Thank YOU @thesticksooke!!!
For the kickass coffee!! You guys rock! And on my birthday, even more so! Thank YOU!
May 2013
86 posts
Interesting comment on a blog I wrote about the inspiration for Cadillac Frank in Vampire Mob:
“Had a run in w/ Frank jr. Home on leave from the Navy, a friend drove me to Kappy’s liquor in Medford. Guy pulls up behind us, flashing highbeams & honking. My friend says “who the fucks that”? He blows around us, swervs in front & locks his breaks (Wht Lincoln towncar). My friend swerves out of the way & we continue to Kappys. Frank pulls in the lot & shoves my friend from behind & they start arguing. I tap Frank on the shoulder and say “Hey, if you got a beef with my friend, you’ll have to deal with me first”. He jokingly tells me that his buddies will take care of me. I turn, and sure enough, two guys are grinning at me (w/ hands in pockets). I immediatly recognized one of the characters as bad news w/ mob connections in my neighborhood. I then somewhat sheepishly say “look, this must all be a misunderstanding & we aren’t looking for any trouble”. The situation fizzled after that. It was only after seeing his obit that I said “holy shit”.”
http://vampiremob.tumblr.com/post/684598640/confessions-of-a-lucky-storyteller-me-and-the-mob
Scalability & Fear - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
People hate to fail and that hatred of failure creates fear - fear of trying.
Throw in few heaping truckloads of Fear of looking foolish, making a mistake, appearing out of control, being ridiculed by peers, family, co-workers…
Wow. Now even I’m afraid!
I’m more afraid of lethargy, of waiting, of complacency, of a lot of things that overpower my fear of looking like a jackass.
When you fundraise online, fear of failure to reach your goal, which is very much in public, is a reality that stops many from trying. I spoke with a filmmaker whose fear of wiping out on Kickstarter or Indiegogo kept them from moving forward with a project.
The alternative for the filmmaker was waiting for a ‘yes,’ a plan that had resulted in a lot of meetings and passes, for years.
My advice: scale your fear of failure.
I designed PlayShorts as both a series and as a fundraising campaign to scale to success, or taking the glass-half empty view, scale to failure. The goal was to tell stories, not raise $8,000.
Because I didn’t fail to reach the goal of telling stories, raising a little over the half budget goal, which is *technically* a failure, had little to do with my measurement of success.
PlayShorts was a giant success.
How big is my audience?
How many people are interested in seeing short films of short plays?
Those were the two basic questions I needed to answer with PlayShorts Vol. 1.
I have my answer. The next time I ask those same questions will be when I make Vol. 2 of PlayShorts. But the next time I ask, instead of scripts and mediocre video of plays being performed live, I’ll have a couple examples of the finished product.
The answer to those questions for Vol. 2 will result in a new set of answers to scale the project to.
My guess, gonna be making more than two shorts in Vol. 2.
THANK YOU - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
Telling stories is what I do, it’s my life.
Having people from all over the world help me make stories happen with their RT’s, Facebook posts, blogs and the donations of their hard earned money, that is an assist I do not take lightly.
SERIOUSLY, Thank YOU!
The PlayShorts Vol. 1 campaign IS A GIANT SUCCESS.
I *will* get to tell some stories and you *will* get to see them, that was the goal.
The numbers are just current status updates, like the one you posted a week ago. Remember that one? Yeah, neither do I.
Status updates are a temporary representation of a current state or status. They change. Those numbers just say where we are now.
Where we are now is the beginning and, to me, those numbers say PlayShorts is having one helluva strong beginning!
THANK YOU!
-Joe
2 hours - Confessions of a Lucky Stoyteller
People can be really cool.
The clock’s ticking and I can see the RT’s and posts, thank you!
The end of this campaign to make PlayShorts is kicking my ass.
Sleep swoops in but I bob and weave my way out.
So far.
-Joe
3 hours - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
Very glad that I won’t be writing Cafe Plays tomorrow morning.
It would be about sleeping and typing, sleep tying.
The clock is really loud!
-Joe
http://wwww,PlayShorts.com
4 hours - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
If I was on Kickstarter right now with that goal and that other number, the one that’s nowhere near the goal, I would’ve lost that, all of that and my mind.
I’ll be shooting a couple stories, hopefully three!! Maybe more!
Anything can happen, I keep reminding myself.
-Joe
5 hours - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
Coffee and my will to make a third short is keeping me from nodding off.
Tomorrow I will be kinda useless.
Thanks for the all the kind words and support.
I can feel it!
-Joe
KZ has informed me that I look very tired.
I feel that way.
I don’t give up. I think it’s genetic.
My head hurts.
I’m typing with one eye open.
Let’s make a show!
-Joe
Less than 6 hours
7 HOURS LEFT! - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
I’m fulla coffee & hope!
-Joe
8 HOURS LEFT!! - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
Time is a helluva drug!
Thanks for making this crazy ride possible!
I could be another schmuck with a hard drive full of stories waiting for a yes. Instead I’m waiting for a yes, from people, individuals, not companies, not executives, not agents, not managers.
Let’s make another story happen in the time left! It *IS* possible!
THANK YOU!
-Joe
Number 9, number 9... - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
My apologies for being annoying fo the next 9 hours.
I’m just trying to make some stories happen.
Thank YOU!
-Joe
And then there were 10 - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
PlayShorts will also allow me to do something I haven’t done too much of outside a black box theater - tell stories without the mafia involved!
Somehow bad guys slip in here and there, but those who have seen my play,”Best Person” know there are other kinds of stories I’d like to tell.
I need help making PlayShorts happen.
-Joe
11 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
PlayShorts is one of those ideas that woke me up.
Now I’m staying awake to make that idea happen.
111 donations from 8 countries will have me shooting two scripts, which I am more than fucking psyched about.
But now it’s all about making one more script happen in the time left.
Who loves an underdog story?
-Joe
12 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t hard, it is.
Six hours have passed and that number on top, with the dollar sign, it hasn’t changed.
It’s also worth it, every hour.
I know what it’s like waiting for a yes, for permission, for someone to change their mind.
Life’s short.
Fuck it.
Tell fucking stories.
That’s what I’m here to do.
-Joe
13 hours (deja vu) Confession of a Lucky Storyteller
The top number stays the same, the bottom number keeps getting smaller.
That’s my tired brain hard at work deducing information.
One of my goals with raising the budget to make PlayShorts was to keep the annoying posts to a minimum, within reason, however you might judge what is within anything.
Except for today because today’s not a day, today’s hours left, the end.
I really want to make this third story, it’s a fun one, they all are.
That’s why I do it, it’s fun and I think that comes through on screen.
Definitely need more coffee!
Color seems to have texture.
-Joe
14 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
Fats Waller is in heavy-rotation.
Things are quiet, otherwise.
Except the clock, it is far from quiet. Time’s loud without making a sound.
I need more coffee. Mike doesn’t have thumbs. He’s a cat, so far.
(evil laugh)
The one thing about time, it always makes you realize you are serving at it’s pleasure.
-Joe
15 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
Here’s the part that’s going to suck: telling Kimmy Robertson, Karen Landry, Peter Spruyt and Paul Schackman that I didn’t raise the budget to shoot their PlayShorts.
Very cool to see people Tweeting and posting on Facebook about PlayShorts! http://www.PlayShorts.com
Thank YOU!!
It *IS* possible to raise $1,785 in 15 hours! It *CAN* be done. Maybe the whole thing, maybe not.
But I’m not stopping!
Apologies in advance for the next 14 hours of being annoying!
Have I mentioned I love coffee?
-Joe
16 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
I’m listening to Fats Waller. It’s happy music. Hopeful, playful, fun.
Mike is far more interested in me taking a break and wrestling.
I just chipped a mug with the bottom of a water glass.
Again, if you have any heavy machinery that needs operating, I am *not* your guy.
“I’ve been awake a lot, officer.”
Something’s going to happen. Maybe it’s the coffee talking, maybe it’s Fats Waller talking, but something is going to happen.
- “Punchy” Joe
(spelled it right!)
17 hours - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
The coffee mug is very much full and there’s plenty more on deck.
I’m that nice kind of tired. Who am I kidding? There’s no nice kind of tired.
Being one guy and receiving help from over 100 people in 8 countries, that’s pretty fucking cool.
The other cool thing about all this, I’m shooting stories next month!
There is nothing to complain about!
But…
gotta make it to $6,000 to shoot 3! Sure, reaching the full goal is *possible* but making it to $6k is POSSIBLE.
I need help!
If you want more stories in the world that weren’t built from the demographics up, please post this link http://www.PlayShorts.com on your local internet.
Thank you!
-Joe
(yup, spelled me three-letter name wrong again & had to retype.. my name)
18 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
The sun’s up.
Thin clouds cover most of the light blue behind them.
I’ll be sitting here when the sun goes down and the clouds overhead have morphed into other shapes and disappeared.
The coffee mug’s empty.
I keep reminding myself, anything can happen.
-Joe
19 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
The birds are waking up, I can hear them. Unless all those bird sounds are inside my head. That could happen.
No matter what, this campaign has been a huge success and here’s why - I get to tell some stories!!
Now the question is, how many?
Coffee is like drinking a hug.
-Joe
20 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
My very, close, personal friend coffee is keeping me company.
The brain awaits the results, still waiting.
I feel like I have a final to take.
Now, to make this thing happen!
Coffee cheers!
*clink*
-Joe (seriously, I just spelled ny name wrong. And it’s Joe)
21 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
You know that scene in “Apocalypse Now” when Martin Sheen’s character is all fucked up in a hotel room and punches a mirror?
My living room is kind of like that, but no booze, mirrors or Saigon outside my window. Just a giant, empty, plastic cup of Diet Coke and a gray cat named, Mike.
22 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
Apparently, if you stay up for more than 24 hours, you can’t nap!
-Joe
23 hours left - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
When I worked a a private investigator I would often ride time zones making phone calls from Japan to the United Kingdom in an evening.
It was weird having phone jet lag.
When someone says call back in two hours, in another country, and you’re on deadline - you call back in two hours, even if that’s at 3AM your time.
And you also better have a damn good answer why you’re making phone calls at 3AM your time.
I always did.
With 23 hours left to make PlayShorts happens, I know Europe’s awake.
The east coast of the United States will join them in about four hours.
Is Twitter-jet lag a term?
-Joe
24 - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
When it’s your last day of vacation, 24 hours flies.
When it’s 24 hours stranded in an airport flying back from that same vacation, less so.
Other than the lack of sleep, this last 24 hours will fly, for one reason - I’m having fun.
Thank YOU!
-Joe
25 hours - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
Jack in the Box? WTF was I thinking?
Sometimes I get in my head and I completely forget about time and meals. Coffee, less so. Some food to give the coffee a dance partner, always, sure.
When it was 9PM and I realized I was drinking coffee but dinner was something that had not yet occurred, that’s when I got hungry.
Time is a helluva drug.
The next hour will bring about the nasty drug of time, the one that says there will be less than a day left.
Maybe I should make more coffee?
26 hours - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
That’s the biggest Diet Coke you can buy at Jack in the Box. I thought it would make a nice chaser for the coffee.
I didn’t dine in the luxurious dining room, which was wide open except for one guy on a laptop, way in the back, to the left of the stools.
There’s no wi-fi.
I ate every fry, which was made with an almost machine-like consistency.
I stared at the big number at the top a lot less than I did the little number on the bottom.
When I first bit into the burger, a noise came out of my mouth that was like a throaty, ‘ick.”
At the very least, I am not hungry at all.
27 hours - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
Drinking a cold cup of coffee because it’s not about the flavor at the moment.
Not that I don’t love some ice coffee, it’s just this stuff in my cup is far from fresh, but it helps keep me awake.
Listening to the Beastie Boys library on Spotify at the moment.
Mike is napping.
I think I slept three hours last night. I can’t really remember.
I love a deadline!
28 Hours - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
I get to make TWO stories!!
Tired, but psyched!
Sleep is an indulgence when the clock is this loud.
I’m drinking coffee.
You know why? I want to make three stories!
$194 from two short films!
Thank YOU!
http://www.PlayShorts.com/
Underdog Stories Rock - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
I’m a sucker for an underdog story.
The odds are against them, the circumstances are bad, doesn’t look like they’re going to make it and then - they do. Simple, fun and sometimes good cardio to watch!
Real underdog stories are the best and sometimes they’re so unbelievable they would make bad movies - “That could never happen.”
Ever see “The Rookie”?
The story seems absolutely unbelievable and if it weren’t true, it would be. I wrote a couple sports movies about underdogs and watched a bunch of of them to get my “head in the game.”
The main character in “The Rookie,” is just that, a rookie baseball player in the minor leagues, a pitcher. He is way too old be be throwing baseballs professionally. He’s got a wife, kids and bills.
There’s a moment in the story when it doesn’t look like anything’s going to work out. There may just be some minor league games to play and then it’s back home to the bills. And maybe that isn’t the worst thing in the world.
The next day, in the locker room, before the game, Dennis Quaid walks into the locker room and says to another player, “You know what we get to do today, Brooks? We get to play baseball”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Cyi9nlSJo
At the moment, it doesn’t look like I’m going to reach my goal with PlayShorts. There’s not a lot of time left on the clock and I’m only one guy. I love an underdog story!
Here’s the great thing, I may not reach the budget goal, but I WILL get to make some of these short films!
I will “get to play baseball” and that’s really what life’s about, doing.
If you love an underdog story, watch this one! http://www.PlayShorts.com
And then there were 5 - Confessions of a Lucky Storyteller
When the middle becomes the beginning of the end, you can do two things (you can actually do far more than two, but brevity is…. something):
Panic or enjoy the ride.
PlayShorts was one of those ideas that kept waking me up in the middle of the night.
73 people from six countries think it’s a good idea and there are more folks out there tweeting and sharing PlayShorts on Facebook.
That’s how I know it’s a good idea. Now, it’s just a question of scale - How many more people can find out about this idea?
Time will determine part of that, luck the rest.
There’s five days left, at this brief shining moment.
If you believe in stories told by human beings and not giant, publicly traded companies - http://www.PlayShorts.com
Thank YOU!
-Joe
When I lived in Hollywood, there was a fair amount of hooker commerce on my street.
I own a bullhorn.
A gigantic, loud, bullhorn made by Toa.
At night, pointing it out a window so the sound would bounce around an alley into the street, I would say in my best cop voice, “Move it along, gentlemen, move it along.”
They always did.
