Today was another exciting day with it’s own unique blessings. Just one week from now STANDING FIRM hits shelves in Christian bookstores everywhere. Thanks for a special friend (Thanks Randall!) at The American Family Association, I have 3 interviews on the radio next week on American Family Radio (AFR), with a fourth that’ll air a little later after the release date. This is very cool news and I’m really happy to have some stuff lined up like that. Also did my interview over the phone for ChristianCinema.com. It’ll be transcribed and posted sometime next week. It’s funny because I remember a few years ago getting ready to do the interview with them but telling Angela to scrap it since I knew that it was too soon and the film was far from completion. So now after all this time we finally got it done! 
The new site for Bringing Up Bobby went live today as well. This is a comedy made by two good friends Chris & Nick Staron from Ohio. Chris especially has been a great blessing in the past few years, being a great encouragement at times and lending some healthy real world advice when it was needed. Their film was picked up by Provident Films recently with an impending Oct. 5th release date. I was hoping for a long time that their film would be recognized by someone larger and here they are with the film releasing everywhere in just a few short months. God is good. The new website is fantastic by the way, I’m very excited to see how this film does for them. They have a lot of passion and talent but had never really gotten enough steam pumping to keep making films. It’s tough to do well in this business and continue making projects, so I hope this gives them the boost they need to really soar! Congrats guys!
I saw two posts on Facebook recently about STANDING FIRM. The cool thing about them is they’re both from different countries. One guy is in Zambia and the other in Brazil. They’re both looking for the film. I’m looking forward to all that God could bring with international distribution, it’s going to be great to watch Him work. Twitter & Facebook are doing pretty well for the film, with the impending release date. STANDING FIRM is nearing the 16,000 fans on Facebook, which is pretty awesome considering the films buzz and size. The film on Twitter is probably a few weeks away from 10,000 followers, and that blows my mind. Even my personal Twitter sits with almost 6,000 followers. This social media marketing is really working. It makes me wonder what could be done on another film, with such a great base started, and with the knowledge I have now to start from scratch that I didn’t have when this film began. Who knows what could be built! I’m looking forward to finding out.
2011 is likely to be a really exciting but scary year. I won’t have a project coming out, but one that’s already out. I’ll be relying on whatever work comes in because of it, or whatever work I currently have that could continue. If I’m going to do another film, 2011 will be the year to start writing and developing. I really want my next script to be strong and leaps and bounds beyond STANDING FIRM as a narrative. It’ll take a lot of work to get it there, but I’m really excited to start. I’ve had “the itch” for a while now. Today I think I felt it more than any other previously, just how real this is. I don’t think it’s hit me, that I have my first film hitting shelves in a week. I know it intellectually and I’ve even been in tears over it already, but somehow it still isn’t real. Maybe it won’t be real until I wake up that morning. Although, that morning won’t be unlike any other morning, not really. I’ll still be in my PJ’s, still drinking my morning meal-shake, still checking my emails and rubbing the crust out of my eyes (enough humanity in there for you? Too much lol?). It’s funny how you wait your entire life for a certain moment, and then it hits and you’re just like “oh, so that’s it huh?” I’m not there yet, but I can feel it coming. Maybe I’m wrong about all this and it’ll hit me like lightning? Maybe that day will be unlike any other I’ve had before? Who can know such things?
All I know is that I’m excited and terrified at the same time. I can’t wait to see what the future could bring because of the release, and I’m so incredibly stoked to see how God moves in people’s lives when they see it. It’s a humbling thing to know that it’s out of my hands at this point, pretty much. Nothing more to do besides promote it as best I can, and watch God work. This film could swing two ways here. Either it’s going to have a good amount of impact, sell a certain amount, then slow down and sell a thousand or two a year from now on (if that). Or, it could become something truly special and something unique. I have a feeling it could be the latter, but it’ll be a slow burn. The film will slowly creep into more and more awareness from word of mouth. I’m ok with that! I don’t know why I think that, but I’ve just felt “weird” lately, like even I’m not prepared for what could be. God has the wheel, so regardless there’s comfort. Am I wearing my seatbelt? *click* …yep, now I am.
Catch you next time.
Also, some food for thought about what I was trying to say towards the end of my last post. Give God Glory in all things, and run fast…and run hard…because it’s actually wrong not to.
