Storytelling – Page 7 – universal positive

March 2016 Inspiration

May 10, 2024February 29, 2016 by Roger Darnell

Featured Image: Tongue Point, Washington, USA, by yours truly. Notes from On & Up, my personal blog: “Throughout time, the areas all along Washington State’s Highway 112 corridor have been home to people of the Klallam and Makah tribes: Exploring their cultures and histories are wonderful aspects of visiting…. During our visit, we searched for … Read moreMarch 2016 Inspiration

Sam Jones, Off Camera

March 13, 2024February 23, 2016 by Roger Darnell

[Written on February 23, 2016] This has been a spectacular day for me. I began preparing for it a couple of years ago, when I was able to reconnect with one of the most phenomenal people I’ve met in my career – the acclaimed photographer and director Sam Jones, who is the force behind Off Camera. Sam launched his original on-camera interview series back in 2013 as a website, magazine, TV show and podcast, and when I wrote about it, he sent me a warm response. Knowing that the show is now beginning its fourth season, today I made a plan to look-in on it again. After spending the whole day binge-watching clips from the show’s YouTube channel, here is my takeaway: Sam Jones is profoundly influential to me, and I am certain that everyone else watching his show must feel the same way. Here’s why.

Feature documentary “Kickstarted” ready for World Premiere

March 11, 2024February 15, 2016 by Roger Darnell

So far in history, there is only one feature-length motion picture executive-produced by yours truly. Twenty-six years after graduating from film school, I’m very proud to have earned Co-Executive Producer credit on this highly intelligent feature documentary. First screened at the 2016 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Montana and the American Documentary Film Festival in Palm Springs, “Kickstarted” was lovingly co-directed by my friends Jason Cooper and Jay Armitage. I’m guessing that my unique contributions may be characteristic of many EP credits.

Essentially, Jason and Jay engaged me during the film’s Kickstarter campaign to help them generate more press coverage, and happily, that worked out well. The film was ultimately funded thanks to many factors; chief among them were the resourcefulness, skills and determination of the directors, as well as producers including Kim Sherrell, Chris Gartin, JP McMahon and Tristan Drew. It’s a badge of honor to have contributed.

Cutters helps salute American workers in Super Bowl 50

May 10, 2024February 4, 2016 by Roger Darnell

WeatherTech Returns to the Super Bowl: See the Spot

Sharing secrets: How to write stories for The Associated Press

May 10, 2024December 9, 2015 by Roger Darnell

Back in 2000 when I was working for The Terpin Group in Los Angeles leading PR campaigns for dot-com companies with extremely high aspirations, my colleagues and I knew that there was absolutely one way of hitting a home run, and that was placing a story with The Associated Press. AP stories generate massive exposure, as they are syndicated in major media outlets across the country and around the world. And of course, if you have a story that’s good enough for the AP, it’s good enough for everyone. With this in mind, imagine how powerful it would be if you had the chance, today, to meet with Paul Caluori, the AP’s Global Director of Digital Services, and Philana Patterson, the AP’s Small Business and Breaking News Editor, to learn what they look for in story submissions. Thanks to Business Wire, it’s on.

Back in February of this year, Business Wire hosted a webinar featuring Paul and Philana, where they shared exactly these types of insights. Here are a few of the bullet points from the secrets they shared.

Celebrating the late, great DUMBO Arts Festival

May 10, 2024September 21, 2015 by Roger Darnell

Back in 1997, a very ambitious dream came to life at the hands of Joy Glidden and Tyson Daugherty, who were residents of the DUMBO or Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass area of Brooklyn. Thanks to their dedication, the first D.U.M.B.O. Art Under the Bridge Festival kicked-off, using the neighborhood’s unique urban landscape and its gifted occupants to vibrantly showcase new art and ideas. Since then, the highly successful event has been presented every year in late September, thanks to Glidden and Daugherty’s stewardship via the DUMBO Arts Center through 2009, and thanks to Two Trees Management Company since then.

While the DUMBO Arts Festival grew to welcome more than 200,000 visitors each year for its eclectic and popular mix of film screenings, live music, fashion shows, performances, open studios and arts-centered activities for all agees, from all appearances, its time has now passed. The event’s official website http://dumboartsfestival.com refers to the festival’s closure after 2014.

Best-case scenario: Kathryn Hempel, Cutters Studios

May 10, 2024September 16, 2015 by Roger Darnell

Generally speaking, on the best days, my job breaks down to a careful balance of art and craft. I’m hoping that this art/craft angle will be an interesting way to talk about some others I admire, and what we’re achieving together. Due to the uncommon success of our joint efforts, I’m choosing Kathryn Hempel and all her colleagues at Cutters Studios as the perfect subjects to explore a new variation on the classic case study, which I’m calling a “Best-Case Scenario.”

With love to director Brad Tucker for putting us all in contact, a lot went into making Cutters Studios a solid fit for me when we joined forces last year. The very first “Cutters” commercial editorial facility had opened in Chicago 34 years earlier, but by January 2014, the parent Cutters Studios group was also operating studios in Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City and Tokyo… spanning all aspects of commercial production, post-production and creative development. Relatively soon after partnering up, I learned about the Always #likeagirl campaign that Kathryn was editing for Leo Burnett and Chelsea Pictures director Lauren Greenfield, and I had a chance to counsel everyone on all the ways we might use PR to promote the work and everyone behind it.

By then, I already had a very good sense of what sets Cutters apart:

Rihanna and The Uprising Creative bring important message to MTV’s Music Video Awards

May 10, 2024August 28, 2015 by Roger Darnell

When directors Darren Craig, Jonathan Craven and Jeff Nicholas from integrated creative + production company The Uprising Creative got together with Rihanna earlier this year to discuss a music video for the artist’s new “American Oxygen” single, everyone came away with some very inspired ideas. “We wanted to showcase both the positive and the negative,” the directors explained when the video was finally released widely in mid-April. “The struggles within the country and the ones those outside the country face in coming here; the dark side of the positive and the light side of the negative.”

Well before then, the powerful images of Rihanna performing in front of a giant American flag received international attention when they were used by the NCAA as a central part of the organization’s high-profile on-air campaign promoting March Madness all across the country. The video was officially released exclusively on Tidal in early April, where it ran for a full week before hitting Vevo and YouTube.

With well over 100 million views between Vevo and YouTube alone, the project has obviously drawn in a massive audience. This weekend, it’s up for a coveted MTV Video Music Award, in the Video With a Social Message category.

Great to know: Lee Goldberg

May 10, 2024August 25, 2015 by Roger Darnell

Author and television producer Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar and Shamus Award nominee who has written and produced scores of highly successful TV series, as well as being the author of more than 40 novels and nonfiction books. An international TV consultant, Lee has advised networks and studios across North America, Europe and Asia on the creation, writing, and production of episodic series. While some references list him as an ex-Navy SEAL, freelance sexual surrogate and a professional impersonator of Pierce Brosnan, because I worked closely with Lee and his frequent writing partner William Rabkin during the production of “seaQuest 2032” at Universal Studios Florida back in 1996, I suspect those are just rumors (grin). My experience with him? He is a great guy… and that goes for Mr. Rabkin, too.

After seeing the video embedded here where Lee appears on-camera discussing the publishing success he’s achieving with Amazon KDP, I know it will be of major interest to established and aspiring authors. Here’s the introduction courtesy of Amazon: “Even with the success of Monk and Diagnosis: Murder, it wasn’t until author Lee Goldberg revived his backlist that he saw the potential in indie publishing.”

Passion projects: “What a Difference Your Love Makes”

May 10, 2024August 5, 2015 by Roger Darnell

The phenomenal music video for this fantastic Basement Jaxx song came to my attention a couple of years ago, thanks to writer Emily Beber of It’s Nice That. In her story, Emily warned us that the presentation was very likely to induce us viewers into both dancing and smiling. To me, those are great achievements for “passion projects,” the typically non-commercial things we take-on as artists to feed our souls.

At the core of this heartfelt project are its celebratory rhythm and its lovely, emphatic sentiments. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote that love doesn’t make the world go round – it’s what makes the ride worthwhile. Writing and making music about requited love, Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Major Buxton (the duo behind the Grammy Award-winning Basement Jaxx) tapped into the type of joy we all aspire to know ourselves, to make our own rides through life worthwhile: “You make me happy, make me come alive, my running reason to survive…” The song also features vocalist Sam Brookes.