The Sales Dance

The Triscari Group recently got a new sales guy who besides selling, has been trying to take over the role of Project Manager. He's beginning to understand what Triscari as a company can do, but by no means does he have any clue as to how it is accomplished. Needless to say, I wasn't surprised when the owners gave him numerous chances to try to manage us producers and our projects, which always resulted in much frustration and unnecessary complications on our behalf.

So...that is why I didn't feel bad doing this.

Google Video Beta

Today I discovered that Google has released a video beta ! I've been waiting and wondering but never really kept up on the idea, and now through internet fate, it's a reality!

Aside from providing a means for me to search for demo reels and funny videos, they've also created a blog on blogspot with links to the funniest and strangest videos found through the Google Video search. This is just something that everyone can appreciate and needs to check out.

So far this is definately my favorite.
Their blog gave it this accurate description:
"The Sims teach us not only how to safely maintain electrical appliances, but also what to do when a perfectly creepy stranger enters your house after you are burnt to a crisp and naked."

Enjoy! I know I did.

Snow Day

Today I woke to about 6 inches of snow and though I had been anticipating it, it still managed to come to me as a bit of a shock. This happened because the last time I saw this much snow was back in '94 when what I refer to as "The Ice Storm" hit Delaware and my brother and I got to spend the day playing instead of going to school. So this morning, after getting up early, getting ready and sweeping a half-foot of snow off my roof I attempted to plow through the otherwise unplowed parking lot. After getting stuck on a hill and having smaller cars with front wheel drive pass me I managed to turn myself around and get back home. Parking in the lot, I found, was harder than exiting it. Once I did get situated into a snow bank of a spot it was one quick phone call and a short instant message conversation to see who made it into the office before heading back to bed. :-) Lindsey and I programmed all my contacts into my new phone (Thanks Dad!) and watched the beginning of War Of The Worlds then it was time to try one more time. This time I needed some help getting out since the plows had formed with all the snow once on the street an almost waist high white fortress protecting my car from all who wished to view it from a reasonable distance. After walking around it a few times, blowing my rams horn and realizing that it must not work with all Joshua's I look over my shoulder to see none other than Scatman Crothers walking towards me. Well, it looked a lot like him anyway. The Scatman and I dug the Vitara out and I went on to work. I got there about 11:30 and the client I was supposed to be working with walked in a few minutes later. While editing, he asked me to get rid of a graphic that was in the captured video. Hmm. It's not on a layer that I can just hide or delete. So I watched how the video underneath was before and after the graphic and realized I might be able to work around it and fake it. I did, and it worked seamlessly. This is cool when it happens and even cooler when a client is sitting there watching you. He said "Wow, you can't see a jump or anything!" followed by a long pause of astonishment then "I think I'm the most impressed I've ever been." That, to me, made it worth risking my life on the icy highway with Pennsylvania drivers. It was one of the best compliments I've had concerning media.

Well, I just got done packing up more stuff to take home tomorrow. Which reminds me, I'm not done!

Exhale (Only To Inhale Again)

Lately I feel like I've have had half a million things going on, most of which take up my spare time and have nothing to do with work. Well...I shouldn't say nothing because by far the biggest is the fact that come January, I will be employed by Watermark Productions located in Southern Delaware! (I'm working on the new site so nothing is up there quite yet) Watermark is owned and operated by my father Bill Sammons who has so graciously offered a mentorship program to me with the intention of soon stepping away and letting me take ahold of the reigns! This daunting task is both overwhelmingly exciting and extremely nerve-racking. Lindsey and I recently found a house to rent in Milford where I will be working out of until Watermark grows into an office. There's an extra guest room as well as one for the baby, and the dogs have a moderately sized back yard to run around in. A few weekends ago my father-in-law and I built the biggest dog house I had ever seen for Jax & Sadie to keep warm in during the winter. I'll be putting a heat lamp in there for them soon and I think they're just going to love it. Say good-bye to crates and a small apartment! I suppose we're all excited about that!
So today I gave my two weeks at Triscari and to my surprise, everything went really really well. Seb seemed happy about it, which could be read two ways I guess. The other producers were sad to hear one of them was departing but I know they understand. Over the past two months we've been making long one-day-weekend trips which has enabled us to move enough of our "stuff" to mom's to make our apartment look empty and at the same time keep us worried over the question "Will the rest of it fit in the huge trailer Dad's bringing on the 17th?". I also have to line up a way for my piece of stang to travel back home. Ugh. Well, now I'm rambling on with my thoughts.

Man...two weeks. It's going to fly by.