Wall Street Journal chats with James Felix McKenney

Steve Dollar from the Wall Street Journal talks with writer/director James Felix McKenney about Satan Hates You which he says " walks a fine line between campy laughs and sincere appreciation." This article chats about the inspiration of the film Satan Hates You, performances by Larry Fessenden, Bradford Scobie and the amazing Angus Scrimm and more. Check out the full article here.

Great review in Variety

"Barreling into the intersection of horror, comedy and religious sanctimony, "Satan Hates You" is a clever collision of flamboyant gore and social commentary that never goes too far with anything save mordant wit."---John Anderson, VARIETY

You can check out the full article here.

New Project Announcement-THE GIRL FROM MARS Film

We are thrilled to announce the next film project we are working on which is called THE GIRL FROM MARS starring Pauley Perrette who is one of the stars of the top rated CBS television series NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service. THE GIRL FROM MARS tells the story of a lonely geek whose life is transformed when he meets the girl of his dreams (Perrette) who claims to be a visitor from another planet.

The film is written and directed by DIY auteur James Felix McKenney, whose previous features include the retro sci-fi flick, AUTOMATONS and the upcoming HYPOTHERMIA from Dark Sky films, starring Michael Rooker ("The Walking Dead").

McKenney will be sharing producing chores with the team at The Work Room Productions. The Director of Photography will be Eric Branco, who lensed both McKenney's HYPOTHERMIA and SATAN HATES YOU for New York-based production company Glass Eye Pix.

Says McKenney about working with Perrette, "We've wanted to do something with Pauley in the lead for quite a while now. She has such a powerful presence with so much energy and compassion, it's infectious. Writing this part was all about trying to capture that combination of kindness and enthusiasm that makes Pauley so special as a person and distill it all into a character that audiences will really respond to."

We're currently planning on shooting Spring 2011, please check back here or the official site www.thegirlfrommarsmovie.com for information as it happens.













Moisty the Snowman Save Christmas December 3, 4, 10 & 11th

The Work Room Productions produced our first original musical in the New York Musical Theatre Festival last year. It was a crazy sold-out three nights of a Bradford Scobie original play called Moisty the Snowman Saves Christmas.

Moisty the Snowman Saves Christmas is an adorable and hysterical musical  that tells the tale of how, with enough tenacity and tinsel, one little gay snowman can make a difference of Christmas proportions.

Written and performed in the style of the old rankin and bass Christmas specials, Uncle Murray (downtown Drag King Legend Murray Hill) gathers the audience to tell them the fable of Moisty the Snowman (Bradford Scobie, Gorgeous Morons, Turkey Day with Pilgrim William, Wake Up America with Brad & Lori!), a filthy little city snowman compiled of snow, cigarette butts, White Castle wrappers, fecal matter and mulch. Instead of a top hat, Moisty wears an enchanted orange traffic cone that brings him to life. And, boy oh boy, is he full of life! Moisty is enthusiastic, optimistic, kind-hearted, intensely self-centered, and queenier than Johnny Weir at a Fire Island tea dance. What’s more, Moisty simply adores Christmas! So you can imagine his horror when he learns that Christmas has been cancelled by the town’s meanie-pants mayor, Mayor Bloomburger-Meisterburger (Patricia Dell, Mame, 42nd Street, The King and I) with the help of her hulking henchman, Snow Monster (Stephen Vara, She-Devils On Wheels, Trilogy of Terror)!


Determined to save Christmas, Moisty embarks on a journey, in search of Santa Claus (Steven Hayes, Tired Old Queen at the Movies, The Big Gay Musical, Trick). Along the way, Moisty makes new friends who join him on his Christmassy crusade: Yoyo the Elf, a teenaged, Brooklyn homeboy elf with an insatiable appetite for a certain somthin-somthin’ of the female anatomy (The adorable Dorian Shorts, Nickelodeon’s The Backyardigans Live, Captain Louie), Jaggedy Ann, the toxic, lesbian rag-doll whom he meets on the Island of Recalled Toys (Deanna Glover, Bye Bye Birdie, Hairspray), and of course, the Baby Jesus himself (a prop)! When our heroes finally meet Santa, they are shocked to discover that he has undergone a dramatic…change? Oh dear! Will Christmas ever be saved? Laughs! Music! Trannies! Nog! It’s the musical-comedy holiday show that is both naughty and nice.

The Dixon Place Lounge will be offering drink specials from 8pm to 1am the evening of each performance. Show your program at the bar and get $1.00 off your drink and enjoy a very special Moisty Martini, the “Moistini”. The audience is also encouraged to stay after the show to meet the cast!

The tickets are on sale now by visiting here. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 day of show although judging by the speed in which the show sold out last year, I don't know if we will have tickets day of. Buy ahead! We hope to see you there.

Tales from Beyond the Pale in the New York Times

I keep calling Tales from Beyond the Pale "horror gone audio" because we've got some of the most prolific and exciting writers of the horror film and book genre and we're having them create original screenplays to be recorded with actors and distributed through digital downloads and an eventual anthology CD in December. 

Tales has been a really fun project, bringing together such amazing talents as Gary Pulin to create all the key art and a unique poster for each of the ten episodes we are producing. We've been working with a variety of actors includign some old school veteran New York character actors like Bill Weeden to John Speradkos to Nick Damici right through some really well known actors like Shea Whigam, Doug Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio and Ron Perlman.

We got a great little mention in the Television section of the New York Times and am hoping people are enjoying the programs as much as I am enjoying producing them.

Woops

We've been so busy over here at The Work Room that we lost track of our posts. We're back!

We have a lot of fun things going on. James Felix McKenney's SATAN HATES YOU is roaring through the festival circuit, we've produced the newly released digital "radio" program called TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE with Glass Eye Pix's Larry Fessenden and I Sell the Dead director Glenn McQuaid and we have a little original musical coming to life for four nights this December called MOISTY THE SNOWMAN SAVES CHRISTMAS.

We will start posting about these projects and more on the regular. Please check back and remember you can also follow us on twitter @theworkroomNYC.

Thanks!

Shock Cinema gets it...they really, really get it.

We are big fans of SHOCK CINEMA. The magazine that seems to cover movies we like to watch and like to make. We were thrilled to get two great reviews in this current issue (#38).

Here is what they said:

BURNING INSIDE:
"impressive...a challenging and altogether harrowing experience for discerning horror fans."
 
  SATAN HATES YOU:
"weird and wild...a truly subversive work of art."

Please pick up a copy to check out the full reviews!

Nathan Wrann talks Burning Inside

Here is a really excellent interview/conversation between two very smart filmmakers; Nathan Wrann and Jeremiah Kipp. They discuss the movie Burning Inside, Nathan's choice to go black and white and whether or not revenge is ever justified. Check out the full conversation here.

The Conversation Continues

I spent all day yesterday at Columbia University surrounded by filmmakers, social media gurus, distribution providers and a general “we can do anything” DIY spirit personified by the Workbook Project’s Lance Weiler. I went into the event a little unsure of just how much I’d learn considering I spend almost every waking moment plugged into some form of information source, soaking up everything and anything that people are doing successfully to raise money and distribute films. I have to say that The Conversation far exceeded my expectations.
While many of the panelists and discussion leaders were folks that I am connected to via Twitter, Facebook, FilmSpecific.com or resource book, I was slightly blown away by the pure transparency, inclusivity and true “we’re all in this together” spirit. I felt that I walked away with a ton of information, a few perspective shifts and the inspiration to take everything we’re working on to the next level.

I think the things that struck me the most was this pure drive to just “do it” and see what sticks. The analogy used through the day was that taking control of your own film is like going to the moon without alerting NASA.

There was no one on any panel or discussion group that I was a part of that claimed to have all the answers. Every story was told as a single experience, a sharing of the experimentation phase. Many of the strategies that work for a documentary would never work for a narrative and visa-versa. Ryan Werner of IFC let the group know that the most successful VOD product for them was ANTI-CHRIST and he went on in a second panel to say that true genre films and controversial films have much greater success than any other type of film. He also said that the independent American drama was for the most part having a hard time finding its audience.

One of the more fascinating panels I attended was in fact one that was shared by Ryan Werner of IFC, Adam of Distribber, Scillia of Indieflix, Dave from IndieLab, Matt Dentler from Cinetic and Jim from EZTakes. All offering distribution platforms, all offering the filmmaker the ability to work outside of the traditional distribution model, all sharing varying degrees of agreement and disagreement with what the other was offering. I would not say it was tense but I would say it was interesting to watch these names in the distribution space dance around each other and not use their “competition” as an example of how their system works better or differently which is what some of them do when the other is not in the room.

As someone who has spent my fair share of time trying to pull money and reports from the traditional distributors, I do have to say that the Distribber model excites me because of the direct access into their system. You don’t wait for reports; you don’t wait for your check. You log in and access it all. Adam is in the process of growing his distribution channels and with growth may come change but as long as you have that transparency and direct access which has eluded us before, there is something special there.

Another piece of information that I found interesting was hearing from both Kino-Lorber and Steve Savage of New Video that films are on average still selling 90% DVD product and 10% digital. They agree that this percentage is changing and will potentially dramatically change by 2013.

I could probably spend hours parroting everything that I heard or talked about during the day-long event but I guess what struck me most was an embracing of our responsibility to do absolutely everything not only to get a film made but to make sure that it is watched, marketed and sold. It is up to the filmmaker to consider the audience at the same time the script is written. It is up to the team to think about audience engagement at every level of the filmmaking process. This isn’t really new information but I think after yesterday my level of attention to it is new. As we begin to talk about our new project, I have already started making my mental lists of how I would do things differently and well, it’s exciting to consider.

One of my perspective shifts came in regards to crowdfunding. There was a true and genuine enthusiasm amongst people who were using it to get their films made whether it is Indiegogo, Kickstarter or their own platform. Tiffany Shlain’s enthusiasm for engaging the audience during the fundraising process and allowing them to be the cheerleaders for your project sort of sealed the deal. I am not sure if it will work for my projects but it can’t hurt to try.

My two favorite quotes of the day (and there were MANY) came from Fred Siebert who said “if the audience does not respond to your film, it’s not because someone did something to your film" and Richard Lorber who said “Everything is Possible and Nothing is Working.”

Today, I’m going to focus on the “everything is possible” part.

Channel Midnight

Fangoria.com was so kind as to mention the debut of our new DVD label called Channel Midnight. We're excited about having our own home for movies we produce and are equally excited about having great filmmakers join the roster. It's all a little bit BETA at the moment. There will be quite a bit of trial and error but I think we have some really smart and interesting films planned.

Check out channelmidnight.com for more updates and more information on the films.

If you are looking for a good time and a great cause...

Our friends over at Situation Interactive are hosting a fundraising event in memory of Ian Bennett next Thursday. Ian was Situation's first employee and I had the great fortune of working closely with him while running the online department of Blue Man Group. Ian was really quite but really funny. He was also an amazingly talented designer, programmer and musican. Sadly, Ian passed away in a car/pedestrian accident in 2007.  In memory of Ian, Situation Interactive hosts a variety of fundraising events and there is a great one coming up next Thursday.

Even if you didn't know Ian, the money raised will go to a scholarship to help with tuition costs of talented young adults just like him. The whole Work Room team will be there so come join us for some craps or a drink.

Click here for more information on the event details.
Click here for more information on Situation Cares and Ian Bennett
Click here for more information on the fabulous people at Situation Interactive.

Murray is a Beast! A Daily Beast

Nice mention of the "Murray Hill is Mr. Showbiz" off-broadway show we currently have in development and a glimpse into what Murray is reading right now.

If you are not familiar with Murray Hill, I suggest you check out Murray's official site and even better a live show or the Bingo he hosts each week. I know Murray is hosting an Oscar party at Joe's Pub this Sunday but I am also pretty sure it's sold out. Maybe you willl just have to wait until we open our show later this year.

Check out Murray on Daily Beast.
Check out Murray's site here.

IndieVest's treatment of Investors

While our President has a hard time living up to his promises of transparency in government, I am excited to see at least one company put its promises into action. According to this article, each investor of IndieVest's first feature "Saint John of Las Vegas" received a 280 page "bible" of every expense incurred during the production of the film. As someone who has been charged with wrestling royalty statements and quarterly statements out of my fair share of companies (film and otherwise), I appreciate the show of respect IndieVest has for it's investors. It shows a true long term commitment to a positive partnership and not just a take the money and run attitude often common in the fundraising world.

As someone who is also in the process of raising equity funds for films, this is exactly the level of detail and transparency that I am committing to. This includes how we are running our new distribution label CHANNEL MIDNIGHT which will releasing it's first film in April. It is sad that so many people in the film business hate so many other people in the film business because of what is perceived as shady practices at every level but specifically at the distribution level. Hopefully the wave of the future is one of less waste; less steak dinners attributed to a film's P&L and more companies like IndieVest showing respect to investors and filmmakers alike.

Hypothermia Wraps!

Our client and partner in crime James Felix McKenney just completed production on his new movie HYPOTHERMIA. The movie stars Michael Rooker, Blanche Baker, Don Wood, Greg Finley, Amy Chang, and Ben Forester. The movie was shot on a lake and on an indoor set in Amsterdam New York. The movie is produced by MPI/Dark Sky Films and Glass Eye Pix.

The story takes place in Maine in the dead of winter. Ray Pelletier and his wife Helen have been ice fishing the frozen expanse of Lake Noyade for over two decades but this year something is different: no fish bite. Is it their new neighbors on the ice -- Stevie Jr. and his overbearing Dad -- with their high-tech gear and over-sized rig that is driving the fish away? Or is it something else? The answer comes in an onslaught of ferocious attacks that unites the two families against a mysterious creature from under the ice.

Kudos to the perfomers and crew who did an amazing job in the cold and ice. We will keep you posted as the film develops in post-production.

Panelists at 2010 SXSW

I just stumbled upon the full list of panelists for this years SXSW festival. Lots of favorites like Jon Reiss and Michael Gondry and also a few friends. Our fantastic entertainment lawyer Deena Kalai will be speaking as will Ti West (The Roost, House of the Devil). This was the year I was planning on going but projects made that impossible. I will have to live vicarously through reports and updates. Have fun!

$10,000 to Sit Through His Film

I always say that I knew I was going to end up in entertainment marketing in some capacity when two things happened in my life: I became obsessed with merchandise of KISS when I was 11 and I became obsessed with a scheme developed by PSYCHIC TV when I was 16.

PSYCHIC TV, a controversial "industrial" band headed by Genesis P. Oridge put these paper puzzle pieces into a batch of live albums. The fans were challenged to purchase every live album in order to receive the ultimate prize--ANOTHER LIVE ALBUM. A special album that would not be sold. Although the albums were repetitive and of poor sound quality, I was obsessed. I was collecting those albums because there was a prize to be had. I fell in love with the process of hooking the consumer into purchasing something they did not need, often did not want but had to have.

And so as I now am in the business of marketing my companies, my products and my films, I get excited to see how people are coming up with new ways to generate hype and eventually hook the consumer into actually parting with their hard earned cash. This novel approach from a Bollywood filmmaker caught my attention. I am assuming the angle is that the movie is so terrifying that no one will be able to sit through it but what if it's just simply too terrible to get through?

I will keep an eye on this one. I am going to assume that guy will quickly lose his 500,000 rupees.

P.S. Psychic TV intended to put out 23 live albums but stopped at 17. I stopped buying them at around number 10 becuase I ran out of money as I suspect they did also. It did however get them into the Guiness Book of World Records for the largest number of releases in one year. I just recently listened to one of their studio albums called  "Dreams Less Sweet" and it still stands up as a beautifully produced album but my closet full of live albums will probably never be listened to again.

Greatest 34 Cult Films

Totalfilm.com has put together a list of the top 34 Cult Films of all time. Did your favorite make the list?

BAFTA Nominations!

A big congrats to colleague Jacob Jaffke for the BAFTA nomination on the short film he produced, OFF SEASON. OFF SEASON is a snow and ice movie not to be confused with THE OFF SEASON by James Felix McKenney who is currently making an ice and snow movie (which Jacob is producing) which should not be confused with OFF SEASON. The world goes full circle. BAFTA awards were announced today and although OFF SEASON did not win, it is an incredible honor to be nominated. Kudos Jacob!

Murray Hill's New York City

The Work Room Productions is currently working on a touring and off-Broadway show with New York City entertainer Murray Hill. If you are not familiar with Murray, I'd sugget checking out his website at http://www.mistershowbiz.com/ and going to his annual Oscar party show at Joe's Pub on March 7th. The New York Post chatted with our favorite bon vivant about his favorite joints in New York City. Murray is always classy and keeps it old school. Check it out.

Interview with Filmmaker Nathan Wrann

We are in the process of putting out the first release on our film new distribution label Channel Midnight.  We will have much more on Channel Midnight soon but here is an interview with the writer/director of the first film scheduled for release; Nathan Wrann's BURNING INSIDE.

You can also check out this review of BURNING INSIDE from Greg Lamberson of Fear Zone.

Service Deals-The Mad Rush at Sundance

More service deals than full distribution offers at Sundance this year.

Kevin Smith & Crowdfunding

I am all for Crowdfunding. I love the idea that there is this group of benevolent souls who are going to gather together to support a project because they believe in it or even because they will get a free DVD when it is finished. Hell, I donated to a film today. A young man tweeted me and asked me to check out his site. He is 19, lives somewhere in New York State and has already made a bunch of movies, including one for $250. How could I resist giving him a few bucks that I don’t really have?

While I do know of filmmakers that have been able to do great things with crowdfunding, they have been primarily documentary filmmakers where a donation kind of makes sense. For me and the projects I work on, I don’t think it will work. Who is going to donate to the slate of films that I am currently raising money for? Our friends, our families, perhaps some die-hard fans of the director or the actors because after all, it is in fact a donation and not even one you or I can write off at the end of the year.

However, when someone like Kevin Smith is interested in playing around with crowdfunding, well, it’s a game changer. Kevin has such a personal relationship with his fans. We listen to his podcast over here and it’s like we’re part of his gaggle of insane friends sitting around his Los Angeles home. Kevin is big enough to have an article written about the fact that he is thinking of using crowdfunding and yet still not big enough to not need a studio or some financier to back his movie. Kevin could make crowdfunding work.

I look forward to seeing what he comes up with and I also look forward to seeing how crowdfunding evolves or is killed by individuals who don’t understand it or are threatened by it. I’ve listened to a lot of smart people argue the merits of it and be confused by how it mingles with, skirts dangerously close to or avoids the securities laws.

I am rooting for you crowdfunding…even if I don’t think you will work for the majority of us.