Supporting Pride Month

Another investor for the studio and the projects fell through. To be honest, I'm getting discouraged. It seems that it is easier to start a career than it is to restart one. I refuse to give up, which means the only thing left is to succeed. But I need your help.

The shorts Completely Loyal to Me and Showtime were going to relaunch my career by showing what I can produce. Due to circumstances beyond my control, Loyal to Me was filmed but never made it through post-production. I have repeatedly asked about Showtime but have yet to get an answer. I suspect the same thing happened. Loyal to Me has the lowest budget. It’s a dark comedy feature film that combines the suspense of Hitchcock with the slapstick of the Keystone cops.

In the 1950s appearances were more important than reality. People had to hide who they were to be accepted and safe. But that wasn't easy. Secrets were hard to keep. McCarthyism had neighbors spying on each other. Those who were different, even in private, were ostracized, especially women and the LBGTQ community. Women were supposed to be daughters, wives, and mothers. If they did work, it was only in secondary jobs, which had little pay and no power. They were expected to quit once they married. Men were the heads of the households, who made all decisions and controlled all the money. To have any power, women had to manipulate and lie. However, the LGBTQ community had it much worse. To even be suspected of being gay, could be a death sentence. Discrimination was rampant as was the brutality that more often than not went unpunished. They were considered mentally ill and a threat to society, especially to children. They were laughed at and scorned. Most stayed in the closet. They hid behind relationships with those of the opposite sex and by showing aggressive disdain toward those who were perceived as gay. These factors set the stage for the murder, blackmail, and revenge of Completely Loyal to Me.

"And thus, like the wounded oyster, he mends his shell with pearl"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Romancing their way into fortunes, Margaret and George meet their counterparts only to learn the tragic reality of a cliché.

Margaret and George were a team, who used their considerable charms to romance others out of their fortunes. Margaret marries Samuel to inherit his millions only to learn after his untimely death that the terms of his will bound her to the estate and Samuel's manservant, William James. Changing their strategy, Margaret and George get married. Instead of traveling the world to find new marks, they use the mansion to lure. them into their web. William James reluctantly agrees to help. When he meets Lennetta and Gary, William James realized that he has found who he had been seeking. Manipulating the meeting of the couples, he moves forward with each believing that he is their ally. It is only when their cons come to fruition that they realize he has another agenda.

 

Although I will continue to seek funding for the studio, I’m also going to try to fund the individual projects. I’ve been making contacts for product placement, but that takes time. I’ve also considered doing a crowdfunding campaign. But that takes a great deal of time and energy more often than not it yields very little money of which the platform and PayPal take a percentage. So, I’ve decided to ask for your support to produce Completely Loyal to Me. I have put a donation button on the webpage. If you have the will and the means please support our efforts to bring Completely Loyal to Me to screen. The only incentive I have to offer is that of an electronic copy once it is finished. It could take up to six months for you to receive it. Even if you are unable to donate, please share my request and website so the six degrees of separation will bring miracles into our lives.

Thank you.

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Helping veterans heal and reclaim their lives

  

Horses and Heroes is a Reality TV series, which combines the highly effective Peer Support Therapy with Equine Therapy. Unlike most in the genre, it will focus on healing and positive growth rather than endorsing bad behavior. Each season will bring together veterans from WWII to the current conflicts. They will be sharing their challenges and supporting each other as they find new solutions to their physical and emotional challenges. They know the talk because they have walked the walk. They see the dodges and will be able to call each other on them. Sparks may fly. Tempers may flare, especially when they force each other to face their ghosts. But there will also be laughter and fun as they rebuild the comradery, which kept them safe and strong. The snarkiness and practical jokes between the branches don't simply end. There is always room for just one more. When it airs, it will reach into the homes of the veterans, who need to hear that they are not alone, and give them information as well as permission they need to also heal. They will help each other find their way back to the world. Veterans can’t go back and make a brand new start, but they can start from now and make a brand new end.

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Four Mistakes of Connection Building

 

Networking and connecting can be extremely beneficial, except when it is done incorrectly.  As beneficial as it can be, it can also be extremely detrimental to the brand or a person’s reputation.  A profitable asset can be easily turned into a liability.

 

1.      Don’t try to be anyone other than yourself 

There is an old saying, be yourself, everyone else is taken. Being yourself means some people will like you and some won’t.  A façade can only be maintained for so long; eventually, the real you will appear.  Once that happens you will lose all the trust you have built because no one will know which person is real.

2.      Don’t falsify or inflate your education, experience, or connections

It’s easy to talk big and make grandiose boasts, but there will come a time or situation when you will have to produce or follow through. Making excuses or ignoring what you said only kicks the can down the road.  It only delays the inevitable. Eventually, you will be held accountable for your claims.  If you can’t follow through or another proves your claims to be false, the result to your business reputation will be worse than if you said nothing at all.

 

3.      Don’t over-share personal information

Learn how to read the room and the person you are speaking with.  Some somethings are not meant to be shared with work associates, even if they are true.  Becoming too “intimate” or oversharing even in the context or under the pretense of a joke is a recipe for disaster.  It can lead to uncomfortable situations, which could damage your business reputation and lead to legal consequences. 

 

4.      Don’t be negative

There are ways to approach challenging times and difficult topics without being harsh or confrontational, especially when it comes to business relationships. How we speak to and about our bosses, co-workers, and clients matters.   It sets the tone of those relationships from that moment forward.  It’s impossible to always agree.  Some disagreements are inevitable.  However, choosing personal attacks instead of staying on the topic will never end well. Once said or done, it’s permanent.   Apologies can be made and even accepted; what is forgiven, isn’t always forgotten.

 

Trust and respect are the basis of every business relationship. Rebuilding them can be a long and costly process. Depending on how they were broken can sometimes be impossible.

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