Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival 2014

I have wanted to attend the Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival for several years, but I've always been on a film set or didn't have enough money when the time rolled around.  This year, however, I found out they were going to be screening "Touched by Grace" and I knew I had to try and get there.  What more perfect time to make connections and network with the fine folks at Gideon than when my biggest film was showing there?

Long story short, in about a week's time, God had worked out all the details and I had my plane tickets to Orlando!  I can't even tell you how huge this was for me.  My heartfelt thanks go out to Rodney and Lori Marett, who run the festival, for making this experience possible.

Rodney, Lori, and my friend Nate

Okay, now to tell you about Gideon...

First of all, I flew into the wrong airport.  Haha!  In my defense, the airline that provided the cheapest flights from VA to Orlando only flew into Sanford International, and I didn't realize there were TWO international airports in Orlando.  But once again, the Lord provided!  A taxi was going to cost $80 to the hotel (about as much as my flight!), so I called a friend at the conference and he asked around to see if there was anyone with a car who could come and get me (32 miles away).  No one could get away, so I put myself at the mercy of the nice taxi manager who had been so helpful to me, and right after I got settled in a taxi, my friend called back with good news.  A lady had been sitting at his table and overheard my plight, and her husband was out getting supper with their little girl and would be able to drive down and pick me up.  Yay!  The taxi driver was very accommodating and let me back out (I kept apologizing - I felt so bad!).

When Mr. Davis came to pick me up, he asked me where I was from.  The crazy thing?  He lives 40 minutes away from me!  He and his wife just started a community theater, and I came all the way to Florida to meet them!  So even though I was feeling like a complete idiot for landing at the wrong airport and needing someone to pick me up, God was working in the details.

The next four days were amazing.  Truth be told, I was sick in my room almost every morning (thanks to some health problems we're working on figuring out), but every afternoon I was able to go downstairs and talk to people and attend a few workshops, including:

How to Build Your Communication Platform - Gary Zelasko
Screenwriting: Maximum Emotion - Gary Voelker
The Virtual Audition - Katrina Cook
Marketing for the Actor - Jenn Gotzon

Gary Voelker teaching about maximum emotion in screenwriting

Saturday night, I attending the screening of "My Name is Paul," a feature film made by my friend Vanessa Ore and her husband Trey.  I had a lot of friends who worked on this project and I was glad to finally see it!  Great job, everyone!

Trey and Vanessa Ore doing a Q&A after the film

Sunday was the big day for me!  At 4:00, we screened "Touched by Grace."  I did a Q&A afterwards, which was a lot of fun!  I enjoyed being able to answer questions and interact with the audience.  I'm so thankful to everyone who came out and watched the film!  (And honestly, I was just so excited to see it again because I've only seen it once in the two years since we filmed it, and that was 13 months ago.)  Watch the recently released official trailer and get ready to buy your DVD on August 19!

My friends Allen and Grace drove down from Jacksonville to attend the screening!

Romans XIII reunion!  (Sincerity, Jason, and Ariana) 

Sunday night, I attended the late-night screening of "The War Within".  Producer/co-writer/actor Gary Varvel did a Q&A afterwards.  The film was incredible!  It's no wonder it won 4 awards at the Christian Worldview Film Festival in March.  I've never seen a Christian film like it.  DVDs will be available on August 19 (the same day as Touched by Grace)!  Meanwhile, I urge you to watch the trailer.

I didn't get any pictures on Monday, so we'll fast-forward to Tuesday...

Brazilian actor/writer/producer Regis Terencio

Christina Lee Storm gave the keynote address at the awards ceremony.  Christina is an international independent producer who has collaborated with filmmakers from around the world.  She was Production Supervisor for the highly acclaimed, 2012 Oscar-winning film The Artist.   Currently, Christina is Executive Director of Act One, Inc. where she provides leadership and vision for the 15 year faith-based, innovative training and incubator for writers and producers in film, television, and digital media.

My new friend David Helling won the best screenplay award for "In the Beginning"!

After the awards ceremony, I managed to get pictures with most of my friends...

Kyle and Kenny Saylors, of Saylors Brothers Entertainment

Casting Director Katrina Cook, of KatzKasting

Actor/Comedian/Writer Torry Martin (My Name is Paul, Skid)

Producer/writer and editorial cartoonist Gary Varvel (The War Within)

Actress Francine Locke (Stand Your Ground)

Director Gary Voelker (coming down to "my level", haha!)

 Actress Jenn Gotzon (Alone Yet Not Alone, Doonby, God's Country, etc.)

Group picture!

Actor/director/writer Nathan Jacobson (Wanted, Polycarp, Princess Cut)

Producer Del Baron (Adrenaline)

 Gideon president, Isaac Hernandez

Tuesday night was so bittersweet.  It was hard to say goodbye and realize that the festival had come to an end.  I am so thankful for all the connections I was able to make in my short time there.  I was even able to start outlining a new feature film with Nate, my collaborative writing partner, during some down-time.  What a blessing to spend time with old friends, meet new friends, learn from the workshops, swap story ideas, watch films, and enjoy the sweet fellowship of other believers who are passionate about making films that honor the Lord.  I truly hope I will be able to attend Gideon again next year, and I encourage all of you to do the same!

The Art of Networking

If you hear it once, you'll hear it a hundred times.  "It's all about networking."  "It's all about who you know."  Some people will even counter with this clever remark: "It's all about who knows YOU."

And you know what?  They're right.

But how do you network?  How do you walk up to a director/producer at that next film festival and "sell yourself" to them without being merely one out of a hundred actors who wants to hand them a business card and hopefully impress them enough to have an edge the next time they're casting?

My friend Torry Martin is a Master Networker.  Some of his sage advice is to make it not about YOU, but about THEM.  Focus on the relationship, not what you can get from the person.  How can you help them?  How can you invest in their life?  Start a conversation.  Ask questions.  Listen.

To hear Torry expound on this subject in a fabulous podcast, click HERE.  The best 20 minutes of networking advice I've heard.  (And some great humor thrown in, too!)

I remember the first time I met Torry.  We were at an Arts and Entertainment Conference in April 2013.  Right away, he started asking me questions all about myself.  It took me by surprise.  He was a speaker at the conference.  He was a highly experienced actor and comedian.  He was a *somebody.*  And he was showing a very genuine interest in ME and asking me to TALK about myself.  Let me tell ya, folks, that's a nice feeling.  I knelt down and swore my allegiance on the spot.  (Haha, okay, not really.)  But what was he doing?  He was starting a friendship.  And I'll never forget how kind he was.

With Torry a year later at the Christian Worldview Film Festival.

Maybe you're shy.  Maybe the thought of "networking" terrifies you and you're tempted to throw in the towel right now, because if that's what it takes, your ship is sunk before you can even leave port.  Well, I've got some good news for you.  THERE'S HOPE!  Because that's exactly how I felt a few years ago.

People keep telling me I'm good at networking.  I used to look at them like they were crazy and I'd laugh in derision.  "Psh!  Who, me?  You've got to be kidding."  I would go to a filmmaking event specifically to network, then walk into a room full of strangers and suddenly I'd be as scared and as mute as rabbit.  I would leave without meeting anyone new.  Networking FAIL.

"But you know so many people!" my friends counter.  "You have connections all over the place."

"Well, yeah," I reply with a shrug.  "I have a lot of friends in the film industry."

Then I started to think about how I met those friends.  On film sets.  At film festivals through other friends.  On Facebook.  You know what?  I have a HUGE network.  And it keeps growing!

At this year's Christian Worldview Film Festival, George Escobar (founder of Advent Film Group) even singled me out in his keynote address as being a great example of a good networker.  Well, at that point, I couldn't argue it anymore.  If Mr. Escobar says it, it must be true.  :-)

This is why there's hope for you.  I grew up PAINFULLY SHY.  I'm an extrovert, but deep inside, I am SO shy.  (None of my friends believe it, but it's true.)  However, I do love connecting with people!  By now, I'm actually ADDICTED to networking.  It's so much fun to meet people and help connect them to other people!  ("Oh, you need a special effects artist?  I know three that are really good at what they do!  Let me give you their contact information.")  I LOVE IT!!!

The more you do it, the easier it gets.  And the more people you meet, the more people you can get introduced to without having to approach a total stranger (that part is still hard for me).

The key is to make it about them, not about you.  When I put pressure on myself ("I have to meet this director because I want to be in their next movie"), I freeze up.  If I can actually force myself to talk to them, I'm tense.  I'm awkward.  But if I'm just out to make friends, to get to know people, to see how I can help THEM, it's so much fun!

So relax.  Go start a conversation.  And start building that network.  (And don't forget to listen to Torry's podcast because it's really worth it!)