Since I missed an update on January 1, let me wish you "Gung Hay Fat Choy" - or however you want to spell the traditional Chinese New Year greeting. It's now the Year of the Dog, and as I'm a dog according to the Chinese zodiac, let's hope that means good luck. I realize it's been a while since I updated you on film developments. Frankly, up until January there wasn't much to report. And there were some other things I couldn't talk about until now. Namely the big news with Claustrophobia/Serial Slayer, which is that I have now finished my yearlong representation deal with foreign sales agents MonteCristo Entertainment, and have decided to sign with new foreign sales agents, a Colorado-based outfit called Inferno Film. Please note that Integration Entertainment continues to rep this film domestically. Still hoping for a US cable release, but I'm a small fish in a big pond as far as that arena is concerned.
Aside from that, although there is no current news regarding my feature film endeavors (i.e. Dial 9 to Get Out), recently I was short-listed in a Getty Images competition called The Next Big Idea. Out of 240 initial pitches for short films that consist of at least 50% stock footage from the Getty Images library, I made the top 30 - which means now I get to actually make my short. It will only be sixty seconds in length, but I'm still excited to be making another movie and working with some old friends again. I do believe the final films will be open to public judging in mid-March, so expect a link to it and me urging you to vote for my entry. If I win, I'll get $10,000. By the way, it's highly likely that Claustrophobia/Serial Slayer will finally be profitable this year, which is a real accomplishment in the independent film world. So if you've been toying with the idea of getting involved in independent film, please contact me if you'd like to know more.
This past January was a terrific month. My wife Miki and I bought a new car and adopted a cat, I got a short-term consulting job with Disney of all places, and I'm excited about making the Getty Images finals. It's either all downhill from here, or else January is merely a good start to a great year. Let's hope for the latter, shall we?