If you’d like to learn more, check out their Kickstarter campaign:

To learn more, visit their KickStarter campaign:

"This is no time to stop and smell the honeysuckle, Julie."

SO – JUST WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?

• TILT’s Indie-in-an-Indie Contest: We ran a contest to find indie features for quick cameos in TILT.  The winners are: Gary King’s DEATH OF THE DEAD and Mark Thimijan’s BARSTOOL COWBOY.  And the losers, well, they still win. The runners up (Gary’s NEW YORK LATELY and Lucas McNelly’s BLANC DE BLANC) will show up in one of our 4 TILT shorts.
• Crowd Funding Conversation: Jessica’s been sharing thoughts on running a kick ass crowd funding campaign and engaging your audience. More ideas + more opinions = more blog posts. Fasten your seat belts.

She plays it cool, but on the inside Jess is jumping for joy at the prospect of another wild rice omelet.

• TILTtheShoot: Jess and I will be heading up to Brainerd for the TILT shoot in September. We’re planning on taking lots of pictures, making vlogs about behind the scenes hijinks, and eating lots of breakfast stuffs from The Sawmill Inn.  Oh, and we might help Phil a little. Find out what we did on our last Brainerd trip here.
• TILTtheShorts: Last week I put the finishing touches on the script for the 4th and final TILT short, which features yet another of the movie’s side characters.  You could still understand everything in TILT without seeing the teaser shorts…but why would you want to?
• TILTtheTown: The end of our crowd funding campaign doesn’t mean the end of fun in TILTtheTown.  I just finished bio #170 last night. Only 50 or so to go – YAY! As soon as I finish #175, Jessica will release an updated TILTtheTown storybook with hypertext links so that you can see who’s playing with who in our imaginary universe.

Jess prepping for vlog w/ her friend Flippy

• New Vlog: We shot a video of support for some friends running a crowd funding campaign for their own indie film (much like this one we made in May for Danny Lacey.) You’re gonna love it.
• New Peep Show posts: We’ve lined up two great interviews for our Peep Show column on Film Snobbery. Get ready for a very naughty (yet informative) fall.
  
• New Kfink films: Narrowing down ideas for possible shorts and gearing up to flesh out the treatment we’ve written for our Kevin Keck project. No rest for the Wiccan. I mean, wicked. I mean, ambitious.
  

We’ve also had some amazing shout outs from friends:

• Sheri Candler used TILT / TILTtheTown as a case study when presenting at Roberta Munroe‘s “Best Short Film Workshop Ever” in LA last weekend. (Highlights on the FilmTiki site)
• Transmedia specialist Christy Dena has also been talking about TILTtheTown, which makes us really happy, especially since 1) she’s a TRANSMEDIA SPECIALIST and 2) she’s actually in TILTtheTown. How’s that for a little show of faith?

Lots to look forward to! Thanks for stopping in.

As artists (film makers, writers, poets, painters, baby makers, etc), we have to be in love with our own stuff. It’s the thing that propels us to make more stuff.  However, in order to gain some perspective, sometimes you have to stop and listen to what other people are saying.

While we were in the midst of our Kickstarter fund raiser for TILT, we thought we were doing a good job (“Is this good? It’s good, right?”), but we were pleased to get some feedback that validated our gut feelings. Here’s just one example:

Congratulations, TILT team! This campaign was a joy to back and totally rewarding to follow. I’m so fortunate to have become aware of so many of the other backers as a result of Phil, Julie, and Jessica’s tireless social media outreach. You worked hard to get the message out there and it paid off. I’m a fan till the end. — Christopher Harley

Why, thank you, Christopher!  Now – how did we do that?

Collective Community

Engagement is a big buzzword in the social media world as well as in education- which is where I spend a lot of my time and energy.  There is a time and a place for lectures, but for optimal learning and team-making, lectures don’t work, people (be they kids, teenagers, or adults) need to be engaged and active.  People don’t generally want to be “talked at.” They want to feel like they’re a part of something.  They want to be active participants.  If I want my students to really learn, I need to get them to engage collectively as a community around a group of key concepts, skills, and questions.  We then practice working with those concepts and skills until we’re proficient in many different contexts.  Of course, when building an audience, you don’t have to make your audience proficient at anything, but you do need to engage them in a similar way.

So, as a filmmaker or an artist, how do you create a community?  Easy: involve people.  Ask them questions.  Invite them to play, both with you and with each other.  People like to play; it makes them happy.  When we play with each other, we feel invested in one another.  When we feel invested in one another, we feel happy, important, and safe. And happy. (Have we said happy yet?)

How do you not create a community? Only talk about yourself.

Who’s the Beef?

If you look closely at our campaign, it was never about us.  More importantly, it was never about money.   It was about being a part of something special and, again, not about OUR something special – just something special out in the world.  Instead of just saying “Hey, our movie is special,” we decided to create an experience related to (but separate from) the movie that gave (gives) our audience something to explore and rally around.  That experience is TILTtheTown.

Joke & Biagio run a production company in real life, a 'fun' funeral home in TILTtheTown

Norah Webster (here with Julie) runs an invitation-only dining club in TILTtheTown

Karen Worden & David Branin are star-crossed lovers in TILTtheTown - not a huge stretch

Kelly Johnson and Brad Rossie are teachers in real life; in TILTtheTown, Kelly's an organic farmer (and Witness Protection Program participant...shhh) & Brad manages his 8-yr-old daughter Maria's quest for TtheT mayordom

Ron & Millie Morris are respectable business people in Brainerd; in TILTtheTown, passionate, on again/ off again lovers (a la Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo)

Being part of TILTtheTown is special.  Why?  Because we created a character for every eligible backer (over 200), a character lovingly crafted to delight, surprise, and intrigue, a character that could interact with other characters… and, boy, did they interact.  From Mari Kivisto’s raucous interactions with director Juliane Block about whether or not Juliane could teach her some burlesque moves from her job at TILTtheTown’s Carnival Burlesque, The Spice Rack, to Paul Barrett and Justin Hedges’ hilarious banter back and forth about their positions on the TILTtheTown “gnome issue”:

Actual #TILTtheTown messages from Twitter:

@producerpaul @debaucheddiva I especially enjoyed the lap dance I got from the #gnome in #TILTtheTown

@booksbelow @mojave44 I put No Trespassing signs all over the island! But of course I’m just a squatter! #TILTtheTown

@JustinWHedges #TILTtheTown BREAKING NEWS: Gerald ‘Gnomey’ Gnomeberger was released by the Elven Peoples Front 30 minutes ago w/out comment.

@kingisafink I bet @grking‘s on it. RT @shericandler #TILTtheTown Tattler headline: “Mayor Barrett (@producerpaul) in Misconduct Scandal. With Goats.”

Because there was such a flurry of activity in and around TILTtheTown, we focused on promoting that and eventually didn’t even have to because our backers were doing it for us. Free advertising in exchange for tickling their fancies? Sign us up!

“Getting to Know YOU. Getting to know all about YOU.”

Engagement also means providing regular updates and insight into who you are as an artist.  Early on we made sure to give 1-2 updates per week.  Why?  To show our appreciation, to show that we’re invested, and to show our backers that they matter.

We also searched for other ways for people to really become invested in our project.  People tend to forget that this new model is really quite bizarre. We’re pre-selling our work.  People who contribute are taking a huge leap of faith that we’re going to deliver on our promise (which we absolutely will).  So when you’re embarking on a project like the TILT fund raiser, you have to think to yourself: “What can I give them right now to keep them active and interested?”

The answer: give them the only thing that no one else can… yourself.  Phil did this beautifully with the daily “Coffee with Phil” updates. (Scroll back to see Phil’s videos here.)  This was a way to let our backers get up close and personal, which led to even tighter connections to our project. Why was Phil perfect for this? Because he’s is incredibly down to earth and personable. Also, he’s easy on the eyes.

There's something about Phil...

But we didn’t go overboard with the “get to know us” stuff, because we knew that there was something even more important…

“Getting to Know THEM, Getting to Know All About THEM.”

One-way communication is NOT engaging.  One-way communication is a turn off.  Too often, people in the middle of their own fund raising campaigns will provide update after update on what he’s doing, who he’s added to his team, what he’s eating for breakfast, and this can leave people cold.   Sometimes you can get away with only talking about yourself if you’re REALLY famous or REALLY entertaining.  However, even if you fit one of those two criteria, we still think you’re missing the boat. One of the things that the internet has really done is open up possibilities for communication.  And now people expect (and, quite frankly, deserve) to participate in the communities they find interesting.

In order to make sure our backers got a chance to participate in TILT fun, when people backed us, we tried to learn about them. Every time we got a new backer, there was a burst of sleuthing activity on our end.  We checked out their Kickstarter profile to see if they’d listed websites and Twitter accounts, or if they’d backed other projects. If we could find something to promote, we’d try to promote it. If they were on Twitter, we’d play with them.  Our goal: to personally thank anyone who contributed and touch base with them in case they wanted to be part of the fun.

Not everyone wants to participate in online fun, by the way. Some people backed TILT but didn’t provide contact info. These kind souls were happy to boost our project and then sit back and watch from the side lines.  And that’s okay.  We didn’t try to drag anyone out onto the TILTtheTown dance floor or make them do anything they didn’t feel comfortable doing.  Hooray for the quiet backers, the wall flowers, the lurkers, and the silent supporters.  We hope we’re entertaining you.

Do YOU have any thoughts (as a backer, a lurker, a film maker, a fellow crowd funding fundraiser runner, etc.) on what a successful crowd funding campaign should include? Please share!

Crowd-finding is a lot of work, yo.

When we were ready to try crowd-funding for TILT, we added our own spin in the hopes of doing something new and fun.  The following is the ‘Quick and Dirty’ on running a successful crowd-funding campaign.  Later this week, I’ll go more into depth on how to engage your audience in a meaningful and productive way.

Quick and Dirty Dos (with implicit don’ts)

1. Plan your campaign in advance. Have ideas before you hit the ‘launch’ button, because once your fund raising campaign is in full swing, you’ll be in a whirlwind of promotion and appreciation with very little time to make significant adjustments or changes.  You want to gain momentum as you move ahead, not change directions mid-way through.
2. Appreciate the people who help you. Thank people.  Encourage people to participate in any way they feel comfortable.  Remind them (and yourself) that there are many ways to contribute.  Spreading the word is just as powerful as contributing money, perhaps more so.  Don’t forget that.
3. Keep your backers posted. Most crowd-funding sites offer the option to provide updates to backers and, thus, to potential backers.  Use this function.  Show that you care enough about the people who’ve helped you to keep them in the loop.  This not only keeps your backers happy (and more likely to try to get their friends to back you), but it also sends a reassuring message to potential backers.
4. Use your campaign to demonstrate that you are talented and should be backed. If you are giving something immediate to your backers for their contribution – a poem or a video or, as in our case, a fake biography – make it a showcase of your talent, your sensibility, your brand.  No shoddiness allowed.
5. Spread positivity. It’s contagious.
6. Build a community around your project. More on this one later this week.

We’ve seen a number of these techniques employed in several campaigns.  As far as we’re concerned, you need all of these elements to succeed.  We’ve seen some demonstrably talented artists fail because they don’t engage with their audience, just as we’ve seen some incredibly enthusiastic go-getters turn people off of their campaigns through shoddy pre-sale product or a generally negative attitude.

You might have the best movie idea ever thunk up, but if you turn people off with your bad vibe, self-centered focus, or poor communication, you might not make it. At least not on someone else’s dime.

The bottom line is that you are going to have to cast a very wide net to raise funds through crowd-funding. Most people, especially in the current economy, are going to chip in between $25 and $50.  If you have a high goal, you’re going to need a lot of people at that level.  If you want your net to spread, you’re going to have to count on your initial backers (your family, friends, and people in your immediate social network) to spread the word.  In order for them to feel comfortable doing that, you have to give them many positive reasons to.  So help them out by making those reasons obvious from the get-go.

My next post will delve into Audience Engagement. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the things we did to engage and spread positive feelings to our backers.

Hug your backers (Julie w/ TILT Backer John Paul Rice)

Pretend to get tattoos for your backers (Julie + TILT Backer Michele Simmons. Sort of )

Play in the hot tub w/ your backers (Jess + TILT Backer Kelly Johnson)

Make funny, schmushy faces w/ your backers (Jess + TILT Backers Steve, Evan & Juliet Sinclair)

Share mustaches w/ your backers (J&J + TILT Backers David Branin and Karen Worden of LA Talk Radio's Film Courage)

1) We understand that you started your film career in Germany as a special fx make-up artist.  Can you give us some additional background information on where you grew up and how you developed an interest in film?

When I entered art university majoring in industrial design, I bumped into a fellow student who was doing a no budget zombie movie at that time (Mutation). It was a home-made zombie movie, shot without a script on Hi8, Super 8, DV.  I joined the weekend crew as their make-up artist and have been hooked on film productions ever since.

(2) On your blog you claim that you moved to Malaysia to pursue your interest in Asian Cinema, can you discuss your interest in Asian film and how that led to you getting involved in making martial arts films?

The director of  Mutation and I opened up a company for film and graphic design in Germany. For various reasons we ended our collaboration in early 2005 and I had the opportunity to make a clean start. The logical choice for movie experiences abroad would have been the United States – but I thought I’d be another wannabe filmmaker with nothing much to distinguish myself from the others.

So far we produced two short films. You can watch the results here:

The Fascinating Juliane Block

3) What is the hardest part of being a filmmaker?

4) How do you think your life is different being a filmmaker in Malaysia vs. if you’d stayed in Germany?

5) For people not familiar with Malaysian cinema, what is the appeal and what are some good gateway films?

6) What projects are you currently working on, and what can we expect to see from you in the near future?

You can check out all my work here:

Unsecured Loan II

As we move forward, expect great new content as we process and share how we ran a successful social media campaign for TILT, expect new fun interactions in TILTtheTown, and expect delectable surprises and cheer from the TILT Team as we gear up for production.

But BEFORE we move forward, let’s take a look back over the past month or so…

Engaging Interviews

Interview on Film Courage:

Interview with “Wicked Smaht” Marketing Strategiest, Dave Charest. Click here for interview.

Interview with Casey Ryan on Talk Shoe:

Fun Videos

Outside the Studio after Film Courage

At the Film Courage Interactive

Performing a Scene from Star Trek for TILT backer, Rebbecca Slaughter:

Performing a Scene from It’s a Wonderful Life for TILT backer, Tim Toner:

You can expect at least one more of these in the coming days.  Can you handle it?

If you haven’t caught up yet, you can read about our trip here: Part One – San Francisco, Part Two – Los Angeles, Part Three – More Los Angeles.

Otherwise, we present: KFink Escapes to L.A.

KFINK ESCAPES TO LA

TUESDAY, 7/27:

The first thing I did on the 27th: forget my sister’s birthday. The second thing: not remember it. I suck. Happy birthday, Jenny.

On the day that you were born, the angels got together...and decided I wasn't good to be an only child. Thank heavens!

After catching up on TILT fund raising work and drinking all of the hotel’s free coffee, we met director/producer Dennis Peters at La Conversation.

Film maker / film marketer Dennis Peters

• Fact #1 – I saw Bruce Vilanch while we were there.
• Fact #2 – I almost failed to notice because Jess and I were so enthralled by what Dennis was saying.

Initially we wanted to meet-up with Dennis, because his next indie film project (“I’m Not Adam”) looks great. However, we found out that Dennis’ day job is just as interesting.  Dennis runs Heavy Bag Media. His goal: to help other film makers (and big studios) market movies.  Sound familiar?  What we’re all trying to do for ourselves as indie film makers is Dennis does for others.  AND he gets paid for it.  Smart man.  Dennis also had a lot to share about what it’s like to live in LA and the big difference between getting a “yes” and not getting a “no.”

Kfink + Dennis Peters

We could have talked with Dennis all day long, but we had to run to our next big appointment, facilitated by the incredibly patient and kind Andrew Black.

Andy in Chi-town for the Idville Screening Nov 2009

We’ve mentioned Andrew Black before, but it’s time we gave you the real scoop. In addition to being husband to the lovely Caroline and father to the temperamental Clara, Andy is also a long-time friend of Julie & Jessica as well as a talented television and movie writer.  Andy’s written for Crossing Jordan, Numb3rs, and Aaron Stone, and he’s currently writing a movie for…ooo, not sure if we’re allowed to share that part.  It’s a doozey, though.  We’re excited about what Andy’s accomplished and where he’s headed.  And any tips he can share with us along the way…we’ll take ‘em.

Andy pulled some big Hollywood strings (i.e. called his friend writer Michael Daley) to get us onto the set one of our favorite shows, HBO’s Big Love!

We love Big Love!

Big Love's long, long, long, long dinner table

Mike Daley, Andy, and Jess on the Big Love set

Mike says, "Um, cool it with the pictures. I could get fired."

Jessica says: "Just one more, Mike, please? Barb's mini-pantry is where all the action is."

Big Love's Bill has TWO trucks. TV magic!

These pictures don’t convey how massive the Big Love set is. In case you don’t watch Big Love (big mistake), it’s a series about a Mormon man with 3 wives, 7 (7?) children, and a whole lot of headaches.  Each wife has her own home, and they’re all lined up in a quiet Utah suburb.  On the set, they’ve basically built the three houses.  It’s amazing.

We couldn’t get Mike to spill any teasers for the next season, but we did see Grace Zabriskie (“Big Love”, various awesome David Lynch and Werner Herzog movies) in the parking lot.  We didn’t take a picture of Ms. Zabroskie, because we’re classy. Or because Jessica couldn’t get her camera out fast enough. Details are a little fuzzy.

Next we bobbed and weaved through the mountains to get to the office of our favorite TV producers, Joke and Biagio Messina (Scream Queens, Beauty and the Geek).

Kfink meets Joke & Biagio

Joke and Biagio have so much going on right now with the start of the 2nd season of Scream Queens that we really didn’t think they’d have time to meet.  However, when we got to their office they dropped everything and talked to us for a good hour (hour and a half?) about Scream Queens, their upcoming projects, and what it takes to be successful in LA.

You know what else they did? THEY asked US questions!  (What?) They asked how we’d gotten started, what we’re up to with TILT, and what we’re thinking about conquering next.  They gave us some great feedback, some helpful advice, and some hope that we really can reach our goals with a lot of hard work.  They’re great examples for us.

Before we took off, Joke and Biagio unchained dedicated Scream Queens editor Nate Orloff from his desk for a second so we could meet him and take some pics. We also got to meet a couple of this season’s Scream Queens.  Can you pick them out in our line up?

Joke, Scream Queen #1, Julie, Nate, Biagio, Scream Queen #2

We’re not gonna lie – after leaving Joke and Biagio, we were exhausted. Their energy level is through the roof; it has to be to do what they do. To chill out, we met up with our friend writer/director Adam Bronstein.  Adam contacted us last year after our movies (our Snow Bunny and his My Movie Girl) screened at Lakedance International Film Festival.  We met him in person for the first time in March and jumped at the chance to see him again on his home turf.

Adam + Jess

Over sushi, Adam shared his ideas for a new short as well as a new feature.  Later he took us to a “pump your own” fro-yo spot called Yogurt Stop.  Jess says that I had a bit of a break-down while picking a flavor.  I don’t remember the breakdown.  I only remember the silky deliciousness of my red velvet yogurt.  And I miss it.

Pump your own? Yes, sir.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 28:

Work, write, work.

The next morning we caught up on TILT work, had another DIY lunch of grapes, cheese, and crackers, then headed back out to Andy and Caroline’s in Altadena for a nice, calm, quiet evening with friends on our last night in La La Land.

One of the things that drew us back to Andy and Caroline’s place (besides THEM) was the lusciousness of their back yard.  They not only have beautiful flowers, but they tend a new (but productive garden), an avocado tree, a lemon tree, a nectarine tree, and two different varieties of orange trees.  Needless to say, this is very different from our Chicago home, where we can barely keep an aloe plant alive in our one bedroom apartment.

The view from Andy and Caroline's backyard

Backyard oranges

Backyard avocados

Squirrels are wasteful bastards.

Andy made us another great home-cooked meal (baked tofu Marsala, anyone?), as well as possibly the best guacamole we’ve ever had.  Jessica also massacred some citrus in her quest for fresh Arnold Palmers.

Don't mess with Jess. Especially if you're a lemon.

Orange / lemon graveyard

We had a great time with Andy and Caroline, tried to talk them into moving to Chicago (by lying and saying they could have an avocado tree there, too), and were sad when the night was over.  You can be sure we’ll be knocking on their door again during our next LA trip.

Julie and The Blacks

On this Kfink visit Clara was enthralled with her spinney frog toy. Next time: bro tats w/ Julie

AND THAT’S IT!

Our California trip ended with a 7amPST flight back to Chicago.  We got home around around 1pmCST, at which point I went straight to my dentist’s office for an emergency root canal.  No worries, though. All is well that ends with Vicodin. Or something like that.

Where are we headed next? Here’s little hint: it starts with a B and ends with a -rainerd. TILT filming, here we come!

Are you ready for a little more Kfink, Brainerd?

KFINK ESCAPES TO LA

FRIDAY, 7/23

We’d both been to LA before, but only Jessica had driven along the coast, so we spent Friday, July 23rd, in a rental car trying to find a road by the sea.  This might sound crazy, but we had a heck of a time finding water.  We were blocked by mountains, water towers, and fertile fields full of who knows what.

Mountains!

Mountains?

Jess + Buzzy Brunch Eggwich + background mountains

Water tower towering (and watering, most likely)

Migrant workers working

Finally - The Pacific!

Cali rush hour stopped us cold in Santa Barbara, so we took a walk and caught up on interweb work.

A pub in Santa Barbara has the right idea

Once we got to our hotel in 90210, we realized that we were both sleep- and food-deprived.  While we were tempted to stay in and eat our hair, we braved the streets of WeHo to grab a bite at Real Food Daily. Then we headed to bed.

Saturday, 7/24:

Our second morning in LA was spent catching up on the TILT fund raising campaign.  We wrote some thank you notes for new supporters, added some backer bios to TILTtheTown, caught up on emails, and chilled out by the pool.

Best office ever

Best walk to the store ever (Beverly Hills-style)

DIY lunch + best Jessica ever

In the afternoon we headed to Altadena to see our friends Andy and Caroline and their new baby, Clara.  Andy and Caroline offered us a welcome evening off from hotels and restaurant food.  Their little Clara was beautiful, engaging, and officially the first baby not to fall instantly in love with Julie.  This was a GENIUS move on tiny Clara’s part, as Julie will now spend the rest of her life trying to win her favor.

Stage 1: Clara's fine b/c she doesn't know who's holding her

Stage 2: Wait a minute...

Stage 3: Mini-meltdown

It wasn’t Clara’s fault – Julie can be a little overwhelming for first-timers.  It has something to do with the gap between her two front teeth.  Despite the tears, we had a wonderful time and made secret signals to each other to trick Andy and Caroline into inviting us over again. (It totally worked, by the way.)

SUNDAY, 7/25:

FILM COURAGE DAY! We woke up excited and nervous about our Film Courage interview at noon with David Branin and Karen Worden. We met Julie’s Uncle Lee (one of Julie’s first loves and a very generous TILT backer) for breakfast at La Conversation for way too much coffee and not nearly enough french pastries.

Nobody tells a story like Unca Lee

Then it was off to Film Courage.  We arrived very early, drank even more coffee, then stalked Karen and David outside their studio.

On the air in 30 minutes...

Jess is so excited

Julie just can't hide it

Upon meeting Karen Worden and David Branin of LA Talk Radio’s Film Courage for the first time, we were immediately put at ease.  They have a calm, kind energy and are 100% at ease in the radio station.  They said that everything would be fine. And they were right.

We think our interview on Film Courage went well, but you can judge for yourself here.  After the interview, David recorded a little “Outside the Studio” video (which you can see below) with his ever-present Flip camera, we took some pics, we met their amazing technical guy Ronin, and then it was off to lunch.

Film Courage's Karen Worden + Jess

We made Karen & David put on fake mustaches. We win.

Mustachioed David, Julie, Jess & Karen

Karen & David at The Good Earth

After talking, playing, and planning for 4 (5? 6?) hours, we parted ways with Karen and David, safe in the knowledge that we’d get to see them the following evening at their Film Courage Interactive event.  If we hadn’t had those plans, though, you can be sure that we’d have MADE more plans, because we thoroughly enjoyed geeking out with them about indie movies.

We headed back to our hotel and grabbed dinner at Real Food Daily (again).  Then…someone must have rufied our organic macrobiotic meals, because we have NO idea what happened.  We might have gone to see strippers.  We might have just gone to bed.  No one will ever know. Apparently LA is tough on the memory…

MONDAY, 7/26:

Film Courage Interactive DAY! We spent the morning and afternoon catching up on Kfinky and TILTy work at the hotel.

Who knew having fun was so much work?

Then we headed downtown to meet Andy Black and Nathan Cole (“The Waterhole“) for dinner before the movie screenings.

Nathan Cole, our Kfink from another mother

We’ve known Andy forever, so seeing him is always great, but this was our first time meeting Nathan.  We liked him instantly, and he must have liked us, too, seeing as though we didn’t scare him away by shoveling food from Urban Noodle into our noodle holes as fast as we could. Then it was off to the main event.

As soon as we got to the Downtown Independent, we saw Karen and David, and then things started spinning.  Introductions were made. Hands were shaken. Cards were exchanged. Interviews were taped. Short films were screened (including Libidoland), a quick all-female director Q&A (which we MIGHT have been a part of) was facilitated, and THEN we saw the indie feature One Hour Fantasy Girl.  Fifty percent of the proceeds from the evening went to the Downtown Women’s Center, and we were proud to be there on such a special night.

Take a look at some of the people we met:

John Paul Rice + David Branin + Kfink

Actor Gregor Collins + Jess

Jess + David Branin + writer/director Dennis Peters

Jess + SABI's Zak Forsman

Director Craig Oulette & director/actress Marion Kerr

Jess + Craig + Julie - Angels in LA

Other great people we met included producer Saskia Wilson-Brown (Cinema Speakeasy), director Phil Calderone (“Manhaters“), actor John T. Woods (“I Fucking Hate You”), Mark Smillie (Stone Henge Productions), Michael Barnard (“A Father and Son“), Kevin Deen, and several other kind LA-ish folks.  We had a great time and wish we lived closer so that we could take advantage of these regular indie meet-ups.  If only someone would start something like this in Chicago…

Whew. That LA recap made us tired. BUT we’re not finished yet.  Check out our Kfink Escapes to LA video and read our third and final CA trip post to out what happened in our final few days in LA in. Questions answered may or may not include:

Why does Jessica look so comfortable in this fake kitchen? (Do you recognize it?)

Which 2 are the Scream Queens? (A tough one, we know...)

Just how much coffee did Jess drink in CA? (Clue: is there any left?)