The Answer is No!

A quick note to announce that Amazon Studios notified us today that, after evaluating, "CAUSE & ORIGIN," they have taken a pass.
Our thanks to the 30 people who, in the last 30 days, took the time from their busy schedules, to support our endeavor.
 

If You Missed the Periscope Broadcast...

"So," you're asking yourself, "What was do important about the Periscope broadcast?"

Funny, you should ask. Here's the quick lowdown:

As you know, we've been working diligently on social media to get the word out about who we are (Dalmatian Productions, Inc - made up of four gentlemen all of whom with experience in emergency services), what we're trying to do (launch a fire service-themed dramatic series for television or streaming service) and most likely, we will need to launch a major crowdfunding campaign (to raise the money necessary to be able to shoot the pilot episode).

Our strongest push has been on Twitter with our two handles, @DalmatProd, which has been on for a couple of years, and more recently added, @Cause_Origin. We created the split so that the new one, for the most part, would be the one for us to use to keep everyone posted about the development and progress of the show. While @DalmatProd is involved in many discussions on the many issues that face the fire-service industry today. And we didn't want to have to give that up. 

Thus today, we asked a simple question: "Will You Help Us Bring "Cause & Origin" to TV?
NO....AT THIS MOMENT WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR MONEY!!!
What we are asking is, "If and when we launch a crowdfunding campaign, would you be willing to participate and make a donation?"

That's it. It's that simple. So, if you would like to let us know that you would be interested, please send us an email to info@dalmatianproductions.tv and let us know. Just a quick, painless, email. 

As an example, when the people behind the TV show, "Veronica Mars," wanted to make a feature film to tie up all the loose ends left when the series was axed, they ran a crowdfunding campaign and in just 10 1/2 hours, they raised over 2 million dollars!!!! Not bad, eh?

Again, if you would be interested, if and when, we launch a campaign, please send an email to our link above and say, "Yes!"

Thanks! Stay Safe and remember, Every One Goes Home!

Progress in Small Steps!

Good evening, friend. Just a couple of quick notes for you.

We've reserved our new domain, www.causeandorigin.tv 
We haven't set up the site yet, but we're tossing the ideas around!

Some of you have seen that we've created a new ID on Twitter: @cause_origin. So, even if you still follow us at @DalmatProd, we ask you to please follow us at our new handle, @cause_origin, as well. THANK YOU!!

This Wednesday evening, we have a big conference call between our partners and the big folks at the crowdfunding platform we've been do our research on. Hopefully, it will be a fruitful meeting and will generate positive results!

That's it for now. As always, we thank you for your following us on Twitter, reading our blog, and most importantly, your friendship. This project of our is all about YOU!!! We want to tell your stories and help educate the public, both our citizens and the politicos who watch the tube, who we are and what we really do.

Remember, #StaySafe and #EveryOneGoesHome! 

It's a Long, Slow Road to TV Prime Time!

Sometimes, it's just damn depressing! It really is. Even though you might think that after working some 20 years to make this dream happen, we'd be used to the lag time, when things just slow to a crawl. Think of it this way, you have a bunch of really good calls in a row. Each one requires the best from every participant and the calls are almost all different. First you have a complex, confined-space rescue, then just a couple of hours later, you have a working fire in that huge building that you always knew was going to beat you down to a pulp. On both sides of those, you have non-stop EMS calls, a few routine, then you have a difficult delivery, a full-arrest, and a poisoning of a child. All this in just one tour.

Now, you go nearly a week with nothing worse than an ingrown toenail, an elderly resident who simply forgot where he parked his car and the proverbial, cat up a tree. 
"What the hell happened to all that action we had just a couple of days ago," you wonder. Those are the responses you live for!

NOW,  you have an idea of what we're going through. Initially, we thought this week was going to be a big one for us. However, those damn circumstances that you never think about or prepare for, or expect, show up. And with that, molasses is moving across the floor faster than our developments!

We started the week with an excellent conference call. Almost all of our company meetings are conducted via conference call as we're spread out around the county with two members in different parts of Florida, one in Wilmington DE and one in Los Angeles. We decided to continue our discussions with one of the major crowdfunding platforms and to secure domain names for the new show. So we can share that the new domain will be CauseandOrigin.tv. We'll be initializing new email addresses and a new Twitter name this coming week.

That stuff was the "fun" part of our meeting. Then came the section where we have to act like grownups and take care of business. There's a new corporation to form, what type is should be, how to capitalize the new corporation, etc., etc. etc. BORING!! But, it does have to be done. And that's done in between all the really important stuff we do in our lives, like work, teach, household errands, yada, yada, yada. See what I mean? Aren't you enthralled?

Now that's not to say that there isn't some good news. As of a few moments ago (1708 HRS EDT) we have 724 Followers on Twitter. It's a great number, a really great number. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near enough! Why? Look at the numbers:

• There are approximately 1.2 million firefighters in the U.S. (including career, volunteer, combo and on-call)
• For our crowdfunding campaign to raise enough money to shoot the pilot and provide the networks with a great show that they will fight over, we need every one of those firefighters to donate $1.00 each! Right - like that's ever going to happen.
• So, we need to reach as many fire-rescue personnel, plus other first responders from all "branches," i.e. LEO's, EMS, Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc. and ask them to contribute whatever they can.
• On top of that, we need to reach each of the great periodicals that service our industry and convince them to pick up an editorial story about our goal to produce this show.
• On top of that, we need to reach as many companies and other businesses whose prime customers are those of us in fire-rescue, EMS, law enforcement, and convince them to be promotional sponsors of the show.

And how is all that going to happen? That's the Million Dollar Question! (sorry for the pun!)

Listen, we deeply appreciate everyone of you who have contacted us via Twitter or email and want to support us. However, we do not want to ask you for money yet. What we do desperately need you to do is simple and free: please pass on our information to everyone you know in the "business." If you work for one of the magazines, tell them about us. We'd be happy to talk to them about it. And if you work for one of the companies that service our businesses, let them know about us too! Just provide them with our Twitter handle (@DalmatProd) or our web site, www.dalmatianproductions.tv, and they can email us for more details. We will write, call, talk and even visit any company that would like to work with us to make this dream, this dream of all of us, come true. 

No, it's not easy. Yet, we have all learned that nothing that is worthwhile in life, ever is. But this is something the fire-rescue personnel, all first responders, deserve. A good, accurate television program about the fire service that will show the viewers what our lives are all about. Who we are and what we do.

Any questions? No problem. Just DM us on Twitter or through the web site.

Now, Stay Safe and Remember - Every One Goes Home!

The Wheels on the Bus Go Slow...slow...slow....

After two very exciting news on two previous Thursdays, (actually they were two weeks apart from each other) we were hoping that today, we would hit the "trifecta." However, the nature of this business, as we have learned over the past twenty or so years, is that days with good news are few and far between. Nonetheless, there is progress, though not ours, it is still important as it can definitely have an impact on our efforts.

As we have mentioned before, one of our partners is based in Los Angeles. He has been there most of his adult life and has worked hard in the television industry, most of the time behind the camera as an adviser and several times, in front of the camera, most often playing the role of a LEO (Law Enforcement Officer). If anyone has "paid their dues" in Hollywood to find that one special moment, it's Jesse.

Quite a while ago, Jesse had shared a story with me regarding an incident in New York City that happened years ago. It sounded like a great idea. He didn't share the details, but for a guy who is always calm, cool and collected, he was excited about his story. 

Over the years, as Jesse plied his trade in greater L.A. he always carried to special papers with him. One was the synopsis for his story and the other was the synopsis for our show. Every opportunity he had, he pushed both papers in front of anyone who would read and listen for thirty seconds. And that's the way it went, year after year, day after day, until just a couple of weeks ago. That was the day that one person really wanted to read both treatments, Jesse's and ours.

Then, two weeks later, we found out that not only did this gentleman like what he read, he wanted to get them produced, one for TV (ours) and one as a motion picture (Jesse's). Then just two weeks to the day later, Jesse let us know that he had signed with this gentleman's team to represent his interests for the picture.

Luckily, he also seriously enjoyed our synopsis, as well. And yes, he is interested in signing us also. But for now, the attention is focused on Jesse and that's just fine. Why? Because, since they like Jesse's product and they know that Jesse is intimately attached to our project, it places us in a good position. Plus, we already have a script for the pilot written and a three-year plan for the story. 

So, we'll relax today and wait for the next "Lucky Thursday," which should be two weeks from today....if we're lucky!


 

Here's the Dish...OK, Maybe It's the First Course!

First, our thanks to those of you who follow us on Twitter and then come over here to read the latest installment.

Next, I've decided to provide you with a little more knowledge of what our new project is, without opening ourselves to someone stealing our idea, script, etc.

As I've mentioned in the recent posts, we have been dedicated to bring a television program to the masses that would truly represent the fire-rescue service, without insinuating drug use, infidelity, child beating, spousal abuse, etc. This was all well and good for the first ten or so years that we were concentrating on producing a "reality" show. No matter the angle we used, not a single broadcast or cable/satellite network showed any interest when, at the same time, they were putting on show-after-show that dealt with some form of law enforcement. In just the past few years, they have gone so far as to create programs which show people purposely breaking the law so that LEO's have a reason to hunt or track them down, all for "good TV."

Now, I don't have any problem with our brethren in blue being featured on TV shows. As a matter of fact, after both the bad and sad press they have received over the last year or so, these shows demonstrate the highest professional qualities of 99% of America's finest. My question is, why do all these shows have to come at the expense of just one or two shows about those who dedicate their lives to fire-rescue? Are we not entitled to the same positive exposure that law enforcement receives?

Toward that goal, we have created a new, one-hour drama about a multi-generational firefighter from a large, metropolitan city, who faces severe adversity in both his life and career. Nevertheless, all he is concerned with is his family and his job. There are challenges at every turn, yet he never waivers in his dedication. This show focuses on his ability to remain focused on his goals, until a new door opens for him that leads him to a mystery he had never considered.

That's it in a nutshell. The only other details I can share is that we have already reached a tentative agreement with both the city and its fire department who have agreed to participate in the show.

We ask you to please remember that none of the four partners in Dalmatian Productions is a big Hollywood mogul, producer, etc. Three of us have been snot-nosed, belly-crawling, nozzle jockeys. Our fourth partner has been involved in public safety.

Though this show, if it comes about, will be a fictional drama, we are dedicated to have it represent the department, its municipality and fire-rescue as a whole, in as positive a light as possible.

We help you will support our cause. We are not looking for money! We are looking for your interest. How can you help? Leave a comment here or let us know on Twitter @DalmatProd.

EVERYONEGOESHOME!

From Heroes to Zeroes...Time After Time

What have we done?

There's no doubt about it. We have all seen it. Especially, since the tragedy of 9-11. On that tragic day in America, firefighters were seen all over the country as heroes. It wasn't a label that we sought, nor was it a label we even wanted. However, as almost every television broadcast the pictures of our brothers entering the Towers, the viewing audience was enthralled by the scene. Engines, trucks, rescues, ambulances and every other conveyance streamed past the cameras, lights flashing and sirens screaming.

 

When the Towers fell, America felt sad. Some even felt bad. They purchased and displayed American flags, on their homes and on their cars. "Those poor firefighters," they lamented. "They were so brave!" They watched the scenes from the pile, hundreds of our brothers and sisters searching a helmet, a badge, a turn-out coat, anything that might lead them to a hopeful rescue, until the difficult decision was made that they were there only to make a recovery. Within a few weeks, viewers lost interest in seeing the somber scene day-after-day. They weren't members of their family. They wanted their entertainment back. And American television did their bidding.

 

Then, when our members became ill from the toxins they tramped in, breathed in, and carried with them every day and night, we asked to be assisted with our healthcare. The reaction was like we had kidnapped their first-born child. At almost the same time, budget talks were getting underway. And as usual, the finger of trouble was pointed at the those who wear the badges of the branches of emergency services. Like a plague, the unions were blamed for high municipal costs (even though, it is often the costs of administrative personnel that are higher) and when we realized that Heaven forbid, there would be another attack on this country and we would still be the first ones on the scene, we asked for newer, more modern equipment. At this point, all of us, career, volunteer, combo, and paid-on-call, were all castigated for asking for more money than we "earn" in the eyes of the public.

So, even after the horrific sacrifice of our FDNY, NYPD, and PANYNJ brothers and sisters, we went from "heroes-to-zeroes" in record time.

 

After the tragedy on 9-11, we at Dalmatian Productions, stopped all efforts to see our first show, "America's Heroes: The Men & Women of Fire/Rescue." (You can see the pilot episode by using this link, http://bit.ly/1hvSYxH). As much as we wanted this show to succeed to tell all of ours stories, we just could not do it at this time. We had to wait until after the shock of 9-11 had subsided.

 

Thus, it was 2002 when we started up again. We already had the pilot (though it looks a little "long in the tooth" today) and we supposedly had an excellent contact with one of the largest cable/satellite providers in the country. Month after month and year after year, every attempt to market our show, truly any show about the fire service was met with a closed door. One network had the balls to tell us they had no interest in red lights, sirens or smoke. However, it could get video of cross-dressing firefighters, firefighters being arrested or bring drunk, then they'd talk to us about a reality show.

 

As I've written in an earlier post, we never gave up. We tried numerous "angles" regarding the fire-rescue service in a "reality" sense. At least a few networks turned us down. Most we have heard of. Then, last year, we shook the dust off an old idea. Instead of a reality show, we'd make this a dramatic series.

 

Following the recent trend over the last few years of having a limited number of episodes instead of 20-22, we created our new show to fit in to a 12-15 episode format; perfect for a mid-season replacement or a limited run in prime-time. Currently, the treatment (a concise, one-page description) has been turned down by one studio and is sitting with two others.

 

What I believe the studios and networks don't appreciate is who our basic audience is. Just in the U.S., the are over a million firefighters from all classifications. Add to that the percentage of those that are married. Then look at their demographics (the all-important classifications of an audience, age group, gender, buying power) many of those viewers would be in the coveted 18-49 years of age for both men and women; most fall into the middle to upper-middle class economics. What does that gibberish mean? It means that we bring an built in audience that, if we produce a good show, have realistic portrayals of fire-rescue personnel and deal with real issues that we face everyday, we have the power and backing for a successful program. And that is the most important fact that a network is interested in.

 

Listen, I wish I could give you more details, but at this time, we can't and won't take a chance that someone will take our concept, then create and pitch their version to the networks! Remember, every partner of Dalmatian Productions has been or currently is still involved in emergency services. We've been out on the line, three of us as belly-crawling, snot-nosed, soot-faced, nozzle jockeys. And that is why we want to tell our story. And though the idea behind this new show focuses on what specialized unit of the fire service, we are very careful to involve the entire picture of today's fire-rescue service, including our work in EMS and out interaction with our brothers and sisters in blue.

 

We're hoping that we will be able to count on you. First, we may need you to run a letter campaign to get this show on the air. Second, if we get a pilot made, we'll need viewers and lots of them.

 

So let's change the tide of the public's perception and correct the misunderstandings about what it is we do. A 45-second news clip does not define any of us. Let's move from zeroes to heroes!