hollywood's dependence on existing material rather than creating original fare. Is it becoming a moot point altogether?
Read the full article here.

TONIGHT - Book Soup Event w/ Damon Lindelof (Lost) & Tim Kring (Heroes)

Book Soup presents Damon Lindelof, creator of LOST in conversation with Tim Kring, the creator of Heroes and author of "Shift".

This is bound to be an interesting conversation, so figured I'd throw it up here in case any of you are interested in checking it out. It's TONIGHT at 7 PM at the book store.
Read the details and see the full listing of events here.

Sony's Amy Pascal: The Movie Theater Is Our Soul; We Just Need Better Films (The Wrap)

We feel like we’re under such a microscope these days. And I think there’s a rush to judgment from all of us. (People said) “‘Robin Hood’ is a disaster.” Robin Hood’s done $300 million. To me that’s a good start. You know, sometimes I get the matinee figures at 9 a.m. on Friday, and I myself am guilty of saying ‘Oh my God, we’re in trouble.’ Five theatres in New York! It’s just not always representative of what’s gonna happen. ...

To be fair to all of us, nobody sets out to make a crappy movie. Nobody says, "Let’s make this one bad." You’re always trying to make it good. Now, sometimes you succeed in making it good, sometimes you really succeed at making it great, and sometimes you massively fail and make a bad movie. ... Which you still have to sell. But it wasn’t as if he thought, "Oh, this one doesn’t have to work."

This interview is quite long, but definitely worth the read. She's saying lots of the things we want to hear, about making better movies, so let's just hope she really means it.
Read the full article here.

Chris Albrecht's e-mail misfire led to McGurk and Rosett's exit from Overture (LA Times)

Albrecht tapped out his response ... suggesting that upon his return July 12 they should discuss removing McGurk and Rosett. However, instead of responding to the e-mail that he'd received from the two executives, he mistakenly replied to a different e-mail about letting Starz employees work half a day on Friday, July 2.

As a result, his note went to approximately 400 Starz employees and senior executives -- including McGurk and Rosett.

Ooof! Can you say epic fail?
Read the full article here.

Jerry Bruckheimer & "The Kids Are All Right" (Charlie Rose)

A couple interesting interview subjects on tonight's Charlie Rose. And if you can't watch it on TV, the episode will be posted on his website tomorrow.
Find it here.

Miramax and Ron Tutor at Turning Point: Cash, or Bail (+ David Bergstein? Really?) (The Wrap)

How bad does the building magnate want it? That essentially is the question, and it is the same one faced by another L.A. billionaire, Ron Burkle, a few weeks ago.

In his case, the answer was: not bad enough.

The Walt Disney Company had sought $700 million for the 700-film Miramax library, leaving the fate of modern Hollywood gems from “Pulp Fiction” to “Shakespeare in Love” hanging in the balance.

What I really want to know is how David Bergstein convinced yet another person to back him?! This is a man that has literally been called a criminal by people who have worked with him and who has a seriously lousy track record. He is thought to have paid his gambling debts with company funds - and it's not just the casinos he owes. In fact, in a previous article, Sharon Waxman wrote this about DB:

I was not joking when I wrote recently that Bergstein is one of the most despised people in Hollywood, having left everyone from gaffers to publicists to actors chasing after him to get paid.

How does someone like this continue to get second (and third and fourth and fifth) chances?

Why Can’t Producers Get Along & Work Well Together? (Truly Free Film)

Great post by Adam Brightman - the title pretty much explains it all. And while there's nothing here that isn't common sense, no one can hear or read this kind of advice too much.

Here the full post here.