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April Art: Upper East Side Edition
- Posted on 7th Apr
- Category:
Pres. George W Bush art From NYT, Brandon Thibodeaux

I didn’t have time to make it to Dallas, Texas to see George W. Bush’s new art, but I did make it to similar environs, on the Upper East Side, and caught some amazing work worth seeing in April. Without even stepping into a museum, I was able to catch multiple incredible shows, and I recommend them all (and this list is in order of awesomeness).

DAMIAN LOEB: Sol*D at Acquavella

Loeb’s paintings are masterful oil works of interstellar landscapes. Photorealism is not a pejorative here, and the back story of how he makes them (flying in innermost outer-space, using Hubble images, etc) is almost as interesting as the work itself. Seems he’s moved from quantum physics as expressed through his nude wife (!) to greater meanderings, regardless, they’re more beautiful. This one ends April 11th, so hit it soon.

RAYMOND PETTIBON: ARE YOUR MOTIVES PURE? Surfers 1985-2103 at Venus over Manhattan

Venus Over Manhattan hasn’t made a misstep with a show in the past year, they just nail it every time. This first-ever collection of all of the surfer paintings of Pettibon are a must-see. Viewing them, I was convinced he caught elements that only a surfer would notice, but alas I learned he was never a surfer though he lived off Venice beach (and neither am I, thus the mistake). But he does catch the rough, the tumble and the froth of the active ocean. I’d love to know the back-story of how his parents made both him and Greg Ginn of Black Flag…whose iconic image he made, and who he played with (as Panic) briefly. Loved his album covers (esp for Sonic Youth) and love these even more. Through May 17th.

MODERN FURIES: THE LESSONS AND LEGACY OF WORLD WAR I at Galerie St. Etienne

No one caught the horrors of war better than Otto Dix, who served on the front line trenches of WWI for four years (machine gun squad, wounded multiple times). He captured this hell in a rough style, that laid bare the realities of a war that wasn’t much reported to the public (the grisly details, that is), and this, along with his later paintings of who was taking over Germany probably led Hitler to lump him in with the Degenerate Art exhibit, and banish him off to painting landscapes for the remainder of his career (which have their own subtext and tone, worthy of serious reconsideration, but that’s another post, in the meantime, see this from Montreal and NYC a few years ago). This excellent show at Galerie St. Etienne, pairs many of his horrors from WWI with those of Beckman, Baldessari, Schiele and a handful of others, plus some war poster ephemera. At a time when world wars are starting to enter the public consciousness again as serious possibilities, this one reminds us why we should avoid them, and how artists might confront them. Through April 12th.

LYONEL FEININGER: Master Printmaker at Moeller

Moeller has been doing a series of incredible shows of Lyonel Feininger’s work lately. The last one “Ghosts” was of his watercolors, but this show of his prints, almost all woodcuts, is incredible. Considering one of his woodcuts adorned the Bauhaus Manifesto, these are worth seeing. He too was lumped in with the degenerate artists later in life, perhaps the best honor of that time period. See the Bauhaus master’s work through April 26th.

1ST 20 YEARS at Adam Baumgold

ANDRAS BOROCZ The Draftsman Series, 2002

A retrospective of the gallery’s first 20 years – Chris Ware, Charles Burns, Saul Steinberg, Lynda Barry, Marc Bell, Seth, Roger Brown, Huston Ripley, Renee French, Scott Teplin, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Mark Kostabi, Andras Borocz and 10-20 more all in one show. The whole show is one big wow. An eclectic homage to drawing, draftsmanship and graphic novels, comics and covers. I think this image from Borocz, which my wife and I would love to own if you have a spare 6K to loan us, captures the spirit of the show best – note the pencil case around the work. This one has a bit of everything, and is fun enough to stick around for awhile, through May 3rd.

URS FISCHER: last supper at Gagosian

Gagosian has a new storefront on Park Avenue, and he’s installed pseudo-bad-boy (but always fun) Fischer with a great new cast bronze that looks like a lump of clay sculpture piece on the last supper. It strikes me as a mix of the Last Supper and the closing of Sleep No More/Macbeth by way of dumpster-diving art, but hey, Jesus has a taco and a Bud-tweiser here, need I say more? Through May 8th.

Next up: updates from Chelsea, the Lower East Side and maybe, just maybe I’ll get myself over the Bridge into Brooklyn for some art soon.
End Of Story, panel today
- Posted on 4th Apr
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I’m speaking today at the Webvisions conference on a very exciting panel called End of Story. Love the title, but we’re not talking about the end, but perhaps the future of story. I’m late to announce the conference here, but I’m very excited to join two people I admire on stage – John Carlin of Funny Garbage and Casey Pugh of VHX, and for this panel most importantly, of Star Wars Uncut.

Here’s the panel description:

Join in a lively conversation that explores how technology is expanding and challenging our ideas of narrative, authorship and community with a panel that features Brian Newman (Sub-Genre Media), Casey Pugh (Star Wars Uncut), moderator John Carlin (Funny Garbage) and other special guests.

The panelists will discuss ways technology and digital media have empowered creative people to do new things over the past decade – rather than just distribute and market linear content. They’ll also talk about the challenges to some of our most cherished ideas about authorship, content and how art should provoke, engage and amuse us. They’ll share and critique some of the most well known (and obscure) examples of emerging interactive media, as well as what might be missing and how that will change over the next few years.

Finally, the panelists will publicly imagine the kind of digital culture we would like to see and how that will transform creative and commercial work around the world by the end of the decade.

The conversation promises to be intriguing and enlightening (thanks to the other two panelists), and I hope to post an update about it here next week. John is also leading a keynote on the future of Interactive Culture earlier in the day, which also looks pretty awesome. Here’s some Star Wars Uncut:
DamNation at SXSW: Brands Having an Impact
- Posted on 5th Mar
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One of the reasons I’ve been posting less often lately, is among a few new clients, I’ve been busy working with Patagonia and Felt Soul Media on the marketing and distribution campaign for DamNation. The film premieres at SXSW, and we’ll be announcing our distribution plans soon, but trust me: you’ll have lots of opportunity to see the film, and we’re doing some stuff no one has ever done before. Check out the trailer on the website, see the film at SXSW, and come to our panel, about brands having an impact through film. It’s gonna be fun. Here’s some more info on the film and panel.

Film premieres: SXSW, Monday March 10th 4pm, Vimeo Theater at the ACC. More showtimes here.

Synopsis:

This powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers. Dam removal has moved beyond the Monkey Wrench Gang. When obsolete dams come down, rivers bound back to life, giving salmon and other wild fish the right of return to primeval spawning grounds, after decades without access. “DamNation”’s majestic cinematography and unexpected discoveries move us through rivers and landscapes altered by dams, but also through a metamorphosis in values, from conquest of the natural world to knowing ourselves as part of nature.

Panel: Brands, Films and Impact

Monday, March 10th 6pm Vimeo Theater at the ACC, open to passholders

In 2011, Patagonia partnered with scientist Matt Stoecker and filmmakers Ben Knight and Travis Rummel to make DamNation, a powerful film premiering at SXSW about removing obsolete dams and restoring rivers. Now Patagonia is partnering with Vimeo On Demand to release the film to a larger audience. Learn how brands, scientists and filmmakers can create awareness of an important environmental movement—and help make a difference.

Panelists: Yvon Chouinard, founder Patagonia; Joy Howard, CMO, Patagonia; Travis Rummel, Co-Director; Jeremy Boxer, Creative Director, Film & Video at Vimeo and moderator, Nancy Schafer, producer and former head of the Tribeca Film Festival and SXSW.
Great Art to See This Week in NYC
- Posted on 4th Mar
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Wow, I haven’t posted since December, but that’s because I’ve been swamped, which is a good thing. I’ve also devoted many weekends to viewing art at local NYC galleries – but not far and wide enough, so this list of things I’ve loved is missing almost anything that is showing outside of Manhattan and is skimpy on Lower Manhattan as well. Regardless, here’s ten shows you should check out before they close in the next week or so:

David Altjmed, Juices at Rosen: One of the best, crazy, nightmare inducing shows in the city. Must see before it closes.
Ten Predictions for 2014
- Posted on 30th Dec
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Tricky business, these predictions, but I’ll try once more to get something right here.
1. This will be a deciding year in the film tech space. We’ve got a lot of platforms in this space: Vimeo, VHX, ReelHouse, Fandor, IndieFlix, Snag, Mubi, Distrify…the list of platforms is long, and I didn’t even mention the gorillas in that room. We’ve also got lots of competition in the discovery arena: MoviePilot, Letterboxed, SeenThat and Flicklist (which I’m still struggling to launch). Then we’ve got the tools like Assemble, MoviePass, TopSpin, Tugg, Slated, Seed & Spark, and more, all helping with various aspects of the film business. I won’t even begin to list the numerous online news and review sites. I don’t see many of these companies existing in 2015. I think 2014 will be the year where we figure out who is going to grow up and own this space (or, these spaces, these companies represent a lot of different business models). My money is on ReelHouse at the moment. They’ve just launched a partnership with Warner Brothers that is pretty interesting. If they can navigate the waters and merge indie, arthouse and studio discovery, viewing and engagement right, they could own this space. But there’s an equally good chance that someone new will launch and eclipse all of these guys, or that Facebook just launches better versions of their services by close of the year.
2. Branded Content Explodes. I hate every word I just typed, but it’s a better short hand than: Smart companies with a powerful relationship with their consumers/fans will realize that they can and should make smart films and other video content to better engage with them, and it will expand dramatically this year. I am biased, as one of my clients is in this space, but two non-clients are doing it best now: Red Bull and ESPN. I think we’ll see many more doing it soon, and indie filmmakers should watch and learn…and debate what indie means, because many of these companies will want to work with you soon.
3. Data finally taken seriously in this space. I remember roughly five years ago when Lance Weiler told the crowd at Sundance that data was the new oil. Everyone ignored him. I too have been preaching this for quite some time, and now everyone has woken up and is exploring data in the film world. I am consulting on one project in this space, and I know of many others. I expect we’ll see several amazing data projects in the film world this year, and we’ll learn what more we could know as a result, meaning 2015 will see some longitudinal studies and more people opening up their data as they see the value in sharing it.
4. Changing of the guard. We’ve just seen three or four major institutions in the film world lose their leadership, for various reasons. There will be some new leaders announced, but I think we’ll also see more shake-ups at a few more. I don’t have any feelings good or bad about the changes, but I am excited to see who takes the reins at these institutions, and what next steps they will (or won’t) make.
5. Direct Distribution Backlash. I’m already sensing this on the festival circuit and think it will become a more open topic of conversation. 2014 will be the year where everyone starts to dis direct distribution. Many will think I’m crazy for saying this- in a world of unlimited new tools to reach your fans and distribute your film right to them, how can I make this prediction? Because it’s hard work, and it doesn’t often pay off any better than going with a distributor. It’s a tough business whether you do it yourself or go at it with partners. Not everyone has the stomach for it, and everyone is starting to realize it works well for certain types of films, but not every film. I am not saying direct distribution will die, or that certain filmmakers shouldn’t try it. I am also sure we’ll see at least one project a month that nails it – does it right and makes bank. But many people are starting to realize that we’ve not gotten rid of the middle-men here, we’ve just made more of them (aggregators, bookers, marketers, etc) and that sometimes you just want to make the next movie instead of becoming a carny for 18 months.
6. That said, direct distribution will make someone a millionaire this year. Who will it be? Probably a film to be discovered at Sundance in January. We’ll see.
7. Distributor Shake Out. There’s too many players in the space. In the documentary world especially, it’s leading to unsustainable prices being paid to acquire content (good for filmmakers in the short term), and when that money isn’t made back, heads start to roll. I predict we’ll see some consolidation here, and several burn-outs.
8. Episodic Content Will Rule. It already does. It will explode even more this year, and my hope is that more indies will learn from those leading in this space. Six million subscribers is more valuable than a film fest laurel, or even an Oscar.
9. Online Episodic Creators will roll out more feature projects. As Freddie Wong has already done twice, more creators will launch feature projects, and many of them will do it through crowd-funding direct from their fans, turning those millions of followers into real gold, and making the most exciting, truly independent work out there.
10. More investors will lose money in film than ever before. Thanks to the JOBS Act and the upcoming expansion of crowd-funding and crowd-investing initiatives, more people will get the chance to lose their investment on crappy film ideas with no business plan, and no chance of success. It will make it harder for the rest of us with good ideas to get funding, because we’ll find more burned investors in the pool.
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Superabundance: 900 Films/Year in the NYT
- Posted on 17th Dec
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I’ve written and spoken a lot about the overabundance of films available today, but this weekend’s NYT confirmed it rather dramatically. In his year end wrap-up, A.O. Scott writes:

By the time midnight strikes on Dec. 31, The New York Times will have reviewed almost 900 movies in the course of 2013. This number, which grows every year, nonetheless represents a tiny fraction of the moving-picture entertainment made available to the public over the previous 12 months on television, video on demand and streaming services and at the festivals that span the globe and the calendar.

Wow. Let’s put that in perspective. That means that on average 17.3 movies are reviewed per week in the NYT, and as the Times still has a policy of reviewing every movie that opens for at least a week run (and this usually means at least two shows per day), that means that about 17 films open each week in NYC in theaters. I am a major film buff, and I can’t possibly see all of those films, whether in theaters or on demand.

I’ve had conversations with the heads of WithoutABox (the fest submission tool, and I use tool in many ways here) and they estimate 40,000 unique individual titles are submitted to film fests every year, globally. If that’s true, and I imagine it’s more now as I got that figure a few years ago, then that means about 2.2% of films submitted to film fests get released in NY each year. Pretty slim odds, yet I’m still overwhelmed.

Contrary to what many think, I don’t believe this is a bad thing. As I’ve said before: I never walked into a record store and thought, Damn, there’s too many bands. And I don’t think it now when looking at iTunes, whether for music or film. But I do think it creates a problem of awareness and makes it much harder for filmmakers to break through the noise and get discovered. It’s possible, of course, but much more daunting than in the good old days of scarcity. And remember, this is just the tip of the Iceberg – as A.O. Scott writes, the films reviewed in the Times are just a small fraction of the movies made each year, not to mention the competition for my attention from other online video, games and what not.

As a filmmaker, you might think you can’t do much about this. But you can recognize that showing your film in NY and getting a NYT review won’t matter as much as it used to – you’re one of 900 a year that get that chance. You must also do a lot more to cultivate, build and grow your audience and fan base. I don’t need to go into the ways to do that here, if you read this blog, you know enough about it already, but I think this article shows why it’s important to realize that hard work must be done to get noticed in an age of superabundance.
Guest Post: The Net Helps People Do What They Love
- Posted on 9th Dec
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This is a guest blog post from Adam Richardson of Netstars. Check out his site and his IndieGoGo Campaign too.

The convergence of high speed internet, exponentially faster computers, and user generated content is drastically changing the mass media industry. How we get our entertainment and information is being transformed as we speak. Consumer expectations and consumption habits are changing drastically. The new digital era has helped turned passive consumers into creators of their own media experience.

Technology advances always bring new challenges, but they also frequently present us with new opportunities. Digital media can only be expected to continue to pervade all aspects of our lives. Creation and distribution of content have been revolutionized and continue to evolve before our eyes.

If you are an aspiring musician, writer, photographer, filmmaker, or any other creative type trying to get discovered, then the Net provides you a great opportunity. Selling on the Net makes it easier than ever for you to find customers for your niche and for your customers to find you. You can use the Net to sell directly to customers. Online marketplaces help connect you with your buyers and makes it easy for everyone.

So, there is no need for a publisher, record label, or film studio to take most of your earnings anymore. After realizing this I created Netstars.com to help creative people cut out the middleman. Now digital creators can connect with buyers, get recognized, and be able to make a living doing what they love.
Shored Up opens in NYC
- Posted on 29th Nov
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If you follow me, you know I’m promoting the heck out of Shored Up, a film I executive produced, that is directed by the very talented Ben Kalina. Well, we’re finally opening our theatrical run in NYC, and we hope you’ll help us spread the word. We’ve gotten a couple of good reviews, and here’s links to the theater. Don’t live in NYC? You can buy the film on our website, find other screenings and even buy the film on iTunes. Thanks for your support.
Guest Post: Shored Up too controversial for NC Science Museum?
- Posted on 18th Nov
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I recently Executive Produced a documentary called Shored Up by Benjamin Kalina. We open in NYC on Nov 29th, are playing on DirecTV and coming to all outlets soon. We’re also doing a lot of tours with the film and are planning a big tour in NC, but then something weird happened. Read Ben’s blog post here or reprinted below to learn more.

Shored Up…Banned? by Benjamin Kalina

I spent much of the past 4 years directing Shored Up, a film about coastal development, sea level rise and the science and policy debates surrounding these issues. It was a long process with many twists, the biggest of which came when Superstorm Sandy hit and brought a dramatic new context to the film.

North Carolina figures prominently in Shored Up, initially as a contrast between the state’s forward-looking coastal development policies and the slippery slope of groins, jetties and beach replenishment in other states like New Jersey. But this contrast was turned on its head as the North Carolina Legislature started to reverse many of these laws in 2012.

As a result of North Carolina’s role in the film I’ve been actively planning a screening tour across the state this coming January. It was to kick off with an event in Wilmington and culminate with a showing and panel discussion at a Science Café event in the North Carolina Natural Science Museum. All seemed to be going well and this was shaping up to be a great opportunity to reach press and politicians with the science and policy issues that the film covers.

So imagine my surprise Friday when I read this headline: “N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences director puts kibosh on documentary about sea level rise.”

Huh? Cue the “banned in North Carolina headlines.” But why wouldn’t a state-funded, educational institution…the largest museum of its kind in the Southeast, the biggest tourist attraction in the state, and a bellweather for good science presented smartly, want to show this film that is rooted in science and so relevant to North Carolina and its future? Indeed, we feature Stan Riggs and Orrin Pilkey, two prominent NC scientists and while we aren’t presenting their arguments as fact, we also present the views of NC20 representative Tommy Thompson dispassionately. Regardless of your position on the issues you can’t watch the film and not recognize the importance of this debate for the future of the NC coast, in fact for all of our coasts, and that the science we use to base our decision-making will be driving life and death decisions for communities in the future.

In the article the museum’s director, Emlyn Koster is quoted as saying that the Museum “…want(s) to engage the public, marshal the progress of our unique learning-rich setting and take advantage of our collaborative network, rather than focusing on an hour-long film in a theater”.

But the museum appears to show movies every hour, every day. Currently playing are Titans of the Ice Age, the Last Reef, Dinosaurs Alive and Tornado Alley. These sound fun and educational, but they’re not necessarily going to challenge anyone’s assumptions about the world and the role that science plays in determining our collective future.

We had suggested, as we do at all of our screenings, that the film be followed by a Q&A and discussion with panelists from across a spectrum of viewpoints because the purpose of a film like this is to create dialogue. Just as science is an iterative process where one hypothesis is presented and then challenged until an eventual consensus or theory is reached, so is public policy a process of give and take. And what better institution to provide this public service than the largest museum of Natural Sciences in the Southeast, just across from the state legislature? And it seems that the Museum shares these ambitious goals, as their website states that: “The human species is actively altering the Earth’s natural processes and reducing its biodiversity. As the sentient cause of these impacts, we have the urgent responsibility to give voice to the Earth’s immense story and to secure its sustainable future.”

Shored Up was crafted for exactly this kind of event. It is a film grounded in consensus science that addresses the far-reaching impacts of climate change now and in the future. The event we imagined was intended to reach across the political spectrum, fostering debate and dialogue between scientists and the public and the public and politicians so that we can find common ground and a way forward to solve the enormous problems we face. Sure these are complex problems, but we’re sophisticated people. We can find solutions. But how can we begin to tackle these issues if even our most prominent science museums sidestep a role in the debate? I’m sympathetic to the fact that some of the subjects raised in the film could be perceived or construed as being politically sensitive, but now more than ever we need our stalwart institutions of science and reason to provide a framework for these critical discussions. I sincerely hope that Mr. Koster and the museum leadership re-considers this decision and works with us to hold the kind of event and conversation that is so desperately needed.
Netflix in a Box from Kaltura
- Posted on 7th Nov
- Category:
Cool news out of start-up Kaltura today: they’ve made a new product called Media Go that allows any publisher (that means distributor, filmmaker with a lot of films, anyone) to quickly develop a Netflix like site for the delivery of video direct to fans.

It’s a great idea, and I can see it being useful for many film orgs, prolific and smart filmmakers, smaller distributors and others. You can essentially offer video on any platform, give users tools to find films multiple ways and watch them via subscription or fee, right out of the box. Seems like a good thing to me. Check it out.