This is the making of Kevin Cossom’s OVERFLOW and THINGS PEOPLE DO videos from his album Hooks vs Bridge II. We filmed it in Laguna Beach, CA.
Besides my loyalty to Orange County, this place just makes it easier to film. More people need to realize OC is totally film friendly.
OK Can we all just agree there isn’t and never will be another Michael Jackson and another Madonna? Stop calling yourselves THE NEXT _____________. It’s over, it’s done, there’s nothing more to see. Instead be the first YOU.
1 of 3 schools I am giving the arts program to (Loara HS, Anaheim CA) and the kids interested in the program.
WHO IS OLDER?
I think Madonna more than demonstrates the importance of a healthy food and fitness plan.
You cannot. You should not. You probably will not make it. You’re not ______ (insert another race). You are not rich. You are not connected. Be reasonable. Be logical. What are the odds? Do something else. Why can’t you just be a _________?
You’ve heard it all. I’ve heard it all. And it does not matter if you want to dance, photograph, teach, or sing. If you want, you can. If you work hard enough, you will get results.
There are reports Michael Jordan did not make his high school basketball team. Cindy Crawford heard she’d never make it with her mole. Madonna was rejected by a small record label, months before a major signed her and she became the highest selling female recording artist of all time, according to Guinness Book of World Records. In 2008, Billboard ranked her #2, only behind The Beatles, as the most successful recording artist of all time.
Here is a found copy of Madonna’s rejection letter. Remember this the next time someone puts you down or your doubt yourself.
Hello all…just a quick note and favor to ask. I am trying to find a local school in OC or LA where I can volunteer some time and teach them about photography, talk about the industry, mentor some kids, etc…If you or anyone you know work at a school that can use that, please let me know. I can probably only afford about 2 days a month to help.
I grew up in low-income and all they’d ever send to our school was the army recruit guy and a couple trade schools. I just want to give one more option for the kids. Ideally 7-12th grade would work best but am open. I’m not sure how I would set it up, maybe at lunch or after school, or weekend…. etc…we can discuss the details with the school/program selected.
Please feel free to repost this or tweet this. Thank you in advance!
Walid.
UPDATE: Found a great school on the LA/OC border. They are trying to do more film/media and are low income. I cannot wait to help!
I wanted to say that ANYONE that wants pictures for the next week, any sort of picture for your band, your agency, your company, etc… please book right away from the website. ALL monies made from the shoots in the next week will go to Haitian victims, all 100% of the money. Please pass this along and repost if you would like.
All week I’ve had phone calls from close people in my life, as they complain about their life. I could not take it anymore, so I feel it’s an important topic to address because the same actions relate very much to this business.
The first phone call came from a friend. He complained about his job, about company practices, about the pay, about the employees (that he hires by the way), about the schedule (that he makes), about the traffic getting to the store (that he OK’d when they picked him for that store). And for months, actually years I’ve supported him and other friends. So now it has reached the pinnacle of the complaints. I finally said, “You know what __________, you will probably never ever find a better job. In fact, I am going to say you are stuck in this dead end job and it’s your future because for years you complain but never send out one resume, make one appt to fill out a college app, or see a head hunter.” I told him that he his acting like a person that is stuck in a dead-end position that is exactly where he is now. I told him to get used to it, because all he does is whine about his job but takes no further action and whining accomplishes zilch.
He understood where I was coming from, but had nothing to say because this is truth. I told him I was slightly chubby because I ate like a chubby person and worked out like a chubby person. It’s not the fault of my genes, my parents or McDonald’s. It’s MY fault because I don’t take care of myself like I should.
Then today I got another phone call from someone else. She was complaining about her husband. He is not motivated enough. He is not a doer. He is not one who reads. Yet they are buying a GIANT HD TV this week. Wait a minute? You are broke and you are buying a widescreen TV? Are you that dense? Are you that remedial? 1+1=2 … financial trouble + Expensive TV = Moronic. Figure it out people! You are broke because you walk around, breathe, and eat like broke people! You have no business buying a new TV, and NO YOU DO NOT DESERVE IT! If you can buy it cash, then you DESERVE IT. I don’t care if it’s no payments for 18 months, why would you spend all that money on something that is designed to make you dumber? Please enlighten me. Anyone?
I told this person, that it’s her fault. SHE OK’d the transaction with her husband. She sat back and watched him buy it and the SHE RAN ACROSS TOWN AND BOUGHT THE LARGE TV STAND FOR IT. So PLEASE do not complain about your husband and point fingers at him. Take accountability of your actions.
I told her that you guys are trying to start a business. How about you take the money for the TV payments and put that into your business? That’s a logical thought, right? Maybe even $50 a month could help your new business with cards, a phone line, internet, flyers, etc… see my point? Your business will probably not succeed because you are already behaving like someone who is fiscally irresponsible and does not care to succeed. Harsh? Yes. True? Yes? Do I care? No, because what good is someone who will not tell you the truth. That is not a good friend.
I know there are other factors to people’s demise, their bad chapters, but this is a general statement. If you are unahappy, change it. If you are fat, run. If you are skinny, eat. If you can’t breathe, stop smoking. If you are broke, work harder or shop smarter. If your children are rude, it’s YOUR fault. If you are a renter, you probably don’t act like a home owner. If you don’t have a retirement fund, you probably acted irresponsibly and now have to live with your actions. Just in that last paragraph, I am guilty of two actions. I know it. I am changing it now. But I don’t blame others and the only change I am going to see, is the change I am willing to be.
Another friend called and said her husband is not motivate to work harder and make more money. I said, “hey _____, on facebook you always put your status as shopping til you drop or your husband is going to kill you for buying so much”. Guess what genius!? Your husband has ZERO motivation to work harder, because my friend, his greedy shopaholic wife, spends all of it!
Taking accountability is not such a bad thing. When I look at the place I live in, I on one hand am so thankful because I have earned every dollar to make it possible. I have bought every single item, so I take accountability for that. But sometimes I wonder if I can go bigger? Can I buy bigger? That’s where accountability comes in also. The answer is no, not yet. That is because I need to work harder and I don’t, so I cannot have it.
For those that visit my blog regularly, thank you, and you will notice the anger in this story but it’s true. The sooner you realize that YOU are the reason for your success or failure, the better off you will be. The sooner you realize the world is not against you, the quicker you can realize that you can make a change. The faster your take responsibility for your good and bad, the more stable you will be. But please, what ever you do… if you decide you want to be chubby, poor, rich or you want to be mean or nice, or a renter or buyer, or an employee or a business owner… just do it. Don’t complain about it. Don’t point fingers. Take the driver’s seat and do it and the world will be on your side.
I am often inspired by the BIG artists. They are big in style, big in personality, big in success, big goals, big splash, loud noise, bright lights, well… you get it. I like it loud, I like it big, I like it vibrant. That is why I often write about Michael, Madonna, Usher, and those that trail their dust. Recently I ran into a video online (OK don’t ask me why but I am obsessed with concert videos, especially behind the scenes concert videos). In that search for something new I ran into a badly shot video (probably a dancer’s personal cam) of Madonna’s last tour, the record breaking “Sticky and Sweet World Tour”. In it she gave the crew a small speech, and you cannot help but feel inspired by them. I edited out words that will not pertain to you, unless you are one of HER dancers but the overall message rings true to all of us.
“…everybody knows that all ideas come in tiny little seeds. And who knows when they happen. A year ago, ten years ago…the day we were born? We get ideas and we have dreams; and we put them to life and then we send them to people. We are one living body and soul, and we can’t live without each other. Thank you for working so hard and giving so much.
…good energy, good chemistry. The world is a crazy place out there. There are a lot of people suffering and people who cannot realize their dreams. And just think for a second how lucky we are that we can do what we love to do, and we get paid for it; and people clap and cheer and get joy from it and they leave this place feeling lifted by it.
We are not owners of our talent, we’re just the managers. Lets go out there, lets channel light and energy and love and know how much you are loved and appreciated…”
If everyone took a moment to read that statement and took every bit of their energy to believe it, then the impossible will be no more. Remember that thoughts become words, words into sentences, and sentences lead to actions.
The title is easy enough, you need to get paid for your work. But my point is not to state the obvious, because we all need to make money from our craft. However in the start, and we all had to do it, we worked for free or dirt cheap.
You may not be happy with yourself, but you were excited to have had the chance and show your stuff. You tell friends and family that you have the opportunity to do something and they ask, “How much you gettin’ paid?”. You hang your head low and say any number of reasons why you could not get paid but it’s so good for your portfolio or reel!
They don’t understand, they may never understand but that’s not why you do this business. You go at this business because you love to create, to think, to materialize, to make things happen that make others happy and escape! So THAT is your mission statement for Hollywood. THAT is your paycheck if you don’t get paid with the dollar, you must get paid in creativity.
Some may protest that you should always get paid. Yes you should but in the start that is not possible, so you should be compensated in creative ways at least. Isn’t that the reason why we started in this business in the first place? We took chances and risks to create and grow from it, with it, and within. Along the way, some of us are lucky to make lots of money from the creative work we do, but all of us should get paid in other ways. What ever job you do, always ask yourself if you will grow from this creatively? I am not talking about learning a new light or technical aspect. Will you grow from the soul because of this project? Will you push yourself to a new boundary or limit? Can you say you are more confident about a particular style because of this?
For those that have asked me about doing free work vs. paid, that is my advice. Get paid some how. If it is not with the dollar, then it MUST be with creativity. Otherwise you are creating a giant waste of time. Be happy with your product. Have more creative say. Put your foot down. Learn to negotiate. Learn to compromise. Learn to work with other talents. Do not finish the job without getting something back for YOU. That is the way to get paid on non-paid jobs.
