Mental Shots

Today DA Vision Pictures is launching its brand new series “The Next Big Business”. This new exciting program is about shining a light on people who no longer have a 9 to 5, came up with a great idea for a business and pursued it with vigor and determination. In this program we highlight all the benefits and challenges they have in pursuing such a daring dream. We want to give the audience a real life look at what it takes to build a dream business by reporting on those who are doing it. This show was inspired by people who lost jobs, homes, careers during the recession and decided not to let life’s challenges get them down.  Instead, they came up with great ideas and moved boldly to pursue their dreams and watch them come true. It’s been stated many times that more millionaires are made during horrific financial crisis than at any other time and that’s why we produced this great show “The Next Big Thing”. We wanted to bring forth those brave souls who carved a path for t...

If you are an independent filmmaker here's some tips on the deals you can vie for when negotiating with a distribution company. For your first deal, try for a 50/50 split, the distribution company makes the product and place it in stores, called a PMD (Product, Marketing, Distribution) deal. Distribution companies do very little marketing for indie films, that's really up to you to push your film as hard as you can. If you do market your film it will be to websites, radio mainly. Most will offer 20/80 royalty deal which is crappy for filmmakers, but it puts your product out to the world. On this deal you can try for an advance payment, 10, 20 or 30 thousand dollars on delivery of the film. Most will talk their way to giving you nothing. At that point you're literally signing your movie away. Another option is half on delivery and half on street date (Tuesday the DVD drops). FYI: They God of war starts battles on Tuesday, which is why all products are released on Tuesday. ...

Adult Day Care We Series Launch As promised DA Vision Pictures is launching its new web series Adult Day Care. I, Derick Thomas developed the show about workplace antics a year ago during the filming of my latest feature, Raising Wolves. If you’ve ever had a full time job for more than a few months than you can relate to some of the odd, strange and sometimes perplexing events that happen in the workplace. This year I decided to jump in front of the camera a bit and take on a role in the web series. Acting has always been a passion of mine and I’m naturally funny or use to being laughed at with reticule. However, both acting and directing will prove to be adventurous at best as the series tackles countless problems about the workplace. The title speaks for itself. Adults can behave like children 23 three hours out of a day it seems, the 5 O’clock news is evidence of that. Why I chose the workplace you may ask because the workplace for many is a second family and for a growing n...

Mental Shots: Respect Deserves No Applause : Respect Deserves No Applause I wonder what happened to the days where you treat people how you want to be treated. In all fairness I’m...

Respect Deserves No Applause I wonder what happened to the days where you treat people how you want to be treated. In all fairness I’m a little young to have experience that age being a child of the 70’s. I didn’t see a lot of it growing up but there was some left. However, I’m still old enough to know what respect is, what it should look like and feel like and to be honest I’m not seeing a lot of it lately. For instance, I contacted an upwardly mobile person of business and of some celebrity for potential business opportunity via the internet of course and was given the viral cold shoulder. Now, in all fairness I know they have people coming to them all the time with ideas and it could be hard to vet who’s serious. I didn’t think I came off aloof but you never know what someone is thinking or the opinion they formed about you based on what little information they had. I’m no outsider to the film industry; however I am clearly not an insider in this person’s mind so the p...

I've always been on the fence, no pun intended about whether Americans should be enraged about Mexicans coming into the United State legal or not. I've heard all the key notes, they take up all the jobs, they increase the crime rate, they are benefiting from living in the US but are not paying any taxes and to make matters worse the population is growing faster than any other ethic group. But wait a second, are we judging them a little too harshly. I mean do we really, I mean Americans really want jobs picking fruit, working in hotels and kitchens, doing all sort of construction jobs haven't we become too good for that. Let's face it, the average American wants to be rich, that's what he/she dreams of while working their 30 plus  9 to 5. I mean we even look at working at Walmart as a job for the lower class. I think America just hasn't found a place for the Mexican Americans. There's clearly not enough jobs that pay a living wage for them...

The new year is a new beginning for us all. Many people have new year resolutions, but what we really need is a re-charge of the ole' motivational battery to keep us going. It's really motivation that gets us going and after years of upsets and setbacks, quite frankly we need re-charge. Just wonder, what if there was a motivational charging station. How much would you pay for that? So for the new year of 2012. Make your self a new. Keep those promises to yourself. Try to better yourself. Don't just say it in your mind, but mean it. I know it's hard, but hell life is no walk in the park. Give your new life a chance to be realized. Often times, right around the end of January we even forget we had a check list of things we want to change about ourselves, because life keeps us busy. But not this year, right! Like you, I want to be a new person by 2013. I want to be that one person who actually has their checklist out in October still checking off personal goals that ...