Producing Full-time

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to keep you up to date on what's going on out here with us. Hopefully you know that Jenny and I moved about a month ago to Irvine (about 20 miles further south from LA) to be closer to our church and friends. Part of the reason for the move further from LA is because I'm leaving my job at the Sci Fi Channel at the end of this month. It has been a great experience there and I really needed to spend some time in the industry to gain knowledge and confidence. I've met some great people up there and great business contacts to keep in touch with; but I won't miss much about the job, except maybe riding the train (despite the 4-hour commute everyday). I've been ready to leave Sci Fi for quite some time, and now I feel like I have a better grasp of how this business works and more prepared to step out and take another risk.

This new opportunity is not quite as big as moving out here to California, though, and I feel more secure about it. You might know that I've been helping my friend Jacob Roebuck to produce an independent feature film over the past several months. The shooting is mostly done and we are now in the post-production process, on schedule to have a finished movie by the end of April. Until now I've just been a passive advisor, but in March I'm coming on as a full producer to help Jake finish the film. On this project, I'm letting him take the lead as he has risked much to get this far. But in a month or so (when we're closer to finishing this film) we are forming a production company as equal partners to begin making more films together.

In the past I've been very cautious about this sort of venture as it can be dangerous for friendships. But watching the progress of the production this far has helped me feel much more comfortable and confident about it. We also have a similar vision and motivation for being here in California. It was a tough decision to let go of my infant career in television, but my involvement in TV is far from over and I feel that the more experience I get writing and producing indy films, the better chance I will have to create content in any medium. Jenny and I both feel at peace with this small change in direction but we're both also a bit nervous and very excited.

We have a document (let me know if you'd like to see it) to help people understand more about what we're doing with this current project entitled, Coyote County Loser. Again, this is really Jacob's baby and I've come on board to help him finish it and make a profit so that we can continue with more projects (we're hoping to shoot another one this fall). This investor packet explains a bit more about what we're doing. (Jenny did the design for the document - excellent, of course). Though fund-raising is going to be my main job over the next several weeks, I've never felt it wise to ask family and friends to invest in business ventures, so I'm not asking for your financial involvement.

That said, I would love your help in spreading the word about what I'm doing and passing this information on to other people that you know who might be able and interested in making an investment. We've already raised about $60k and we need to raise another $120k to finish and market the film (aka sell it to a distributor and make a return on our shareholders' investment). You can also find more info at www.coyotecountyloser.com

Mostly I just wanted to give you all a heads up on what we're doing now. Jenny is unsure about her future at Biola and is still considering whether she wants to move on or not. We both went on a middle school youth retreat last weekend into the mountains near Big Bear (with our good friends Tyler and Alison Carroll leading). That was a lot of fun to see snow again and get into the wilderness. We've really enjoyed being more involved in ministry at RockHarbor (and I've been glad to be involved without being on staff ;-)

We miss you all and hope to get back east to visit sometime soon... Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.