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!


 

And Her Name Was Irene...

As a Florida resident for the last 19 years and having experienced both Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Wilma, many of my co-residents considered ourselves quite lucky that we did not have to experience a full-on encounter with Hurricane Irene. However, what was lucky for us proved to be terribly tragic for those living from North Carolina up through Vermont.

Over 40 deaths have been reported to date. Damages are so high that Irene has been placed in the Top-10 most expensive natural disasters in recorded U.S. history. I grew up outside of Boston, MA and can remember preparing and then experiencing a couple of hurricanes, as well as numerous blizzards and nor'easters. However, nothing I experience in my first 22 years bore any resemblance to what Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene brought to the northeast.

The loss of life of just one person is one too many in any one's book, but one loss that I had heard of shortly after fire-rescue operations began in New Jersey, hit home harder today when I received the monthly alumni newsletter from Brandeis University, from which I graduated in 1974.

When I attended the school, it was before I had had the opportunity of volunteering in either the fire or rescue services. Living just a short 18 miles from Boston and another 15 miles from Worcester, 99% of eastern Massachusetts was, and continues to be services by career fire-rescue agencies. Simply put, there was no chance for me to volunteer until the mid 1970's. While attending Brandeis, I was able to land a campus job with campus security (unarmed, at that time). Our main task was to verify parking passes across the beautiful suburban campus and write infraction tickets. 

In 1983 Brandeis established Brandeis Emergency Medical Corp or BEMco. It has been staffed by over 670 student volunteers, all trained to state-standards in BLS or basic life support. Any number of its members have gone on to become physicians, physician-assistants, and paramedics. One of those volunteers was Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad member, Michael Kenwood. Michael, a quick-water rescue technician, lost his life after attempting to ascertain if a submerged vehicle, overtaken by flooding waters, was occupied.

Here is the community story about this hero, who he was and what he did: http://bit.ly/oDLBr0.

So, though I may not have known him, we traveled on many of the same paths, attending classes on the same campus and offering our time and energies to help those in need. However, Michael paid the ultimate cost for his duty to his community. May his memory be for a blessing and may he rest in peace.

And Irene was her name...