It’s been a while since I moved to Vermont, I was excited to join the Vermont Production Collective, a community of creative professionals working together to produce films and other media projects in the state. As someone who has dabbled in filmmaking over the years, I’m looking forward to collaborating with other local artists and…
The Fog of War: McNamara, Oppenheimer, and the Perils of Power
Two of the most influential yet controversial defense intellectuals of the 20th century were Robert S. McNamara and J. Robert Oppenheimer. Though coming from very different backgrounds, both men rose to positions of enormous authority over the US military establishment, especially concerning nuclear weapons. And both left incredibly complex legacies that historians still debate today….
Personal Update: Query Letters for A Little Too Dark
This week I’ve been working on writing query letters to send to literary agents for my novel A Little Too Dark. Writing effective query letters is an art form – you need to hook the agent within the first few sentences, provide an intriguing summary of your book without giving away all the details, and…
Why can I Market for Others but Struggle to Market Myself
As a marketer, I know how to create compelling campaigns that highlight the value of a product, service or company. But when it comes to marketing myself – whether to land a new job or sell my own book – things get trickier. I’ve worked in marketing across various industries, from casinos to the army….
Bringing the Surreal World of David Lynch to Life with AI with Video
David Lynch is known for his surreal, dreamlike films that take viewers into strange and mysterious worlds. As an avid Lynch fan, I wanted to try capturing his in this MidJourney test. With the help of AI art generation and some creative editing, I was able to make a Lynchian animated video using just still…
Uncovering Hidden Worlds: Connecting Blue Velvet and Under the Silver Lake
Blue Velvet (1986) and Under the Silver Lake (2019) may be separated by decades, but these two neo-noir thrillers share striking similarities in their exploration of lurking darkness beneath the sunny surfaces of idyllic neighborhoods. Both Films are available on Max as of today. Both films follow an amateur investigator diving into the seedy underbelly…
The New Girl – The Alien Invasion That Helped Desegregate a 1950s School
The New Girl September 1953 The Cold War was a scary time for America. The big, bad Soviets were the classic villains, with their missiles aimed at the US. It got so bad that folks started building bunkers under their homes, strong enough to withstand the end of the world. At times, invasion seemed imminent,…
The Portrait Revolution: A Wedding Videographer’s Perspective on the Shift from Landscape to Vertical Video
As a wedding videographer with thousands of edited videos in landscape orientation, I’ve witnessed firsthand the monumental impact of social media’s shift to portrait-oriented video. Over the past few years, platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have catalyzed a significant change in how we create and consume video content. This portrait revolution has…
Your Future is Behind You: Reflecting on the Themes of Past Lives
I finally had the chance to see the indie drama Past Lives this past weekend, and living up to the hype it has stayed on my mind since. While big-budget films like Oppenheimer seem poised to sweep up Oscar buzz, Past Lives deserves recognition for its quietly affecting themes. Your future is behind you is…
Turning One-Time Clients into Recurring Revenue: Leveraging Venue Partnerships
Working in the wedding industry is rewarding in fun. Wedding photographer is often on the top ten lists of happy jobs. The marketing piece is the part many photographers and videographers like me despise. The big downside to working in the wedding industry is your typical client will only get one chance to pay you. …