Breath, Eat, Sleep, Work, Wait

OK... so I'm not a good 'waiter.' :)

A lot of this business is work, work, work, *breathe* then work, work, work *eat,* then work, work, work, *sleep*. Downtime is supposed to be fun, when you catch up on things around the house, and let loose, right? I'd be lying if I said it totally wasn't. I love having time to watch movies with friends, catch up on their lives, and talk to people that don't know what a gaffer is (I'm the smart one!). It's refreshing.

But it doesn't take long before my legs compound nervous energy, and I'm ready to rock the breathe, eat, sleep out again. There's something deeply twisted about it all, really. :)

I mean, it's not like we don't have 50 million things we're currently working on... no really, I'm sure it's close...

But right now, we're waiting on paperwork, which will finalize our new executive producer on board LIS, woo hoo! Also waiting on a 'letter of intent' back from an actor. Also waiting on a secretary to get back from vacation so that we can move forward with approaching a heavy duty producer with a reputable production co., who may be interested in our project on some level.

Wish there was something more sexy or mysterious about this process, but it is what it is. Just a big ole spoon full of wait in your coffee. And if you put sugar in it... forget about it. You'll be a terrible waiter.

So, I'm trying to fill my mind and time with things both fun and productive. Making a new short that involves friends, just for fun. Working on a lot of side projects, which actually do bring in some $ occasionally, and watching a lot of movies with my hubby and friends! After all, it'd be a tragedy to make movies but never have the luxury of enjoying them.

So take time, and enjoy the wait!

Welcoming LIS' Executive Producer, Cynthia Litman!

My heart is over-joyed to welcome the lovely, Cynthia Litman, to our Lost In Sunshine team as an executive producer!

Cynthia Litman is a Co-founder of the Spiritual Cinema Circle, blogger at www.MommasPearls.com and an entertainment lawyer with a niche in spiritual entertainment and social enterprises. You can hear a great interview with her here. :)

Lorie and I both felt a strong connection to Cynthia, after hearing her kind, insightful, enthusiastic response to our script and passion regarding spiritual cinema.

Real quick (for my filmmakers): I think it's important for me to emphasize how key it is for expectations to be communicated honestly and frankly during any negotiations. If you don't know what it means for someone to come on board and take on the responsibility for a certain role - then ask. That way, both parties understand what's expected and can deliver results without disappointment. Most of us understand that there are no guarantees in this biz full of risks and fickle audiences, but it's important to understand each other's intentions, and motivations. That way, we can support each other through any obstacles, adversities, hardships, or less than desirable circumstances (you get my drift - we need each other!). Then, we can jump up and down with each other and scream our heads off like maniacs when something great has happened that we've worked our butts off for, and collectively accomplished! :)

Being an executive producer can mean different things to different people/productions, so here's what Cynthia will be doing for/with us as an executive producer. I'd like to say that one more time - EXECUTIVE PRODUCER. Who am I? :)

Cynthia will look at our landscape, and be involved as much as possible (i.e. creativity-wise, reaching out to prospective investors, distribution, (secondary) legal council when necessary, and website strategies. She will focus on organizations that speak our language, and help create awareness of our project's needs as we move along. She will aid us in focusing in on and reaching out to our direct audience, which she has specific experience with.

The role will shift and shape into different forms once we get rolling, of course, but this is what's important today. We still need (more) money to get this movie made. And we're ALL working hard (exploring different avenues) to get it. :)

We understand our exchange, incentives, and growth expectancies (without certainty). But one thing is for certain - we always dream big.

Huge thanks to my wonderful producer, Lorie, for making this invaluable connection, that I think will blossom into a beautiful friendship as well. We are blessed, and most appreciative to have Cynthia join us on this truly unpredictable, fascinating, and enlightening journey.

As our male lead (Bob), Ross Partridge, said to me last week - it takes a village!!

Dare to dream (BIG!!).

Love, Jentri