GenesisInc.TV

So, how were your holidays?

Uh huh - good - that sounds nice.

Ours? Oh they were great; they seem so long ago now. We celebrated my new job and the Green Card and John is madly in love with a wonderful young woman. We had a lot to be thankful for and so we all did a lot of thanking.

Genesis, Inc.? Well as usual it's been a little crazy. We spent the holidays and January finishing the 'Talkalope' which we have now renamed "Genesis, Inc - The Story of Adam and Eve". The reason for the change was that it felt a little like we were giving too much of the storyline away in the title. Let the audience discover it - was our thinking.

On the heals of that was a gracious invitation to participate at the International Film and Television Summit in Los Angeles at the spectacular InterContinental Hotel on Avenue of the Stars. The dates were Feb. 5, 6, 7 2007 and Genesis, Inc went it. It was great.

The reason behind our invitation was that we are an example of how new media is distributing without the help of networks and legacy media. Of course as soon as 'legacy' media got a heaping helping of Genesis, Inc. - interest in our little project exploded. By 6pm on Tuesday, Feb 6th, I had a pocket full of business cards and had received more than a few winks and finger bangs. We were in LA after all...

John and I have been down this road before but for some reason this time it feels different. I'm not going to mention names or companies but suffice it to say that we will be following up with our interested parties over the next few weeks and should have some exciting news in short order. Or not - either way - GenesisInc.TV continues to grow and we continue to crank out funny new episodes and build audience.

Speaking of which - Genesis, Inc - The Story of Adam and Eve is now complete and you are invited to check it out. In the latest chapter, Mike survives his first encounter with Adam and indeed facilitates the arrival of the next inhabitant at the 'Site'. Everyone does their best and yet, it doesn't go very well - but I'll stop. I don't want to ruin it.

Finally, a big shout out to Jim Conrad. Jim is THE voice-over King and you hear him ALL the time on commercials and promos and documentaries. He's also a long time friend who I was able to spend some time with while I was in LA. After some golf and socializing Cono agreed to be an Angel and lay some significant money down to buy the first share of the company and help us execute the next stage of Genesis, Inc. and GenesisInc.TV. As you probably know when seeking investment, the first money can be the hardest but Cono made it easy and now other potential investors are popping up everywhere. Cheers to you Jim - Perrier and lemon for everyone and the first rounds on me!

Things are happening people - stay tuned!

More to come -

Russ

Someone told me recently that I should "Seize the moment - live each day as though it were my last". So not too long after that, I thought I'd try it. Really start to "live each day as though it were my last...". I've now discovered that if you do - and it's NOT - crap tends to pile up. I'm not going to clean the litter box on my LAST DAY - right?!

On to business - I wanted to share one of the challenges we've encountered in the Forums at GenesisInc.TV. Members have contacted me saying that they got an e-mail informing them of a response posted to something they posted in the GI Forums - only to re-visit the GI Forums and see no such thing. Here's what's happening - spammers are targeting our forum. Spammers have an automated program that seeks out all PHP forums, auto registers in those forums and then auto posts their crap (porn, Viagra, telephone cards, etc.). This spamming process triggers the response e-mail system to the GI members. Several times per day, I clean the spam out of the Forums if only to maintain the theme of the site.

I am told that PHP is addressing the problem and a solution is not far away. In the meantime, if you wish you can edit your GI membership profile and disconnect the "e-mail me when a response is posted" tab. I apologize for the inconvenience and will alert you the moment the problem is solved.

"Talkalope Pts 1 & 2" are done and part 3 is expected shortly. After that we have several other character/video elements ready to shoot and mount. Beyond that we have a variety of full scripts and may even ask you to vote on the story you next want to see; "Trevor - The First Man", "Let There Be Light", "Sphere Creation 4.0" and so on. John and I have been working on this for a while.

So now, what we have here is a growing library of content - and with it a curious dilemma. With only one main viewer on the homepage, do we air the newest episode element (for the familiar) or run the story from the beginning for those new to the website? We made a decision and encourage you to jump over to the homepage and have a look. Let us know what you think.

As the year comes to an end, both myself and John and all of our family and friends are counting our blessings. John is doing increasingly well at Viacom as a producer and editor AND in just a few weeks a featured performer. John is hosting a new interstitial campaign for TV Land that promises to be both informative and entertaining. This is hot on the heels of the airing of his hysterical half hour mockumentary "The Half Pints - a Rock and Roll Tribute to The Little House on the Prairie" . Mr. Kenower is on fire.

I too have many blessings to be thankful for, not the least of which is my new job. After doing some temping at a major NY Architecture firm, IKBA made it clear that they wanted me to join their team as Communications Director. On Monday they made me an offer with a great wage, tons of flexibility, and the freedom to work on my own projects - it was an offer I couldn't refuse. On Tuesday I got my Green Card and can now travel anywhere from anywhere without restriction. That only took 12 years.

Looking ahead, the New Year is full of exciting promise. We are closing in on our shareholders agreement which will allow us to sell private stock in Genesis, Inc. and accept some of the funds we have been generously offered. We also have a heavyweight NY PR firm ready to take us on as a client at quite a cut rate - which will likely be the first place we spend the new investment. We have several representatives pitching GenesisInc.TV to a variety of buyers in a variety if ways - but all using the website as the sales tool. Genesis, Inc is has never looked better.

So from all of us to all of you, Happy Hanukkah, Hajj, Kwanzaa and Merry Christmas - Here's wishing you love and peace for the holidays

Talkalope Pt1. is up. Talkalope Pt.2 is coming down the pipe. GenesisInc.TV works on 85% of computers and our design team (Troy Finamore) and our mechanic (Jeremy Horland) are working hard towards making sure that number grows daily.

After 4 years we are finally creeping out of the cave of R&D and into the bright lights of marketing and promotion. The feeling is both joyous and daunting.

In your estimation, how many products and services around the world are trying to get your attention? Millions? More?

GenesisInc.TV is now one of them. Yikes.

Like you, I'm not fond of advertising. It seems every flat surface from here to the horizon now has an ad on it - an atmosphere of reminders of how far off the path we've wandered.

I smile though when I see a tree - because that's an ad for Genesis Inc.
A flower? A cloud? A dog? All billboards for us. This can work!

You're reading this - you know!

So I will apologize in advance for the standard advertising practices we are about to engage in. Once we are successfully branded, I promise to let the beauty of the land speak for us.

Until then, consider that the most successful form of promotion is and always has been word of mouth. I know you are likely bombarded, saturated, over stimulated, overwhelmed and perhaps a little discouraged - but admit it - you love this.

We are going to work tirelessly to get the word out about Genesis, Inc. -

Our request of you is that if you enjoy it - please share it : - )

In Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs
Of every head he's had the pleasure to know.
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say hello.

In the year 2000, Penny Lane Studios came to be through the determination and experience of Bobby Sorrentino. In the following few years it quickly grew to be the post-production facility of choice for many advertising agencies and cable giants.

Bobby, his space and his team became a magnet for a growing number of high-end clients because the quality of their work was and continues to be industry leading and undeniable. However, while the watermark has been set by product quality, what cannot be ignored though is how cool, funky and comfortable this place is. Penny Lane Studios is a living, breathing tribute to Pop Culture. What’s your guilty Pop Culture pleasure? Pac man? – There’s an original arcade game in the corner. Star Wars? Check out the full size sculpture of Hans Solo frozen in carbonite. The Beatles? The place is crawling with original (and often signed) memorabilia from original TV Guide covers to real street signs from Penny Lane, Liverpool. I wonder which is more expensive, the 60-channel multi-media boards in the individual studios or the two original Light Sabers displayed in the front window.

What this place must be worth is weighing heavily on my mind and John and I exchange more than a few glances on the subject because while Penny Lane Studios is usually an icon of icons and post-production - today it is the set for part 2 of Genesis, Inc. “The Talkalope”

On the corner is a banker with a motorcar,
The little children laugh at him behind his back.
And the banker never wears a mack
In the pouring rain, very strange.

Saturday morning is cloudy and the rain is coming. Call time is 10am and by the time Carolyn and I get there at 9:40am, John and Mike have already arrived. The lobby of the building is filling with bags, equipment and food. I have asked everyone to be prompt and they are. By 10:15 the whole cast and crew have landed and are going up to the studio in groups via the freight elevator.

Once we are gathered in the Penny Lane “living room”, several of the group are seeing this place for the first time and eyebrows are rising. This is an ocean of super cool distractions and temptations, most of them fragile and valuable. John, Steve, Mike and Paul go to work setting up equipment and matching camera settings while I brief the rest of the team not to jump over the side of the ship because of the siren song. The message of the day is this – we have 16 pages of dialogue to shoot in 9 hours. That sobers everyone up and soon the team has their game face on.

In Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen.
He likes to keep his fire engine clean,
It's a clean machine.

The first set up is the kitchen area for the “Cheetah – Moose” scene. The set up is Steve’s two big China Balls for lighting, two lavs and a boom for sound and two 24P cameras catching everything. Execution is pretty smooth but as soon as we wrap the scene the debate erupts between cast and crew alike – who would win, the cheetah or the moose? Much to my surprise the consensus in the room is that the cheetah would be the hands down winner. I suspect these people have never seen a moose – and I say so. I am ridiculed and silently vow revenge but it’s time to shoot the next scene.

(My Revenge: I invite you to visit our GenesisInc.TV forum and vote for the animal you think would win. Be prepared to defend your choice!)

Before lunch we log two more set ups, one at the lunchroom table and one at the freight elevator. The equipment doesn’t change much and the crew are finding their rhythm. Steve and Mike are shooting everything and communicating well, Paula and Tony are backing them up beautifully as AD/PA’s and anyone who is not in the scene are on standby as crew. Everyone is focused on the field of play and couldn’t be more professional. Lunch is coming and we do a pizza check – who wants what? John and Carolyn agree on which and how many and Carolyn turns to execute. Cathy calls out not to forget the spinach pizza and gets a laugh.

We get a quick set visit from Cathrina and Jean Pierre, eager to see and support. They take pictures and laugh at the performances. It was a treat to get some audience energy and some fresh laughter.

Behind the shelter in the middle of a roundabout
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And tho' she feels as if she's in a play
She is anyway.

Lunch is pizza and salad. Carolyn asks why no one is eating the spinach pizza. Silence. Laughter. Lesson? Don’t joke with Carolyn when she has her game face on.

Lunch is brief and a little greasy and we are back at work in the big studio. This is where we will spend the rest of the afternoon. The bulk of the script is being shot here and it simply would not have been possible in the brief timeframe without the homework that John and Steve had done. Angles, line takes, lighting and all with two cameras. Paula and Tony are invaluable, Dave is both performer and shoot consultant and John is pulling double duty – director, performer. Paul, Cathy, Dave, Simcha, John and myself are having a ton of fun with the script by treating it as seriously as a heart attack.

It’s getting late, energy is winding down and as quickly as it began, we’re done. Now the whole team is cleaning and packing up.

Soon it’s 6:40pm and we are all standing on 19th Street buzzing. No one wants to leave but slowly by ones and twos we do. This was a good one and it shows on the faces of our Genesis, Inc. family.

Our deepest thanks to Cathy, Paul, Steve, Mike, Ashuk, Paula, Tony, Carolyn, Simcha, and Dave.

This one goes out to Bobby and the team from Penny Lane Studios – for your love and trust.

Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
There beneath the blue suburban skies,
Penny Lane.

Six of us arrived by rented van at 9:30pm Thursday night. Jean Pierre welcomed us into the house where Catherina had prepared a late dinner of deep-dish lasagna, salad and brownies. We chose rooms like we’d won a prize and Jean Pierre poured wine from the Trader Joes ‘Charles’ label. Totally perfect.

John and Mike talked about camera and hardware for a bit and then we all did a read through. The forecast was cloudy and dry on Friday, more and less on Saturday, 20% chance on Sunday. We were scheduled to leave by rented van on Sunday afternoon. Between now and then we had to shoot more than a dozen pages of script. Tropical storm Ernesto is 300 miles away.

Friday morning it’s dry overcast and we’re shooting by 7:40. The set is a rolling forest in the Poconos. It’s cool for a Labor Day Friday but the light is perfect, John’s behind the camera and I’m in the bear suit. Soon Mike was in as Adam and we’re arguing over the prop fruit tree - “ Hey – you just talked!”, “..No I didn’t…”.

Lunch is baked ham sandwiches and pasta salad with broccoli and then we’re back at it. Tammy is in by 3:30 and now we’re shooting the three-handers with Adam, Eve and the Takalope. Jad and Annie are on the set, Cathrina is in the house and Carolyn and Jean Pierre are running in between - everyone hits stride and become a production machine. John takes the support - and the ball - and pitches a no-hitter! Awesome! He has a clear vision, he's done the homework and calls good plays. We had a lot to get done, we all needed to be good and we were. It was a joy and a blessing.

Dinner is baked salmon with rice, vegetable casserole and a lemon loaf with red wine. Mike runs a music label and can list the names of a LOT of new bands, which when said in a list make me laugh. We then engage in finding band names in general dinner discussion. The Green Beans, Decadent Life, Too Many Squirrels in the Chimney and the winner of the weekend, IMAO is - Graham Cracker Crust.

Saturday is wet and cold from sunrise. We wait till almost noon to give it time to break up but it gets worse. Suddenly being in a bear suit is enviable and Adam is blue, literally. Mike and Tammy are troopers though and with the support of Team Super Team, both deliver strong performances and more. Lunch is homemade carrot soup, more deep-dish lasagna and green beans. Three scenes, three different ways then we’re doing stills. That’s a wrap.

Dinner is BBQ Chicken, salad, potato gratin, wine, homemade bread, lemon loaf and brownies. Now we’re spent, again well-fed and heavy sleep is coming fast. We screen the material shot that day and laugh. It really looks beautiful.

The power went out around 11pm. I woke Carolyn up and informed her. She said that she was deeply asleep and that she wished that I indeed had not. She then said the power goes back on by itself in time and was asleep 47 seconds later. I turned off my PSP and passed out. I dreamed that someone knocked on our door in the middle of the night with a flashlight. Carolyn took care of it. The next morning I learned that John spent much of the very early morning waking people up and making sure they were or would be okay. It seems he had had a his semi-annual apocalyptic dream and then woke up hard in pitch blackness. Convinced as he was of his own permenet blindness he was unsure if the catastrophe was natural or man made. The fact that there had been an apocalypse was not in doubt.

The truth was, the power had gone out and the team once again had to adjust. Cathrina and Jean Pierre fired up the BBQ and rigged it for eggs and bacon. Perishables were on special. There was no filming scheduled today and plans for an early departure were made. We all hugged our love and thanks and we were on the road before noon. Traffic was good and we were able to drop off both Tammy and Mike in Jersey. John, Carolyn and I were able to get the stuff up to his place in one load. He’s still waiting for his new windows.

Carolyn and I just finished the baked ham, potatoes gratin and lemon loaf. We have almost 7.5 hours of content and it looks great.

I know, it could be argued that this whole thing is about food but I believe an army marches on its stomach one should give credit where it is due. It was all so good and not surprisingly so were we.

The next shoot is booked for Sept 23rd and 24th and we’ve got momentum

Well done everyone and again our deepest thanks.

Stay tuned for more from Graham Cracker Crust –

Best
Russell Hamilton

GenesisInc.TV - "Did you eat from the Tree?..."

The following is my Programming Diary and through it I hope to successfully share the experience of starting and maintaining GenesisInc.TV. The stories may be embellished, or otherwise affected by some dramatic or comedic license - but always only a little and only for its betterment.

The idea of Genesis, Inc. is different for everyone but immanently worthy of some investment if not some investigation. Enjoy it as you will - but once I went with it, the process became this wicked thrill ride all about "how?".

So while the past few years have presented a bulk of diverse obstacles - each worthy and likely of a volume - you are joining the story at the opening of GenesisInc.TV and the saga of the upcoming shoot. John cranked out 26 pages of superfunny stuff and now we're going to shoot it.

Stay tuned for entries such as "Getting a Bear Suit" "Casting Adam and Eve" and "Lab Coats"