Tuesday, February 17, 2015

GGN JOURNALS - THE JOURNEY CONTINUES...

Hey there Journal – It’s been awhile. It felt like it was a good time to revisit you. We are officially a month into the New Year and a lot has happened since we last spoke. It’s been almost 10 years since starting this relationship with you; examining my journey through the written word while making my passion project – The Global Groove Network (GGN). You’ve never judged me journal; and are always willing to listen. Every time I decide to sit down and share with you I make sure I read the first entry I ever wrote back in 2006 as well as my last entry to get some context. A year can go fast and this past one was no exception. Looking back on it now I see a lot of interesting changes and evolutions to who I’m becoming. The people around me have changed with new faces coming in and out of my life and offering fresh insight to my perspective on the human condition. Things have been positive and negative but all in all, it’s been an amazing experience with great individuals. The year is 2015 and it’s been officially 12 months since my film got picked up by the CBC network in Canada and distributed globally on DVD and Digital. Was it everything I expected? Not exactly… Am I happy how my film was handled from a distribution and release perspective? Not really but some success has happened… Do you feel the GGN journey is wrapped up now that you made it to a network and distributor? Not at all… This to me is where we truly begin. With the success of selling something, it’s allowing me to find new doors to open. What’s also meaningful is I’ve started a film archive of a music scene that’s changed me and that I love. I look forward to more people discovering these documentaries I’m making for years to come. These passion projects will always be available until the day I die and what I think will be really cool is people 25 years from now renting it, buying it, or finding it on a digital service like Netflix. I feel like a historian in a way and all these hours I put into it making web videos, films, and writing journals, I get a real sense of fulfillment showcasing the dance music scene in the city I love – Toronto. Along with my city, it’s exciting to travel the global, find other relatable topics, and discover new voices and talents in the EDM and House Music scene. The new topics I have planned to film will take the audience in new directions as we tackle topics like drugs, gay icons, global history, and the future of EDM. Stay tuned… For the past year I’ve been taking in the electronic music community from many different angles. Having to be hands on, hustle, research, and post all your own social media to hopefully get individuals to rent or buy your film, is a tough process as an independent artist without PR cash flow. You don’t simply click a button and the people start coming to you. The marketplace is so saturated with content that it truly becomes an abyss. You question whether your message is really reaching your target market because of people’s habits and the restrictions that are in place to encourage people to spend money on ads. When Hollywood studios are spending more money on PR then actual production budgets, you begin to wonder on how can you compete? Independent films need the most PR of all and posting a FB message is only the beginning. Another hurdle that you have to deal with in our day in age is access. Everyone expects everything for free because of how we are growing as a society. Piracy is something that will only get worse and to off set the costs is almost impossible. Along with Piracy being an issue you are also now dealing with the A.D.D AFFECT. People have a hard time focusing because of the borage of content they get from all these digital outlets, that to actually sit down and absorb a story in a long format can be challenging – especially for the younger generation which I cater to with GGN. To me – this is the year where I truly understood this at its core. Am I fan of this new approach to viewing? I would say ‘not really’ but you deal with it… I feel we are becoming a society that is starting to forget to take a pause and smell the roses once in awhile. We are always looking for the next thing without taking a moment to enjoy what we have right in front of us. I’m turning 40 later this year so maybe it’s just a generation issue but I’m beginning to notice the same habits in the people that are the same age. One thing that people are not realizing by taking this approach to their life is they are missing out on the things that could potentially matter. I’m all about taking in the world and what it has to offer but I equate this scenario to working smarter – not harder. To truly find that ZEN in our own lives we need to pull back a little and get back to basics. Less is more… Along with this life lesson I’ve managed to keep creative and am excited at what GGN has on the horizon. This past summer I had a chance to film the third installment of the Digital Dreams festival in Toronto and I must say it’s an amazing evolution of the Global Groove Network experience on film! What started as a simple ten-minute webisode has turned into a spectacular forty two-minute concert film that examines the festival experience through the promoter’s eyes. The documentary looks at what it takes to put on a big EDM FESTIVAL and the footage we managed to shoot and have access to of past Digital Dreams festivals, makes this film truly an eye opening journey into the power of dance music. It’s looking like it should be wrapped up in April and I aim to do a special screening in Toronto in May and look at film festival options next year. It’s very exciting and I can’t wait to share this documentary with you soon… Stay up to date by following us on Twitter or Liking us on Facebook for your chance for free tickets to the screening. Thanks for making the time to read this and stay up to date with my journeys. I hope I’m able to give you a little perspective of what goes on in the mind of a filmmaker and creative consciousness. I enjoy the reflection… It’s good for the soul. Until next time ... Shoot for the stars and never get frustrated if all you can only hit are the clouds. It’s all about the journey that makes you evolve. Take care.

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