Introduce Yourself: Sign In Here First

Hello! Name is Adam Johnson and I'm a first time producer... Green as Gumby. Worked mostly as a Prod. Mgr for the last 5 years to help support a family (barely). Working on a project now, feeling the highs and lows associated. I'm hooked.

Just from reading many of your posts on this great site, I don't know how much I can contribute, but I hope to be in the game for awhile. Maybe over time and some hard lessons learned- someday I can contribute and help others out as you have already helped me in the brief time I've already spent here. But, more importantly I hope to make a few friends along the way.

Please don't be a stranger! I'm located in Orange County, CA and am pretty dialed in to crews and equipment in the area- I personally have access to cameras (AF100, 5D), audio, lighting, etc. and can get them for you for near nothing.

Grateful to be here!
Adam

And we're glad to have you here, too, Adam. Welcome aboard, and thanks for the generous equipment offer.

I help independent filmmakers and documentarians with their copyright problems.

Just a quick e mail or call to 800 370 1776 will get you free advice.
You can check me out at 4cpermissions.com

Excited about meeting new people.
Cheryl

Hey Folks,
My name is Ray Metoyer and I've been a member of the site for a few years, but I just recently filled out the application to be a professional member. Thanks for accepting me.

As for me, I'm a news guy who started as a photographer and became a reporter/anchor and a producer. My early experience as a shooter made me a much better writer for broadcast projects. In fact I can still shoot great video today.

I've been in the business for awhile, working in Omaha, Denver, Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta. Over the years, I've gravitated to long form story telling; first a series of related news stories and eventually entire programs. I hope to meet new colleagues here and that we can inspire each other to do great work.

Welcome Ray, good to have you on board!

Hey folks, Mike here. Just joined. I have a feature documentary 'Kink Crusaders'that's making the 2011 film festival rounds – and it took Best Documentary at CineKink NYC.

It is my current project that brings me here. I'm hoping to be able to gain insight of how to best handle the subject matter and the narrative.

Based out of Los Angeles. Heading to IDA's The Art of the Personal Documentary.

Well, I guess I'll see you there, Mike. Welcome to The D-Word and be sure to register as a Professional member for access to all the discussion topics. A warm welcome to Cheryl and Ray, as well.

Greetings! I'm Larry Peter and I've been in the film/video industry since 1985 beginning as an editor in New Orleans, then working virtually all crew positions over the next few years – from grip to sound to cinematographer and director. After several years of national TV commercials and music videos I left the production company and opened a post house so I could stop traveling and raise a family.

With kids grown, I'm behind a camera again with my focus on documentaries.(although commercial work still pays the bills for now) Completed a documentary in 2010,"The Art of Living," currently airing on Midwest PBS affiliates and have just applied for fiscal sponsorship for my current project, "They Wore the Red Suit," a film about the handful of men across the nation who have devoted their lives to being Santa Claus 24/7/365.

I look forward to getting to know all of you and learning as much as I can from your experiences.

Welcome Larry :)

Welcome Larry! I'm fairly new here as well. If you are looking to profile Santa Clause- there is a guy here in Orange County that I know of that does that very thing 24/7/365. Drop me an email if you are interested in someone out here in CA. I'd be happy to help. adam(at)m2gmedia(dot)com

Hello! I am currently working as a production advisor / producer with a Human Rights based organization in Chiang Mai Thailand and I'd like to be able to use the d-word to create links with others working out here and in the field. Thanks!

Welcome, Stephanie. It's easy to find D-Word members who are currently in Thailand. Click on People (at top of every page) and then Advanced Search –> Thailand and you'll find 8 others. Contact info is on their profile pages.

Greetings from Montreal!
I am about to release my first feature film called Neverbloomers: The Search for GrownUphood, which attempts to answer the question: does anyone ever really feel like a grownup??
Neverbloomers evolves from the style of filmmaking I have been producing since my youth, which I call the "autodocumentary" (namely, turning the camera back on oneself to tell one's own story). While in the age of the webcam and YouTube this confessional style of filmmaking is extremely pervasive (perhaps too much so!), when I was a young woman I felt that there was a side of the female psyche not represented by the mainstream media, and I wished to fill that void.
I am really pleased with how Neverbloomers has turned out – after ten years of work! (I am the quintessential Neverbloomer) and look forward to sharing it with the world.
Thank you for this wonderful community, what a great idea.
Sharon.

Welcome to The D-Word, Sharon. Good luck with Neverbloomers.

Sounds VERY interesting Sharon, best of luck! Count me as a "neverbloomer"- I always knew I had it, just didn't know there was a name for it!

Well, there wasn't a name for it, that's why I invented one! Thanks for the encouragement!

Welcome to D-word, Sharon. Your doc idea seems interesting :)

Hello D-worders ! I am a film lover working on my first documentary with my wife Pitchapuk who was a finalist in "The Asian Pitch 2010". The project is about Street Teachers in Bangkok and I am having an amazing ride so far. So much to learn and such amazing stories discovered through this community, it seems that every door that is opened leads to 10 more doors to open ! I was a Hollywood film advertising photographer and have shot a few 16mm video projects, but this is my first leap into the documentary world in HD video. So many QUESTIONS and I am sure you will bump into me on the forums very soon...
I have a whole new respect for you guys and am excited about starting this new journey !

Welcome to The D-Word, Bruce, and feel free to have Pitchapuk register, as well.

Hello,

I'm really excited to find this community. I've been working for a year on my first ever documentary and I think I've found my true calling. Despite never having done this before, things are just clicking.

My film is about people with digestive conditions (IBS, Celiac disease, Crohn's disease & ulcerative colitis) who use alternative treatments when conventional ones fail. Conventional treatments can have dangerous side effects and surgery can lead to a vicious cycle of requiring more surgery.

In the film I attempt to use alternative treatments to put my Crohn's disease into remission or even cure it. I do this by traveling to interview others who have done what I aim to achieve.

I was able to raise over $11,000 late last year for the production of the film using Kickstarter.com. I have a growing community of supporters through Twitter and Facebook.

Autoimmune diseases like Celiac, Crohn's and ulcerative colitis are rising at alarming rates. The idea that they can treated using alternative treatments is met with harsh skepticism from the conventional medical community. My documentary aims to prove this is possible (I'm the proof) and support those who wish to take this route.

The film will explore concepts of what it means to be "healthy", how to "listen to your gut" when everyone has an opinion and to ask just who the medical system is supporting, the patients or the corporations?

I have many questions and look forward to exchanging information with this community.

You can see my work here:
Trailer #1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nYKYW4hcH0
Most recent piece – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqmOSEmbqAw
http://crohnsend.com/

Regards,

Hi Everyone. My name is Maggie Hadleigh-West and I'm happy to be joining the D-Word (again;). I'm in the process of marketing and distributing my second feature doc Player Hating: A Love Story about a young hip hop artist from Crown Heights, Brooklyn who's trying to pull him and his crew out of poverty and violence. Just screened at Union Doc in NYC (2 sold out screenings) and tomorrow I head to Paris for two screenings in Filmer le Musique.

You can check out my trailer here if you like. http://www.yomaggie.com/currentprojects.html

Look forward to working with everyone.

Maggie

Hi there fellow doc lovers, I recently returned from Hot Docs in Toronto where I listened to Doug speak about this site. Looking forward to some creative conversations. Best, Rachel

Welcome to Reid and Rachel. Good to have you aboard (and glad my panel at Hot Docs bore fruit). And welcome back, Maggie. Player Hating has been a long time in coming, so much congrats on finally finishing!

Sad I haven't discovered this site until today! Happy to be here. Just finished my first feature doc, The Elders (http://bit.ly/iZHYvv) which I'll start submitting this summer/fall to festivals. Been shooting shorts and commercials for years, looking forward to the next phase of "feature" life through distribution.

Headed out of the country (US) for 7 weeks on a shoot for the Joseph Campbell foundation, so I won't be online much until I get back, but I'm hoping to do more crowdfunding articles while on the road and when I get back. You can read the latest one here, for those looking for some tips on getting started: http://bit.ly/jDM3g0

Thanks for the site Doug/Ben – looking forward to contributing.

Cheers
Nathaniel
http://www.nathanielhansen.com

Better late than never, Nathaniel. Welcome aboard and have fun on your Campbell shoot.