Making it in Hollywood: An Interview with Actor Mark Atteberry

Every year, thousands head to Los Angeles, CA with the hopes of becoming icons for the film industry. Those that are in the mix will you tell you it’s certainly not as easy as one would think. Overnight success is a rarity, and very few find the gleaming lights of public notoriety and stardom. If one wants to navigate properly through the maze of connections he or she can find help from those who have already found some success in the business.

Enter, Hollywood Connect. Hollywood Connect (HC) exists to “[equip] creative artists and professionals to thrive personally and professionally in the arts, media, and entertainment industries” (HC website). HC hosted a well-attended Q&A with Mr. Mark Atteberry recently, and in this gathering, Shun Lee Fong led discussion and then fielded several questions from the audience to get Mark’s responses. I took notes feverishly and thought to share the wisdom – with Mark’s approval, of course.

Stage & Lighting Design: “On the Other Side of the Tracks”

I was fortunate to work with fellow creatives at Trinity Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida to create an eye-catching backdrop for a recent conference, specifically, handling the lighting aspect. Jonathan Malm (twitter: @jonathanmalm) posted a great article regarding the project on his website, Church Stage Design Ideas.

1 Busy Week with CA Film Crew

It was an honor to work with a California team this year on the 168 Film Project as Executive Producer. Beyond this, I was able to fill in behind the scenes taking both photo an video, editing, and managing special FX. Here’s a brief overview of our week.

ARRIVAL: Producer Christopher Shawn Shaw met me at LAX, & from there we headed North to stay in Simi Valley, which would be our home base for 5 nights (until Tuesday morning). Prior to this point, Thor Ramsey and Torry Martin wrote our script and most legwork had been done on securing our locations and actors, etc.

DAY 1: Leaving about 7:30 am Friday, February 17, we headed to Redlands, CA, about a two-hour trek. Me, I always enjoy the mountains – a huge contrast from Florida – so the terrain helped the trip to go more quickly than I would have thought. At this point, I assumed an additional role for most of the production days – chauffeur to Mr. Shaw. This allowed him a little less stress as he thought through each shoot. As a producer, it’s critical to keep your director’s mind fresh.

Shooting took place at Kimberly Crest House and Gardens,

Review of Scenechronize Film Production Management Software

I was getting ready to work on a couple film productions at the start of the year, and a friend recommended that I try out Scenechronize, an online production management software. While not a seasoned veteran with it yet, I’ve got a few months under my belt, and I must say that the power that is offered is nothing short of amazing. There are differing levels of capabilities, too, from shorts for indies to full productions, and the pricing is relatively good for each level.