How did this happen?
Sep 13, 2008 What's Going On
So last night was the first time I’ve attended an event with press credentials. I was covering the opening night of the New York Television Festival at New World Stages in midtown. And as I stood behind the card announcing which media outlet I was with (it was laminated and everything!), I had to reflect on how I got there.
I started Filming In Brooklyn less than four months ago. I really had no idea what I was doing. I just started showing up at movie and TV shoots asking questions, trying not to annoy anyone too much. I had started websites before that had fizzled within a couple months, but this one felt different. I actually liked working on this one.
My wonderful husband, whom I affectionately refer to as The Ass, was annoyed at first by how much time I was spending on it, but realized very quickly that I was diving in headfirst, trying to make something successful out of it, not just treating it like a hobby – I really hadn’t invented it as a way to get out of folding laundry. He gave me one year to work on it grief-free. I set a goal for myself: that the site would support itself in one year, including travel expenses, equipment, and any babysitting I would have to pay for as part of working on the site.
I started cold-calling studios, trying to get interviews. I landed an interview with Antoine Fuqua, director of one of my favorite movies, Training Day. I talked my way onto the sets of several big TV shows. Word started to get around within the very small NY film community that, while I might be annoying, I wasn’t looking to get any embarrassing pictures of actors or sell any pictures to tabloids, and I behaved well on set. I started getting more access.
And last night, I found myself doing red-carpet interviews, a few spots down from E! and ABC News, interviewing the creators of shows like Desperate Housewives and Samantha Who? And with five more days left of the festival, I’ve got a lot of work to do.
But as excited as I am by all of this, Filming In Brooklyn is at a critical point. It grew fast, but readership has now leveled off, and I really have no idea how to get it to the next level, how to reach a broader audience. I’m only making about one-tenth the money I need to make to break even. I have no idea where to go from here, what to do other than try to get more and better content up on the site. But at least I’m having a great time!
Originally posted on Selfish Mom
Tags: Antoine Fuqua, Desperate Housewives, New World Stages, New York Television Festival, Samantha Who, Training Day
