Hello fellow bloggers,
It's been awhile, in fact the last time I posted something, I said that I wasn't going to continue with the blog until the promo video was ready. Well good news, that day has finally come, but before you view it; let me just add that it was just as an emotional triumph as completing a marathon itself. Mainly because of the length it has taken me to post it. Unfortunately though, my cousin who lives in Burlington, NC couldn't come down to Chicago participate in the Shamrock Shuffle earlier this year. All of this came about when the dates conflicted with a vacation his parents had planed that happened to be on that same day. With no other option he offered his bib number to me and since I was eager to film something, I thought this is the best time to start. So I gave a friend a call and thankfully enough he was available to help me film.
During the time I was doing this promo video I faced several challenges that were new to me, like producing for the first time and not being able to film at certain locations. Fortunately for both me and my Director of Photography everything worked out and we got the shots we needed. The only thing I want to add, is that so far I'm experiencing an exciting time in my life.
Aside from finishing the first half of this project and my second Chicago Marathon, I can now focus on the best way to finance this film. So far I've managed to get an endorsement from a well known running shoe company. It all happened like magic, one day I sent them an email introducing myself and how I wanted information about sponsorships and who to contact. I finally got a response about a week later, from one of their P.R. reps. She wanted to know more about the documentary and what the sponsorship will entail.
I briefly stated that my documentary was about how I will attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Then I followed up with a second email explaining what my future plans are after I qualify. Finally, I decided to call the P.R. rep and elaborate on the project. She wanted to know if I was seeking financial help or running gear, I said "both, but if you're only able to provide the running gear then that's great. What interest me the is to contribute in popularity of this sport by endorsing your product at marathon expo's so that I can promote your company as well as my film. Later on when this project is done I can perhaps do commercials for your website". Her final response was, "what's your shoe size". I was overwhelmed with excitement and I gave her the list of everything I wanted including shorts, shirts and winter gear to continue the training that I've been doing throughout the year. This is a major step to an important project, I never thought that by having someone look at your blog and a promo could make this all of this possible. After hanging up I yelled and freaked my mother out who was in the kitchen next close to my room. I later explained to her everything about the conversation that I had.
On another note I also managed to land a job as an assistant director for a feature length film set here in Chicago. I'm very excited about this project, it is a comedy about two brothers that have a bowling rivalry. I am hoping that this film will benefit me in the long run, the script is very funny and has plenty of potential. Hopefully I can land more work and keep encouraging others to take this path. That's it for now, I hope you enjoy this promo. In due time I'll continue to follow up on a frequent basis. Thank you for supporting this blog.
