Thursday, May 27, 2010

Produced By Conference, 2010


Last month I was sitting in a cafe in Hollywood with a copy of Variety, a Hollywood newspaper that's good to read if you want to keep up with the film & TV industry news. I got the paper because my director friend said it can sometimes be a good place to find production jobs.

When I skimmed through the paper, other than Mel Brooks finally getting a star on the Walk Of Fame (long overdue if you ask me), the only thing that really jumped off the page was the Produced By Conference. The ad was well designed, and it was obviously the perfect place for me to go since I want to professionally direct and produce films one day.

This conference would no doubt cost a sizable chunk of change, but even though my bank account was skimpy, I decided to further investigate by visiting the Produced By Conference website. I gathered from the amazing line-up of speakers, mostly Hollywood producers, that this would be my networking heaven. With a general admission fee of $995, I didn't cringe. I just thought to myself, wouldn't it be cool if I could volunteer at this event! Never say never. I let that thought go, and went about my business. Drinking coffee and watching all the screenwriters tap tap tap away on their keyboards, and all the Final Cut editors bathe in the luminescence of their laptops in the crisp air conditioned cafe.

Two Weeks Later...

Monday, May 10, 2010

Meet Tommy Welch


Last week I spent some time interviewing people who have faced homelessness on Skid Row. This is one of the resulting stories that I wrote.

As he holds his head high, Tommy Welch displays a pleasant smile that exudes confidence. He is a productive man. Along with operating a shoe shining business, Mr. Welch works diligently on gang intervention, coordinating community events, and helping people find the resources they need. He has always looked to serve the people around him, even while he was homeless.