Let's Talk About... Lean Back Content and What that Means, Plus an Offer to Chat for Those Who Were Just Hit by the Layoffs: The Women & Men In the Arena Who Dare to Fail Greatly, This is For You.
Also: are you a writer like me? Sharing a FABULOUS resource for pitches that sold AND, be sure to catch TWO LIVES IN PITTSBURGH Oct 1.
“Your place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat”
My husband has the incredible ability to quote poetry, text and speeches from some of the greatest thinkers and scholars in the world from memory. In addition to being deeply impressive to me, I often find the quotes he shares to be profound. One of my most favorite quotes he’s shared with me is from Theodore Roosevelt’s The Man in the Arena Speech.
I’m sharing it here, because I think it’s especially apt for those impacted by the layoffs this week:
To those feeling knocked down: you have blood on your face today but you will pick yourself back up. Take all the time you need, but don’t get knocked out of the arena. You are not the sum part of your job or your resume. Remember that. Your place shall not be with the cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
An Offer to Chat for Those Just Impacted by the Layoffs
On September 27, 2023, I put up a placeholder post on this Substack, announcing that it would be “Coming Soon”. I was in the throes of trying to figure how to pick myself back up after being knocked down (again) and trying to figure out how I could organize all of the knowledge and experience I gained from making and marketing my film into a meaningful way that would serve myself and the clients I work with and start this new business.
The strikes were ongoing, all of my previous work had dried up and there was seemingly no end in sight. It didn’t feel like it was going to get better. But I sat down, took a breath and began to write. And gradually, people have begun to listen.
I’m so pleased to say that exactly a year later since one of my own darkest days, I’m not only up to about 200 subscribers but that I have worked with a dozen films for clients in the last twelve months.
I genuinely LOVE what I do and care about it and my clients tremendously and I think that shines through.
Thank you to everyone who follows this Substack and to all the filmmakers who have trusted me to work with them on their projects, triple thank you. I look forward to doing more in the coming months and years as I grow this business and build my knowledge base and launch more projects.
Being on your own is scary, especially in this industry. More often than not, it feels like you’re screaming into the void, wondering if anyone is listening or if anyone cares.
Yesterday, about 2000 people at CBS and Paramount lost their jobs. I’m sure some of them knew it was coming and that some of them already had a parachute in place, but for a lot of those people, that safety net isn’t there and I’m sure there are a lot of really worried folks out there right now.
While I can’t give anyone a safety net, what I CAN do is help you organize your thoughts and ideas into clear paths help you become self-sustaining.
I want to offer anyone who got hit with the recent entertainment industry layoffs a 30 minute meeting with me at no charge. We’ll talk about whatever you want and as a previous client of mine said, the session with me gave them the direction and clarity they needed to tackle their project.
Feel free to share this around: my availability will be somewhat constricted over the next few months due to the roll out of my film, but I know how hard it is to find a lifeline in this business so I’m offering one and will fit folks in where I can.
Contact me here if that’s of interest or send this to someone who might benefit from it .
And now, to promote another film that I screened with previously: Two Lives In Pittsburg is available on October 1!
Two Lives in Pittsburg is Available Oct 1!
Two Lives in Pittsburg is from writer/director Brian Silverman:
When his mom falls sick and his kid explores gender, a traditional blue-collar guy struggles with who he's always been and who his child needs him to be.
The film takes on how middle America deals with gender identity with love and imperfections head-on and is the winner of over 15 “Bests” on the festival circuit, including the Audience Award at Dances with Films, Best Feature at Three Rivers Film Festival and People's Choice at Beliot International.
Check out their website here for more information on where to stream the movie.
Do you have a finished feature film or documentary that you’d like to promote? Send it to me here! Films must be feature length and available for screening or streaming.
And now let’s get into:
Lean Back Content and What That Means; PLUS a Great Pitching Resource
Since we’re talking about getting knocked down and getting back up… I got rejected lately for a script I wrote!
The notes from the exec were well taken but rejection always stinks and I have to remind myself that no one gets fired for saying “no”, they get fired for saying “yes”.
So with that being said and with everyone in a constant state of worry about their jobs at the moment, I wanted to, ahem, lean in to the concept of a new term floating around the industry called lean back content and what that means for writers and producers and the kind of content being bought at the moment.
Plus a fantastic resource I found regarding pitches that sold! Read on!