Got Gervais!?

In the world of movie producing there are many names that come to mind, famous names like Bruckheimer, Raimi, and Weintraub just to name a few. The name Ricky Gervais may not be known to most of the general public but everyone knows the television shows he’s produced. “The Office” is a television show starring comedic actor Steve Carrell that has won numerous awards which was produced by Gervais. Gervais who is an incredible writer, artists, comedian, and producer has an online blog in which he chronicles his projects, family life, and travels.

Ricky Gervais is a marketing genius! He’s one of the few TV and film producers who actually use blogs to promote and market not only themselves as a personal brand but also the projects they produce. Upon reading Gervais’s blog I found a blend of emotions coming to the surface. Gervais’s blog is entertaining, weird, funny, and just enjoyable! The blog gives its readers a glimpse into the many facets of what producers do on a daily basis. But be warned! Ricky G doesn’t hold back the profanity and does not pull the politically incorrect punch lines.

At first glance this blog seems to be a menagerie of sights, sounds, and foolish banter. For those who truly aspire to become producers in the entertainment industry, this is a blog 2.0 black belt instructors course! The blog format and layout is very K.I.S.S.. Keeping things simple will keep your readers attention. The blog is riddled with RSS feeds that are link to other sites that RICKY ARE FEATURED in(can you say self branding and promotion on steroids!). Pictures are apart of every blog post. Images tell stories and stories SELL! There is a continuous subliminal sales pitch through out the blog, a Jedi mind trick that whispers “remember Gervais”. The reader is forced to remember every upcoming performance and project that Ricky Gervais does.

I’m truly inspired to take notes as I closely follow Ricky Gervais’s career. He’s on the path of greatness and blazing his own trail.

The moral of the story is if you are trying to break into TV and Movie producing you have to be able to create vivid stories. Be a master at selling the IDEA first before it comes to fruition. For those who are able to do this, great success will follow.

Has The Economy Affected The Box Office?

As the unemployment rate ebbs and flows in this wavering economy, most of the American public has been scrambling to find employment.  Jobs are not the only thing the American public is scrambling to find. Believe it or not despite a troubled economy the American public is still headed to the box office. During harsh economic times history has proven that people in America will spend money on great food and a good movie. 

So what's really the situation? Has the economy affected the box office? The reality is that this economy has indeed affected not only the box office but also the film industry as a whole.  This economy has forced independent filmmakers to come up with creative financing just to get their movies produced. In fact states like Georgia and Louisiana passed tax credit incentives to lure Hollywood filmmakers to film movies in their cities. I've personally worked as a stand-in actor and extra in over 15 films in Atlanta, GA and New Orleans, LA. The ability to adapt to this economy by the film industry had been phenomenal. 

So let's look at the box office itself.  Last year in 2009 Tickets sold: 1,419,488,855 at the average ticket price of $7.50.  Total Box Office Gross: $10,646,166,334(www.the-numbers.com).

So far in 2010 Tickets sold: 947,740,354 at the average ticket price of$ 7.90. Total Box Office Gross: $7,487,148,851(www.the-numbers.com).  With only three months left in 2010, these are critical months for the box office. The Christmas season has been known to make or break film producers. The battle for holiday supremacy this year is going to be a telltale indicator if the movie industry can surpass the 2009 total box office gross. 

Well my movie money crunchers the industry we all know and love has always seemed to survive. The film industry survived the first great depression and it's fairing very well in this current depression. Of course in times passed we had the golden years of films where we were fortunate to see blockbuster movies such as Rocky, Rambo, Conan the Barbarian, Predator, Die Hard, etc. Ironically the films of 2009- 2010 such as AVATAR and TOY STORY have broken box office records and made history. I'm going to predict that the 2011 box office year is going to return the film industry to normal