Tomorrow's Moral Monsters

In the current issue of JOHO, David Weinberger sets out an interesting challenge:

150 years ago, owning African slaves was considered reasonable in this country. A hundred years ago, having children work in factories was considered reasonable. Fifty years ago, keeping women out of the workforce (unless typewriters or sewing machines were involved) was considered reasonable. So, what do we currently do that will cause our grandchildren to shake their heads and say "How could sweet old Grandma and Grandpa believe ..."?

My vote would go to the mass acceptance of laziness and stupidity as being OK. God forbid we have someone smart in the White House. No, people would rather have a drinking buddy in charge. God forbid we pay teachers what they are worth. No, people would rather pay a ton to see others beat each other up. God forbid our entertainment be entertaining. No, people would rather see 'real' people like themselves.

Send your ideas to David and maybe get some credit in the next issue!

The Business of Creativity

"I could write a better movie than that!"

"Our band sounds better than 90% of the crap on the radio!"

Those lines, and many iterations of them, have been said time and again by filmmakers, screenwriters, directors, musicians, producers, singers, etc. The clear fact about the entertainment industry as a whole is that simply being good, or even great, is not enough. It is far from enough. Playing some kick ass local gigs is cool for practice. Sending out hundreds of demo tapes will get musicians nowhere. Submitting films to the thousands of festivals around the world can get some exposure but starts to cost a lot (each has an application fee of $20-$100). And trying to personally knock on doors only gets the filmmaker or musician tired and distraught.

School, although not always necessary, is a great way to learn skills, hone talents and meet peers. But school is not everything, just as talent is not everything. It has been said a million times that who you know is just as important as what you know. Yet most up and coming talents just focus on their craft, believing that gigs, school, a few local screening or good reels will bring success.

Part of the purpose behind GAZM.org is to help promote and showcase emerging talents in all creative fields. The website allows anyone to upload their wares to share and collaborate with others and be inspired by others' work. This past May, the first major offline initiative was undertaken - a packed screening of 11 short films at the Cannes Film Festival. I am supremely excited to announce the creation of a new and permanent offering by my company, GAZM.org:

T.E.A.M. GAZM: Trips for Emerging Artists and Musicians to major festivals, conferences and markets around the world. Each trip is limited to 50 or less people and includes transportation (airfare when outside of the US), accommodations, access to the event and special bonuses that can not be bought. These bonuses include panels of industry executives and experts who speak to the groups as well as access to parties not open to the public, script "pitch sessions," and other nifty extras.

The first two programs are already accepting applications: 30 filmmakers are invited to attend the Hamptons Film Festival in October and up to 40 musicians are invited to MIDEM, the international music festival and market held in Cannes, France every January. But these programs aren't just for those creating films and music, they are also great opportunities for fans of each to experience what's coming down the pike from yet-unknown savants. So whether you are a creator, know one or want to hang out with them and find out what coming, check out the official website for T.E.A.M. GAZM and tell all your friends!

Ok, my self-promotion is done and now I will return to the normal postings of this blog. I just get so excited and have to share what's new at work with all my fine readers.

Another look...

Guess I am on a roll of external links. Here's a semi-external link since it is to GAZM.org.

A great post just made recently to GAZM.org is a special comic strip which ponders the meaning of love. Read it and then go sit under a tree for a few hours (and if, in the meantime, you create an account on GAZM.org and respond to the comic strip, well, then you are even cooler than I thought you were!).

View What is love? and respond to it.

Worth a read...

Poignant story from our Life Outtacontenxt friend, Jeff, about the 40th anniversary of his Bar Mitzvah.

Most of the time I am really proud to be Jewish. On my long European adventure I met many people who had never even met a Jew. I am always happy to answer people's questions in clear and non-preachy ways. My trips to local Jewish communities furthered my love for the religion. I think Jews all over the world share a very strong bond. A Jew from anywhere can count on local Jews to help where needed. When visiting the synagogue in St. Petersburg I was even called up to the Torah, an honor only given to three people each time the Torah is read during the week. A very special religion and comradery indeed!

Good to be back

One great thing about being back in America is that I have only heard the Eminem song "Without Me" twice a day, on average, as opposed to 5 times a day while in Europe. They play it every 30 minutes on every radio station in all of Europe and also at least 70 times every night in every night club in all of Europe.

Cool Shopping

David Design was one of my favorite shops to browse through in Stockholm for unique product design ideas. Check 'em out. They also happened to be across the street from my wonderful hotel, the Ornskold.

Trip Wrap-Up

It is so nice to be back in NY after about 18 days away.

Countries visited:
Sweden (Stockholm)
Finland (Helsinki, Purvoo, Nuccio)
Russia (St. Petersburg)
Estonia (Tallinn)
France (Paris)

Every day was filled with meeting new people, having new experiences and learning new things. I met more people than I have on any previous excursion anywhere in the world. My eyes are newly opened to the wonders of human capabilities. All it takes is an open mind and open heart - something that's not so easy when all you do is wallow in terrorist threats and overwork.

Biggest surprise - the modernity of Estonia and amount of English spoken by Estonians

Favorite country - Sweden is just so cool, beautiful, laid back, etc. The country has a very high standard of living, pays for their citizens' education, offers really fun night life and a most hospitable family-run hotel (Hotel Ornskold).

Coolest people - Finland has the most genuinely nice and caring people of any country I have ever been too. I was accepted so openly into an amazing group of friends and we did a lot of things together (as work allowed).

Favorite phallic symbol - the Eiffel Tower ain't no tee-pee, that's for sure. Yowza!

Most foreign - Russia definitely takes a lot of getting used to for a prissy American such as myself. Very little English is spoken or understood (I'm just pointing it out, not saying they should). It is difficult getting around because you don't even know if you're on the right street or not (damn that Cyrillic alphabet!). But after embracing my total disconnection with the country I was able to start getting more comfortable and really enjoy the insanely low prices of everything (the exchange rate is 30 Rubles to the Dollar). One thing I didn't get over was my hatred for long lines - so I didn't stand in the 5 hour line to get into the Hermitage.

I now officially return to my normal blogging schedule and topics.