I am a freelance new media and television producer, writer and consultant. Based in Southern New England, I produce media for business, education and social change. A lifelong Unitarian Universalist, I also consult with organizations on using community building, leadership developent and small group networks to advance their work.
With the present econimic crisis digital communition is more important than ever, from telling your story with affordable video to using the many free tools on the web. I offer one-on-one and group workshops on using new media tools.
Contact me to discuss how I can help you and/or your organization.
No, I'm not in LA. Need production help out there? Visit my friends at Ekoplex Pictures.
Childrens Television Production I
work on a number of national syndicated children's television shows. These include Curious George show, Peep and the Big Wide World, and most recently FETCH with Ruff Ruffman.
More
Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman:
Season 4 wrapped. On air September 2009.
Curious George:
3 Seasons complete.
Filming season 4 in 2009.
Peep and the Big Wide World:
Next season filming Spring 2009.
Constulting with Unitarian Universalists
I was raised UU and guest speak on various topics (meditation, quantum physics, personal growth, community building), facilitate retreats, and train people to lead small groups. For more information visit my UU consulting site uuplanet.com and my small group blog. No clue what a Unitarian is? Visit uufaq.com or my uu video site.
Getting
Started in Television Production
Since this site is the #1 site on google for Children's Television Production and according to callers Children's Television Producers, here is some key info for all of you wanting to break in and/or find someone to produce your project. Please read the following before contacting me. There will be a quiz...
How
I got started I got started by having relevant experience (production, stage hand, &
teaching for years), great ideas and building relationships with people in the business. When one of them needed help, I was there.
Disclaimer I am not a lawyer. Before doing any business in the entertainment
industry make sure you educate yourself. I am not a lawyer (there,
I said it twice) and don't want to hear you complain because
something I said is not 100% accurate.
You can't copyright ideas
If you call me up and tell me your idea for an amazing book, film,
character - whatever - I can steal it from you. Ha! Sucker...
You have no protection while it is in your head, even if you have
a whole movie thought out scene by scene, word by word. You can
only copyright the implementation of ideas in novel and concrete
forms. Tell someone your amazing, intricate, billion dollar idea
and it is a goner. Don't.
Read
up and always use protection
Before you talk to anyone read the books below, then write up
your idea to the best of your ability and register it with the
US copyright office. The closer to the date you write it up that
you register, the more rights you have, such as having legal fees
paid for if someone steals your idea. It is CHEAP to do this.
I think the new fee is $45 with a $10 savings if you do it electronically.
Visit http://www.copyright.gov/
Read
these books
Don't
call until you have
Please
don't put me in a position of hearing your idea before you have
them protected.
Release
Form
If
you have a project you absolutely want me to look at, two things
need to happen. First I am going to insist that you've protected
yourself (see above). Second, I'm going to protect myself from
you. I will ask you to sign a release form so we know that there
are no implied contracts involved in your sending me your material,
that I may have a similar project in the works and that I may
have already had a very similar idea, and so on.
Rule
of Thumb
Unless
you have a job offer (read = funded project for me to work on)
please do not call me until you have...
1)
Done your homework (read books above)
2) Come up with an original idea worthy of being produced
3) Have written it up as a treatment or in more detail
4) Have registered it with the copyright office and writers guild as applicable.
Thank
You! Thank you for protecting yourself and taking steps to launch
your career. Know that I am in your corner and, once you have
taken the steps above, would love to hear from you.
May
you...
May
you have an amazing idea for a screenplay, write it up as a treatment
based on the wisdom in the book above and these
websites. May you be smart enough to register your work with
the copyright office, send a query letter to an agency, sign with
an agent, then have him/her sell it for $500,000.
Parting Advice
1) Create stuff related to your desired profession - act like you're THAT already. You want to be a filmmaker? Well, go make some films already. Want to be a writer for tv shows? If you're waiting to get a job doing "it" before you start to do "it" chances are you aren't passionate enough.
2) Once you are doing it, find ways to network and spend time with people who are in that field.
3) There are a ton of people who want to do that cool thing that you want to do. Be ready to compete. Become an expert in your desired area of focus. Eat up information in your field so you are smart and evolving. In the entertainment industry you can't be mediocre, not unless you are passionate, persistant and connected. But those people don't surf by my site. Just the dreamers...
This
site Copyright Peter Bowden, 2005-2007. All rights reserved.
You can't copyright ideas