Part 1: Tips and Tricks for Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups is another area of Facebook which may be a valuable tool for branding yourself and your company. In this article I will talk about how Facebook Groups and how you can use it to attract customers, new friends, and people with similar interests.


What is a Facebook Group?
First of all, a facebook group is an area in Facebook where you can allow people to join who like yor topic. Topics can be around a place you live or want to visit, a college, a politician, your business, a hobby or any other idea you can think about.

How Much Does it Cost?
Setting up a facebook group is free.

How Do I set up my Facebook Group?
Simply click on the word "group" in the left hand bar of your profile and then find the tab or button to "create a new group". You will be asked to create a name for your group, choose a category that your group is in, and an overview of your group. There is also an area for contact information including e-mail address and website. In addition, you may add a photo or image so that your group has a distinctive look or feel on the home page.

What Types of Groups are there?
There are three types of Groups, Open, Closed and Private. An open group means anyone can join, a closed group means that the administrator (You) need to approve members after they apply, and private means that the group is not listed and only those who you will invite will know the group exists.

How Can an Administrator Communicate with Group members?
The group area allows for you to send out an e-mail to its members. This is a powerful feature because you can reach a large group of people by sending out a simple message from the group.

How Can Members Communicate with the Group?
In each group, an area exists to upload photos, post links and to write on the "Wall". These are powerful ways in which users can express themselves and communicate with others. In certain, instances, such as a group where you feel you want 1-way conversation, you can allow or restrict your members from posting. It just depends on the situation. In the case of a group around a politician or actor, they may want to control the photos that are posted.

What are Group Officers?
The best way to think about this will be any organization you belong to. It may need people to take on roles such as the President, VP, Treasurer. You may have a group for a trade show, so the officers might be the Host, Membership Chair, Sponsorship Chair, and Speaker Chair. If you set up a group for your family, it might just be something like Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, etc...For some groups, you can make up silly titles to make it more fun. A title for an entrepreneur might be "Chief Cook and Bottle Washer" or for an actor it might be "2009 Academy Award Winner".

How Do You Find the Groups?
If you are interested in a certain topic, simply type in the words into the Facebook Search box and select search. In the general search a "tabbed" window will appear with profiles, applications and groups containing some or all of those key words. Click on the Group tab and find groups. Also once you join a group, on the right hand side of the group, it will show other groups which members are interested in which may be associated. So if you join a group about your college or interest, other groups around that will also appear that other members have joined.

I realize there are many more tips and tricks around groups and I will be covering more of this in another article. Please feel free to list or post your favorite groups and some of your tips and tricks.

Leatherheads j- The Romantic Comedy

Leatherheads is not just a sports movie. It is a romantic comedy which harkens back to classic Tracy-Hepburn movies. Looking at the eyes of Zellweger and Clooney will show you that mischief and mayhem are afoot. The photos and lighting in tese posters are stunning. This film is a 1st class operation all the way.

Leatherheads Movie Poster

Here is the official movie poster for Leatherheads...I love the slogan....the players were in cold mud for weeks during filming. Giant fire hoses would fill the field with water, so there was mud. There were heaters on the sidelines and many of the players were shaking from the cold...meanwhile the extras in the stands were sweating in winter garb and being given water.

Making a Wish - 300+ Bloggers Help an Author Live Her Dreams

I have been working closely with Julie Ann Shapiro marketing her books, Jen Zen and the One Shoe Diaries and Three Drop Pennies. Most of what we do is on Facebook and my facebookenthusiast blog. While my world revolves around mostly business, Julie's world revolves around authors and writers.

Today, we are posting this special article which Julie has written to support an author battling cancer whose book is just being published.

300+ Bloggers Support a Writer Living the Dream

In a practical world, there are dreamers and there are realities called bills. Many of us writers know how hard it is to have that dream and responsibilities but we chase that dream because it’s so much a part of us we wouldn’t know life if we didn’t have it.

Can you imagine having that dream of seeing your book finally published after many years of struggling and then you get sick? It’s too uncomfortable and too scary to think about. Yet, it happened to one fine writer, Patry Francis. Her book the Liars Club came out amidst the diagnosis of cancer. During a time when she should be celebrating she has to heal. Now over 300 bloggers are lending their support for Patry Francis.

http://www.amazon.com/Liars-Diary-Patry-Francis/dp/0452289157/ref=ed_oe_p

Leatherheads in the Real World

The scale of this display is about 12 feet wide and about 6 to 8 ft high. It is sitting outside the movie theater in the lobby of the Concord Mills shopping center. These pictures can be downloaded as wallpaper for your computer or AOL IM (AIM) or mobile phone. Go to www.leatherheadsmovie.com.

Picture of John McCain Rally from the Los Angeles Times

Picture of John McCain Rally from the Los Angeles Times. I am to the right of John McCain behind the barrier (below the back left of the chandelier) with my hair reflecting white light.

Politics, John McCain and Me

I have always been interested in politics and in fact had worked on some campaigns as far back as George McGovern and canvassed door to door for local elections when I was in high school. With technology and social media adding an additional way for candidates to get closer to their constituents, independent voters and others, it seems that my expertise in Facebook may be useful to them.

So last week, I received and e-mail from Maurice, inviting me to go with him to a John McCain Town Meeting in Lake Wylie, SC. As we drove down to the rally, we talked about politics, each candidate, what we liked or disliked. We also discussed how the mayor of Charlotte just announced he is running for Governor of the state.

I was reading off the mapquest directions as we found our way to T-Bones Steakhouse, a sprawling restaurant and bar directly on Lake Wylie. The parking lot was full when we arrived and we managed to work our way into the restaurant for the 5:45 town meeting. The place was filled with a combination of people, mostly South Carolinians and Charlotteans (North Carolinians)....mixed with the local political operatives and the national campaign workers. There also was enormous press coverage with bloggers, reporters, television and photographers.

A stage was set up in the middle of the restaurant with seats for all the dignitaries. Maurice and I made our way in and were on some stairs with a limited view of the proceedings. John McCain was supposed to be coming in through our narrow hallway so a local police officer was there to makes sure only certain people made it close to the stage, so we were about 100 feet away. However a few minutes before John McCain made his way in, the police officer left his post and I went right up front at the foot of the stage. There were 4 or 5 tv cameras to the left of the stage and one on the right.

All of a sudden applause started and John McCain and his entourage made his way through the kitchen (isn't that always how politicians enter restaurants and hotels) and on to the stage with his stunning beautiful wife. I started to snap some pictures with my " cameraphone"...

Senator Lindsay Graham (SC) and Tom Coburn (OK) both spoke and led up to the introduction of John McCain. I didn't realize until I arrived that it was a Town Meeting...but those who know me would figure I would have a question ready. After John McCain spoke about our recent successes in Iraq and some of the challenges we face domestically, they opened the floor to questions. I waited a bit to listen some of the early questions and to see how open and honestly he would answer. I found that there were some soundbite answers, but he truly came across as genuine and real. About 10 minutes into questioning, I raised my hand, and McCain chose me to ask the next question. I asked him about America's competitiveness in science and math and how he intends improve education for our youth and for those transitioning in our new technology based economy.

He gave me an answer which gave me some hope he understood the linkage of investing in this area. He told the crowd that he had visited Ireland and spoke with its leaders about how it became such a vibrant technology economy in such a short time. He understood and agreed this is an area the United States needed to address.

After the event ended, I was able to make my way over to John McCain, shake his hand personally and thank him for answering my question. As I drove off, I thought of a question which might have been self serving, but interesting....since I am the creator of www.facebookenthusiast.com, how does social media change the dynamics of the 2008 campaign. Well, as our friend, and boxing promoter Don King (who used to frequent the halls of HBO) says "Only in America".

Last Day on Set in Statesville, NC

 

This photo was taken on my last day of filming of Leatherheads in Statesville, NC. It was an interesting day as only about 25 extras were on set that day. We had a chance to move around and spend time actually talking with crew. Since it was filmed on the street in Statesville some crowds gathered and I was interviewed for the Statesville newspaper.

We took these pictures inside the Stateville Civic Center which was the area called "Extras Holding". This was also where the crew, actors and extras all had our meals.

The costume for this scene is a 1920's athletic club outfit. The costumers custom made my tan pants a few days prior to filming. After being around the set the entire day, only about 8 people were actually brought into the scene.

This was the 2nd day out of ten where I was able to see Renee Zellweger up close.

These are two flappers who were also on set that day in mid May 2007.

The Engaging Brand - Facebook Podcast

One of the great things about the world of social media and new media is how powerful it is and how individuals who work each day at it can brand themselves as experts in their fields.

In my two years using LinkedIn and Facebook, I have had the pleasure of meeting bloggers, podcasters and authors who freely gave advice to help others learn. Many of us collectively worked together to promote each other's shows and blogs both by linking to them from our own blogs or interviewing an individual in a podcast.

In July 2007, I decided to begin to spend hours a day reading about Facebook and doing what I always seem to do, track down the leaders and innovators who are making this one of the most visited sites on the internet.

With this in mind, I am announcing that tomorrow, The Engaging Brand Podcast will be featuring a segment where I will be discussing facebook. This podcast was recorded "over the pond" with host, Anna Farmery. Anna resides outside of London.

If you want to learn some interesting facts and lessons about Facebook, I encourage you to listen to the podcast.

Here is a bit about Anna.
Anna qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG. She then joined the printing industry as a Financial Controller before being made Managing Director at the ripe old age of 25. She continued in industry with a growing reputation for motivating people, working for FMCG companies.

After 20 years of being a Group HR/Finance Director for major worldwide brands she decided to establish her own company - The Engaging Brand.

Please visit her website and feel free to engage her.

I look forward to hearing from many of you as well. You can reach me at ewarriorbizdev@gmail.com or on Skype as eWarrior.

Leatherheads Trailer

This is the Leatherheads Movie Trailer. I was fortunate to have worked on this romantic football comedy directed and starring George Clooney...I will be interested to see how this trailer may become virally marketed on Facebook and how they use digital technology such as YouTube. It comes out April 2008 in the US.

My best holiday present - Leatherheads Trailer with George Clooney

Here is the trailer from the movie Leatherheads which I was an extra as a sideline photographer, sideline reporter, and fan. Leatherheads stars George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski. I was fortunate to have worked on the film on 3 different locations, 3 different roles (costumes), including one which I was in an old time athletic club uniform...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45lgqAYH3pQ

My Jen-Zen Journey on Facebook

Back in May 2007, I joined facebook and by July, I had started a separate blog called www.facebookenthusiast.com for promoting my services as a facebook marketing expert.

Within facebook, I have started to gain clients who are part of the creative community. This includes authors and musicians.

Last week, I began to develop marketing strategies for the release of an independent novel which is a magical romance. The author, Julie Ann Shapiro, is relatively young, yet prolific in the writing of short stories and "flash novels".

This week we began to promote her first novel called "Jen-Zen and the One Shoe Diaries" We began to promote the book both inside and outside of facebook including looking for tie-ins with shoe companies and retailers.

We also will be pursuing other media outlets for possible development of the book and other stories which could be developed into film or television projects.

This is already a fun and rewarding journey as I learn about the marketing of fiction in the new world of electronic publishing and its intersection with social networks.

Here is a link to the page within Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=6708563066

Gospel Hill - First Listing in NY Times

Just got an alert this morning for Gospel Hill's official listing in the NY Times movie list. This link will be great for tracking the film's progress for its anticipated mid-2008 release.

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/450784/Gospel-Hill/overview

Hopefully, I will be seen for a few seconds in the movie with a scene where Danny Glover is giving an impassioned speech.

Leatherheads - George and Renee in W Magazine

Conde Nast's W Magazine has a cover of George Clooney and Renee Zellweger. This is a nice little article that was coming out with the promotion of Leatherheads.

Here is a link to the article.

Leatherheads (which I was an extra (sideline photographer and reporter) in and hope not to be on the cutting room floor)... was to premier on Dec 7, 2007. Now it will be released for April 4th in time for some of the Easter/Passover/Spring Break time.

Leatherheads is a fun screwball comedy for the whole family.

Starring You is helping others reach for the stars

I have been working with Marta Tracy, author of Starring You with some promotion in social networks such as facebook and linkedin. Marta recently appeared on Small Business on MSNBC. Click here to see the segment

Marta was recently on a panel discussion on emerging technologies at her alma mater, Boston College. Marta and I collaborated on the development of the powerpoint portion of the presentation on emerging technologies as part of my executive coaching practice.

We anticipate bringing this presentation into businesses and to other venues including a webinar series.

RZA - Gospel Hill Mention

Here is a mention of one of the musicians, composers, actors, RZA in the film Gospel Hill, where I was an extra and on the set with Julia Stiles, Danny Glover, Angela Bassett and Adam Baldwin.


http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=17984§ionId=54

The film is scheduled for release in mid-2008.

BBC Radio Crossing Continents - Bill Law

I took some time off this summer to step away from technology and to recharge my "batteries". One of my friends, Bill Law, is a reporter for BBC radio and has been drawn into some of the most cutting edge reporting from the Islamic world.

As we departed in August, Bill said he would be heading to Pakistan. Over the last few days, Pakistan is now a major story with the return of Prime Minister Bhutto.

I had started to write this article and just a few minutes ago, it was reported that there was a bombing near her motorcade.

It does remind you how the BBC covers teh world and how important it is to get reporting first hand from the front lines.

Leatherheads Opening Moved to April 4, 2008

According to the Universal Pictures website and articles in the Hollywood Reporter, George Clooney's movie Leatherheads is moving from the December 7, 2008 release date to April 4, 2008. The move was due to an extremely busy schedule for the George Clooney with the movie Michael Clayton (Warner Bros), filming and his recent motorcycle accident.

The good news is that the trailers for Leatherheads will be heavily promoting the movie during the winter holiday season. Leatherheads is is intended to bring in a large audience with its romantic comedy and football themes. Just speculating here, but it looks like the DVD release would come right in the middle of the 2008 football season.

Well, in any event 2008 will be an interesting time as both films, I worked on will be out in theaters in mid-2008.

Starring You! - Do you want to appear on TV as an expert?

Over the last few years, I have spent time reconnecting with others in entertainment and media. One of the people I recently reconnected with was Marta Tracy. The last time Marta and I met in person, she was working in the production department at Home Box Office.

Now Marta has had a tremendous career including being part of a team which launched E! Entertainment television. Marta's passion has been working in the fashion world. She has helped to book guests on shows such as Tyra and Ellen.

In fact, Marta recently worked with a company which was launching a new line of jewelry. She worked with the creator and owner to prepare for a television appearance. Once the appearance on a national talk show happened, the companies sales increased by over 50% within a few months. This is incredibly powerful to an entrepreneur, author, musician, fashion designer or other person with a product or service.

This book is also of interest to bloggers, podcasters, and internet television producers who may want to learn some new tips and tricks.

The trick...if it was so easy everyone would be on a talk show. Marta has co-written a book called Starring You! which gives real world advice given her decades of experience in the field. The book includes excerpts from well known celebrities - The good, the bad and the ugly.

Marta's expertise, credibility and access to other producers gives her the unique ability to help others realize their dreams. Marta's book is worth a look.

On Facebook, we have also put together a "Discussion Group" in which we eventually will be promoting a teleclass.

(Note:If you are not a facebook user yet, then this is another way to promote yourself. You can find more information on this on my other blog called www.facebookenthusiast.com)

Charlie Rose: June 8, 1995

This is an older version of Charlie Rose with discussions of media and impact on society. Rachael Worby, leading female conductor discusses her life dream to become a conductor in the foot steps of Leonard Bernstein.

Leatherheads Group on Facebook

If you worked on the movie Leatherheads, I have set up a group on Facebook where we can meet and share experiences and keep in touch.

Here is the link to the group.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2428741877

Integrating Media into Social Networks

The shift has been happening for a few years with MySpace leading the pack with the integration of media within social networks. Facebook is now gaining momentum with applications which allow members to list magazines, books, and music which they prefer on their profiles.

The music applications iLike even integrates into iTunes and YouTube where members can share music they like and recommend and their friends can listen to it and purchase the music from iTunes.

This is an important trend further adding to the viral natural of the internet and the way music becomes distributed. The question will be how do musicians and music publishng companies continue to keep up with these trends.

Will this trend mean that international music tastes will become more prevalent or will music become more like McDonalds, with heavier influences from larger global music publishing companies.

Does this trend mean that a listener will also personalize their music and music tastes so they receive only that music which matches up with their tastes.

What role with traditional media critics have in influencing recommendations.

If you are an publisher in media, how will you embrace these changes? What roles will you take reach your audience?

We live in interesting times.

Official Still Photo From Leatherheads

 

George Clooney, John Krasinski and Renee Zellweger in the Speakeasy for Leatherheads

The On Ramp to Leatherheads Marketing

I happen to love marketing and public relations and the entertainment industry, so I am very excited to see the beginning of Universal Pictures starting to drip out the marketing for the Leatherheads movie.

In May, George Clooney, was in Oceans 13 and had a segment on Jay Leno's Tonight show where Leatherheads got a brief mention.

In mid June, John Krasinski, of "The Office" was the featured star in the movie "License to Wed".

Now this week, USA Today, had a still photo on its website of what looks like the "Speakeasy" scene in the Leatherheads movie with the three stars, Clooney, Krasinski and Renee Zellweger.

I continue to monitor the Universal Studios website to see when the movie trailers will be available. It looks as if Leatherheads is "on deck" to have its own website launched. My predication is that it will be up and running with the start of the NFL pre-season and that NBC (who is the sister company of Universal) will start promoting Leatherheads on its Sunday Night Football broadcast, since Leatherheads is a fictionalized account of the era when professional football was first organized.

This marketing will build to a crescendo around Thanksgiving when all the games are on and the most important NFL games of the week will be on Sunday Night on NBC.

Since Leatherheads has a few "fictional" teams, we may also see merchandising of sweatshirts, leather helmuts, and other movie paraphanalia.

And don't forget Universal Studios during the holiday season as well.

Leatherheads seems to be perfectly positioned for an exciting and creative promotional cascade over the next few months.

The Simpsons and Me

Well, the Simpson Movie is about to be realeased this week and my home town of Springfield, NJ was in the running to host its world premiere. USA Today ran a contest to have each Springfield in the United States send in a video to let the producers know why their Springfield was the one where the Simpson's live.

My home town of Springfield, NJ had advertised for people to meet at my high school for the filming of the video. I was watching ABC's World News tonight last week and we were one of 3 Springfields featured on the story.

After the votes were compiled Springfield, VT was declared the winner to host the premiere. They had a guy rolling a giant donut down a hill in their video.

All the other Springfields will also have the movie shown at a special screening. Funny thing is, my Springfield doesn't even have a movie theatre.

Hmmmm....now that's something Bart Simpson may have to change.

Excerpt from Dickinson Magazine - Summer 2007
"Tangled Up in the New 'Net"

Such social-networking sites have exploded in the last five years. They range from “placeblogging” sites, where neighbors share gossip about the latest mugging, the new playground or house on the block, to broader, more long-distance networks, such as YouTube, where people share videos; LinkedIn, which connects employers and job seekers; and MySpace and Facebook, where users can create personal profiles of themselves, including photos and a “friends list” of those allowed to visit and post on their sites.

Andy Kaplan ’79 is a longtime entrepreneur in social media who has been in the forefront of several technology waves, beginning in the early 1980s. As a financial analyst at HBO, he sent the first spreadsheet electronically through a modem—then considered nothing short of miraculous. Later he helped popularize many forms of mass distribution, such as blast faxes.

Now from Charlotte, N.C., he runs his own company, eWarrior, which equips businesses for the world of social media. He helps transform companies so that they can compete in the modern marketplace, where Web 2.0 is increasingly important, by advising them about a variety of Web-based strategies and tools for pricing, selling and promoting their products.

“There are so many tools that companies can use to their competitive advantage,” says Kaplan. “For example, they can meet ‘connectors’ through a large professional and personal network such as LinkedIn, send personalized phone and video messages instead of e-mail to their customers or promote their products through blogging.”

Launching Facebook Enthusiast Brand

This is my 3rd day on Facebook and I have already realized how much this application is going to impact our lives. Facebook is passing eBay in daily usage and is on the growth curve to possibly catch up to Google one day.

In May, Mark Zuckerberg announced at his developers conference some incredible facts:
1) Facebook is growing by 100,000 users a day worldwide
2) Ten percent of Canada is on Facebook
3) Facebook is currently 60% non-college age and is projected to be 75% by year end.

With that in mind and a community growing quickly, I have decided to launch today a new brand called the "Facebook Enthusiast". With this brand, we have set up a group within Facebook with this name and an accompanying blog of the same name. Facebook Enthusiast

I look forward to meeting you on Facebook one day.

Facebook - My first 24 hours

Okay, I have to admit it. It was a lot of fun playing on Facebook. After a few years of LinkedIn, Facebook feels like a party. It leads to deeper relationships much more quickly and is not about your resume. It is really about relationships. I admit, I believe you must need a sense of humor and perhaps be somewhat liberal and creative in your thinking to really understand facebook.

What I think Facebook does extremely well in the "adult" world is to appeal to a demographic which LinkedIn sore misses, "The Creative Class". This class is not about recruiters and jobseekers and vc's. It is about creatively connecting with each other in ways, I could have believed to understand.

As much as there are 3 degrees of separation, somehow on day 1, I have become "friends" with Michael Moore, who I admire for his newest movie Sicko. His e-mail address happened to be in my address book, so when I first set up my profile in Facebook, it asked me if I wanted to invite people from my address books. I was able to go in and select people to invite to connect. It turned out that Michael Moore was in my address book. So instead of sending him a long and boring, why do I want to connect, once connected, I "sent him a drink"...yes, there is an add on that allowed me to send him a drink of my choice, in this case. a glass of champagne to toast his new movie. Also, as part of Facebook, you see what groups and other activities people are involved with so you can also join. There was a group for his movie Sicko, so I joined that. I also saw a group called "I love Michael Moore"....Do you know how I found out about it?...I was looking at my profile screen on LinkedIn and saw that Michael Moore (my Friend) had just joined this group. It was right there on my screen.

For an example: (click on the image below of my friends status updates)



This is somewhat voyeuristic, however, we have a real way to take a peek into other peoples lives. From this screen some friends are traveling by train into London, going to the gym, sleeping off a party, or finishing a project. Another, as found a new band to be a guest for her podcast.

A friend from New Orleans has invited me to join her humor club and also sent me a "bite" to become a "Zombie". Again, a funny way to say to someone, let's connect and have some fun while we are doing it.

To me, day one on Facebook has been a blast and actually has in some very unique way, helped me to become better friends or deepening relationships, by showing more of my life and personality online.

SNL -- Weekend Update iPhone Special

Steve Jobs talking about the iPhone.

There is only one "i" in iPhone

Okay, it is out now, released into the world. Well, what has changed? What is the momentous shift in our lives we expected? Oh, yes an iPhone, hmmm, I always wondered about Steve Jobs and his naming of things with "i". is it really an "i"nternet phone or is it an "i" phone. An "i" phone meaning status, such as "i" have one of these cutting edge, change my life phones and "u" don't.

All you IBM PC'ers out there, okay, really, Mr. Jobs has tried to move you over to be Mac lovers for over 20 years and he was able to move most of your sons and daughters to thinking my way... the "i" way...like the phrase "my way or the highway". Oh, yes, I can see things from "u" on my phone such as "youtube". Mr. Jobs says --- Thank "u" for all the free content for the "i"phone.

And then promoting "i"Tunes is B "o" n "o" from the British rock group "u"2. He was in one of those "i"pod commercials, I can only think that all this money to pay for a simple phone could be used to help the poor in "A"frica. Wonder if those in Darfur, were lined up for the "i" products. Oh, yes, they were but it was r"i"ce.

As we approach, 07/07/07, just in time for the Live "e"arth day, where all the "i"phone users can watch some of the concerts from around the world, hoping they will change the world from global warming, I can only imagine, how all of these "i"phone "u"sers will be dumping and not rec"y"cling their phones in a "y"ear or so to get the one that actually runs on a better network from "A"T&T.

ttyl.

So, you want to be an actor - my first acting class

Vince Paul, casting director of Gospel Hiil, called me this week to tell me how much he liked the mediamensch blog and the stories and photos from my nascent acting career. Vince is not only casting director, but an actor,author, producer, agent, and entrepreneur.

We began to discuss his business and background. Vince authored a book and DVD called "The Talent Guide" which is a beginners guide to acting and modeling. He wanted my advice on how to create some awareness and sales momentum on the internet. I told him about my "real job" as a sales and marketing technology strategist for my company called eWarrior LLC and my knowledge of these cutting edge areas such as "Blogging and Social Networks (www.linktocharlotte.com is one of my ventures)

Vince invited me to his beginning class class for actors called "Launching your Career", so that I could get a better idea of who he was and what type of information would be on the DVD.

I arrived Saturday morning, to his offices and led to the back where he had a classroom with about 25 students watching part of a DVD about acting and modeling career. As in any industry, sometimes the smallest advantages in moving forward and getting ahead quickly comes with being prepared. That is what this 3 hour class taught us.

The first subject was regarding how to put together your head shot and resume. We saw various "before and after" headshots, which were the ones that were originally submitted or used by the actor and the after, showing how makeup, clothing, lighting and background. We clearly understood now that actors come in all ages, shapes and sizes from babies to senior citizens. For different ages there are different ways to handle the photo or headshot submission.

On the resume side, I found this to be very informative and asked a few questions because now I actually have experience with over 10 days on a film production. An actor resume is basically three columns, the show you were in the role you had and the director, production company or location. The resume unlike your regular business resume includes you height, weight (we were told not to lie), age, hair color and eye color.

For the basic beginning actor, many times an extras casting director, will choose you because he sees you have experience on a set and know what is called "set etiquette". Also because most days of filming are long (12 to 14 hours), they like to see that you stayed on the set all day and didn't leave. This is so important because once you are in a movie or scene, if you leave and the need to shoot anothe part of the scene, for continuity of the film you need to be in the shot, no matter how small your role.

The other thing I learned was the difference between applying for a modeling or print ad job and an acting job. For the modeling jobs, your picture IS your resume. The trick with your picture in this case would be to make you picture look like an ad you might see in magazine. He showed us an example of a child's photo resume or what is known as "composite card", where it was posed like a GAP store advertisement.

We also learned about the difference between theater, commercials, television and film. There are many differences in being in each medium and success in one does not guarantee success in another.

One thing I did learn and was not clear about, was the difference between an agent and a casting director. The agent represents the actor and the casting director works for the production company working calling on agents to find specific talent they need.

The last part we discussed was pay and what would be realistic pay for work. For jobs that were professionally shot and where an agent was involved an actor with some experience might expect $500 per day or more for a corporate training film or commercial. In some cases, agents may also be able to negotiate "residuals" for an actor in which an actor would be paid for each time the commercial is shown. I had a flashback to my first job at WNBC radio where a few of the other interns I worked with were in roles in "Milk is a Natural" and "Coca Cola" commercials. I didn't realize how much they were making....If I only new then what I know now.

Now, go "Break a Leg"

King Louis Narcisse - This Little Light Of Mine

This is real footage in church of "This Little Light of Mine". A version of this song will be in the movie "Gospel Hill".

This Little Light Of Mine

This is Springsteen's version of the old spiritual called "This Little Light of Mine". We sang this in the park scene with a 5 person gospel group in Gsopel Hill movie. Found this vefsion on Youtube.

Sicko - Letter I Recieved from Michael Moore - Director

Today is the Day for "Sicko"

June 29, 2007

Friends,

This is it! Two years in the making! The day that our new film, "Sicko," arrives in theaters all across North America! Click here to see where the nearest one is to you.

After you go, let me know what you think. Oh, and send us a photo or a video from your cell phone to show us what it looked like at your theater. We'd love to post a photo from each of the 440 movie theaters showing "Sicko."

To read more about the movie, you can go to www.michaelmoore.com.

Here's what this morning's review in the L.A. Times said: "It's likely his most important, most impressive, and most provocative film." Okay, what do they know? I prefer to trust the assessment of E! Television Online: " 'Sicko' - the best movie ever? Maybe." Maybe? MAYBE?! When will they ever give me a break?

It's been a weirdly funny week. First Larry King bumped me for Paris Hilton. Then today, when CNBC invited me to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for an interview, the stock exchange said I was barred from the building. On top of that, Tony Blair is gone, Cheney says he's no longer answerable to anyone's elected government, and I simply don't want an iPhone. Just another week in America.

Hope you enjoy the movie!

Yours,
Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com

Gospel Hill - Movie Poster

 

Movie Poster for Gospel Hill
Starring Danny Glover, Angela Bassett and Julia Stiles
Directed by Giancarlo Exposito

Toward the middle of filming, I had a chance to shake hands and thankGiancarlo.
The movie is expected to be released in mid-2008.

Gospel Hill - "Singin' in the Heat"

 

In this scene, were are at a memorial service or celebration for the civil rights activist in this small southern town. Hundreds of people turn out to celebrate his life in ths scenee including in real life Nia Long, Danny Glover, Angela Bassett and Julia Stiles. There is a stage set up in this park. (the park was recreated for this film including a large commercial swing set that you find in city parks). In this scene a Gospel Group is singing a beautiful song celebrating his life. The crowd is singing along as well including me!...The singing was beautiful and inspirational even though this was pretend, it also felt real. I guess the tell actors to "be in the moment".

The other part which you do not see in this scene is that I am one of handful of people that actually had to wear a corporate dress suit. Even though this was taken at around 2 in the morning, I had to stand in 80 degree heat for 3 hours. (you can click on the photo to really see me sweat) There was not water available or what is known as "craft service" in the lingo. So I did what I learned from Leatherheads, (where everyone had to wear heavy winter clothes in 70 degree weather)...I boldly walked over to a production truck and asked them if I could have a bottle from the cooler set aside for the "crew".

See, on film set there is sort of a pecking order, or what I call a caste system. From bottom to top in terms of your power or position on the film it seems to be as follows

Non-paid extras to paid extras to crew to featured actors to directors to producers. (If anyone wants to correct me or add to this please leave a comment).

Well that is a long story for just one picture. We were "Singin' in the Heat' Not so glamourous is it?

Fort Mill (SC) Times Article about Filming "Gospel Hill"

This is an article with background of how Fort Mill, SC was chosen as one of the locations for filming the movie, Gospel Hlll and a detailed description of the first night of filming there with stars, Danny Glover, Julia Stiles, and Angela Bassett.
http://www.fortmilltimes.com/local/story/6563721p-5842267c.html

Gospel Hill - Waiting in Extra's Holding at Midnight

 

From L to R Frank West, Kricket Morton, Dianne Gallagher, Andy Kaplan waiting in "extra's holding" for the movie "Gospel Hill" (Photo by freelance photographer Wade Nash) Frank West and Dianne Gallagher are videographer and field reporter, respectively for CN2 News in Rock Hill, NC. Kricket Morton is former sports anchor for WBTV, Charlotte, NC. Wade Nash is one of the top freelance sports photographers in the country. Frank and Wade play their real life roles in the movie. Dianne Gallagher and I play as "memorializers" for at a celebration for a civil rights activists death in a city park.
We finally went out to the set at around 1 am and filmed until the film "wrapped" at 4 am.

Gospel Hill - Picking out my "Costume"

I was told to arrive at 7 pm in Fort Mill, SC, just outside of Charlotte. This was my first night shoot for the film Gospel Hill. I drove about 30 minutes to Fort Mill after I left a business meeting where I was wearing my grey pinstriped business suit.

To prepare for the film, I spent an hour earlier in the day organizing and selecting four or five different "casual outfits" that included jeans, tan khaki pants, blue dress pants and about 5 different combinations of shirts from polo to dress. The suit was definitely too formal, so I expected to change when I arrived.

After driving through a torrential downpour on the Interstate, I arrived at the location in Fort Mill. It was an beautiful old church. The extra's holding was in the main social hall in the church. As I walked into the room, over 200 people were sitting on black plastic folding chairs. I carried my 10 lbs of clothes on hangers into to room and checked in at the desk. They handed me a legal release from that says, they can use my likeness in the movie however they want and I won't sue them. I then met Vince who was the casting director who had called me the day before. Vince is a tall, good looking charismatic executive. He collected my release form and then directed me over to see the costumer to see which "outfit" would fit the part I needed to play.

As I looked over, the costumer, was Ginger, who I had worked on with at Leatherheads. As soon as she saw me get in her line, she exclaimed good naturedly with a big smile - "Here comes trouble". Ginger had been one of the friendliest and most meticulous costmers on Leatherheads.(On leatherheads she was straightening my hat, fixing my tie, tieing my overcoat belt in a square not...an lifting up our trousers to almost wedgie proportions to so we had the 1920's look of showing our socks).

She took one look at me in my pinstripe suit and said "Perfect, you can wear what you have on." I replied somewhat pleadingly "Do you want to see my other ties?", hoping at least my hour of preparation of choosing the outfits was not totally wasted, She smiled and said "No, what you have on is fine. Go put the reat of your clothes back in your car." I walked back out into the light drizzle, put the clothes in the trunk of my car.

"Gospel Hill" Movie - I'm going to a funeral

I got a call today from the casting director (Vince) for Gospel Hill. He told me to bring 4 different outfits mostly casual and possibly a suit. We are going to be in a scene at a funeral. As a "paid" extra, he wanted me to arrive earlier than the "unpaid" extras. I was told all of the stars of the film will be in the scene including Danny Glover, Julia Stiles and Angela Bassett.

This will be my first "night shoot". It will be an interesting experience to see how the lighting and directors will work at night. I googled the directions to the shoot and the place I am to arrive at is down the street from a cemetary, so I imagine that's where it will be shot.

The exciting part is that I had a chance to work with George Clooney, John Kasinski and Renee Zellweger in Leatherheads in April and May and a month later, I am in a role with these other major actors.

Charlotte, NC and South Carolina are now attracting more movie and television production. The Legend of Ricky Bobby was filmed here and the tv show about Nascar Reality racing show called Gillette Young Guns was filmed here at Lowes Motor Speedway. Last year, the movie Cars by Disney made its debut here and Regis and Kelly did a live show from here.

 

Billboard in Cannes for the film called "Gospel Hill". The film started production today just outside of Charlotte, NC (in South Carolina). I received a call today from the casting company and will be filming as an "extra" next week. This is exciting as I was exposed directly to the civil rights movement and marches.

Media Evolved - How Millions of CD's and DVD's are made

I had the opportunity to visit Bill Walker, CEO and founder of Media Evolved last week. His offices are in a converted "big box" where a Target store once existed. I parked in the parking lot with a chain link fence surrounding the cars.

Here was a non-descript white building. I walked in the door and read some articles on how MediaEvolved found this space.

Bill had met me via LinkedIn and also just joined my new social network called www.linktocharlotte.com. Bill's background had been in media and music so I looked forward to learning more about his business.

I thought I was going to find some machines that could mass copy cd's and dvd's. Instead when Bill gave me the tour of his factory, I actually watched machines make CD's and DVD's from scratch, piecing together the layers of a CD, digitizing with bits and bytes within a thin layer, then copying these. Media Evolved runs 7 by 24 and produces CD's and DVD's for movie companies, corporations, and record companies.
Some clients included Microsoft and Bank of America.

Not only does he make the cd's and dvd's but he has a warehouse of all the marketing materials and covers need to surround the DVD so it can be shipped directly to stores or to distributors.

I was amazed to watch this football field size facility create so much product simultaneously. At the time I visited he was expanding the space to include two new state of the art DVD machines at over $1 million each. I now have an appreciation to the amount of technology it takes to create millions of digital media.

Civil Rights movie "Gospel Hill"

After taking a one month "hiatus" from acting, I decided to apply for another role in the movie called "Gospel Hill" being filmed in South Carolina starting the end of June. This is a $6mm film with a cast including Julia Styles, Danny Glover, and Angela Bassett It is directed by Giancarlo Esposito.

According to IMDB.com, Gospel Hill is about the “former sheriff of the southern town dealing with past sins, and the former civil rights worker withdrawn since the martyrdom of his brother thirty years before".

End of Race Week

 

This was a photo taken by a photographer for Coca Cola and Food Lion. This was the last hour of racing for the Coca Cola 600 and I look a little hot and tired in the picture for the 14 hour days.

Dickinson College Alumni Weekend 2007

Well, for the second year in a row, I was awarded an alumni award from my college and was not able to attend to receive the awards due to other personal celebrations. Last year, I was awarded the alumni volunteer of the year award in June 2006. This year, the alumni club of Charlotte which I chair was awarded the most improved alumni club in just our second year.

Although I could not make the ceremony our college has a "virtual reunion" on its website with photographers posting pictures in chronological order of todays events.
Here is the snapshots in order: http://www.dickinson.edu/alumni/vr07/vr.cfm

Here is are a few photos shots from today's ceremonies. Brian Kamoie, President of the alumni council introducing the alumni awards and Julie Wise McClure of the Baltimore Club receiving her alumni volunteer of the year award. Photos our our beautiful campus in front of "Old West"

Dickinson College under the leadership of President Bill Durden is on its way to becoming one of the more prestigious liberal arts colleges in the country.

Cindy Sheehan, Bree Walker and Me

This article caught my eye as I logged onto AOL this morning.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/09/sheehan.land.ap/index.html and realized there was a connection. Bree Walker (see picture) and I worked together at NBC Radio early in our careers.

Okay, I have to admit, I have admired the guts of Cindy Sheehan and the campaign she ran against the Iraqi War. I know that she has had good intentions all along about the destruction that war brings.

Most of us remember that in the midst of her anti-war efforts, she bought a parcel of land in Crawford, TX, just down the road from George Bush's "ranch". She named it after her son who was killed in the Iraqi War, "Camp Casey". Her main intention of doing that was to create a way for her to meet with George Bush and create worldwide publicity for that meeting. George Bush and his "Carl Rovian" handlers would have none of that.

Last week I read about Cindy Sheehan's resignation from leading the anti war group because she wanted to get back to her life and family. The article mentioned that she also was upset with some of the new congressional democrats recently elected because they compromised with George Bush and continue to fund the war without deadlines. The story also mentioned that she was going to sell the parcel of land on e-bay starting at about $50,000.

Well, to my surprise, I saw a headline today as I logged into my AOL account, that a West Coast reporter offered to buy the land from her for around $80,000 and there would be no auction. This Los Angeles based reporter had interviewed Cindy Sheehan a few times over the years and supported her position. The reporters name was Bree Walker.

Okay, now here is the connection...In 2nd summer working my college job at WNBC radio at 30 Rock as the "N-Car" driver and in the music promotion and programming area, there was a smart beautiful young disk jockey named Bree Bushaw. A few years later she was married and moved to San Diego and then went on to LA. Her name is Bree Walker and I have not seen her in person for over 30 years. I remember how she was a fighter and a person who didn't let her disabilities get in her way.

Funny how our views of the world still coincide. Congrats Bree! You are fearless.

NASCAR - Coca Cola 600 - An Insiders View

I arrived at the race track at 11 am. Gates opened at noon for the fans and the race start time is about 5 pm. Already getting to the track you sit in traffic where the last mile took me about 15 minutes even though I had VIP parking passes. I quickly parked my car and made my way up the express elevator to the Diamond Tower Suites. I met with the team of other "concierges", medical personal, security, cleaning, catering and corporate hosts already preparing the suites for the day.

The suites and companies I worked with this year were a little different from the fall race season. I worked with a suite from Deloitte, Speedways Children's Charities, Carolinas Medical Center, Anheuser Busch, CT Communications, The Charlotte Observer Newspaper, and a suite called "The Pit Crew". Most of these are sponsors or closely connected with Lowes Motor Speedway.

I had worked with some of the "hosts" for the fall Bank of America races, so it was easier this time to anticipate issues and things they needed. Most of the suites are given "Pit Passes" so that their guests can visit the pit area prior to the race. Some of these suites will hire a guide for an "official tour".

At 4:15, one of the most interesting things happened. The army was presenting a 30 minute program that included blackhawk helicopters flying around suite level inside the stadium, army rangers rappelling into the track, and they even fired explosives from a large cannon. This was memorial day, so it was really time to reflect and honor the troops. I had met an army ranger the previous day and had a long discussion about Iraq and our exit strategy. He had served 3 tours in Iraq and really provided a different perspective than what I had grasped from reading newspapers and magazines and watching tv and youtube.

Most of this race was mixed with crashes as the heat on the track was around 140 degrees at race time and the track would be cooling down on until darkness fell. Top racers such as Jeff Gordon were eliminated early from the race. With about 50 laps to go it looked as if Tony Stewart would be wrapping up the win.

Also, at lap 50, in one of my suites was a winner of the Food Lion/Coca Cola Sweepstakes. He had been entertained all week, got a ride in the pace car prior to the race and now was heading down with a photographer, his host from Coca Cola to ride a stretch hummer to Victory Lane. I was close to tagging along as things were quiet at that point and there was plenty of room. I settled for the photographer taking my picture in the suite. (I hope to get a copy to post here).

Also during the race, there is lots of food and drinks being served from fruit plates to chicken, to cheesecake. There is also a bar in each suite with two bartenders who make sure that the food and drinks are plentiful.

At the end of the race, I was able to pick up a gift basket from the Pit Crew Suite from Cabarrus County Visitor Bureau. I also was able to bring home a giant bag of popcorn for my kids.

At the end of the night, I did have a bit of an insiders view of the track. I had the opportunity to drive my car around from Turn 2 to the corporate area near Turn 4 as I had to report in. It was interesting weaving in and out of the sea of fans leaving the race. It was only my car and the official golf carts in that area.

I did get to meet some people this week from NASCAR, Lowes Motor Speedway, Speedway Children's Charities, and

Cannes - Headhunter debuts as "Riding with Elvis"

I received a note of a change of the films name as it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. G. Edward Stanley's autobiographical production with had the title "Headhunter" changed its name to "Riding with Elvis". I actually like that name better as it is a clearer description of the impact that Elvis Presley had on G. David Stanley's life.

Nextel All Star Challenge

The Nextel All Star Challenge is somewhat of a homecoming for many of the NASCAR drivers and it is a "permanent" all-star game "race" which is held every year of Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, just outside of Charlotte.

The top Nascar drivers in the world compete for a $1 million dollar prize. It is an exciting night usually filled with some tight racing and wrecks as there are three segments of 20 laps each, so it is more like a sprint to win.

The week here in Charlotte in the Spring that includes the Nextel Cup and the Coca Cola 600 is called Speed Week. We have a "Speed Street" in downtown Charlotte that includes most of the major sponsors of NASCAR and three stages of musci.

This year, I was working at the race handling the suites for NASCAR, Speed Channel/Fox Sports, Purina, CarQuest, and others. The suites were along turn 4 which is the last turn before the finish line. It is an exciting place to be sitting. The suites are glass enclosed with seating for about 50 people and come with their own bartenders and buffet.

Being a concierge is about a 10 hour day. This job is part host, part security, and part maintenance. In addition to playing host, things go on in the suites from fixing the air conditioning systems to painting and putting up logos and artwork, to setting up the televisions (and handling the remote controls) for each suite.

I had a chance to meet and mingle within most of these suites this week and got to meet some of the event planners and sports marketing people who are responsibile for making sure their company's clients are having a great experience.

Cannes - D. Edward Stanley and The Headhunter

While I was working on the film Leatherheads (George Clooney - December 2007 release) and working my way beck to contacts within the film industry, I received a call from a friend from San Francisco that I needed to talk to a business associate and mentor of hers, named D. Edward Stanley.

I was not really familiar with him or his name. She told me to go to his website, www.impellofilms.com and to look at some of the projects he was working on and to give him a call to introduce myself. I was somewhat busy with filming "Leatherheads" and in the midst of working on working on this blog, so I did not get a chance to call right away. David was heading out on a long motorcycle ride. About 10 days later, as I was sitting in Starbucks, I called him and spoke to him for about thirty minutes about film production and business plans, building teams and executioin of those plans.

David turned out to be one of the sharpest people I have spoken too. He also turned out to be the step brother of Elvis Presley and had actually grown up in Graceland since the age of four and being one of Elvis's bodyguards at age 16. He had just completed ab autobiographical movie called "Headhunter" which he was promoting at the May 2007 Cannes Film Festival. It was a movie about his life as Elvis' bodyguard and the experiences he encountered on tour with Elvis. D. Edward Stanley was "The Headhunter".

Cannes - Michael Moore - Sicko is Socko!

I just received this letter from Michael Moore, director and creator of the movie Sicko, about our health care system in the United States. It debuted at the Cannes Film Festival this past week to tears and a 15 minute standing ovation.



Here is the letter from Michael Moore:

A Letter from Michael Moore: 'Sicko' is Socko in Cannes!

May 23rd, 2007

Friends,

Well, as you may have read by now, our premiere of "Sicko" at the Cannes Film Festival has been an overwhelming success. The 2,000 people inside the Lumiere Theater were alternately in tears and laughing during the two-hour film -- and when it was over, they gave it a standing ovation that seemed to go on for nearly 15 minutes! Many came up to me and said (and critics seem to agree) that this is my best film yet. I don't know about that, and it seems weird to compare any of these movies in the first place. But I do feel safe in saying that I am very, very happy with this film and I can't wait to show it to you when it opens on June 29th.

Cannes is a crazy place. There are film lovers here from nearly every country in the world. And then there are the people in "show business." These dark forces have virtually ruined this art form (invented by the French and nurtured to brilliance by the country I call home). There are so many bad, awful films now and less and less people are going to the movies. Many who run Hollywood believe that the American people are too stupid to enjoy a film that respects their intelligence.

At the press screening for "Sicko," the Wall Street Journal reported that hardened reporters and critics wept. Even those who have been harsh to me in the past, or who have not agreed with my politics, were moved. Aside from my stated desire that "Sicko" ignite a fire for free, universal health care (and a larger wish that we, as Americans, do a better job of treating each other with a true sense of solidarity and respect), I continue to hope that I can make a contribution to the art of cinema and give people a good reason to get out of the house for a few hours.

At my festival press conference, the only negative word came from the Canadians. Two critics didn't like all the nice things I said about their health care system. Yes, Canadian health care has its flaws, but when I asked the two critics if they would exchange their health care cards for mine, they said "No!" Of course they wouldn't. Canadians live longer than we do and their infant mortality is not as high as ours. Their system is underfunded because their leaders have been trying to push for more American-style health care.

The rest of the week has been good and I am now on my way back to the U.S. The New York Post reported Sunday that the Bush administration, in addition to going after me for filming scenes in or near Cuba, may now go after the 9/11 rescue workers I took with me to get the medical care they were denied by our own government. I couldn't make up irony like this if I wanted to, and I will do whatever is necessary to defend the human right of these true American heroes to receive the medical attention they deserve.

We've also received word that the HMO and pharmaceutical industries are gearing up to fight "Sicko." We received so many great whistleblower letters while we were making the movie from employees of these companies. We'd like to hear from you again! Send us the internal memos and any other plans you run across at the company copying machine or internet server. It will help to stay ahead of whatever they are up to, and it will also give us a chance for a bit of fun at the industry's expense.

I will soon have a special section of my website devoted to "Sicko." Until then, we'll move forward toward our June 29th release date. Hope to see you all there that weekend!

Yours,
Michael Moore
michael@michaelmoore.com
MichaelMoore.com

Leatherheads - YouTube and an "Authentic" Leatherhead - Ernie Nevers

I was doing a search on YouTube this morning for Leatherheads to see if there were and video clips from the movie. There were a couple of them. However, I found this "vintage" (or is it?) footage of a real Leatherhead from the 1925 era who played on Duluth and Chicago. His name is Ernie Nevers. This Youtube video is footage of a workout with subtitles explaining about Nevers and the beginning of professional football. According to the video Ernie Nevers became the highest paid player of his era





and here is a Wikipedia entry:


Ernie Nevers
Date of birth June 11, 1902
Place of birth Willow River, Minnesota
Date of death May 3, 1976
Place of death San Rafael, California
Position(s) Fullback
Head Coach
College Stanford
Career Highlights
Awards 1925 Rose Bowl MVP
Honors NFL 1920s All-Decade Team
Career Record 12-26-2
Stats
Playing Stats DatabaseFootball
Coaching Stats DatabaseFootball
Team(s) as a player
1926-1927
1929-1931 Duluth Eskimos
Chicago Cardinals
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1927
1930-1931
1939 Duluth Eskimos
Chicago Cardinals
Chicago Cardinals
College Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1963
Ernest Alonzo Nevers (June 11, 1902 - May 3, 1976) was an American football fullback who played for the Duluth Eskimos and the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League.

Nevers attended Santa Rosa High School, in Santa Rosa, California, where he excelled in football. In 1920, as a senior, he led the team to the NCS Championships. In 1925 the football field at Santa Rosa High School was renamed Nevers Field in his honor. In 2004, just in time for the homecoming game, a $2 million dollar refurbishment of Nevers Field was completed. The improvements included an artificial turf, an all-weather 8-lane track, new bleachers, a snack bar and ticket booth, restrooms, and lights for night games.

Nevers went on to attend Stanford University, where he was an All-American, and played in the 1925 Rose Bowl. Former coach Pop Warner called Nevers "the football player without a fault", and he was often compared to Jim Thorpe. Although Nevers excelled in several sports, including basketball and baseball (as a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns, he gave up two home runs to Babe Ruth in his 60-homer season of 1927), he signed a contract with the Eskimos. The Eskimos were a unique team, as they had no actual home, and played all their games on the road. After two seasons for Duluth during which he played almost every minute on offense and defense, he did not play in the 1928 season. However, he returned to the NFL to play fullback and coach the Chicago Cardinals from 1929 to 1931. During one game in 1929, Nevers set a record that is unlikely to be broken anytime soon. Not only did Nevers score every touchdown (6), but he kicked four extra points, giving the Cardinals 40 points over the cross-town rival Chicago Bears. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

Lowes Motor Speedway - My first brush with NASCAR

Each year in Charlotte in May we have a two week period of racing with the Busch Truck Series race, the Nextel All Star Challenge and the Coca Cola 600.

Last year one of my clients became the Director of Group and Club sales for Lowes Motor Speedway. I have worked with many of the major sports teams in the group sales area helping them with database marketing, customer relationship management and web strategy.

Since I live in the midst of NASCAR, I decided to learn as much as I could about it and began to look for ways to learn about it customers and the marketing of the sport.

Last spring, I helped with Lowes Motor Speedways booth at a carnival like event called "Speed Street" and helped to manage their booth. Hundreds of thousands of fans come to downtown Charlotte to be entertained by companies (Kellogg's, GM, Ford, Tide, Cheerios, Home Depot,and any others you would find on the hood of a race car.

For the Fall 2006 race, the Bank of America 500, there was a new opportunity to work with the Corporate Sales area as a concierge for their corporate suites. This was the perfect fit as I really had a way to see how the corporate side of NASCAR entertains their clients. I was responsible for suites for Bank of America (who was the race sponsor), Budweiser (Dale Jr.), 3M, and The Wallace Family (Kenny and Rusty's family).

This week, year I will be working for the races on the suite level and also working to help with areas of the Speedway Club (the dining club and area for its members). The Speedway Club a beautiful dining facility overlooking the track with a large ballroom and meeting rooms as well.

Since I enjoyed looking at the inside of making a film with Leatherheads, I decided to do a simliar thing my experiences working with Lowes Motor Speedway and Race Week when over 200,000 fans descend upon the track.

&nb
Some ideas for our screens and logos for LinkedtoCharlotte. This is a new local social networking site which is in private Beta right now. We expect the official launch in June

 
That's a Wrap --- Ginger (Costumer and fellow Charlottean) and Andy Kaplan on my last day in Leatherheads. Ginger had been working with me, helping with my costumes since my first day in Charlotte. Ginger worked tirelessly and with a smile helping extras to look authentic. This included such attention to detail as to how your scarf was set, whether your hat was being worn properly, etc. Ginger also was watching that our pants were pulled up, as back in the 1920's they were worn up a bit with the socks showing. When the movie comes out, take a look for those details. Thanks, Ginger

Leatherheads - Greensboro Spectators watching filming

 

Leatherheads - The Clooney Project and MediaMensch Link Up

One of the interesting things about writing a blog and being on this journey are some of the unexpected opportunities to meet people you would not ordinarily come in contact with.

One my blog and in my e-mail, I decided to experiment and create an automatic search for news on George Clooney or Leatherheads. Every few days, I would see an alert with a posting coming from a website called "The Clooney Project". The Clooney Project is a site which seems to do a great deal of research to blog or write about anything related to George Clooney.

After filming in Statesville, NC. I was quoted in an article regarding the film "Leatherheads". Also in the article were pictures from the film set from the newspaper of a police officer in the movie in authentic 1920's uniform.

When I went to The Clooney Project to read the article, it occurred to me that I have a great picture of George Clooney directing the film in Greensboro, NC. The shot has him looking through a camera to set up a shot where the fans are entering the stadium for a championship football game.

I contacted the editor/owner of "The Clooney Project" and told her it would be great if we could "cross-promote" each others blogs. One of my goals when I started blogging about six weeks ago, was to become a well known professional blogger. One of the secrets of doing this is gaining credibility from being linked to credible sites.

An article was posted on The Clooney Project with a link back...

Another step in the journey is complete.