Independent Filmmaking: The End of Another Year

Another year is coming to an end. And another one is about to begin. And life goes on for this independent filmmaker.

2010 has been one awesome fuckin' year. I can't believe everything I've accomplished this year. I'm the kind of guy that's always thinking about what has to get done. And never think about what has been done. Taking some time, sitting down, and just recapping the last 6-7 months of 2010 is an eye-opener for me. Not just filmmaking, but other projects and major events as well:

In the last year, as an independent filmmaker, I've got several of my award-winning short, shocking films to play in states we've never had anything play (i.e., Arizona, New Mexico, Kentucky, Oregon, New Jersey and more).

Several of our short films continue to win awards: PHONE SEX GRANDMA, Best Director in Oregon; THE OUTHOUSE, Best Innovative Filmmaker in Kentucky; and PAYDAY LOAN, Best Off the Wall Film in Atlanta, to name a few.

We made a Doritos commercial this fall. And will know very shortly if it plays in the 2011 Super Bowl.

Made a brand new documentary short film. And starting to submit it to film festivals worldwide, with the World Premiere coming up in 2011.

Finished making a new alternative experimental feature film project, about to release on a 2011 national underground screening tour.

Published 5 new books online for Opal, and setting up a book tour for her with her new books.

All of this, plus a new film I'm shooting, and another one in development.

It's rare when I get on her to write a few notes about my life. But when I start, I don't want to stop. I can't wait to see what the next year brings. I love making my art my own way. And seeing that there is an audience for my work globally. I'm living proof that you can be a well known filmmaker and be broke at the same time. Hmmm...that sounds like a good title for a book.

Until next time....

Jack

Check out the new library of alternative books from Dixie Publishing at:

http://lulu.com/dixiepublishing

Rockin' With Indie Filmmaking: Top Honors in Kentucky, Oregon...and More

What a life.

Things just keep getting better and better. And I don't want it to end.

Our cult short films keep exploding on the film festival circuit. Case in point: this last weekend. PHONE SEX GRANDMA took Best Director at the Oregon Film Awards. And THE OUTHOUSE rocked Kentucky, winning Best Innovative Filmmaker Sunday night! What a weekend. And this coming Saturday, PHONE SEX GRANDMA returns to New York City, to play the Chashama Film Festival! Over 300 film festivals worldwide to date, and counting. This never gets old. Life is good.

This last weekend is like a shot in the arm. The short films, making my first feature film right now, working on a commercial, and tomorrow: Mother's 65th birthday. I'll tell you: being the Son of a Stripper has given me such a great life that no one can imagine. And now, being able to have my Mother, Opal as the creator, writer and star of these short films....it's a great feeling, and very satisfying.

I'm living proof that anyone can make a movie. I am an independent filmmaker. And make films that shock people, open their eyes, make them think and talk. And the world hasn't seen anything yet.

Check out our trailer for the upcoming feature film documentary THE OLD STRIPPER:

Today's L.A. Film Premiere, Our Books, and the Indie Filmmaking Life

I love being an independent filmmaker.

It is a lonely life. But the rewards are great. To make movies that are important to you, that no one else can make....filmmaking can be very satisfying. Take it from me, the son of a stripper. My films are really out there. If there is an audience for my movies, I'm living proof that anyone can make a movie. No matter what.

A lot's going on this fall with our low-budget film company Dixie Productions:

Today is the official Los Angeles premiere of our award winning short documentary film THE ACCEPTABLE SIN! After over 30 film festival screenings worldwide, the film about the direct link between obesity and religion, finally plays L.A. today through Sunday, daily at the Blue Planet Film Festival.

Our brand new documentary short film 2 OLD WHORES is being released to the film festival circuit, scheduled to begin playing early 2011.

2 weeks ago, our hit comedy short film PHONE SEX GRANDMA rocked Atlantic City; last week, ACCEPTABLE SIN had its Colorado premiere in Pikes Peak; the L.A. premiere is this weekend; and next month, our award-winning documentary short film THE OUTHOUSE has its Kentucky premiere at the River's Edge Film Festival. To date, our short films have screened at over 300 film festivals worldwide. And continue to rock the festival world.

We are still in production for our feature film documentary THE OLD STRIPPER. After over 4 years of shooting, production continues for this upcoming mind-blowing feature film.

Other projects are currently in development as well.

And for our books.....

The book department of our business, Dixie Publishing, continues to release amazing books. Last year's inspirational autobiography THOUGHTS OF A STRIPPER: A Mother's Story is available only on Amazon and Lulu. Recently, the new reference book ANIMAL CRUELTY LAW IN THE UNITED STATES, A Comparative Analysis, became available on Amazon. And our recent humor book 100 STORIES FROM AN OLD STRIPPER just became available on the internet library. You can check out all of the available books from Dixie Publishing's library HERE

One busy fall. With books and films. And with the life of an independent filmmaker - the son of a stripper.

The DIXIE PUBLISHING Library on LULU

Another Year Older....and Still Making Movies

Major life changes going on this summer for this independent filmmaker here in the middle of nowhere....

Life is short. And passes too quickly. I can't believe it was 5 years ago this summer that I was shooting my first film, the hit short film PHONE SEX GRANDMA, with one objective: to just make my first movie and submit it to Sundance and Slamdance. Now, 5 years later, with 7 short films under my belt, screenings at over 300 festivals worldwide, I am a filmmaker. Filmmaking is my life; it's in my blood. I just have to keep remembering that life is short; and that I need to keep on really living life.

No shortage here of that in the middle of the boonies. A lot's been going on this summer. Opal's got 3 books now on the market; over the next 5 weeks, our short films are playing in 6 different states (New Mexico, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Nevada and New Jersey); getting ready to submit our brand new documentary short film that's very close to my heart to Park City for 2011; and this Saturday, I turn another year older; I'll be 45.

These first 27 years of my film and stage career have been something else. I can't believe the full life I've lived; and continue to live each day. The places I've been; the things I've done; the life I've lived. And being the son of a stripper...has been a gift from above. This independent life....I have loved every minute of it. And continue to.

What will the next year bring? I can't wait.

Thank God I'm vegan. And more life changes are going on for me this summer. I cannot wait to see what direction this takes me.

I can't wait....

Read my Mother Opal's new book 100 STORIES FROM AN OLD STRIPPER at:

The Mad Filmmaking Summer Continues....

Things are nutso here in farm country....

Just to prove, you can make a movie anywhere. Take it from this liberal filmmaker who lives in the boonies out of the Bible Belt....

A busy summer continues....filming this great feature documentary, about to start shooting a feature film comedy, have several editing projects lined up for the year, working on our publishing end, and the Vegas film festival this fall....

And life goes on...

One Busy Summer for True Indie Filmmaking

This is one busy summer....

It's been a month or two since I've written a few lines. Things, simply put, have been nutso. It's been a month since I've got back home here in Midwest, Bible-thumpin' farm country from Las Vegas, and every day is a busy adventure.

Last weekend rocked. Had to take Mother up to Chicago for a major event that will be announced soon. More to come on that. Spending some time lining up our fall film festival in Las Vegas. Working on promoting Mother's STRIPPER book. And spending the entire summer working on our feature film documentary THE OLD STRIPPER.

It's been 10-11 months that I've taken a break from submitting our hit short films to the festival circuit. 300 plus festival screenings over 4 years for 5 short films ain't too shabby. But these last couple of weeks, we've received about 30 fee waivers for our short films to enter fests worldwide; and finally got those submissions put together and sent out this week. That was a job. It felt good; like old times. And for the invites, our first short film PHONE SEX GRANDMA is still leading the pack...

I love being a true indendent filmmaker. Screw Hollywood.

Got a lot of work to do this summer. This feature film THE OLD STRIPPER is gonna be one fuckin' awesome documentary. I've been shooting footage going on 4 years now in Missouri, Florida, Las Vegas and California; with more shooting to come. This is a story only we can tell. With me, being the son of a stripper, and Mother's life....I can't wait.

And this weekend, I get to spend Father's Day with my real father...my Mother Opal. Can't wait to share her favorite day with her on Sunday....

Investor Needed for THE OLD STRIPPER: The Feature Film

A private investor is needed for our feature documentary THE OLD STRIPPER, a film about a 60-something former burlesque dancer from the 1970’s and 80’s, Opal Dockery, who takes a cross-country road trip visiting the cities on her old burlesque circuit. As Opal travels the country to discover the changes over the years, she also visits and interviews people living in those cities that remember the theater there in their town. An eye-opening film, THE OLD STRIPPER opens the public’s eyes to a lost era of adult entertainment.

$5,000 is needed to be raised to be used completely towards funding the total production expenses of the road trip for THE OLD STRIPPER. These funds will go towards all travel, lodging, transportation, food and production costs for a 2 month road trip visiting Opal's old dancing cities across the country.

For more info on the film, and to invest, email us at dixiefilms@hotmail.com or visit the Indiegogo funding page for THE OLD STRIPPER. You can fund the film directly at:



Watch the Youtube trailer for THE OLD STRIPPER at:

My First Filmmaker Blog this Month....

Life whizzes by....

I can't believe it's been over a month since I've written a blog with just a few lines about what's going on in my life. Life is busy; and crazy. I love being truly independent, liberal, and a free spirit....

Just got back home here in SW Missouri last weekend. Culture shock USA! From Sin City, aka Las Vegas, to Milford, aka Deadbeat County, population 52. Talk about a culture shock here in Bible thumpin', cattle country, conservative USA for this lifetime vegan. And I love it.

Seems like I'm surrounded here by half wits, retards, inbreds, and more. It's something else. People wouldn't believe there's still places like Andy Griffith's Mayberry, and Green Acres. But trust me. There are. With confederate flags flying all over the place.

Got a busy summer lined up....gonna be promoting Mother's autobiographical STRIPPER book this summer, lining up this fall's Sin City Underground Film Festival in Vegas, and have a few film projects lined up; looks like another busy summer!

Feels good to be back. Even though I'm surrounded by deadbeats, and people I would never sit and have a cup of coffee with, when I'm in my shack at Milford, it's true what Dorothy said in Oz....there's no place like home!

Look out, Deadbeat County....

The Old Stripper....My Mother

I can't wait to start shooting footage today of Mother for our documentary THE OLD STRIPPER....

Living Life in Vegas.....

It's a tough life as an independent filmmaker.

This is my first blog since New Year's Day. I can't believe 4 months have already passed by. Where have they gone?

I've been sticking to most of my new year resolutions....but it's a job.

It's hard to believe that it's a job just to find a few minutes to write a few lines. Making a living here in Las Vegas has been taking up most of my time this new year. I must be getting old; this sin city isn't like it used to be 20 years ago. And I don't crave getting out that much. Most of the time, when I'm not working, I do here what I do back home in my country shack and office; pretty much stay home, work on projects and try to get things done.

The STRIPPER documentary about Mother is chipping along....been filming footage here in Vegas these last 9 months. Hopefully, we'll be able to find a couple of days before she goes back home for the summer to shoot footage of her in L.A. and Hollywood. But it's chipping along.

There's so many projects to get done...this film, promoting Mother's STRIPPER book, getting her comedy act going, starting the film festival here in Vegas, and selling/distributing these films online. Lots to do; but it seems like there's no time to do it. The older I get, the more it seems a job just to live life.

Will write more soon....

A New Year: 2010, Resolutions and Life Changes

Well, it's a new year....

Personally, I am so glad. So happy that 2009 is behind me, that I survived another year, that I have my health and am alive.

Now, it's time to make some major life changes.

I've been waking up this morning, drinking coffee, read the paper, lining the day out, and just filmed a New Year's filmmaker video blog for footage of our documentary feature film THE OLD STRIPPER. Got a busy day lined up...gonna leave the apartment here in a few minutes, take the city bus to meet Mother, then take her out to eat at Sweet Tomatoes for our New Year's Day vegan meal. Then get some things done this evening. Got a lot to do over the weekend.

Last night was fun. I took Mother to the Palace Station to bring in New Year's here in Vegas with her New Year's Eve bingo. We went out of the casino a little before midnite and rang the new year in by watching the fireworks display off all of the casino roofs at the Las Vegas strip from the Palace Station parking lot. That was fun.

Gotta be quick here....running out of time before having to catch the bus. But to put it simply, I'm making some major life changes beginning this new year. Here are my new year's resolutions:

1: No more drinking. Period. No liquor. That's it. Simple. No booze in 2010.

2: Focus on working a good job this year, and making money. Putting that as a priority this year over my art. I'm not getting any younger. And I don't want to be a senior citizen before I blink my eyes, wondering where my rent money's coming from next week. Primary focus on working, making money, paying off the Missouri property this year, and putting all of my art secondary as a part time hobby. Major life change here.

3: Sell Mother's new STRIPPER book worldwide and get her comedy act started here in Vegas. This will be a part time, in my spare time resolution. We got her book printed and available for sale on the internet worldwide thru Lulu. Now, this year, I have to find a way to let the world know about the book online, sell it, and tie it in with her comedy act. And start her going to open mics here in Vegas to get the local community here to know about her.

4: Make a feature film here in Las Vegas this year, have the first season of our underground Las Vegas Film Festival, start a filmmaking class here and sell our short films. These are the artistic things I want to accomplish as a filmmaker here in Las Vegas this year. But these will be part time projects, done in my spare time when I'm not working my regular job. These things will have to begin to take a back seat to my regular life I'm about to begin.

I'm looking forward to these life changes. A new year as a filmmaker, in Las Vegas, with new resolutions....life is good....

Buy Mother's new inspirational book THOUGHTS OF A STRIPPER: A Mother's Story only at Lulu at:

http://lulu.com/dixiepublishing

Watch the new Book Trailer for STRIPPER at: