Introduction

Welcome to the IMS Virtual Studio

Copyright Announcement- The Copyright of all material posted in this blog, is owned by Image of the Mind Studios and it is posted here for your review only. Text or images may not be copied or reprinted without permission in writing. This is the case for all creative materials, including what has been posted on this and other blogs managed by IMS and myself. Arthur Greisiger.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Facilities

Opportunity- The opportunity to acquire a workable facility has come and gone. The space was 7k sq ft sitting on 1.5 acre on the Industrial Boulevard. Initially, my thoughts on the Theatrical Development Centre were centred on it's placement in upper/central Pennsylvania as a retreat environment. I still see this picture as the optimal goal, however, after some consideration, this facility and placing the Theatrical Development Centre in a closer proximity to Philadelphia seems like a practical approach at this time.
Effort- This objective must become the primary concern for IMS, as we are sorely in need of a reasonable working facility at this time. The focus of attention is divided between "The Gnomes of New Hope" , The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park and The Meadow Amphitheare. All other development projects are receiving the minimum attention required to keep them alive until we can establish a new studio compound, so do not expect to see advancement in any other direction. But it may well be expected that with the proper space advancement of the other projects will increase exponetially.


Foundation- I've been having discussions with a few potential board members regarding the establishment criteria for The Alpha & Omega Society Foundation and it seems clear that the aforementioned facility would have made a good headquarters for the Foundation as well as Image of the Mind Studios. Consideration of that facilitiy (or any other facility needs to have a close proximity to The General Church of The New Jerusalem in Bryn Athyn and this is important for various reasons.

I discontinued consideration of the aforementioned facility because it was clear that my role in creative development would be impaired if I essentially became a facilities manager. Also the cost of modifications and aquisition were prohibitive. You might look on the IMS Homepage to find some photo-essays of previous studio compounds. I've had 9 shops thusfar and I'm quite anxious to settle into (what could possibly be) my last studio space.

Aqusition- There does not seem to be an appropriate property in Southampton. However, if that were to be the case, in order to implement the TDC in Southampton I will need to generate a minimum of $1M- 3M for acquisition & renovations, 1M for an endowment to cover the overhead, and 1M+ for investment in standing projects & personnel. Obviously, that is a rounded estimation, but it is sufficient to gain a minimum of 5 years of stability and enough to set the increased cash flow into motion. This would not provide the funding for individual projects, as they would need to raise capital based on specific needs asnd resources inherent in each project. I am assuming that in order to raise this capital I will be needing to sell off the ancillary rights or establish an array of distribution agreements regarding IMS Product lines. Acquisition of these funds through investment is possible but a personal dialogue in this regard is obviously required. I have no intention, nor the ability to borrow this volume of money via conventional banking means. Wether or not this changes in the future, who can say? But it should also be known that I am on the look-out for a CFO.

Resolve- There are management issues which also need to be resolved, mostly from the fact that stepping up into a new level of operation will require it. The operation of Image of the Mind Studios as a proprietorship cannot continue if the growth objectives are to be achieved. The fact of the matter is that expansion is sorely needed and along with that expansion comes a corporate structure and departmentalization.

Expansion- Consideration of this new facility seems like the most practical approach. In large part because renovating the existing space will require less time & energy than building from the ground up in a more remote location. It is likely that marketing this facility would be easier as well. But clearly, I have no intention of moving forward without sufficient resources to give me a good five years of uninterrupted operations and to bring in good people to implement the change required. Meaning to say that all overhead, in addition to facilities aquisition are fully paid for for that period of time. There is the option for a lease on the property, however I am unwilling to stand surety for any overhead that may immediately effect the security of the environment. This means that there must be an endowment that is producing enough income to cover the basic expenses and to create a surplus fund to meet with unexpected facilities maintenance. The principle of this endowment must remain equity of IMS, or be locked in for ten years with all proceeds coming to IMS for that period of time. Of course that would be viewed as an investment, but the return is tied to specific criteria of the Joint Venture Agreement.

Service- The primary goal of The A&O Soc. is to provide a working environment to support artists in their creative endeavors. There are many details about this which I cannot go over now, however, the first and most important aspect of that goal would be fulfilled in micro-cosom in the establishment of this facility and the endowment to maintain it.

Additionally, I have personally had requests that I receive and distribute individuals wealth to numerous Christian causes. Because of this, I have developed the criteria by which contributions can be made to The A&O Soc. and by which individual endowments will be set-up and managed by the Board of Directors. I will be posting this information and linking it to The Alpha & Omega Society's home page. If enough of these endowments are set-up, then the management terms of this agreement will support the Spiritual Retreat Environment, and thus The Theatrical Development Centre. Any income from these endowments will be dedicated to supporting the environment, not staff , stipends, or projects. Those funds will be gathered from other sources.

Updates- I will try to ulitize this forum for updates in activities from time to time. I am trying to manage numerous other pages so there is a plethura of information being posted at erratic intervals. If you have any specific questions or any particular project interests you, do not hesitate to write me. Generally speaking, my energy moves in the direction that has the most immediate & ongoing interest and shows the most promise. This does not mean that because a project sits idle for some time, that it isnot viable, it only means that another project has found other individuals who want to participate in one way or another. I focus on the projects that require attention, for whatever reason.

Information- There are numerous internal demands which must be met. I try to post the kind of informtion that will help in implementing the objectives outlined in the IMS documents posted on the web. Anything posted on the internet refers mostly to external operations with only passing references to internal operations. The only persons privy to internal operations and specific policies are vested partners and/or board members. Persons with an interest in investment should open a dialogue in that regard. Investment in IMS is a private affair, we do not make public offerings, although I expect that that will occur in the future. I have found that it generally takes about two years to develop a relationship of trust and stablitiy. Any one wishing to become involved in IMS activities should assume this fact. This is not to say that trust cannot occur in a shorter period of time, but confidence in that relationship takes time. This time factor also tends to filter out malintent. I just want to make my position clear in this regard. I'm not interested in flash-in-the-pan & hit-and-run tactics and I'm not a fan of "ultrayuppiedom" if you get my drift.

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The future of Cinema Under the Stars

Visit: Cinema Under the Stars for discussion about this program. All activities in the Meadow Amphitheatre are on hiatus. This and other programs will center around a new portable stage which we are building and will be presented at various locations.

The Meadow Amphitheatre

The Meadow Amphitheatre has been dismantled due (in large part) to vandalism.

We expect to rebuild a portable version of the stage, which will be available on a rental basis. Look for further information to appear on the web pages linked below or send an email to imagemindag@verizon.net

A tour of The Meadow Amphitheatre has been moved to it's own site and there is a page on Facebook titled "The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park".

Please refer to The Shakespearean Journal for the commentary & discussion regarding efforts to rebuild the stage."

Any information or photographs regarding this stage activity may be found at these three locations and postings will depend somewhat on the interest shown by other people.




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