Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Art therapy Film workshops in Clovis for Veterans - CVMD

Written by: 
George Ohan
U.S. Army Veteran


Clovis Veterans Memorial District is committed to serving Veterans and their families. CVMD will soon begin hosting free monthly Entertainment Business and Independent Film production workshops for their local community. 

Memorial Day 2017 


The valuable art therapy will also teach Veterans and their families how to earn a sustainable living wage using digital technology.



CEO of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District, Mr. Lorenzo Rios thinks that this type of education will help the entire Clovis community. 





One requirement of the independent film-training program will be for the participants to Produce a video for a local business or non-profit. The idea behind that is, “A rising tide, lifts all ships.”


When a person learns how to tell a story using video and photography, beautiful things can happen. 



Below is a guide for “indie filmmakers” to follow.




Please follow CVMD Facebook page:


2017 Memorial Day - Clovis, California



Written by: George Ohan


DISCLAIMER:  There are many ways of doing many things.  Below you will read about one way of making money as an independent filmmaker.  There may be more effective ways that you like better.  Please take the time to research what works best for you.

 READING is a MUST.  


Independent filmmakers usually have a hard time making money....  Why?  Well, I think it’s because most of them are actually artists, rather than business people.  


So, artist.... If you no longer want to be known as a "starving artist" please begin to develop habits that will result in booking more paid work.


The film industry is just like any other business when it comes to producing content.  We NEED customers.  We must SEEK our target audience.  People must KNOW what we do.  This is a numbers game when it comes to getting your next gig.


Keep the emotions out of the process.  The more people that you DIRECTLY ask for business, the more gigs you will book.


Vets Helping Vets - Documentary



The independent “survive & thrive” business model is based on shooting HD video content and photography for: small businesses, music artists, bands, events, short films, YouTube content, documentaries, and feature length films. Everyone is a Digital Content Producer.


As an indie filmmaker, when people ask me ,"What do you do?"  My response is, "I'm a producer."  That's when I notice a blank stare.  -_-


After seeing this same result several times I knew that I had to communicate more effectively about what I could do for them. People need to know that you are the right person to help them.  


U.S. Military Veteran projects:



The general public does not know that a producer is responsible for: actors, locations, contracts, craft services, equipment, crew, post production, and everything else it takes to PRODUCE one project.  When I explained this information to my potential clients, they took my offer a lot more seriously. 


A few of the steps that have increased my chances of booking more work have been:

1.  Set solid goals that I want to hit. Sales, income, follow-ups, social media posts, training.


2.  Gather a minimum of 3 business cards daily (Follow up with email less than 72 hours)


3.  Teach business model to all potential partners/crew so they can book work for us too


4.  Write treatments and pitch to businesses about creating a commercial for them


5.  Advertise on my personal social media TELLING people what I do


6.  Talk to 10 people that I do NOT know daily (Build Relationships)


7.  Research, Research, Research. (Potential clients have a NEED; find it)


8.  Follow-up with past customers and gage satisfaction


Youth filmmaker / Navy Sea Cadet



9.  Set a minimum of 5 appointments per week to discuss HD content creation


10.  Designate a time for follow-ups, marketing emails, and face to face appointments


11.  Search the websites on flyers and promotional items from various places in town


12.  Update all of contact information on various websites and social media


13.  Have a price list, scope of work, and completion times readily available for clients


14.  I volunteer on many sets just to meet more people and book future gigs


15.  Offer much more than just HD content creation; help with social media too


16.  Ask effective, fact finding, open-ended questions to figure out if a person needs my service


2017 Memorial Day - CVMD



In my opinion it is every crew member's responsibility to help book work.  A producer and a director will have an extremely hard time trying to do this on their own.  


It is much more effective when an entire group of people are working closely to book gigs. 



Producer, Director, 1st AD, UPM, Gaffer, Grip, Editor, Art Director, VFX artist, Production Designer, can all help with the mission of booking gigs.   If your team knows that the producer can make it happen once the job is booked, you will be much more successful.



You MUST talk to a lot of people.  They MUST know what you do.  You MUST effectively communicate your objective.  Follow-ups are a MUST.  Professionalism and proper presentation is a MUST. 


DISCLAIMER:  There are many ways of doing many things.  Below you will read about one way of making money as an independent filmmaker.  There may be more effective ways that you like better.  Please take the time to research what works best for you.


READING is a MUST. 


Written by:
George Ohan
U.S. Army Veteran

Fulton Film Company

https://fultonfilmcompany.com/
Photo by STUDENT: Cara Phagnaxay

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Honoring Military Veterans in the Central Valley

Honoring Military Veterans in the Central Valley


Thank You For Your Service

The best way a person can say, “Thank you for your service” to a Veteran is by being an active member in building their local community. A Veteran would love to know that their sacrifice was for something. Are people using their freedom to enrich a life of another person? You don’t need to change the world, but are you helping make things better in some way? Volunteer at the VA hospital once per month if you can. Read books at a local school to build relationships in your community. Enriching the lives of others is how you thank a Veteran for their service.






The wait is over

Forget about any other experience that you’ve had at a “Veterans Hall” before you walk into the Clovis Veterans Memorial District. You can expect to meet interesting people who are as willing to help you, as you are willing to help them. Finally, a place where all people of Clovis can honor Veterans in any way that they wish. The Clovis Veterans Memorial District is a place that you’ll find Veterans and civilians joining together to honor those who have served, by adding value to their community. Some people end a day of volunteering in silence, with a smile on their face as they spend time reflecting. Others join family members and friends to share stories of a loved one who had served. It doesn’t matter how you give honor, but you can know that there is a place for you. 


You can be a part of Greatness in Clovis by helping CVMD at one of their many events. CVMD staff are a group of people who seek to understand how they can help their community honor a Veteran, the best way possible.



Success Breeds Success

Mr. Lorenzo Rios is the CEO at CVMD and he is a true visionary. The Central Valley of California is home to approximately 330,000 U.S. military Veterans, which is about double the rate of the United States. This is a huge opportunity for Fresno/Clovis innovation and business growth. Military leaders know how to get the job done, and now we have a huge talent pool to choose from, here in the Valley. We are expecting to see a spike in entrepreneurship in the military Veteran community within the next few months. Technology, Entertainment, and Business are areas of opportunity for Veterans to thrive in the Valley.




Mr. Rios and his team at CVMD created and held the 1st Annual Patriots Dinner to honor and celebrate those students who have taken the oath of service to our country. They celebrated 46 students from Clovis Unified School District who are joining the Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force and 3 of their own staff members who are joining the Marines and Navy. Events like this are only possible when Leaders try new things. Students and their families, as well as community leaders made it a night to remember.





Visionaries

Who they were yesterday is not who they will be tomorrow. Clovis Veterans Memorial District is proud to support the local schools robotics programs. The CVMD is always looking for ways to improve the experience of honoring our Veterans and their families. It takes a certain type of person that “Dares to Dream” and CVMD has it! Teamwork makes the dream work, that is the attitude a person will feel when visiting CVMD. This team is committed to making your Veteran honoring experience as seamless as possible. They have an understanding of community needs and building future opportunities for our following generations.





Mr. Lorenzo Rios is here to lead the way

Former U.S. Army Colonel and a leader with true GRIT is at the head of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District! Attitude is altitude and you can expect something along the lines of, “It’s not me, it’s us.” Mr. Rios is a man with a real passion for student and community success. He will definitely exercise his innovative strategic thinking and creative problem solving as the head of CVMD. Mr. Lorenzo Rios has a career which reflects success in developing innovative programs that improve productivity, morale and safety. It’s also important to mention his experience with collaborative international networks, academia, consulting and leadership development.




We are the solution

Veterans can lead the next generation of America, starting with Clovis businesses and youth. Anyone who served in the military knows about rank structure and leadership. We can use our former skills and training to build a Greater future in our local communities. We are here to set the example of how to celebrate the things that are Great about America. Let’s focus on the positive things that we have the ability to change. Collaboration is the key to success when it comes to bridging the civilian and Veteran divide. Contact the Clovis Veterans Memorial District to see how you can join their movement.


Very respectfully,


George Ohan


Blog Author:
George Ohan
Fulton Film Company
U.S. Army Veteran





Clovis’ Freedom Fest Is Back On –
With Help From Veterans Memorial District

Related Article: Reference, KMJ Now - www.kmjnow.com


CLOVIS (KMJ) — The 4th of July Clovis Freedom Fest will take place this year – and that assurance comes from the CEO of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.
“I can’t stress enough, there is no way while I’m here and these local veterans are here, are we going to have a 4th of July that is not celebrated in Clovis,” states Lorenzo Rios.
Organizer Clovis Kiwanis Club announced in April that the event had been canceled due to a lack of funds. But Rios says the Clovis Veterans Memorial District is going to do its part to make sure the event takes place.
“It’s too important to the community to not have this take place. The Veterans Memorial District, in partnership with the City of Clovis, Clovis Unified School District, and the veterans organizations and service clubs: we’re all going to come together and we are going to have a Freedom Fest this year.”
The plan is to coordinate community organizations willing to participate, both as financial sponsors and hosts, with Clovis Veterans Memorial District organizing a committee to manage all those involved.
“This is the greatest show on earth, and at a time when you see so many things around us our community needs to come out and celebrate what’s right in our community.
“Community and people partnering together is something thing worth celebrating and the 4th of July is one day that we will celebrate in Clovis.”
He adds that the District’s contacts with veterans and other community service organizations, puts it in a unique position of being able to help restore the Freedom Fest.
“By the end of the month we would like to raise at least $15,000. If we can get that kind of support by the end of the month I think it’ll put us in a better shape.
“But unequivocally I can say that we will be holding a Freedom Fest this year.”
If the money isn’t raised in time, Rios says he’ll be putting forward the cash himself.
“In absence of the District not being able to fork over the money, my family will make sure that this takes place.”
Officials reveal that that basic format of the event will remain the same as in previous years, and it will take place at 9pm July 4th inside Clovis High’s Lamonica Stadium.
Anyone who would like to help should call Clovis Veterans Memorial District on (559) 299-0471 or email specialevents@cvmdistrict.org.