Pack it Up, Gang! We're Heading North!!

Finally, after two postponements and fearing another one last night just minutes before we were scheduled to start our company conference call, all was quiet. I waited for a text message, the ring tone, anything that would signal that we would not be able to hold this meeting. Tick...tick...tick....at 7:28 PM, I dialed into the conference line. "BING," Rich rang in. "BING," Tom rang in. "BING," Jesse rang in. "Hot damn," I said. "We're having this meeting!"

And a good meeting it was. No, that's not correct. It was a great meeting. Here was the agenda (in brief):

1. There were two levels of the project to decide on; do we produce a complete 46 minutes pilot or do we cut down on the work and money, to produce an extended trailer (a trailer is like the "preview" you see on television or in movie theaters. Those are usually 2-3 minutes; we were looking at 6-10 minutes.

2. Based on the answer to #1, how much money will we need to raise to not just to the job, but to to the best possible production we can?

3. Were we going to agree to use crowdfunding to underwrite the project and if so, which one?

I had been thinking about these questions a great deal. It's not like they are unique, they are not. It's like lining up dominoes in a fancy shape then knocking them all down. But if only one domino is out of place by just a fraction of an inch, the knockdown is knocked out! Even though we are equal partners, I take my role as the president very seriously. Listen, we're not a huge, multi-million dollar production company; we are three snot-nosed, belly-crawling  nozzle jockeys and a videographer who chased police and fire scanners. 

So, I've always played the "parent" in the company, watching over what we decide on and do so that my three partners who, unlike me, still work full-time. Me? I've been classified disabled since 1992 and have only worked part-time as my aching back would let me. Not so with my partners. My biggest concern is protecting them from any personal financial strife. I was an argument that they shot holes through in the first fifteen minutes of the meeting. So here are our decisions:

1. We are going ahead and produce the entire first pilot episode of our new show that is scheduled to be shot with the cooperation and participation of the great men and women of the Philadelphia Fire Department. Bear in mind that with both Tom's and Jesse's experience, they showed us that for relatively the same time and money to shoot the trailer, the pilot would not take much more, so we decided to go with the pilot. (Here's a lesson in TV Physics - writers and producers want a lot. They usually don't get everything they want. (Even though we are determined to shoot in Philly, all the "t's" have to be crossed and the "i's" have to be dotted.) To help facilitate this, we have a meeting next week with the Greater Philadelphia Office for Film & Television to start the "hose rolling out."

2. We are definitely moving ahead to raise funds through crowdfunding. We believe that, after all the research we have done over the last three week, we have chosen the best crowdfunding platform that's primary work has always been in film and video. I will not be exact, but we have set a significant six-figure sum for our budget. And combining these two facets, every donation will receive a "charm," a gift appropriate to the level of the contribution. Additionally, we will be looking for commercial participation was well. Thus, if you work in the fire-rescue commercial industry, you may want to see what possibilities there might be with your employer. 

In summary, we're taking the production to the next level. However...this is not to say that we are going to drop our efforts in Los Angeles to market the show to networks and studios. That will continue to go forward, full speed ahead.

There is still a great deal of work to be done, so we have no dates as of yet. All of that will come in due time. What's next? YOU! YES, YOU! No, we're not asking you for a penny (wink..wink, yet!). But we do need your help. We need you to start talking up the project. Tell your friends and family about it, your parents, siblings, grandparents and neighbors! 

We have had test groups of people read both the synopsis (summary) and the script, some involved in fire-rescue, most, not. And every single response has been, "Wow! What a story! I couldn't put it down until I read the whole thing!" Share that with them. Get them as excited about the project as you are.

I want to make one point regarding the fundraising that I mentioned in a previous post within the past couple of weeks. In the U.S., there are approximately 1.2 million members of the fire service, career, volunteer and on-call. That doesn't count the fire-rescue members across southern Canada. It also does not account for members of law enforcement and EMS. Now, add in spouses, family and friends.

Now, if every one of those people donates but $1.00 to the effort (I know, "What kind of a crummy gift will they give me for a buck?") we could raise much more than we would ever need. However that is not going to happen. Even with all the wishing in the world.

So, let's just try our best. It's not even time yet to ask for money, but you know what? Enthusiasm is FREE! Pass it along!

In the mean time, let's MAKE SURE EVERY ONE GOES HOME AND #STAYSAFE

Steve

Who are They? Really? And Who are We? Really!!

The other day I was talking with a close friend who is going through some difficult times. During this chat, we both agreed that as we travel the roads of life, we meet many people. And we often catch ourselves calling them "friends." It's a form of speech that has become very commonplace in our society.

The truth is though, (and we both agreed on this point) that the vast majority of the people we meet on life's highways are actually acquaintances, not friends.
How would you define a friend? Is a friend the person you had coffee with after you bumped into each other at the supermarket? Is a friend the one you call when you really need help, who replies, "Not today, Bill. But ask me another time and I'll be there?"
On these highways, many of these people identify themselves as your friend. And in the "ME" environment of today, some are so starved for attention or companionship that we just accept their self-label of "friend."

However, my friend and I agreed that we don't know who really are our friends, unless there comes a time when we are in need. And when we do call upon them for help or support, the faux-friends will be there as long as you're not asking them to do something that other "friends," may not approve of, even if you really need them.

Thus, we posit that these people are merely acquaintances. When we are in need, whether it's someone to talk with, money problems, family illness, and other severe troubles of the day, your friends are there with you, before you even call them. They are there to comfort you, to support you, to be a strong shoulder for you and, to protect you; not necessarily physically, but emotionally, to act as a shield like a super-hero may carry, so bad words that come your way are deflected.
We may be too old to wear super-hero PJ's to bed anymore, but most of us know who are real friends are. Just like the "Bat Signal," we know that our friends will always be there to help us and support us.

However, we in fire-rescue services have an advantage. And that is that whether you're a career member, a volunteer or an on-call, we are blessed, for unlike the majority of people with a family, a few friends and many acquaintances, we gain a second family. A family we live with, eat with, joke with, and yes, even argue with, from time to time.  

And just like our "blood" family, the fire family are probably the strongest, most loyal friends anyone might ever desire. They are usually the first ones to know when we have lit up our "Bat Signal," calling for help. They will be first on the phone, first on your doorstep, first at your church, synagogue, mosque or other place of your worship. And they do so, without even being asked.

Why? In my humble opinion, it is due to the fact that we do not choose to be fire-rescue members. We are chosen. Whether it's biology, astrology, magic, genes, etc. something drives us to follow this path in our lives. Sometimes, we may try to pull in another direction, yet we almost always wind up coming back.

Now, think of the people that you can unquestioningly label as a friend. Examine their personality. Look at their vocation. You will often see that they too, are dedicated to something very important. And the acquaintances? They probably flit around from one opportunity to the next. Now do you see the difference?

Have a enjoyable and safe holiday weekend.