February 23, 2006 -- Yours truly has been on hiatus for far too
long. I stepped away from the biz for a bit when I was laid off from
my day job back in August. Aside from the forthcoming Fear of the
Dark redux, I put all of my energy into building a solid career in the
form of a day job. I'm pretty happy now. The financial struggle
wasn't fun but then again, it's no chore being an independent filmmaker.
I wouldn't usually use this web site as a source to spew politics at you but I
feel compelled to do so. I think it's a damn shame when you work a
full time job that takes out money for benefits for the unemployment system
and then when you don't have a dollar to your name, you're unemployed and you
need it most, the system turns its back on you. Friends, that's what
happened to me. Let me tell you the facts. We have enjoyed some
success with the exposure that we have received through our various projects
but if anyone thinks I'm getting rich or ready to give up my day job then
they truly do not have an understanding of the just how difficult the
entertainment business is. It's probably one of the most competitive
fields out there.
I was denied unemployment benefits simply for having this web site and showing
a continuing interest in the film business. The fact that I
volunteered at a local film festival was even used against me. It
didn't matter that I wasn't generating income, that the small profits we
have taken in in the past have been far overshadowed by the money I have
been putting out just to continue the existence of the projects that we have
shed blood, sweat and tears for in the past. I'm not making any real
money off of this web site. We have the occasional store purchase and
those who frequent the site know that the store has been down for a long
time. As of this writing it is now back on. It's been down for
half a year.
I was out of work for well over 2 months. I couldn't get squat. I
was piss boor broke. Interviewers either told me I was over qualified
or under qualified. After what seemed like forever, I finally got a
job with a publishing company. Yea, just like the struggling actors,
models and musicians out there, I have to work a regular job too just make a
living. Relief came in the form of a third party administrative law
judge's decision to overturn unemployment's disqualification deeming that
there was not enough substantial business being generated to disqualify me.
Wow! Now I could pay my bills on time, maybe even have a little extra
to presents under the Christmas tree. Just as I almost got caught up,
it was overturned again this time from an internal hearing. Bullshit!
What's the point of the first decision then if it can be so easily
overturned? So here I am back at square one. Add that to my
taxes that I haven't done yet that I'm sure I'll probably owe and it's a
whole new reason to shut down this site and call it a day. I guess the
only possible reasons as to why it's all still here is either I'm truly an
artist at heart or I'm just a glutton for punishment. As usual, keep
tuning back for future updates because it looks like I'm probably the
latter.
In the meantime, check out the latest work from
Brian Spears (Shadow: Dead Riot comes out March 28th) and an
interview
from a while back and the latest blog updates from Mike Lane.
