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Road Trip 7 - “Everybody Needs an Ari”Patty and Rephstar are the Latino Entourage in search of hot chocolate. 
HABLA YA Ismael 2 In this fifth installment of the popular HABLA series, HABLA YA takes it back to where it all started...New York. Latinos from various backgrounds share their funny, often touching anecdotes and real-life accounts of what it means to be Latino in this city.
Liz.(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com
So, what'd you think of the Grammy's? There were some unexpected winners (e.g., Adele for Best New Artist), but I'm so tired of the predictability of Album of the Year. They ALWAYS pick the older, more traditional music. It's ridiculous. I'm not saying the Alison Krauss/Robert Plan album isn't fantastic. It's just - come on - take a chance and try representing the youth generation for a change. It's like when Herbie Hancock beat out Kanye. WTF? I can't believe this year's A.O.T.Y. didn't go to Lil' Wayne (or maybe Coldplay). Your thoughts?
On a more personal note, my meeting on Friday afternoon with the QSR agency went great. Well, at least, I think it went great. You never really know how a meeting goes until you lock in the partner (or, as my dad says, when the check clears...LOL. Love that.). But, it seemed to go as well as I could have hoped. I already knew a couple of the folks there and others not only knew of the NY Latino Film Fest, but had attended in previous years. That familiarity obviously made the pitch much easier. Anyhoodles, we discussed some cool activation ideas that would be great for our guests, the fest and the client; you gotta love the win-win-win scenarios. And, now, we wait...Later this afternoon, I have my beauty call. I REALLY hope that goes well. We had a very positive experience with this particular client in '08 so, obviously, I'm hoping they are interested not only in continuing the partnership, but, ideally, in growing it. We shall see... In the meantime, I need to spend this entire day busting out the wireless proposal for this big presentation tomorrow. I was really hoping to have it done on Friday but I had way too much to do and that QSR meeting basically cut my day in half. I can only do what I can do. So, now it's time to focus. I've got two big days. Wish me luck!
TODAY'S TREAT
2008 NYILFF Promo Spot: Jenn Pinto
Okay, I know this is from 2008, but I still love it. When we shot the '08 NYILFF commercial, the actors were so hilarious we decided to cut promo spots, each one focusing on a different actor/duo. Jenn's is one of my favorites, but check out the others, too. Honestly, they're all awesome. Huge props to Lyndon McCray for editing them all.
Liz.(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com
Big day: this afternoon, I'm meeting with the agency for the QSR that has expressed serious interest in partnering with the '09 NY Latino Film Fest. This would be the second time we've worked with this brand, but the first go-round was back in 2005... so, I'm pretty psyched to be back in talks with them. Plus, if I can get some of the volunteers fed through this partnership - even better! I already wrote the proposal, so I'm good to go. As always, fingers crossed.
In the meantime, I still need to get this wireless proposal knocked out for Tuesday's meeting, which is really more like a presentation than a traditional meeting. Apparently, they're having an entire 'film day', where I assume different film organizations will present their dog-and-pony show. We have a 1-hour afternoon time slot to razzle-dazzle. OH! And, as of last night, on Monday, I have the eagerly anticipated conference call with the beauty brand I'm hoping to woo back into the fold. If nothing else, things are heating up and that's a good sign. Movement is clearly better than stasis when it comes to partnership outreach.
On a totally different tip, last night, I had a little reunion with my peeps from Shooting Gallery, the now-defunct film company where I worked through much of my 20's. In 2001, the company, which enjoyed a short-lived but very electric ride as the nation's hottest indie film company, came crashing down in true Hollywood fashion: big, explosive drama with high powered lawsuits, rumors of imminent jail time and shattered home lives. Anyway, we were the marketing team and we went through A LOT together. That company was psychotic frenzy. Amidst the reminiscing, I was thinking to myself how remarkable it is we're all still such good friends. There have been divergent professional paths, marriages, babies, personal challenges and triumphs and yet here we were, having a beer at Old Town Bar, just like the good old days (though, back then, we could usually be found at Antarctica on Varick St.). I told them it reminded me of St. Elmo's Fire... you know, minus crazy Demi Moore rocking back and forth in the cold, empty room.
TODAY'S TREAT
Latino
Check out this music video by Joell Ortiz,
directed by Rik Cordero.
Liz (P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com
I learned a new tech term: geoblocking. Man, that sounds fancy. It's exactly what it sounds like: it's the ability literally to block folks from outside the U.S. from viewing your web content. Groovy. I learned it because we may need to incorporate geoblocking capabilities for some new HBO content we're getting. You learn something every day...
Okay, enough with the vocab lesson... I just got off the phone with a friend, who's helping me with some sponsorship outreach, among other things. We just thought of the coolest Cinedulce idea to pitch one of her clients. Even if that client passes, it's super groovy and can be adapted to several brand categories, but it's particularly relevant to those brands that have a strong event component in their overall marketing mix. That's exciting, right? But, you know what that means... time to write another proposal. Ay dios! Enough with the proposals already. I can't wait to have someone write this stuff for me. It's just endless.
On a different tip, I just received a call from the agency that handles a major beauty brand that we're been pitching for many months. In fact, we worked with them on an introductory level at the 2008 NYILFF and are hoping to bring them back this year on a more significant level. Well, as it happens, they have a set of meetings scheduled with the client for tomorrow (Friday) and Monday. They plan to call me during one of those days to discuss partnership for this year. Seriously, folks, cross those fingers. This could be good...
TODAY'S TREAT
A Girl Like MeFor those of you who underestimate the voice and talent of our youth, check out this touching documentary by teen Kiri Davis. Reel Works Teen Filmmaking presents a film that explores the standards of beauty imposed on today's black girls. How do these standards affect their self-esteem and self-image?
Liz. (P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com
Wow, this economic crisis is really not pretty, not pretty at all. I'm sure you heard the latest victim is Macy's, which just cut 7,000 jobs (approx. 4% of its total workforce). I guess I should stop calling them for a while, huh? I don't even know if my contacts there survived this round of layoffs. Right, so, my point is for those of us trying to raise money from Corporate America, these would be somewhat challenging times (euphemistically speaking).
Yesterday, Calixto and I had a meeting with one of the major film unions. Really like them - good people who get it. Of course, their budgets are tight as ever. Shocking. We're discussing some valuable barter opportunities - opportunities that may help cut some line items so it can be positioned as the equivalent of a small donation - but it's still a wee bit frustrating. Truth told, even in the best of times, unions can't compete in the sponsorship arena. They try to make small donations and provide other benefits that are valuable to the execution of your event. So, it's not like we were crushed or even surprised. But, you know, every partner counts and small partners add up. Or, in honor of MLB spring training (Go Mets!), which is about to begin, single base hits add up to home runs. As I've mentioned before, I never disregard even the smallest potential partner.The other side of the coin is we have some very positive momentum with a few major corporations, one of which is the previously mentioned QSR. That meeting is now set for Friday, so I'm preparing for it today. Then, I have a big wireless presentation on Tuesday, for which I need to prep as soon as this other proposal is ready to go. I also have another wireless company with serious interest, so that's very encouraging for the category, in general. And, fingers crossed, today I should hear back from a previous partner (spirits category) that is looking to augment its participation with us. I'm hoping to hear from the agency today. There are other things in the works, but these are the most imminent. Put out the good vibes for us!!
TODAY'S TREAT
Just Ralph A short that wrecks the western media stereotype of Palestinians by showing a "day in the life" of Ralph, a Palestinian-American grocery store owner. Directed by Clifton Watson.
Liz.(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com
Isn't tax season fun?? I'm sitting here going through our entire 2008 budget and staff list to compile for our accountant a 1099 chart. Fun times...
That aside, we have a meeting tomorrow with SAG (Screen Actors Guild). I think I mentioned previously, they have a renewed multicultural effort, which is fantastic not only for us but for the union, in general. The NY Latino Film Festival has worked with SAG a few times, but not in the recent past so it'd be great to have them back on board as a partner in '09, our 10th anniversary. It's just sort of fitting. That's one deck I need to customize today. I'm also waiting for confirmation on a meeting for later this week with the agency for a major QSR (quick service restaurant). We partnered with this particular QSR once before and it was a great relationship. Apparently, there's interest in returning to promote a new product introduction. I happen to be fairly good friends with the agency contact, so that helps move things along. It's just nice when you already have a relationship there. So, that's deck #2 I need to customize.
On another tip, on Friday, I chatted with Jeff, one of my key sponsor coordinators from last year. Jeff's awesome and, it seems, is back on board for '09. Phew! Among many other virtues, Jeff's the RSVP king. Although RSVP'ing seems like a simple process, it can spin totally out of control, especially with a film fest that has a zillion events over the course of one week. It's honestly ridiculous. Plus, Michele (our intern) has already committed to working with me on the fest and I think I've found the third amigo for my personal team. So, now I just need to consider the best way to distribute the work and define roles. Go team!
TODAY'S TREAT
Habla Ya: Jaime
As one of the members of comedy troupe Room 28, Jaime is hilarious. Check him out here in HBO Latino's Habla Ya segment when he talks about where his dad gave him s**t for not knowing an answer on Jeopardy! Funny stuff.
Liz.
(P.L.H.H.)
www.Cinedulce.com
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