Just for the record, I am willing to whore myself out for this one. My pants are already off. 

Currently You Can Be Special Too [Explicit] Evil Nine Track - You Are Not Through see related

A few entries ago, I was talking about creating a figurehead for my company. The Mickey Mouse to my Disney, the Flo to my Geico... OK, maybe not Flo, but something everyone can recognize. I decided on a coffee serving robot/android--- a "Coffee Droid." Why not? As I mentioned before, she'll "merge the sexy and nurturing qualities of a female while incorporating the mythical, medicinal, and beneficial qualities of coffee".  

So, I did a little sketch. Just playing around with the idea. My only concern is incorporating her into a logo. I'm talking serious simplification here, but concerning backgrounds and overall personality of a web site, she'll do just fine. Took a little risk with the maid get-up, but it looks better than a Barista, I think. After all, this company is going to provide a service---services, eventually. Maids trump Baristas any day of the week. They don't make you feel bad for not liking a band since it's inception. Maids don't hate everything after the year of 1978. Hell, I think all coffee shops should have french maids, really. We have Hooters, for crap's sake. Why not have french maids with passable accents...? Then again, I think I just lost my female readership.

That's what I get for rambling.

Anyway, this is the direction I'm going in. Thought I'd share it for those that are interested in the progress. 

-KG

Currently The Trentemøller Chronicles By Trentemøller Track: The Very Last Resort  see related

If you think about it, there's an entity composed of bad luck, misfortunes, and just plain ol' Bad Juju. All that combined, I decided to name it "Dickery." Why? Because it's a horrible name and it sounds a little funny. Besides, I like giving my problems "people names." 

Dickery must have took a vacation today because things went unnaturally well. I usually hate making public appearances. I tend to hiss at the prospect of going outside and being exposed to these hideous things I refer to as... people. Hey, don't even get me started on sunlight (it burns). Sadly, when you're an artist, there are supplies that need replenishing. Since my current sketch-card deadline is only a few days away, I was in desperate need of Copic markers. My hand was forced. 

The bus I usually take to the train station showed up early. I didn't even bother to look up the schedule because, anything you do, you're going to end up waiting an additional 15 minutes. Septa is never on time... but it was there the exact moment I walked out after grabbing a cup of coffee. 

Catching the train was when I started to realize that my luck might not be as random as I thought. It's the weekend and all the Express trains don't run, so I had to catch the dreaded Local. Usually, the Local makes all the stops, so you can imagine my reaction when I realized the train was skipping stops---like five or six of them. On the other hand, there were passengers that were pissed off because they missed their station. Someone pressed the emergency switch, which was a smart move, I think. If a train is just blasting through the stations, naturally, you would think the driver is incapacitated or something. Anyhooo, some guy was arguing with the driver, getting in his face and all that jazz. Slowed things down. Justifiably so, but still...

My ride was short thanks to that mishap.    

I arrived at Blick Art Supplies and the store had a sale on Markers. More good luck. The crazy thing was that I happened to show up at the last day of the sale. 

I'm excited about this because, well... it doesn't happen. It's rare as fuck. OK, it might be a little boring, but I figured I'd make note of it. When I have a shitty day, I can refer back to this entry as proof of me having a good day outside. It's not everyday Dickery gives me a break.  

 -KG

Currently The Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season By Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Jon Bernthal, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn see related

I'm thinking about starting up $25 commissions, wherein I sketch a fictional character or actual person at your request. Pose and background would be at my discretion,  of course. Consider it a Xanga exclusive---a sale, if you will. Method of payment: Pay Pal. The only thing is, I've done this before and the offer was completely ignored on this site. That's partly due to me not being  as active as I used to be. The other thing to consider is advertising and word of mouth (the digital form of it). There's a recommend button on this post. If this post can spread like wildfire, generating enough business... I can start saving up for future expenses.

For now, I'm reserving 4 slots. Depending on how quick they fill up, I'll start effecting a queue. So, first four request can go in the comments section and we'll go from there. 

To recommend or not to recommend. That is the question. 

Currently Out From Out Where By Amon Tobin see related

As it turns out, above all else, the Philadelphia Film Society is more about promoting their film festival . At first glance, it's pretty much like "become a member and give us your fucking money." I can't find a resource section on the site, which was frustrating. At the same time, I didn't speak to anyone yet, but I did send them an email, introducing myself and my little nameless company. Hopefully, they will contact me and point me in a good direction. If not, well... fuck 'em. Of course, their film festival is a good thing. If and when a movie comes out of this company, at least we'll have a place to showcase the work. If anything, they will be excellent for the finished product. 

I keep wondering if my lack of experience is killing the growth from the start. Maybe I should concentrate on the freelance illustration aspect first and move on to filmmaking at a later date... Nah! The way I see it, experience doesn't come by sitting on your ass. Experience is here and now. I'll level up during the journey. Besides, I can't afford film school. There's really no way I can gain experience unless I make my own shit. A lot of aspiring filmmakers are going in that direction. I'm just crazy enough to make a company out of it. 

From the looks of it, I'm definitely going to have to partner up with somebody. It might be sooner than I anticipated, but that's alright. It's all part of the plan. 

Hoist the Jolly Roger!

Edit:

I completely forgot about You Tube and how helpful their videos are. It's the greatest resource known to mankind (once you filter out the cute kitten videos). There are some people I worked with in California that can probably pass some knowledge on to me. A little while ago, I worked as a conceptual artist for an independent film. I'll contact them and see what's what. I can think of at least one person that owes me a little favor. 

Currently The Throwback b/w Braggin & Boastin/Autumns Evening Breeze see related

Alright. Waking up and being among the living was bloody chore. Thank God for coffee (I'll explain why in a bit).

My brother suggested that if the company is going to sport freelance illustration, it might as well go all out. No limitations concerning what we could be commissioned for. Add in graphic design, book covers, album covers, logo design, etc. It doesn't have to be stuck in the film, television, and comic area. We'll even extend the services to the gaming industry. His jack of all trades approach was a great idea and I'm glad I talked it over with him. 

I'm in the stages of writing everything down in a word document. I have to admit, part of the reason why I'm throwing most of this stuff on Xanga is so I won't forget it. I forget things because I'm a flawed individual... maybe I'm getting old. Oh! You know what would be a good birthday present? A recorder. One of those portable voice recorders that writers and journalist use. Besides, I like the sound of my own voice, so it's practical and ego-boosting applications are tremendous. If I get a job within the next couple of months, remind me to get one... or surprise me. 

I found something on Facebook called Philadelphia Film Society. It's pretty much a non-profit organization that strives to bring a film presence to the city, be it independent or major productions. Some time, later in the day, I'm going try to contact someone from that group to get information on funding options and other things I can use. Right now, I'm all about arming myself with knowledge. When starting out from the ground up, it's best to figure out what I need, so I'm making a list. Hopefully, PFS will be a good resource. 

Speaking of resources, it would be great to partner up with someone that is knowledgeable in this area---someone with experience. Even if I do pick the brains of the Film Society and get pointed in the right direction, I'm still a naked newborn baby that's going to need a teet, so to speak (try to visualize that.. hahah!). In any case, the web site comes first. Build an identity and lay down the ground work... maybe the rest should follow. One thing at a time, I say.  

I'm just saying, when I can actually afford an assistant, I crossed the success threshold.  

Speaking of assistance, I've been brainstorming the logo/mascot for the company. One of the strongest and unique ideas is "Coffee Robot." Picture that fem-bot from Metropolis merging with a Coffee Maker and you'll see where I'm headed.

Why coffee? Let's face it, I'm addicted to the stuff. It's better than being addicted to drugs, I think. Besides that, there are few artist and writers I know that don't include coffee in their daily routine God forbid if you're up at the crack of dawn. She's not exclusive to artist and writers. Just about everybody knows her. She's either home brewed or you'll get her at Star Bucks, Dunkin Donuts, or a local diner.

How do you feel after drinking coffee? You're alert, awake, things start to clear up, you're less groggy and you might even have enough energy to get make it through the day. Coffee is your morning assistant and your company while you're burning the midnight oil. She can be hot and cold---perfect for any season!

The mascot of the company merges the sexy and nurturing qualities of a female while incorporating the mythical, medicinal, and beneficial qualities of coffee. She's also a robot which suggest efficiency and dare I say immortality. Very future oriented. That just all the sense in the world to me.  Shit... "Mascot" is a terrible title for her. She's the Figurehead of a large vessel---a star ship.  

I'll post some sketches soon. 

Cheers,

KG

Currently Hope and Despair By Radio Citizen Track: Hope (feat. Bajka) see related

Because no matter how much I try to bottle it in, I have to pour my heart out on the internet. Xanga just happens to be the venue, mostly due to the low volume of people reading this. It's almost like talking to the wall, but it's paper thin. 

Anyway, last week, I got dressed, shaved and power walked my ass to a job interview. I'm not going to reveal which company it was, but the job was a dish washing position. Very simple work once you know how to operate those industrial-sized washers, which is easier than inserting a dish into a Playstation. I went home thinking the dust had settled from the long war of trying to gain employment. I mean, I have massive employment gaps and the debt is climbing astronomically, thanks to student loan. On Monday,  I opened my email and found the results of the interview. 

"Your background and experience is truly valuable. Unfortunately, at this time, after careful consideration we have decided to pursue other candidates." 

This wouldn't be the first time I was turned down for a position. I've lost count, to be perfectly honest, but... For some reason, that rejection letter hurt me the most. Apparently, I'm not even good enough to wash dishes! How much experience do I need to wash your fucking dishes?!? I was upset for a few days... very pissed off at the world and even more pissed off at myself. Here I am, 28 years old and severely depressed because I couldn't get paid to wash dishes for some company. I guess you can say that it was the straw that broke the camel's back.

So, I started thinking about me and where I'm headed in the next year, two years, five years, ten years, and so on. If I keep going down the same route, I'm not going to amount to anything. I'm going to die with piss-poor accomplishments and a shit-loads of regret. Hell, I won't even be worthy of a tombstone--and if they had to give me one, it would read "Here lies Fat Fuck who checked out of this world poor, alone, and pissed." Thinking about that, I reached a boiling point and decided it's time to fucking do it. It's time... 

I'm creating my entertainment company.

If you've been keeping up with this blog, you know I've been flirting with the idea for the longest time---ever since I graduated high school (I've been here for a very long time). It's not the most logical step to take, but most companies never start off logical. The most successful companies were created from balls of steel and ice-cold resolve. This endeavor will be no different. It's going to be tough, headache inducing, and it might even kick my ass, but it's going to happen.

What falls into this entertainment? For starters, it will be comics and filmmaking. Original content. There's another aspect I want to include into the company and that's Freelance Illustration.  We're going to start off small and make an anthology just get our feet wet. For films, we'll do shorts for the same reason. Once we're all set and comfortable, we will move on to bigger projects. 

The reality of this is that I don't have all the resources, at the moment. Money is the biggest issue. Even if it's an internet based company, I'm going to need money for the domain, the web design, and whatever the fuck else. If I'm going to publish a line of comics, I'm going to need to get in bed with a printing company and that'll cost me. Maybe it can be all digital, but there's still some finances in that. Don't even get me started on film cost. That's why freelance illustration will come in handy, but the profits from that won't generate enough to sustain the company. 

The second concern of mine would be finding the talent. By nature, I'm a do-it-yourself type of artist. By that, I mean that I do the penciling, inking, coloring, lettering and so on. In most cases, I have a writer that handles the script, but all the visuals are on me. To start a company means expanding my circle. To start a company means finding like-minded folk of various disciplines to pitch in, and trusting them to produce material in a timely manner. That's pretty huge to ask since I'm terrible at deadlines. 

Ultimately, I'm going to have to clean my own house, so to speak. For this company to be successful, it needs a good leader/boss/founder. A good leader is someone who can bring out the best in people and accomplish goals. Those qualities are extremely important in the early stages of a company. Right now, I'm not leadership material because I can't even motivate poop to flush down the toilet. I'm going to have to change and adapt to this company---to the future. It's going to happen.

The end game or finish line is owning a building... with people in it! I want this company to grow into something big---something lovely. Like a hybrid of Marvel Comics and Lucas Films... or "insert major comic and film studio here." I want this to be BIG, but I also want it to be different and sport the greatest work environment ever. 

I'm not Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Ted Turner, John Lasseter, George Lucas, or even Tyler Perry. I'm just a guy from Philly trying to bounce back from a series of unfortunate fuck-ups by combining the two things I love: Film and Comics. I'm trying to do something I should have done a long time ago. 

It's going to happen... I already have the damn logo in my head, so it's going to happen. There's no choice in the matter.

-KG

Currently Simple Things By Zero 7 Track: In the waiting line see related