Tuesday, December 01, 2015
Business Plan
The layout for the Business plan includes "The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture" formed on the basis of a Governing Board of Executive Producers. The project has been valued at fourteen million shares, half of which is to be assigned to the Joint Venture for funding the operation. Each of the seven board members must be vested.
The second organization is IMS Management Incorporated, which will be funded by The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture. Within IMS Mgmt Inc will be "The Gnomes of New Hope Productions" which will be entirely managed by IMS Mgmt Inc.
All rights to the project will be resident with The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture, with the management being entirely resident with IMS Mgmt Inc. All rights to every market, including all ancillary markets will be present in "The Gnomes of New Hope Productions" but term licensing will exist.
There will be stock issues and possible Limited Partnership Agreements. Current funding is implemented using Front Money and this will continue until the Joint venture is fully vested with all board members. There will be an expected stock split because the buy-in is for the rights only and not operating funds.
If you are a potential participant, make inquiry via a hard copy letter sent to the studio address- Image of the Mind Studios, 1325 Industrial Boulevard, Southampton, Pennsylvania 18966 materials will be made available.
AG
Monday, November 02, 2015
Studio operations
I've been busy for the last few months, refining the studio environment and constructing a new business plan, as it pertains to the operations of The Gnomes of New Hope.
After having finished the bulk of the creative materials for The Gnomes of New Hope, I am refining the studio environment, so that we can enter more actively into the production process. Part of that is upgrading the building services to restore the building after it served as a rental facility. The previous tenants imposed a great deal of damage to the building, which I need to straighten out. That means rewiring the electrics & lighting, as well as, rebuilding the plumbing systems, at the very least. There are other damages which need to be corrected as well. So this is the focus of attention. In addition to that I am putting a new roof on the 2oK sq ft building. Part of that is in preparation of future solar power installations.
So in addition to that work, there is also the work of setting up manufacturing capabilities for the numerous product lines. Since I have a background in manufacturing, this is easy for me, with the exception of having sufficient resources to move forward rapidly with this.
Today I came up with a variation of the previous plan for a green screen, which should increase the capabilities in that regard. My plans for wood and metal working shops has changed a bit, so I'm doing some rethinking on the layout. But anyway you look at it, there is a lot to do and focusing on developing the IMS facility is the priority. As I mention in the business plan, IMS is not intending on being a service agency and all the facilities are being structured to service The Gnomes of New Hope and other properties owned by IMS.
Check out the Gnomes of New Hope blog for some other thoughts on these subjects.
Other areas of attention are equipment repairs and preparations to consolidate supplies and equipment that are currently stored in remote locations.
And of course, there are the preparations for releasing "The Gnomes of New Hope: Zach & Zebby's Grand Adventure" to the public. Our work on illustrations needs to continue and I an rearranging the art department with the intention of beginning the work required for animations. The molds for Constable Warren are completed and I am about to construct a cradle nest that will allow reproduction of that sculpture on a ongoing basis. We are needing to sculpt the characters in a smaller edition and anticipate producing a collection of those smaller Gnomes. That leads me to mention that we have located a supplier for cloth goods and are preparing to produce a run of dolls with a special twist.
I am still intending to move forward with the food products and anticipate making some molds for a few of those items. That includes a mug to go with the Gnome Gnog.
So clearly many things are moving forward, mostly those items which pertain to refining the facility and our production capabilities.
There is plenty to talk about, but that will have to wait.
That's all for now. AG
Monday, September 14, 2015
IMS Publishing
My focus of attention is on setting up IMS Publishing and I am concentrating on the Industry Package of The Gnomes of New Hope this involves setting up a production line for manufacturing the retail products. So that being said, I do not have much time to post here. I am still working on building puppets and setting up the stage facility. Take a look at the Gnome blog.
If you would like to discuss this project, I advise you to visit the studio, as I cannot easily pull myself away from the work I have in front of me. I prefer to do business face to face so that's were things stand for the time being.
Sorry for being so brief. That's all for now. AG
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Audio book update and other subjects
Well, I've been busy preparing the industry package for The Gnomes of New Hope. It all looks great! But what that means is that I have VERY little time to be online. So on occasion I can check in here and make some kind of update. Just so you know that things are progressing, even if you don't see an update here.
The primary activities that are happening are refinement of the materials and projects mentioned here and setting up a production line for making those materials. My focus of attention remains with raising the necessary funds to complete this work, through licensing, options and production partnerships and to acquire the support needed for the facilities.
Use; image.of.the.mind.studios@g mail, if you can't send a letter or visit the studio. If you know where the studio is, you are welcome to pay a visit to see what we are working on. Eventually I may post a video tour, but I will be providing that to partners on a request basis.
I'm not able to get away, because I have so much work to do. So if you want to be involved, discussions will need to take place from my location, unless your funding makes it possible for me to come to your location for however long is required. Sorry about that but I'm swamped. If there is the possibility of moving toward the Joint Venture Agreement, then we will be setting that up through our agents and legal team. In that instance a hard copy letter is best.
I am working toward setting up video conferencing/Skype but that is not up and running yet. Anything along these lines is contingent upon sufficient funds being committed. In that regard, Front Money is the best approach at this point, but with that investment the investor will get the right of first refusal to negotiate terms, with a limited time frame, depending upon the amount of Front Money provided. Options and licensing are also a possibility if Front Money is not desirable, but a 300% return is noting to shake a fist at. But realize that my Front Money is capped at 250k, for the time being.
I will make attempts to keep these posts coming, but other activities are interfering with the ability to do that. Significant funding will rectify those issues. I am looking to license assorted markets, most significantly the Hard Copy Illustrated Storybook, but also the figurines, games and possibly puzzles & other assorted ephemera. Contact me in that regard.
We do intend on producing a rental puppet show, so if you are into that let me know, because I certainly would be looking for a partner in that market. Of course, that market is also tied to television and the concert presentation, but also there may be a feature film option for that arena, as long as it does not encroach on the CG Animation Project. CG Animation is open at this point but once I set up an animation studio I will not be wanting to license that market, unless the numbers are irresistible.
Also I am looking to market Gnome Gnog and am looking to enter into discussions with a food supplier and/or a brewery. Candy items are available for further development, but all of this needs to take place on a national scale.
All these markets are still unencumbered, because I am busy with other pre-production activities, but once I finish that this may not be the case.
We are needing to fund the animation activities and the other illustration work and need to gather at least 50k for that, so the licensing will need to cover that. Further, I need to gather significant funds to support the studio operations and facilities. Depending on the agreement, that might involve some connection to the future growth of IMS, since I expect that my role in that will probably come to an end within 15 years, because I will be getting on in age. So a corporate restructuring is in the future there.
Also there have been discussions about selling all rights to the Gnomes across the board, so that is on the table, if anyone else is interested in that subjet.
That's all for now. AG
The primary activities that are happening are refinement of the materials and projects mentioned here and setting up a production line for making those materials. My focus of attention remains with raising the necessary funds to complete this work, through licensing, options and production partnerships and to acquire the support needed for the facilities.
Use; image.of.the.mind.studios@g mail, if you can't send a letter or visit the studio. If you know where the studio is, you are welcome to pay a visit to see what we are working on. Eventually I may post a video tour, but I will be providing that to partners on a request basis.
I'm not able to get away, because I have so much work to do. So if you want to be involved, discussions will need to take place from my location, unless your funding makes it possible for me to come to your location for however long is required. Sorry about that but I'm swamped. If there is the possibility of moving toward the Joint Venture Agreement, then we will be setting that up through our agents and legal team. In that instance a hard copy letter is best.
I am working toward setting up video conferencing/Skype but that is not up and running yet. Anything along these lines is contingent upon sufficient funds being committed. In that regard, Front Money is the best approach at this point, but with that investment the investor will get the right of first refusal to negotiate terms, with a limited time frame, depending upon the amount of Front Money provided. Options and licensing are also a possibility if Front Money is not desirable, but a 300% return is noting to shake a fist at. But realize that my Front Money is capped at 250k, for the time being.
I will make attempts to keep these posts coming, but other activities are interfering with the ability to do that. Significant funding will rectify those issues. I am looking to license assorted markets, most significantly the Hard Copy Illustrated Storybook, but also the figurines, games and possibly puzzles & other assorted ephemera. Contact me in that regard.
We do intend on producing a rental puppet show, so if you are into that let me know, because I certainly would be looking for a partner in that market. Of course, that market is also tied to television and the concert presentation, but also there may be a feature film option for that arena, as long as it does not encroach on the CG Animation Project. CG Animation is open at this point but once I set up an animation studio I will not be wanting to license that market, unless the numbers are irresistible.
Also I am looking to market Gnome Gnog and am looking to enter into discussions with a food supplier and/or a brewery. Candy items are available for further development, but all of this needs to take place on a national scale.
All these markets are still unencumbered, because I am busy with other pre-production activities, but once I finish that this may not be the case.
We are needing to fund the animation activities and the other illustration work and need to gather at least 50k for that, so the licensing will need to cover that. Further, I need to gather significant funds to support the studio operations and facilities. Depending on the agreement, that might involve some connection to the future growth of IMS, since I expect that my role in that will probably come to an end within 15 years, because I will be getting on in age. So a corporate restructuring is in the future there.
Also there have been discussions about selling all rights to the Gnomes across the board, so that is on the table, if anyone else is interested in that subjet.
That's all for now. AG
Friday, April 17, 2015
Communications
As I have said on the Gnomes of New Hope blog,
I expect to be discontinuing the services of Verizon due to a billing dispute.
Henceforth it is advisable to use these contact points;
email: image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com, imagemindag@aol.com
mail: Image of the Mind Studios
1325 Industrial Boulevard, Southampton, Pennsylvania 18966
I'm sorry for the inconvenience. AG
I expect to be discontinuing the services of Verizon due to a billing dispute.
Henceforth it is advisable to use these contact points;
email: image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com, imagemindag@aol.com
mail: Image of the Mind Studios
1325 Industrial Boulevard, Southampton, Pennsylvania 18966
I'm sorry for the inconvenience. AG
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Writing, Illustrations, Design & Animation
I surprised myself by posting this here instead of on The Gnomes of New Hope blog.
Update: the e-Storybook is settling in at 852 pages. The remaining artwork will continue when I have $50K in escrow for the artist's work. So if you're an investor, that's what I'm looking for.
Well, even though I have moved onto other affairs, I continue to put a few hours a day into the layout work in the e-Storybook. I have moved past S.10, which has sub-scenes up to S.10j (covering essential back-story elements). I have moved up to the middle of S.12 and the page numbers are approaching 600. From this point forward I have at least 50% of the illustrations needed, but I am inserting illustration panels on each page. Some of the inserts can be drawn from existing artwork, but I am not addressing that unless it is very clear to me that I have what I need, or can assemble a panel without dwelling on it for too long.
Oh, and by the way, I am assembling my packaging materials so that they will all be contained on a flash drive and viewed on an e-pad. It all looks so great I can't believe it! I installed the Libretto onto my micro-SD to examine how that looks and I am stunned. Most certainly this is the right way to go. The Libretto is finished and has been for a few years, but since I needed to get enough of the e-book done I switched off onto that. Well, now that the e-Storybook is nearing completion of the layout (less the required illustrations), I think it is time to let Industry professional have a look at the Libretto. I've discussed this in other postings below, but I wanted to comment here about how well this e-pad thing works, for the Libretto too. I hadn't though about that until this week when I transferred it over.
The Libretto contains the text to the play (ie: dialogue) and the lyrics to the songs (which are the essence of how the story is told) but it also contains all the technical notes, designs, and stage plots for mounting the piece as a stage musical. I have included discussions about design elements which I did not implement so that the designers and choreographers have some guidance in that regard. It has always been my intention to Direct this piece, so there is no point in any Directors approaching me in this regard. I will be looking for a Maestro/Music Director, as Shawn does not want to do that. I spent many years as a Technical Director doing set & lighting design as well as set construction, so in the absence of activity in that direction, with employed individuals, I will also proceed to craft those elements. However, I do not really want to get bogged down by that. In terms of those designs, they need to take their cues from the illustrations, but being very experienced in those areas, I expect to work closely with the other designers to craft the look of things.
Another note about the Libretto. Once the e-Storybook is locked in (as to the complete layout) and possibly offered for distribution to the public (if I need to fund things that way) then I will be moving to assemble the Technical Specification Manual. I already have this started and much of the essential materials are in the Libretto, but a concentration on this manual will yield more detailed specifications which will go out with the show when it becomes a rental. This will have all the necessary designs, stage plots (for assorted arenas, such as set movements and blocking sheets), batten & fly schedules for the drops, lighting instrument schedules & cue sheets (including MIDI files and programming for MIDI implementation of the puppetry aspects which will be integrated into the sets), and other items not on the top of my head right now. This manual will also contain operating notes for both the first and second class production as well as the layout for little theatre and concert productions. I will probably start with a version for the little theatre, since that will be the simplest production, even though it is designed for a first class house. So that will require adaptation. That means I will need to alter the designs to use only flats and drops, something which needs to happen if this goes up in the Bucks County Playhouse anyway. But then I will also be redressing the production as a puppet show for mounting at Phillips Mill and filming for television. Someone said to me, a few days back, that maybe I should use kids in the show. This was a result of my comment about the size of Gnomes. I do think that would be great, since I used to work with children's theatre and this started out that way, but I would have to take another look at how much stamina a kid has, to be able to deliver the material that exists in the three hour version of the show. I rather moved away from children's theatre when it grew into a full blast musical. I do have numerous versions, so I expect that maybe the one hour version should be adapted for kids. That would probably work. I'll consider that after I finish with the e-Storybook.
When we do move back into illustrating, the material will be oriented toward using it for animation. I do expect that once we start on that, I will be trying to produce a legitimate animation of the song "Completely". Even then, the material will be hand drawn and not computer generated. Although I have programs to use for CG, I still have to learn how to use them and simply do not have the time (or much of a desire) to do that.
I had the interesting imagination of being in a position to just stay in my studio and work at this without the constant grief of worrying about my overhead. That would be heaven! I try to move forward with that attitude. It may be fortunate that I have so much to do everywhere I turn, that if I run out of resources to advance in the direction I'd like to focus on, there's always something else to do. In some ways, that is unfortunate, because doing that interferes with the momentum of a particular arena. Someday I won't have to worry about that... yeh, when I'm dead!
That's all for now on that subject. AG
Update: the e-Storybook is settling in at 852 pages. The remaining artwork will continue when I have $50K in escrow for the artist's work. So if you're an investor, that's what I'm looking for.
Well, even though I have moved onto other affairs, I continue to put a few hours a day into the layout work in the e-Storybook. I have moved past S.10, which has sub-scenes up to S.10j (covering essential back-story elements). I have moved up to the middle of S.12 and the page numbers are approaching 600. From this point forward I have at least 50% of the illustrations needed, but I am inserting illustration panels on each page. Some of the inserts can be drawn from existing artwork, but I am not addressing that unless it is very clear to me that I have what I need, or can assemble a panel without dwelling on it for too long.
Oh, and by the way, I am assembling my packaging materials so that they will all be contained on a flash drive and viewed on an e-pad. It all looks so great I can't believe it! I installed the Libretto onto my micro-SD to examine how that looks and I am stunned. Most certainly this is the right way to go. The Libretto is finished and has been for a few years, but since I needed to get enough of the e-book done I switched off onto that. Well, now that the e-Storybook is nearing completion of the layout (less the required illustrations), I think it is time to let Industry professional have a look at the Libretto. I've discussed this in other postings below, but I wanted to comment here about how well this e-pad thing works, for the Libretto too. I hadn't though about that until this week when I transferred it over.
The Libretto contains the text to the play (ie: dialogue) and the lyrics to the songs (which are the essence of how the story is told) but it also contains all the technical notes, designs, and stage plots for mounting the piece as a stage musical. I have included discussions about design elements which I did not implement so that the designers and choreographers have some guidance in that regard. It has always been my intention to Direct this piece, so there is no point in any Directors approaching me in this regard. I will be looking for a Maestro/Music Director, as Shawn does not want to do that. I spent many years as a Technical Director doing set & lighting design as well as set construction, so in the absence of activity in that direction, with employed individuals, I will also proceed to craft those elements. However, I do not really want to get bogged down by that. In terms of those designs, they need to take their cues from the illustrations, but being very experienced in those areas, I expect to work closely with the other designers to craft the look of things.
Another note about the Libretto. Once the e-Storybook is locked in (as to the complete layout) and possibly offered for distribution to the public (if I need to fund things that way) then I will be moving to assemble the Technical Specification Manual. I already have this started and much of the essential materials are in the Libretto, but a concentration on this manual will yield more detailed specifications which will go out with the show when it becomes a rental. This will have all the necessary designs, stage plots (for assorted arenas, such as set movements and blocking sheets), batten & fly schedules for the drops, lighting instrument schedules & cue sheets (including MIDI files and programming for MIDI implementation of the puppetry aspects which will be integrated into the sets), and other items not on the top of my head right now. This manual will also contain operating notes for both the first and second class production as well as the layout for little theatre and concert productions. I will probably start with a version for the little theatre, since that will be the simplest production, even though it is designed for a first class house. So that will require adaptation. That means I will need to alter the designs to use only flats and drops, something which needs to happen if this goes up in the Bucks County Playhouse anyway. But then I will also be redressing the production as a puppet show for mounting at Phillips Mill and filming for television. Someone said to me, a few days back, that maybe I should use kids in the show. This was a result of my comment about the size of Gnomes. I do think that would be great, since I used to work with children's theatre and this started out that way, but I would have to take another look at how much stamina a kid has, to be able to deliver the material that exists in the three hour version of the show. I rather moved away from children's theatre when it grew into a full blast musical. I do have numerous versions, so I expect that maybe the one hour version should be adapted for kids. That would probably work. I'll consider that after I finish with the e-Storybook.
When we do move back into illustrating, the material will be oriented toward using it for animation. I do expect that once we start on that, I will be trying to produce a legitimate animation of the song "Completely". Even then, the material will be hand drawn and not computer generated. Although I have programs to use for CG, I still have to learn how to use them and simply do not have the time (or much of a desire) to do that.
I had the interesting imagination of being in a position to just stay in my studio and work at this without the constant grief of worrying about my overhead. That would be heaven! I try to move forward with that attitude. It may be fortunate that I have so much to do everywhere I turn, that if I run out of resources to advance in the direction I'd like to focus on, there's always something else to do. In some ways, that is unfortunate, because doing that interferes with the momentum of a particular arena. Someday I won't have to worry about that... yeh, when I'm dead!
That's all for now on that subject. AG
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Design Work
Choir Seats - One of the projects I have been working on is the modification of stackable seating for improving Choir seating which we are using. I am adapting the seats with a flip up base, so the extremely confined used by the choir will no longer be taken up by an unused 1 foot of space, giving the choir members more room to stand. This is a very good thing. For those of you who sing in choir, you know what I mean. I am also creating sheet music and liturgy stowage as part of that set-up. I'm really very happy with the way my conceptual design turned out in the prototype. As it appears now the modification will run $60 per chair. I'll post photos here when it is finished and if things go well, I will get a contract to modify a number of chairs. This type of stacking chair is very common, so once I finalize the design and the methodology, making this modification to your chairs is a service I can offer. You need to let me know if this is something you might want.
Choir Risers - I am also engaged in designing choir risers which will incorporate seating and just the right amount of space for arranging the sections. This design will be able to be moved and assembled by one person and the sections will be small enough to make them extremely versatile in regard to assorted arrangements. I will be using the Bryn Athyn Cathedral as the space to prototype these designs, since this is something we need there. The risers will be available for purchase or rental. If you have a need for such an item let me know.
Update: As it stands now the risers currently being designed may be location specific, due to spacial constraints and storage options. However, the designs will be applicable in other scenarios, should anyone desire to have such risers built, just let me know. I do expect at some point to have a generic set available for rental, but I have no idea when that might be.
Other design work is always under way but these are the two main projects right now.
I am working on the technical drawings and I may post photographs of the work in progress or the finished materials as this proceeds.
Choir Risers - I am also engaged in designing choir risers which will incorporate seating and just the right amount of space for arranging the sections. This design will be able to be moved and assembled by one person and the sections will be small enough to make them extremely versatile in regard to assorted arrangements. I will be using the Bryn Athyn Cathedral as the space to prototype these designs, since this is something we need there. The risers will be available for purchase or rental. If you have a need for such an item let me know.
Update: As it stands now the risers currently being designed may be location specific, due to spacial constraints and storage options. However, the designs will be applicable in other scenarios, should anyone desire to have such risers built, just let me know. I do expect at some point to have a generic set available for rental, but I have no idea when that might be.
Other design work is always under way but these are the two main projects right now.
I am working on the technical drawings and I may post photographs of the work in progress or the finished materials as this proceeds.
Monday, March 09, 2015
Studio Facilities
As spring approaches, I expect that I will be working outside more. I am in charge of building maintenance for the building that we own, so I divide my time between caring for the building and building my studio, which uses half of the building. The front half of the building is used for a 10K sq ft CNC Machine shop, while I am working toward setting up a wood-working shop in 5k of my space and a sound stage in the other 5k of space. That is only a sketch of what is really part of the goals, because my facilities and equipment span quite a bit farther than that.
But in terms of the most recent activities which pertain to IMS Equipment and Facilities, a big part of my focus is on rebuilding some of my machinery. Right now that means engines for a few vehicles. I have used a 1961 Corvair Rampside for many years as my work truck, but this truck has been in mothballs for eight years. I am feeling the urge to get this going again, as I had put the kabosh on grease monkey work, in deference to finishing up The Gnomes project. Well, stopping everything for the Gnomes has started to catch up to me. I have a great deal of other work that NEEDS to be done and so I am beginning to address that work.
One thing in particular, that this means is that I am now into engine building. For those of you who are Corvair enthusiasts, that means I will take on engine jobs. I used to have a business called Just Vairs where I was building engines, including race engines, but I dropped that to work on music and writing for the Gnomes, but also for my other theatre work. Well right now theatre is not paying me what I need, so I'm shifting for awhile back to the mechanical work. I only plan on doing that long enough to get a few of my machines back together (which includes a 1931 Model A Roadster) so if anybody wants me to do any of that for them speak up now, because once I'm done with this splurge of mechanical work, I'll probably quit doing it.
The other aspect of what I expect to be doing is to establish the recycling yard again. This will involve membership and access to materials for theatre production work. I am currently rebuilding the stage which was used at The Meadow Amphitheatre and I am building a rental Choir Stage and a few other items. If you are interested in these projects, let me know.
That's all for now. AG
But in terms of the most recent activities which pertain to IMS Equipment and Facilities, a big part of my focus is on rebuilding some of my machinery. Right now that means engines for a few vehicles. I have used a 1961 Corvair Rampside for many years as my work truck, but this truck has been in mothballs for eight years. I am feeling the urge to get this going again, as I had put the kabosh on grease monkey work, in deference to finishing up The Gnomes project. Well, stopping everything for the Gnomes has started to catch up to me. I have a great deal of other work that NEEDS to be done and so I am beginning to address that work.
One thing in particular, that this means is that I am now into engine building. For those of you who are Corvair enthusiasts, that means I will take on engine jobs. I used to have a business called Just Vairs where I was building engines, including race engines, but I dropped that to work on music and writing for the Gnomes, but also for my other theatre work. Well right now theatre is not paying me what I need, so I'm shifting for awhile back to the mechanical work. I only plan on doing that long enough to get a few of my machines back together (which includes a 1931 Model A Roadster) so if anybody wants me to do any of that for them speak up now, because once I'm done with this splurge of mechanical work, I'll probably quit doing it.
Here's a shot of my truck before if got ratty;
Some day it will be Seafoam Green with dark stripes
(basically the opposite to the way it is painted here)
The other aspect of what I expect to be doing is to establish the recycling yard again. This will involve membership and access to materials for theatre production work. I am currently rebuilding the stage which was used at The Meadow Amphitheatre and I am building a rental Choir Stage and a few other items. If you are interested in these projects, let me know.
That's all for now. AG
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
IMS Producing Parners
This site was designed to be a Subscription Site which is only accessible to our investing partners. I am continuing to post relevant items on this site and if you would like to be privy to that information the fee is $125. In the case of an investor, that is part of your investment. In the case of a member who is not an investor, there is a tiered structure within that site, the inner working thereof are only for vested partners who have more than 10K invested. If you have any questions email me.
Executive Producers
In the course of discussions here, on IMS Producing Partners, and elsewhere, it has become clear that the Joint Venture which I am seeking to implement is an agreement which pertains to the Executive Producers of the project.
So with that in mind, I am moving forward to implement the management design and the Joint Venture Agreement (pertaining specifically to The Gnomes of New Hope as a project) so that the highest tier of the management structure is under the guidance and authority of the Executive Producers, who are the parties to the JV Agreement. All other agreements will be supervised and dictated by the team of Executive Producers who are party to that Joint Venture.
Thus, I am moving to design (or revise) those agreements on the assumption that we will have that team assembled in the near future and therefore I am open to discussion with those of you who can be considered to fulfill a place in that agreement. Further details in that regard will be discussed privately. Arthur Greisiger
So with that in mind, I am moving forward to implement the management design and the Joint Venture Agreement (pertaining specifically to The Gnomes of New Hope as a project) so that the highest tier of the management structure is under the guidance and authority of the Executive Producers, who are the parties to the JV Agreement. All other agreements will be supervised and dictated by the team of Executive Producers who are party to that Joint Venture.
Thus, I am moving to design (or revise) those agreements on the assumption that we will have that team assembled in the near future and therefore I am open to discussion with those of you who can be considered to fulfill a place in that agreement. Further details in that regard will be discussed privately. Arthur Greisiger
Investment Capital
On the subject of Investments.
For some time I had been advancing the cause of The Gnomes of New Hope using front money for preproduction expenses and that worked fine for a while. But I came to conclude that that money was too costly for the results it was producing. If you look at blog on The Gnomes linked above, you will see some samples of the art work, for which this front money was used. However, the volume of artwork that is required for completion cannot be paid for with front money. My front money agreement pays out a 300% return on the back end. I have put a cap of 250K on the front money, so as to avoid running my preproduction expenses beyond 1M, even thought relatively speaking that is a drop in the bucket.
The real issue with front money at this stage of the game, is that I can no longer take small increments which do not move the production forward in leaps as opposed to the steps which have previously been occurring. Steps are simply not enough at this point, because it is not advantageous to have the momentum interrupted by a depletion of the funding resources. Thus far, we have moved forward in spurts, based both on our resources and what the creative material has allowed for, but it has become disruptive to the process to start and stop in this fashion. This kind of advancement is fine for development, to a point, but it is difficult to retain personnel and the external circumstance of the working environment looses it's stability due to alterations which result in loss of control within that environment. To the effect of not being able to implement the objectives in an orderly fashion. This has a domino effect in, not only changing the working parameters, but also the modus to initiate and fulfill the goals that have been set.
I can safely say that our creative materials are sufficiently prepared, that we will be able to advance on a consistent and productive basis, given that we are capitalized sufficiently to do so. From my point of view (as the goals have been outlined elsewhere) we can move forward without fear that production activities will catch up to the pre-production work which still needs to be done and thus cause a stall in activities.
Having at one time believed that we would move for a Limited Partnership, I started to take Front Money, with the expectation that the management structure would be formed on that basis. I delayed action on that front because the regulations with the SEC for a public offering puts certain restrictions on soliciting for such funds. Those restrictions essentially are too damaging to the development process, as it is uncertain about what kind of time frame can actually happen vs. the time frame that is specified in those regulations. Therefore, I advanced on the basis of using Front Money without preparing for solicitation. Rather, I applied that Front Money to preproduction development, which is one of the options open to me in the agreement. I could still continue to do that, but the increments need to be significantly larger than what I was working with in the past few years. At this point, I need at least 50k to make a significant dent in preproduction packaging (most likely more than that would be advisable) and that does not include the 150k required for the legal paperwork and such to set up for production. But my minimum Front Money investment needs to be at least 10K, anything smaller than that is (yes, helpful, but more so) distractive, because it simply does not go far enough.
Joint Venture
I am at the point where; I prefer a Joint Venture as the means to finance this production. That's not to say that an LP could not also be part of that plan, but the LP would need to be managed by a team that is put in place as a result of the Joint Venture. The essential elements of the Joint Venture certainly need to include a degree of capitalization (directly to IMS to recoup development costs, in addition to contributions to future production costs and investment in equipment & facilities), but also needs to be founded in provision of external resources as well. Critical to this is both production and distribution. These two elements need not be resident in one partner to the JV, but I do believe they need to be in place (at least) simultaneous to the initiation of the JV Agreement (depending of course upon what the parties to the agreement are bringing to the table). So the Joint Venture Agreement will then be comprised of three essential elements - Development (the purview of IMS), Production (divided by categories), and Distribution (accommodating certain rights to all parties). Production could take place at IMS, but it does not need to, depending on what the production is. A certain level of production remains at IMS, but that is relatively inconsequential in the context of the larger cinematic endeavor.
These statements are presuming that structure of the JV is addressing the three primary markets, theatre, film, & television, each managed under their own budgetary and contractual limitations and isolated from one another in that sense, yet linked in terms of the Executive production team.
Leaving all other ancillary markets to stand on their own or become part of the JV only in the degree that direct investment in those markets allows for. It is not to be presumed that any other rights are automatically attached to the film, television, or theatre rights, because they are not.
Ancillary Markets
In all ancillary markets, production and distribution mostly operate under different parameters (because of the MFG/PKG/INV specifications of each product line) and therefore, although the core structure is essentially the same, the personnel, resources and operating methods are different. Thereby making those markets their own operation not bound to the JV for film & television. The same can be said of the theatre, for there are no ancillary rights attached to that arena, unless there is direct investment in those markets from the theatrical production group, in like manner. This is the case with all markets - ancillary participation is entirely based on investment in that market, no unidentified rights exist in any agreement and there is no implied participation in any market not specifically defined.
As a whole however, a Joint Venture Agreement might encompass these other markets as to the equity in the agreement, only to the degree of vested interest in those markets, in which event these markets would operate internally under subdivisions. In any event, these other markets do need to be isolated from each other and self-contained in their operational methodology. Obviously, this could become complex if it is not approached correctly.
But the essential markets need to be isolated from one another and funded separately, as stated, looking toward the film market as a primary source of income, because the expenditures (in the film arena) are fixed to produce the final product, while the exhibition and distribution costs do not involve ongoing production expenses, other than certain post-production MFG items and marketing. Whereas, in a theatre production there are continuous production expenses in order to present the product, being that it is live and requires ongoing employment of personnel.
Certainly all the ancillary markets contribute to a holding fund to support the theatre production, not wholly, but only in part and sufficiently to ensure that the management operation remains self-contained and is not overly obliged to investment funding (funding outside the JV). Although some degree of this type of funding will likely be required. The historical expectation that ancillary markets are part of the theatrical rights is not the case here. Support from these markets will be part of the management structure, in the sense of a foundation, which is under no obligation to , or control by, the theatrical management organization. In this way the theatrical endeavor will be encouraged to maintain a healthful balance sheet. Essentially the funding provided by the foundation will be an internal investment group, returning the profit to the JV Group and therefore not obliged to investors in a LP or to the SEC regulations in that regard.
A Limited Partnership
In the event of an LP - the specifications will isolate that portion of the income which is assigned to the LP, relative to the percentage of capital provided by such, by specifying the percentage going to the LP and it is not to be presumed that the LP is participant to all of the net income, or the Gross income for that matter, but rather only participant to the degree specified, because full capitalization is not derived from the LP, only supplemental provisions which will be clearly defined.
A Summary
So in brief, the product line (s) are well established and in place sufficiently for a, well capitalized, production management team to more fully implement and exploit in an array of markets.
As you will see from discussions elsewhere, the timing of this implementation is such that deep saturation into the markets is the most viable approach, but such saturation can only be effected by a management operation that has already established a firm modus operandi in practicality and has the resources to support such full implementation.
This kind of implementation is contingent upon an established order that has stability, long term stability. Bringing that kind of power into the process would be my goal and I see that as being achieved on the basis of the Executive Producing team that we need to build.
Being specific, I invite competent individuals to engage in dialogue on this matter.
Those are some thoughts for today, AG
For some time I had been advancing the cause of The Gnomes of New Hope using front money for preproduction expenses and that worked fine for a while. But I came to conclude that that money was too costly for the results it was producing. If you look at blog on The Gnomes linked above, you will see some samples of the art work, for which this front money was used. However, the volume of artwork that is required for completion cannot be paid for with front money. My front money agreement pays out a 300% return on the back end. I have put a cap of 250K on the front money, so as to avoid running my preproduction expenses beyond 1M, even thought relatively speaking that is a drop in the bucket.
The real issue with front money at this stage of the game, is that I can no longer take small increments which do not move the production forward in leaps as opposed to the steps which have previously been occurring. Steps are simply not enough at this point, because it is not advantageous to have the momentum interrupted by a depletion of the funding resources. Thus far, we have moved forward in spurts, based both on our resources and what the creative material has allowed for, but it has become disruptive to the process to start and stop in this fashion. This kind of advancement is fine for development, to a point, but it is difficult to retain personnel and the external circumstance of the working environment looses it's stability due to alterations which result in loss of control within that environment. To the effect of not being able to implement the objectives in an orderly fashion. This has a domino effect in, not only changing the working parameters, but also the modus to initiate and fulfill the goals that have been set.
I can safely say that our creative materials are sufficiently prepared, that we will be able to advance on a consistent and productive basis, given that we are capitalized sufficiently to do so. From my point of view (as the goals have been outlined elsewhere) we can move forward without fear that production activities will catch up to the pre-production work which still needs to be done and thus cause a stall in activities.
Having at one time believed that we would move for a Limited Partnership, I started to take Front Money, with the expectation that the management structure would be formed on that basis. I delayed action on that front because the regulations with the SEC for a public offering puts certain restrictions on soliciting for such funds. Those restrictions essentially are too damaging to the development process, as it is uncertain about what kind of time frame can actually happen vs. the time frame that is specified in those regulations. Therefore, I advanced on the basis of using Front Money without preparing for solicitation. Rather, I applied that Front Money to preproduction development, which is one of the options open to me in the agreement. I could still continue to do that, but the increments need to be significantly larger than what I was working with in the past few years. At this point, I need at least 50k to make a significant dent in preproduction packaging (most likely more than that would be advisable) and that does not include the 150k required for the legal paperwork and such to set up for production. But my minimum Front Money investment needs to be at least 10K, anything smaller than that is (yes, helpful, but more so) distractive, because it simply does not go far enough.
Joint Venture
I am at the point where; I prefer a Joint Venture as the means to finance this production. That's not to say that an LP could not also be part of that plan, but the LP would need to be managed by a team that is put in place as a result of the Joint Venture. The essential elements of the Joint Venture certainly need to include a degree of capitalization (directly to IMS to recoup development costs, in addition to contributions to future production costs and investment in equipment & facilities), but also needs to be founded in provision of external resources as well. Critical to this is both production and distribution. These two elements need not be resident in one partner to the JV, but I do believe they need to be in place (at least) simultaneous to the initiation of the JV Agreement (depending of course upon what the parties to the agreement are bringing to the table). So the Joint Venture Agreement will then be comprised of three essential elements - Development (the purview of IMS), Production (divided by categories), and Distribution (accommodating certain rights to all parties). Production could take place at IMS, but it does not need to, depending on what the production is. A certain level of production remains at IMS, but that is relatively inconsequential in the context of the larger cinematic endeavor.
These statements are presuming that structure of the JV is addressing the three primary markets, theatre, film, & television, each managed under their own budgetary and contractual limitations and isolated from one another in that sense, yet linked in terms of the Executive production team.
Leaving all other ancillary markets to stand on their own or become part of the JV only in the degree that direct investment in those markets allows for. It is not to be presumed that any other rights are automatically attached to the film, television, or theatre rights, because they are not.
Ancillary Markets
In all ancillary markets, production and distribution mostly operate under different parameters (because of the MFG/PKG/INV specifications of each product line) and therefore, although the core structure is essentially the same, the personnel, resources and operating methods are different. Thereby making those markets their own operation not bound to the JV for film & television. The same can be said of the theatre, for there are no ancillary rights attached to that arena, unless there is direct investment in those markets from the theatrical production group, in like manner. This is the case with all markets - ancillary participation is entirely based on investment in that market, no unidentified rights exist in any agreement and there is no implied participation in any market not specifically defined.
As a whole however, a Joint Venture Agreement might encompass these other markets as to the equity in the agreement, only to the degree of vested interest in those markets, in which event these markets would operate internally under subdivisions. In any event, these other markets do need to be isolated from each other and self-contained in their operational methodology. Obviously, this could become complex if it is not approached correctly.
But the essential markets need to be isolated from one another and funded separately, as stated, looking toward the film market as a primary source of income, because the expenditures (in the film arena) are fixed to produce the final product, while the exhibition and distribution costs do not involve ongoing production expenses, other than certain post-production MFG items and marketing. Whereas, in a theatre production there are continuous production expenses in order to present the product, being that it is live and requires ongoing employment of personnel.
Certainly all the ancillary markets contribute to a holding fund to support the theatre production, not wholly, but only in part and sufficiently to ensure that the management operation remains self-contained and is not overly obliged to investment funding (funding outside the JV). Although some degree of this type of funding will likely be required. The historical expectation that ancillary markets are part of the theatrical rights is not the case here. Support from these markets will be part of the management structure, in the sense of a foundation, which is under no obligation to , or control by, the theatrical management organization. In this way the theatrical endeavor will be encouraged to maintain a healthful balance sheet. Essentially the funding provided by the foundation will be an internal investment group, returning the profit to the JV Group and therefore not obliged to investors in a LP or to the SEC regulations in that regard.
A Limited Partnership
In the event of an LP - the specifications will isolate that portion of the income which is assigned to the LP, relative to the percentage of capital provided by such, by specifying the percentage going to the LP and it is not to be presumed that the LP is participant to all of the net income, or the Gross income for that matter, but rather only participant to the degree specified, because full capitalization is not derived from the LP, only supplemental provisions which will be clearly defined.
A Summary
So in brief, the product line (s) are well established and in place sufficiently for a, well capitalized, production management team to more fully implement and exploit in an array of markets.
As you will see from discussions elsewhere, the timing of this implementation is such that deep saturation into the markets is the most viable approach, but such saturation can only be effected by a management operation that has already established a firm modus operandi in practicality and has the resources to support such full implementation.
This kind of implementation is contingent upon an established order that has stability, long term stability. Bringing that kind of power into the process would be my goal and I see that as being achieved on the basis of the Executive Producing team that we need to build.
Being specific, I invite competent individuals to engage in dialogue on this matter.
Those are some thoughts for today, AG
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