Blog Action Day is SO GOOD! Poverty is such a big deal and while I haven’t traveled to third world nations that are experiencing mass hunger, I do get to see it on a weekly basis around Los Angeles. When I think of poverty I immediately think of the homeless. In LA we’ve got almost 90,000 homeless and whether you’re on skid row in the heart of downtown or you’re in my neighborhood in Pasadena, the homeless issue is everywhere. There are a lot of reasons for homelessness and such extreme poverty - from chemical imbalances and drug addiction but according to Andy Bales, CEO of The Union Rescue Mission, the big cause is the lack of close family. Check out his recent video talking about it.

The average age of the homeless in America is 9 - NINE!! Sam Slovick’s collaboration with GOOD Magazine’s look at downtown is horrifying and heartbreaking - I recommend you check out all 5 parts.

So how is poverty going to change or even just decreasing the number of homeless in LA? Sure, I could say a collaborative effort, increased police presence, cracking down on drugs, and politicians working to give aid where it’s needed. BUT all of those things are passing the buck. What am I going to do? I can rail against governments and organizations all I want but people are at the core of all of that. People make those decisions, people influence their corporations.

Tim Sanders, in his recent book, Saving the World at Work, illustrates time and time again that a single person at any level of an organization has HUGE power. So I think that the power to stop poverty starts with you and with me. I’ve been very fortunate to rub shoulders with both Andy Bales and Tim Sanders in the last 6 months - both are amazing guys and are the kind of person I aspire to be. I recommend checking out the book.

Some quick action items:
1. Donate to your favorite cause - If you need one I recommend the Union Rescue Mission (They were recently featured on ESPN - See it here)

2. Talk with your business about helping your community - many companies are starting to encourage this kind of ethos in a brand.

3. Let the candidates know that you care about poverty and that it should be addressed. With the election this year, you’ve got more power than normal to influence the world.

About a month ago we made a significant switch on THE DROP website. The adjustment came as a way to incorporate the multitude of ways that users would interact with the website. We had been using a social plug-in and it really started out working amazing. Last month I was introduced to ShareThis and I found that the plug-in was easy to use and that it actually gave the user more options to pass around the info and would be crucial in the interaction of social media to the site. The user would then be able to add or share the posts via their Myspace or Facebook but could also email them to friends if they so chose. A little while back The Drop was featured on the ShareThis site. We got sandwiched between infertility and obscure movies - I don’t think it’s a bad start.

I also had a chance to join their Publishers Group on Facebook. What I loved about this was that I then could put faces with the code writers and other bloggers/new media types who were employing the same pieces and any additional strategy that they may have. ShareThis has just been named one of the Top 20 plugins to have on Wordpress and I highly recommend it.

After 3 days in the Las Vegas desert with blazing sun and heat (which is an understatement), The New Media Expo kicked off in fine style at the Las Vegas Convention Center. While there we got to network with a great crew of fine New Media Professionals. Chance meetings with Steve Frey about how podpress is the glove to the Wordpress hand was great and exactly what I think a conference of new Media types should be about. The free exchange of ideas and good will towards other techies.

While I was there I got to learn about TubeMogul and there presentation at their booth was really nice. In recent months and working with client video, the need for adequate coverage of any social media campaign to several sites (Vimeo, Myspace, facebook, et al.) is really time consuming but totally necessary. Facebook fans want to see a video on the native platform. And don’t mess with the crew at Vimeo - their users want their content in beautiful streaming HD and I can’t blame them. Call me a snob if you will or a social media purest but when I’m surfing a site and I see a low quality YouTube video embedded on the page I get a little sad. There are so many more options on YouTube now and specifically with video on the web. From Viddler to Meta Cafe they are all fighting for a piece of the pie and as a result we win.

The most amazing part of the conference was the way that we could track each other. Due to the recent popularity of Twitter and with the geo positioning through apps like Twinkle on the iPhone I knew what the expo was talking about even before I hit the floor and it was easy to meet up with others for personal interaction on a common topic, meet ups, or where the party was at.

Other chance meetings included Felicia Day from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (Also starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion) and a Scoble sighting. I forgot my camera on both counts. It was also great to meet Tim Borquin face to face. We’ve exchanged emails over the past few years and it was nice to finally get a sense of who he is. I hope he’s on vacation right now because I’m sure he had some sleepless nights coordinating it all.

To Sum up - The New Media Expo was a good time and 3 days in Vegas is long enough for me, especially when it’s August.

Director of Photography and general cinematic wizard, Marc Ritzema launched his brand new site today. With the help of The Portnoy Media Group we were able to focus on some key features for Marc’s site. We moved Marc from a standard flash based site to a more indexed database driven site (more…)

Abandon Films and Superhero Pictures collaborate again for The Virginia Production Alliances Annual Film Day. This year so much is on the line in tax incentives that can allow many film professionals to keep with working in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Check out the Video by clicking the picture above (more…)

After wrapping all principle shooting this past Saturday, The Great American Road Trip moves into post production and a release date is slated for the first installment of the trip. Starting Tuesday July 3rd and continuing each week will feature the adventures of Justin, Won, Tim and Dan as they travel from Virginia to Durham, North Carolina. The film is being released episodically through Superhero Pictures. Press release coming soon.

The Internet - Picture this: 4 Men, 1 Winnebago and 2,448 miles of seasoned highway. These three together set the stage for a journey of a lifetime on a road filled with history and painted with stories of young and old. There is only one highway that can provide such an adventure and that is “the Mother Road” herself Route 66. The highway has come be known as “the mother road,” which was given that name about 70 years ago by the world renown author John Steinbeck. The road itself gave individuals the opportunity to escape the “dust bowl” and travel where there was a greater chance of successful survival. By the early 50’s tourist attractions started to take there place along side the road of opportunity. The highway has always been a source of economic growth for all of the 8 states that it crosses through.
Before this national highway was constructed all of the existing paved roads ended at the city line, so it revolutionized the idea of traveling. Which is what we like to acknowledge as the birth of “road trips.” The art of road tripping has been lost somewhere in time. Today very few people take the time to get on the road and just drive and see what the nations highways have to offer. It wasn’t always about the destination rather the long rides in the car with the closest of friends. Presently there are only a few daring college students and many bands that dare to explore the open road.
The idea of getting out on the open road and meeting the people who have staked their livelihood on something that may not fit in a nice neat box is exciting. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, entrepreneurs of all kinds traveled to the first road that connected the country and started businesses all along the road. From greasy spoons to unique motels, they grabbed onto life and molded it to make their greatest dreams come true. The goal is to take 4 individuals with unique personalities and travel from Chicago to L.A. on Route 66 in the summer of 2007. The objective is to film the whole project and share the adventures that are made with the world. To talk with business owners and the individuals who have spent their lives along “the Mother Road” will prove to be astounding. Buckle up, Enjoy the ride, and keep checking for updates at www.thegreatamericanroadtrip.net.