January 30, 2009

Big vs. Small Picture

I had breakfast with my dad this AM because my brother just had knee surgery in a hospital not too far from my apt. (awwww...feel better Dave!). We started chatting about the challenges of accomplishing the nitty-gritty, day2day details of running a small business, while also finding the time to strategize and plan, which is crucial for growth. The balance is interesting. For example, yesterday, while trying to sell in a host of sponsorships and partnership opportunities for both the NY Latino Film Festival and Cinedulce, I had to write a creative brief for HBO, edit a timeline, write recaps of both our HBO and weekly Cinedulce meetings, update our credit card account, go to the post office to mail in our state tax filing fees and take care of weekly bills. Oh, and did I mention we had a 2-hour weekly meeting in the middle of all of that? Riiiiight... That's just a load of s**t to do while also trying to move the entire organization to the next level. Thank God for yoga. ;)

TODAY'S TREAT
The Victor Cruz Show: Artist of New York
Victor's one of the funniest people I know. And, I'm psyched he's been landing a bunch of commercials, including a series of Lottery ads and now Staples. Great guy. Super talented dude. Gonna be a big success.


Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 29, 2009

Rollin' along...

How annoying are taxes? The understatement of the year, I imagine... Anyway, I have to head over to the post office in a few minutes to mail out NY State filing fees for both Cinedulce and the NY Latino Film Fest. I just needed to whine for a second, but I'm over it now. Moving on...

Okay, so we currently have A TON going on. Between the two companies, there is soooo much planning going on, it's insanity. And yet, it seems (for now) we're a well-oiled machine. It's crazy. Calix, Lyndon and I are completely on the same page, which is awesome. We just finished our weekly Thursday meeting (which you knew already, didn't you?? So clever.). We're planning on introducing a new! Cinedulce channel in a few weeks. Oh my, it's fun. In fact, I feel confident saying it's just as cool as URdulce, and that's some seriously groovy stuff. Plus, of course, we have new content uploads every Tuesday so we're all set for this upcoming Tuesday, 02/03 (side note: can you believe it's almost February already? WTF??). On the back-end, we're about to build a CMS platform so we have more direct control over the site updates. We designed the site knowing we would eventually put CMS in place; we just needed to do it in stages. So, that will be a big help to us and relief to Spoon+Fork. Finally, we think we know how we're going to promote Cinedulce at this year's NY Latino Film Fest and, trust me, it's fantabulous. Sweet.

For the NY Latino Film Fest, we have an awesome promotion we're going to introduce in the very short term. We're SOOOO excited about it. If all goes as planned, it should be a blast for you and a fitting, fun way to celebrate our 10th anniversary. So, keep your eyes and ears open for our announcement. But, of course, I'll write it here, too, so don't you worry...

TODAY'S TREAT
Windows Over Harlem, a hot music video by the great Amanda Diva, directed by the man and our boy, Lyn-don-McCray. LOVE the song. LOVE the video.



Liz.

(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 28, 2009

HBO: It's Not TV, It's (Our) Family

We had a meeting with our friends over at HBO today. I love them. They're just so great. Anyway, we discussed for a while how we can celebrate our 10th anniversary in a meaningful way without significantly adding to our budget because, as you can imagine, this is not the year to be augmenting the budget. In fact, we, like everyone, are looking for ways to cut the budget. That aside, we discussed some fun ideas that primarily revolve around talent and PR. We'll have to see how that goes but it's good to get the conversation started. AND, very soon we're going to announce the HBO/NYILFF Short Film Contest call for entries, so get ready! We all totally love that program. Thus far, the resulting shorts have been fantastic. In fact, you can check some of them out on Cinedulce.com right now! See below...

Hispaniola (very touching)





Betty La Flaca (my dad's personal fave)





Viernes Girl (hilarious!)





Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 26, 2009

1st Taste Tuesdays: 01.27.09

Okay, here's the plan: each and every Tuesday, I will dedicate my blog to promoting the new Cinedulce uploads of the week: films, videos, trailers, HBO, whatever content we think you want to see. Yes, that's every single Tuesday! So, without further ado, I bring you this week's new Cinedulce programming. Check it while it's hot!

Drama

"Killing Snakes"
3 Men, 1 girl and polo... A tongue-in-cheek telenovela x spaghetti western by friends Rick Del Castillo and Martina Amende.





URdulce

"Maria"
A fiery Latin collaboration between the Del Castillo Brothers and Latin front man Alex Ruiz. Will Maria dance the dance of forgiveness or escape the fire of passion?





"Perdoname"
Song by Del Castillo. Video directed by Dennis Aig and Carl Thiel.







"Killing Snakes"
(Official Trailer)

Watch trailer for Killing Snakes, a short film about 3 Men, 1 girl and polo.


HBO Latino

Road Trip 5: "Cubanito"
Patty and Rephstar look for the famous Cuban sandwich.





HABLA YA: "Quirogas"






HABLA YA: "Rachel"

Sick? Who Has the Time??

Here's the thing about owning your own small company, there's no one else to do your work. It's sounds obvious, but you don't realize the burden until you have it. To a certain extent, it's like being an only parent. I say this because I have the flu. In fact, I've had it since Friday. It's not been a pleasant few days, I must say, but this, too, shall pass. Even now, I'm thoroughly exhausted and, although certainly feeling better than the weekend, am still battling this persistent little bugger of a virus. That aside, because my Friday was totally shot and I was in D.C. on Tuesday and part of Wednesday, I started to get nervous yesterday (Sunday!) because I have so much pressure to raise sponsorship for the NY Latino Film Festival and Cinedulce. Time is of the essence in this business. You realize, of course, I've been working on sponsorship since September '08. But, no matter. In this economy, it can feel like you've done nothing, or, at the least, not enough. It's fairly stressful. So, yesterday, on my couch and in my pajamas, I busted out two customized proposals for agencies who contacted me with potential client interest. Neither of these potential partners has a huge budget, but that's somewhat irrelevant. Every partner contributes to the fundraising goal and, in its own way, to overall the event experience. This is why you build customized, tiered partnerships and benefits packages... so you can be flexible and accommodate partners of varying sizes.

Side note: did you watch the SAG awards last night? I thought there were some surprises in there, including Meryl Streep's win for Best Actress. It's not that Meryl isn't a genius (hello!)... I just didn't think she was going to win. It was also interesting Sean Penn beat out Mickey Rourke. This should make for an interesting Oscars. Ironically, this afternoon I was supposed to have a meeting with the SAG diversity folks, but I postponed it for obvious reasons... just sort of funny. Alas, we have rescheduled for next Tuesday.

Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 23, 2009

Silver Lining

I just found out I have the flu (ugh!), so I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I was thinking yesterday about the economy and I'd like to offer a not-so-insignificant silver lining: all companies are being forced to realize efficiencies across the board, top to bottom. Belt tightening can be a very healthy process, allowing companies to look more closely at how and where they spend money. From the entrepreneurial perspective, it's particularly interesting because our belts are always tight. As a result, we're programmed to make every dollar count. You really can't afford to be greedy personally or lazy about negotiating with vendors or lax about monitoring expenditures because you just don't have any fat to cut. I repeat, every dollar counts. So, small companies are, by nature, very lean. Maybe now some of the larger companies will take their cues from upstarts and apply a more conservative, vigilant approach to fiscal matters.

Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 22, 2009

Growing Pains

Our weekly Cinedulce meetings are the bomb... uh, excuse me, da bomb. ;) I love them. Yes, I realize how tremendously dorky that sounds, but lo que sea. No matter how efficient we try to be, though, they always seem to last for 2+ hours. Never fails. In today's meeting, we had a conference call with our creative agency, Spoon and Fork, to do a full walk-through of the site, including all of our recent edits and changes, new architectural elements and back-end configurations, new capabilities (you can search now!!), etc. I'm really so proud of us. I can't even believe this is our site and our company. I think I mentioned this, but Spoon and Fork won a design award for the site. Check this out: http://www.gdusa.com/contests/agda/08/winners/types/se.php?x=int2288-edi2287

We discussed a load of other stuff, which is largely irrelevant here, but we did discuss one thing that's super important: filmmakers - we need your help! It's time to start spreading the word about Cinedulce. Post your video/film on your personal profiles, share links and promote. Your our most effective marketing arms and legs, so hop to it. It's all about word of mouth and viral buzz. If this site is to realize success, drive advertising and sponsors and help bolster the entire Latino/Urban filmmaking community, then we all have to support it now by telling friends and family to check it out. Be proud... this is your art!

That aside, right now I'm all about trying to balance operational/organizational stuff with selling both the festival and Cinedulce. It's far more challenging than one might expect. You know, things are always so simple when you first consider them. Then you wake up one day and realize, seemingly overnight, it's evolved into something far more complicated. That's true of life, right? Time is that most precious commodity, which sometimes seems to slip through my fingers. How many calls can I make in one day? How many proposals can I customize in one week? How many meeting recaps, follow-ups, reminders, charts, budgets, checks/bills, interviews, etc. can I realize in any given period? It's ridonculous. You can only do your best. Pressure from the NY Latino Film Festival is always the heaviest because there's a finite window to close deals and a basic cost to cover. Calixto and I have been working hard on cutting that budget because it's starting to skyrocket and, although never a desired trajectory, it's certainly more so in a near-depression economy. The festival has grown by approximately 30% annually, a statistic about which we're super proud. But, that growth has a price: mushrooming budgets, increasing sponsor and consumer expectations, escalating talent demands, swelling vendor fees, expanding staffing needs... The flip side, of course, is there are far worse problems to have than growing pains. So, I welcome this pain... sort of. ;)

Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 21, 2009

Calling All Armchair Directors!!

In celebration of the inauguration of President Barak Obama, a champion of sharing ideas and creativity, we are proud to introduce URdulce, a showcase for the sweetest works created by you! Music videos, trailers, student works, short films… we want it all! Some of the content we’ve already received includes music videos from Amanda Diva and Rik Cordero and Nancy Mitchell’s Three 21 Films, (NAS, Joell Ortiz), hilarious sketches from comedy troupe, Room 28, and funny man, Victor Cruz, and much, much more.

El más grande gracias to the talent
that has already submitted incredible work! Check out what what’s there and upload what you’ve got because this is URdulce!

Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 19, 2009

NY2DC: Going Down to Witness 'The Rising'


Talk about groovy technology... I'm literally sitting on the bus on the way down to D.C. and there's free Internet access. Now, that's cool. Oh, and the driver just broke out the movie, "Hancock". This bus is better than most planes!

Regardless, I'm heading down to D.C. to witness/participate in/celebrate the inauguration of President Elect Barak Obama. Yesterday, I watched the free concert on HBO. I honestly have to say I was moved. I mean, it was literally inspiring. And, although you can see an equally diverse collection of talent sharing the stage at an event like the Grammy's, it's signficantly more awesome, more powerful, in this context. Obviously, the backdrop of Lincoln Memorial doesn't hurt in the drama department. But, really, I just think this nation was desperate to be inspired, desperate for new leadership that understands, appreciates and, in this case, represents the new, diverse face of the United States. We have progressed; we have evolved into a multiethnic melting pot of lifestyle preferences, political ideologies and cultural identities. Somewhere, Martin Luther King, Jr. is grinning ear-to-ear, deeply proud to see his once romantic dream come to glorious fruition. I believe the wise words of Will Smith as Hancock serve an apt message from the U.S. to the world, "I can be better. I will be better."

On a different note, Calixto, Aneudy (our super, new office manager) and I have a bet about how many film submissions the festival will receive this year. Calixto is convinced the number of submissions will be lower than last year due to the economy. My position is filmmakers make their films come hell or high water; nothing stops filmmakers from pursuing their creative vision. Aneudy took the middle-ground position. I'm already starting to consider what to do with my $40... ;)

Enjoy, respect and value this and every MLK Day.

Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 16, 2009

It's All About the Plan, Man.


Last night, I finally completed and emailed a customized Cinedulce proposal to a key division of a very big media company. Basically, I know a fella at one brand owned by the parent; he e-tro'd (email introduced) me to a contact at another brand that has more direct relevance to both the NY Int'l Latino Film Festival and Cinedulce. That contact requested I first send her an overview of the company and thoughts on a potential partnership. Reasonable request. So, that's the proposal I sent out last night. Hopefully, we'll connect when I return from D.C. (GoBama!)

That aside, Calix, Lyndon and I had our weekly mtg yesterday. In case you're keeping track, which I'm SURE you are, we moved our meeting from Wednesdays to Thursdays. Whoopding. Anyhow, we are finally launching our new channel this Tuesday, 01/20. I'll tell you all about it on Tuesday, but I think our timing is somewhat poignant (in terms of coinciding with Obama's inauguration). Mas en eso luego...

We also have another new channel launch in February, so there's LOTS going on. AND, we have a whole other project that's muy chevere! That should be ready by end of March/early April and, if all goes well, we'll have another installation in mid-June. Plus, of course, Calixto and I are deep in planning for the NYILFF and have started discussing a cool idea for our 10th anniversary creative campaign. Can't wait to run it by HBO!! Clearly, there's lots of planning going on...which leads me to an important discussion we had about the absolute need to lay out a plan for the short-, mid-, and longer terms. It can be challenging to project in the longer term because it's unclear where the company will be in terms of resources, growth, partners, programs, etc. But, I still think it's crucial to look far ahead and project what needs to get done today in order to prepare and position yourself for reaching that goal tomorrow, particularly in terms of time lines. The older I get, the faster time flies. I can't even believe it's already mid-January. In the blink of an eye, it will be July and time for me to write my NYILFF Opening Night audience address (ay dios mio!!). If we don't carefully plan the next 7 months, we potentially will miss valuable opportunities for both companies. So, there it is; it's all about the plan, man. Have a great weekend and bundle up all of you East Coast-ers!

Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 15, 2009

Smile

Happiness seems to be a big topic of discussion, as of late. Obviously, the less-than-stellar state of this nation, much less planet, has placed a big, fat, dark cloud overhead. On The Today Show this AM, a couple of women were talking about how to be happy. They essentially espoused the familiar philosophy of focusing on the journey, not the destination. Stop and smell the flowers. Enjoy the little things in life because, in essence, that is life. More specifically, that's living. Yes, it's trite; but, it also happens to be true.

Here's what I decided: entrepreneurs are inherently happy people. Stay with me... if you can define happiness as enjoying life's little victories, then entrepreneurs have to be happy people because the entire process is based on those little victories. Half of the excitement and adrenaline of working outside of the 'establishment' is seeing results, proving you can do it on your own; even the littlest fruits of your labor are pure joy and gratification. I literally can't even tell you the ecstasy I experienced when I landed Miramax as my first client for Garnish, my boutique promotions agency that ultimately led to the NY Int'l Latino Film Festival and Cinedulce. I totally remember telling my brother the story from my parked rental car in L.A. - total insanity. I feel that same joy every time I close a partnership for the NYILFF and Cinedulce. Each and every one is valuable and pushes us one step closer to our vision. And, for the record, I still always call my family to tell them the news. I believe you definitely need to have in mind a clear vision of your destination
(aka 'exit strategy'), but you really can't focus too much on it. If nothing else, it's way too scary. It's like asking someone who's never been swimming to try scuba diving... ain't gonna happen. Instead, hold that vision, that big-picture dream, close to your heart and head, but focus your day-to-day efforts on the baby steps that can, hopefully, lead to giant leaps. You may never reach that original goal. You may end up in a totally different place than you imagined, but that's okay. In fact, it may be great because you may be in a better place. You just never know what lies just around the corner. The new dawn brings new opportunities and new experiences. You always have reasons to be happy. Stay focused on what you have, not what you don't, and you'll find that positivity will attract more positivity, more good things, more happiness.

Plus, I've found in business (and life), one destination is often just the beginning of another journey. So, really, there's only one finale and I'm sure you agree that's a bit late to start enjoying life and being happy. So, in the infinite words of Bobby McFerrin, "Don't worry. Be happy."


Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 14, 2009

It's a Glengarry Glen Ross Kind of Day

You ever have one of those days when you feel like all you're doing all day long is emailing proposals? Riiight... So, my friend Andrew, CEO of Remezcla (www.Remezcla.com), and I finally finished our partnership proposal for an awesome integrated online/offline program we developed a couple of months ago. Andrew and I have been friends for a while and we finally sat down to talk about how we can work together, especially with Cinedulce, because our businesses are super complementary (as opposed to complimentary, for all of you grammar freaks like me). Alas, in one lunch we busted out this insanely cool program 'cause that's how we roll. Now, however, it's time to sell. Between the NYILFF and this new Cinedulce/Remezcla program, which has a fairly short sell window because we're hoping to launch it during Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15/09 - 10/15/09) and companies tend to plan at least 3 quarters in advance, I'm up to my eyeballs in sponsorship outreach. And, yes, I just sent Allison the new proposal to feel out her contacts.

On a different note, yesterday we all agreed we should be ready to launch our new Cinedulce channel this upcoming Tuesday, 01/20. Could I be more psyched? Perhaps not.

Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 13, 2009

Ay, Que Bueno!

Oh, what a beautiful day! First off, Calixto met with the folks who run a new NYC theater and it's apparently GREAT. To clarify, it's an old theater (in prime location) that has new owners; they virtually gutted the place and, from what I've heard and seen in pix, did an awesome job. They seemed to have thought of everything: two houses (one large, one mid-size); brand new, top-of-the-line technology; built-in reception area; several private/VIP green rooms for talent; direct, street-side exits to ease traffic flow; two box offices, etc. AND, the price was totally reasonable! Can you believe it?? Que suerte! So, we have locked in our first two screens for the '09 NY Int'l Latino Film Festival. This is very exciting news. I'm telling you... it may not seem like a big deal to you, but locking in venues can be a total b**tch, especially in NYC in the summer. It's no easy task, so this is huge.

In other good news, I just had a new sponsor confirm its participation in this year's festival. Yay! They will be presenting the Audience Award, which is super groovy. I'd love to share the brand name, but, alas, I cannot... soon, I promise. I just want to hammer out some details before publicizing the partnership. Plus, there is an opportunity to work with this partner on mini-events throughout the year, which I LOVE. Suffice it to say, I'm psyched and really look forward to working with these guys.

THEN, we received a great email from a group that wants to include their Cannes short film on Cinedulce.com. Um...OKAY! AND, they have award-winning music videos for us. Si, si!!

Finally, I had lunch with Allison, my new sponsorship partner-in-crime. She really seems to get it. She's already on the move and talking to her contacts. As always, fingers crossed. Onward and upward...

Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 12, 2009

Animal Instincts

Gracious, me oh my! I'm sorry this is so late, but today just somehow got away from me. Part of the reason the day flew by is because I had a great, long lunch with our event producer for the festival. Yep, it's time again to start planning staffing, venues, operations, etc. Anyway, she owns a boutique event/PR firm so we ended up chatting a bunch about the challenges of running your own business. We both agreed the two hardest factors are making enough money to get over the hump of just keeping your head above water (i.e., all the incoming $ no longer needs to be dumped back into the biz), and management. My dad has always told me this: good or bad management can make or break any company, no matter how much positive momentum it may have. On a more specific level, we talked about how difficult it can be to balance friendship and business. That is, small companies are inherently more social and personal. People are working very hard for very little money in very close quarters because, presumably, they believe in the bigger vision and are inspired by the process of trying to realize that vision as a team... all for one and one for all type thing. But the reality is, everyone is not equal in the work environment: there are bosses and there are employees/staff. The line can easily blur: feelings get hurt, conversations misinterpreted, constructive criticisms internalized. It's just hard to have a beer with someone one night and then have to tell them what to do the next AM. I've learned thru the years to do my best to separate my personal and professional lives. I try to be as friendly and generous as possible, but I don't really divulge much personally. It just confuses things. It's like letting your dog sleep in your bed. Dogs are pack animals and there is always an alpha. If you let your dog sleep on your bed with you, the power dynamic gets muddled. No good. The web site Professor's House says about having dogs in your bed, "By allowing them equality at night time, we are being completely unfair to them by expecting them to recognize their appropriate place during the day...You are sending them the signal that they are sharing in your leadership, and this signal is likely to at least eventually carry over into other aspects of their pack life." So, remember: keep lines clear and always be the alpha... but in a sweet way! ;)

Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 8, 2009

Let the awards season begin!

Holy guacamole - yesterday was some kinda day. Muy ocupado! I think I was on the phone for 3 hours preceded by a 2.5 hour meeting with Calixto and Lyndon. And, that's just half of the day! But, ooohhh... we have some very fun stuff planned. I can't wait to show it to you! Alas, tenga paciencia...

On the industry tip, in case you live under a very large, very heavy rock (or, don't give a s**t, which I certainly understand), the 66th Annual Golden Globes are this Sunday, 09/11. The Globes traditionally mark the beginning of a very long, very drawn-out awards season which culminates with the graddaddy of them all, the Oscars. It's basically one extremely long parade of teary acceptance speeches, camera flashes, high couture and higher heels, extreme dieting, botox, borrowed bling and air kisses. Considering the less than stellar state of the Union, it'll be interesting to see if: 1. anyone takes advantage of the airtime to comment on the changing of the presidential guard; and, 2. folks are a bit more understated and respectful of the fact we're in a recession, bordering on depression. It's fairly tacky to sport a 20-carat diamond pendant when the national unemployment rate, from 'main street' to Wall Street', is through the roof (come on, you know I just wanted to say main street to Wall Street). It just seems this maybe isn't the ideal time to flaunt excessive wealth and materialism. On the other hand, Hollywood, to some extent, may actually provide some level of relief and comfort from the constant barrage of depressing news about Iraq, the Middle East and the economy. Watching celebs is like watching the entertainment that makes them so astronomically wealthy: it's total escapism and fantasy. It's not even aspirational because I'm not sure most of America really thinks it (like Beyonce) will rake in $80+ million in any given year, much less a lifetime. This is why box office tends to boom while the economy busts - people just need a mental and emotional distraction, if even for just 2 short hours. So, all of that said, maybe what America really craves is an indulgent night to watch egregious fabulosity?

One last not-so-little afterthought... from a Latino standpoint, there's very little representation: Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and America Ferrera seem to be it (plus, Javier and Penelope are in the same film, Woody Allen's awesome "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"). Quite frankly, the Asian and African-American community don't fare much better. The good news, however, is two of the very best films of the year are "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Slumdog Millionaire" - Spanish & Indian. That's a good sign, right? Hollywood - get with the program, numskulls!


~ Liz
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

'09 NYILFF CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!!

TENTH ANNUAL NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL LATINO FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2009 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
****
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF CINEMATIC EXCELLENCE

January 6, 2009 (New York, NY) – Commemorating its 10th year anniversary, the New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF), presented by HBO, today announced its open call for 2009 film submissions.

Deadlines to submit U.S. and international films for the 2009 NYILFF are:

* OFFICIAL DEADLINE FEBRUARY 27, 2009
* LATE DEADLINE MARCH 20, 2009

Showcasing films that present a cross-section of the diverse Latino culture to an audience of over 20,000 film fans and industry executives from throughout the U.S., the NYILFF is now the premier marketplace for Latino film.

The NYILFF will consider films featuring, about and/or for the Latino community. It will consider all forms and genres, including: feature narrative, short films, documentary and experimental . All projects must have been completed by no earlier than 2007. Projects in a language other English must have English subtitles. Films cannot have been broadcast (television or Internet) or distributed commercially in the U.S. prior to the festival. Exceptions are made for short films and documentaries.

The NYILFF is scheduled to take place in July, 2009. Submission forms and complete information regarding eligibility for the 2009 NY International Latino Film Festival are available at: http://www.NYLatinoFilm.com

About NYILFF
Launched in 1999, the New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF) is now the premier Urban Latino film event in the country. The NYILFF's mission is to showcase the works of the hottest emerging Latino filmmaking talent in the U.S. and Latin America, offer expansive images of the Latino experience, and celebrate the diversity and spirit of the Latino community. Programming includes the flagship film festival in NYC, new music and art showcases, family and community events, scholarships for aspiring filmmakers, and a nationally recognized short film competition in partnership with HBO. The NYILFF is the only film event to have had the endorsement of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's NYC Latin Media and Entertainment Commission since its formation in 2003.

HBO® is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

GOOD LUCK, FILMMAKERS!

~ Liz
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 7, 2009

Indie talent comin' out of the woodwork

I tell ya - that social networking is no joke. I think I talked about it once before (who can remember, at this point??), but now we're getting emails from all sorts of cool, talented filmmakers looking to include their work on Cinedulce.com. Super-fantastic! I just checked out yet another director and both of his music videos are strong and perfect for Cinedulce.com. Plus, the songs are kickin', so that certainly helps. But, more importantly, the videos, themselves, are polished. I think a lot of folks assume indie music videos are, by definition, low quality -- grainy, thrown together and sort of goofy. But, that's really not the case, not anymore, at least - especially with new digital film and editing technologies. Plus, music videos can be a real showcase for a filmmaker's talent. A music video is like a short film; it's a calling card that can lead to bigger and better. Case in point: David Fincher. David started as a high profile music video director, shooting videos for such megastars as The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Sting. He parlayed that experience into feature films, starting with the Brad Pitt/Gwyneth Paltrow thriller "Se7en" (the rockin' opening and closing credits - Bowie & Nine Inch Nails - were literally the coolest parts of the movie... well, that and the jeepers-creepers ending). You may have heard of Fincher's most recent film... just a little side project called, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". ;) So, come on directors, don't be shy -- show us what you got!

~ Liz
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 6, 2009

Interviews...

Okay, so yesterday's interview was actually really fun. Who the hell knows how we look or what we said, but it turned out to be a fun discussion about what it means to be a dreamer, the value of providing our youth arts education and access (particularly underprivileged, Urban youth who are largely deprived of creative resources) and how the partnership between Calixto and me came about. The interviewer was Luis Salgado, founder of R.Evolution Latina, "a collective of artists and activists committed to empowering the artistic community in order to inspire growth within the Latino community through collaboration, productions and educational support programs". Among other things, Luis is the Latin Assistant Choreographer and in the ensemble ("Jose") of 2008 Tony 'Best Musical' winner, "In the Heights". He's super groovy and totally committed to his mission - a real inspiration. We're discussing some ways in which we can team up, including the possibility of a free, youth dance showcase at the '09 NYILFF. But, again, we just started discussions, so we're still working on the concept and opportunities. You can read more about the org. @ www.revolucionlatina.org.

Speaking of interviews, I just met with a great college student looking to intern with us this summer. Coincidentally, this AM, I chatted with another college student (from FLORIDA!) who's seeking a summer internship. Both called us re:Cinedulce, not the festival, which is VERY interesting. Of course, they'll work on both Cinedulce and the NYILFF b/c summertime is festival time, folks -- you know that! But, still, it's surprising and somewhat exciting. Slowly but surely, word seeps out...

~ Liz
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com

January 5, 2009

Now, I'm REALLY back.

Happy New Year!!
I swear, this time I'm back for good... or, at least, until the next long break. :) Anyway, I hope you had a great holiday, feel refreshed and are ready get back to chasing your dreams.
I know I am...

This afternoon, Calix and I have a little web interview. I'm not really sure what the deal is, so I guess I'll give you the skinny tomorrow. But, I'm glad it's scheduled for today b/c the first few days back after the long holiday break are usually a bit strange. That is, folks are busy reconnecting with co-workers (gotta love the water cooler chats) and getting back in the groove... catching up on email and snail mail, returning calls, attending internal planning meetings, etc. I think it takes a couple of days for everyone to get back in the swing of things -- organizationally and mentally. Anyhoodles, the point is this is a good use of part of our day. Plus, tonight, I'm going to a Spanish-language meet-up group in a local bar. If I'm EVER going to be fluent, necesito practicar, practicar, practicar...

The truth is I thought I wasn't going to feel ready to hop back on the wagon; 2008 was a unique year, both thrilling and exhausting, full of great growth and some frustrating setbacks (thank you, Mr. Bush and the economic meltdown): typical entrepreneurial roller coaster. But, I actually feel totally ready to hit the ground running. This just isn't the time to sit back and chill. The frightening economy makes it even more imperative we're out there, aggressively pursuing sponsors and partners because, generally speaking, there is even less money to go around. Does it freak me out? Oh sure. Yep, uh huh. Indeed. The plus side, however, is I've recently read a bunch of articles about how multicultural budgets are rising, as are the budgets for grassroots/event marketing (marketers are trying harder to target their consumer in more direct, personal channels - aka "relationship marketing"). Plus, as I've discussed in previous musings, film is always strong during hard economic times (cheap escapism). Sooooo... let's see how accurate these trends are and how that works out for the NY Int'l Latino Film Festival and Cinedulce.

Enjoy the first full week of 2009 and don't forget to check out the brand, spankin' new Cinedulce.com. Hotness.

~ Liz
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com