Pure Inspiration

                   

BackStory

James Hunter is the Founder and CEO of 1^st Dibz Productions LLC. He resides in Florida now, but he is originally from Brooklyn New York. He is also an alumnus of Full Sail University with a Bachelor’s degree in film and a Master’s degree in entertainment business. As a Hip-Hop artist, his aspirations were cut short when he was shot three times causing him to become paralyzed from the waist down. He changed his focus to film once he enrolled at Full Sail University. He was injured again significantly when a truck ran him over. In addition, medical complications from both unfortunate incidents greatly plagued his college career. Regardless, he remained determined to accomplish his dream of building his own film production company.   

Interview

On October 5^th 2012, at 6:00 p.m. on a rainy Friday afternoon, I was interviewing James Hunter at his home in Orlando Florida. He was having a Heineken and I was drinking bottled water on his patio.  The first thing I noticed about James was his incredibly charming personality. His voice was filled with enthusiasm as he used his hands when he spoke. It was very easy to become captivated listening to him, so much that I completely forgot he was half robot. He figuratively stood across from me just as a man sharing his industry experiences and personal obstacles that he obviously turned into opportunities. Our interview consisted of him sharing some of his negotiation experiences in order to get some of his films produced. We focused on three areas of negotiation: Leverage, Mutual Benefits and Tricky Tactics.

Leverage

The first opportunity for James came when he was looking for investors for the production of his first film “Juxed”.  Unfortunately around the same time, his wheelchair malfunctioned as he got half way across a busy street and a truck hit him. One of the doctors he developed a friendship with while being in the hospital for a year, was on the fence each time James asked him to be an investor. One day during one of James’s many surgeries, his doctor thought he had made an irreversible mistake; because of the friendship between the two men, the doctor’s wife compelled him to explain the situation to James. After James listened to him, he suppressed his true feelings of anger and blindly forgave his doctor. Luckily, the mistake was caught in time sparing both men possible legal issues. This time James jokingly reminded his friend of the potentially diverted malpractice lawsuit, asking once again, 

“ So doc, what’s up with you investing in my movie?” Without hesitation the doctor accepted James’s deal proposal and became an investor for “Juxed”. The two men are still friends today.

Mutual Benefit

Another opportunity for the Production on James’s short film “Juxed” began before he graduated from Full Sail University. He met Sean Nelson though a childhood friend, which is a Hollywood actor whose industry resume includes movies like “The Wood, Fresh with Samuel L. Jackson and HBO’s The Corner”. He explains to me, how he was willing to negotiate hiring Sean Nelson and Duane Finley as lead actors for about $1,500 to $2,000. But once Sean read the script, he wanted to negotiate being a co-producer as well as one of the lead actors in exchange for zero payment. James gladly accepted that deal and finished production of his movie once he graduated from Full Sail University with his film degree in 2010.

Tricky Tactics

In 2011, James was recommended to co-direct an independent film but after conversation with the filmmaker James realized he would be better suited as the producer. According to the hundred-page script, the amount of money he started his negotiation with was $15,000 in addition to 7% on the backend. The deal was agreed but not signed due supposedly to attorney backlog. After several assuring meetings but no signed contract in hand, James decided to confront the filmmaker. James learned that the filmmaker was stringing him along; meanwhile, using another company to produce the film for only $10,000. The day before Christmas, the filmmaker was unsatisfied with his decision and called James back. James successfully negotiated and signed a different contract that helped the filmmaker correct problems previously made by the producer he chose over James. 

Reference:

Retrieved from Interviewee, James Hunter, 1st Dibz Production LLC, 1stdibzproductions@gmail.com

Dr. Steve Adkins, Full Sail University Professor, sadkins@fullsail.com

Google images, Retrieved from

http://www.google.com/search?q=images+of+james+hunter+1st+dibz&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=1gNyUOD3LYXS9QSCioHQCA&sqi=2&ved=0CCMQsAQ&biw=1230&bih=737

Agent or Manager?

Once upon a time there was a clear distinction between the job description of both agent and manager but that is quickly becoming a thing of the past. An aspiring talent's first step used to be to get an agent who finds them work in the industry in exchange for a 10 percent commission. Once the talent becomes a budding star then the talent hires a manager to assist in guiding their career for a commission that can go as high as 15 percent. But today, the role of the agent is slowing disappearing and the manager is now meeting those responsibilities. A large percentage of newly minted managers working in the entertainment industry today used to be talent agents.

In California there are laws that govern the difference between the two. Basically anyone can call himself or herself a manager; and a managers job is to make sure everything that is in place happens like it should. They take care of the artist’s best interest. In order to be an agent you have to be licensed by the state of California. According to California law the definition of a talent agent is “a person or corporation who engages in the occupation of procuring, offering, promising, or attempting to procure employment or engagements for an artist.”     

It is really important for the talent to choose wisely because it could be what gets and keeps them on top in the industry. For the most part as the talent begins their career it is not necessary to have either agent or manager. They should build their career on their own first. After the talent’s career is in a place where jobs are being offered instead of auditioned for, they might consider getting a manager.

Luckily, the trend of the managers having both the skills and the responsibilities of an agent along with the ability to negotiate, the talent should be in good hands. It is also good for the talent to understand that once they reach a certain level of establishment in the industry managers will find them, they will not need to look far.

References:

Kamal Moo http://www.johnson-moo.com/entertainment-manager-vs-agent/

Sad Day for Hip-Hop

The Hip-Hop music industry has truly lost an incredible asset in business with the sudden death of artist manager and business executive Chris Lighty. 

Mr. Lighty was the founder of record label and management company Violator where he launched careers in the music industry. His client list read like a Grammy Award roster with names like Missy Elliott, P Diddy, LL Cool J, Fifty, JaRule, and Mariah Carey.

He was instrumental in negotiating deals for his artist that took their career to the next level.  One of the most memorable deals is the one that united a partnership between his artist Fifty-Cent and Vitamin Water. Fifty bought 10% of the company, which was a product of Glace’au. Once Coca-Cola purchased Glace’au for the tune of $4 billion, Fifty became a millionaire. Chris also inked deals for other artist like LL Cool J with The Gap and Busta Rhymes with Mountain Dew. 

I do not find it necessary to add to the reported speculation about the reason which lead Chris to take his own life. Because sadly we will never know what really catapulted him over the edge to end it on Thursday, August 30, 2012.

According to (Chinese and Hutchinson) his wife Veronica is quoted saying, “He was a genius” (New York Daily News, 2012). 

I agree with Veronica, Chris Lighty was not only a genius in the art of business negotiations but he was a compassionate and wonderful human being. He was someone I admired in the music industry because he was raised by a single parent, graduated from the New York school of “ the streets of the city” and became a self made multi-millionaire with integrity in an industry where that quality is hard to find. I only wish I had the opportunity to meet him. He was one of the people I had hoped to learn from as a newly minted artist manager myself in the entertainment business.

I would like to extend my condolences to his family, friends, Hip-Hop community and music industry. Chris Lighty will truly be missed. May he now rest in peace and may God have mercy on his soul.  

 

References:

Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/chris-lighty-wife-strife-day-hip-hop-big-suicide-article-1.1151164

Retrieved from http://global.christianpost.com/news/chris-lightys-death-shakes-hip-hop-world-celebrities-in-mourning-80874/

Retrieved from Google images http://www.google.com/search?q=chris+lighty+50+cent&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvnsuo&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=WYFGULOZMILa8ATHi4DADw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1223&bih=646

The "ATA"

ATA President Sandy Bresier and ATA Member Harry Gold

The Association of Talent Agents (ATA) is a Los Angeles based non- profit trade association that has been in business for seventy years. They have two primary offices, which are located in Los Angles and New York. ATA membership consists of agencies that represent clients in stage, television, radio, commercials, motion pictures and literary work. The original name for the ATA was Artist Managers Guild when it started in 1937 but was changed after the courts upheld the Wagner act. Today, it is one of the most respected associations in the talent industry. ATA also partners with another association called the NATR (National Association of Talent Representatives) and collectively it is estimated that together they represent 90% of the artist working in the entertainment industry as well employ one thousand talent agents in the business.

Agents at ATA make sure that the artists they represent have secure opportunities. They keep their clients updated with the most current information in technology used in the market as well as in the entertainment industry. ATA has a direct affiliation with the newly combined union SAG-AFTRA. Any information about the union can be found directly on ATA’s website under union news. 

Some of the benefits of being a member of the ATA are: ATA/Sag residual tracking, membership discounts, round table discussions with peers, daily email blast and monthly board meetings.

ATA has several services that are available to all the members of the association such as:

ATA provides assistance in dispute resolution provided for agency regulations and contracts. 

In addition, they set up procedures for SAG-AFTRA agencies termination process.

ATA assist members with commission grievances and contracts, employee changes, referrals related to bonds, insurance and health care.

ATA conducts regular meetings with members, employees, and unions to keep all affiliates up dated with any new legislature.

Talent agency licensing, laws relating to talent agents, and provision laws relating to agents in California are linked on the website so when information can be accessed easily.

This concludes our brief look at the Association of Talent Agents and what it has to offer a business involved in the talent market. The ATA is an important organization for the talent management and talent agency industry because it provides help with services from every aspect of owning a business in the talent industry.

References:

ATA http://www.agentassociation.com/index.cfm

NATR http://www.natragents.com/

Either you know what your passion is very early in life…….. If you are lucky!!!!!

Or like most of us we find that our passion takes years to figure out …….So we think!

I believe our passion surfaces the first moment someone asks, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and usually we are about five or six when we answer that question. Unfortunately, by the time we grow up and start learning from our parents, our peers, our history, and soak up all the media influences, we begin to loose our passion or push it so far back in our subconscious that we forget about it. We unknowing go though life after digesting other outside influences trying to figure out something we have only buried. Some of us remember in our early teens and some of us remember late in life, but unfortunately some of us get so distracted from life that we never remember.

I believe everything eventfully comes full circle. I can only be certain of this from my own life experiences. When I was a little girl, I answered that question by saying I wanted to be an actress. By the time I went to college I started to pursue acting but changed my major to computer programming because “they” said it was the future and that was the smart thing to do. Later I became bored with it and changed my major to communications. Years went by with me trying to play by society rules, but I would always find positions where I was the center of attention like bartending. By the way, if I could do that job forever I would, because it has all the elements I love. When I bartend I am an independent contractor, I make my own schedule, I determine my own salary and I am the center of attention for eight hours a night...... Or is that thought my passion surfacing?
Even now my passion has kept me involved in the entertainment industry as well as fuel my love for voice-acting. Passion is a strong emotion, I find that it does not matter how fast you run from it or how deep you hide from it, it will surface and some how direct your life journey.

The TED talk video I chose is called "The Third Act" with Jane Fonda, she has always allowed her passions to direct her life’s journey. Jane is one of those people I have always admired because she has always been honest about her passions though out her life. In this video, she is passionate about sharing her experiences during her present journey, the "Winter" of her life. I enjoyed the brief glimpse she gave me in this “Talk” because God willing, one day I will be on the same journey.    

One of the great actors of our generation Sherman Hemsley has passed on at age 74. He was found in his El Paso Texas home on Tuesday July 24^th 2012, the cause of death is not known but being reported due to natural causes. He was never married and had no children. Sherman was born in South Philadelphia, later moved to New York to pursue an acting career. While he studied acting at night he worked at the post office during the day. He began his career performing in plays and made his Broadway debut in the musical called Purlie; which was based on the book by Ossie Davis. Norman Lear saw him perform and offered him the role of the bigot “George Jefferson” playing opposite the rival bigot character “Archie Bunker” played by Carroll O’Conner and to join the cast of  “All in the Family.”  Sherman later got his own spin-off show called “The Jefferson’s” and the phase “moving on up” was born. We will always remember the great actor Sherman Hemsley and what contribution he made to our generation.

We had to say farewell to Sherman’s co-star Isabel Sanford on July 9, 2004 at the age of 86. She was born in Harlem New York and got her debut role in 1967 in the movie “Guess who’s coming to Dinner” opposite actors like Sidney Poitier as the maid “Tillie Binks”. Norman Lear also approached her about the role of “Louise Jefferson” for the show “All in the Family”. As the story goes, she almost didn’t accept the role because there was a bucket of Kentucky Fried chicken left for her in her dressing room. But Norman explained there was no pun intended, it was how he welcomed everyone and the rest is history.

“The Jefferson’s”  now reside in that BIG Old High Rise Apartment in the Sky!!!! They will truly be missed.

                                                          RIP Goerge and Wizzie!

References:

Kathryn Shattuck (13 July 2004). "Isabel Sanford, 86, Actress Who Portrayed Mrs. Jefferson, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-19.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/arts/television/sherman-hemsley-star-of-the-jeffersons-dies-at-74.html?hp

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People Behind the Voices

Voiceover talent is a very big area of entertainment that is not discussed as much as other areas in the industry. We all listen to voiceover artist everyday in television, radio and streaming commercials without realizing it. In a way, voice-overs as a whole is the one art we take for granted. We never pay attention to recording from the automated voice heard when we call our service companies, or when we look at our favorite documentaries, or wildlife animal specials and especially cartoons; we just expect the magic voice to tell us the story without thinking of the actor behind the scene who is reading a script; or that by simply reading words with emotion could materialize into a lucrative career just like an on screen actor or radio personality.  

Here are a few voice actors you may have heard of...........

                                         But without a doubt you have heard their voices.........

Don Lafontaine is called “The Voice” he has been the voice behind the most famous movie trailers in movie history. Don was the man who changed the industry of how movie trailers were announced. He also lends his voice to television and radio.

Keith David is just as popular on screen as he is as a voice actor behind the scenes. In front of the camera we are familiar with seeing him play roles as the big stuff intimidating type. But as a voice actor he gets the opportunity to be the voice behind a variety of different advertizing promos, commercials,  narrative spots, and cartoons.  

J.K Simmons is another actor who we all know from shows like Law and Order and The Closer as well the face of the guy from those crazy Farmers Insurance commercials. But Simmons also has an impressive voice over resume. He is also the voice of several different cartoon characters.