Fish(er) Tales

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting! These posts will give you a better idea about what this site is about. Start here, then go here, and here, and then here.In the “Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar” book James Bach discusses how self-education can lead to success. It was enlightening to me to read about his story, and apply it to my own pursuit...

So, I’m working on Scott’s Dead — a film written and directed by Matthew Irvine made this summer (2009) in Chicago as part of the DePaul University College of Computing and Digital Media Digital School of Cinema and Interactive Media Project Bluelight.   (Whew, try saying that ten times fast!)   I’ll be doing the audio post and I thought that writing about these experiences...

Dear Editor(s): I am looking forward to handling the post-production sound for your project. I’ll be cleaning up dialogue, adding sound effects, and generally getting the soundtrack to sound as good as the picture edit looks. Could you do me a favor? Dump that room tone that goes with EACH and EVERY scene on an open audio track at the bottom of the editing timeline and mute it. You will save...

My son asked me what my favorite number is and I told him 4. He asked me why and, frankly, I had to really think about it. I couldn’t remember the actual reason why because for as long as I can remember, #4 was it. Then I saw something that lead me toward a possible answer. The Thunderbirds. No not the Navy ones, the goofy marionette ones from 60′s TV. They had several machines to which...

There are many ways to promote your music products and services. Here are the highlights of the eight most successful methods.   [1] Pick up the phone Calling past clients and reminding them of what you have is the single most effective way to generate sales. When you have something new to sell (or you sell a service that people buy regularly), use your phone to make contact. Making cold calls is...

My college courses are starting up soon around here, so I thought I’d share some insights into why I teach. These thoughts came from my 2008 speech when I won the College of DuPage Adjunct Faculty of the Year Award. We all touch the lives of those around us. And there are few greater rewards than enriching the lives of students who come to us for knowledge and guidance. So for me, I guess it...

The creative process comprises four basic steps. (1) Doodling. Here you play around with ideas, collect material, and generally putter around without any real focus. When “doodling,” many people feel guilty that nothing “real” is getting done. They confuse this crucial step with wasting time. It’s not. Give yourself permission to “play” because out of the play...

Here’s a tip from the archives that with a slight revision remains relevant today. Besides getting more clients (always a good idea!), you can put more money in your pocket with your existing clients, too. You need to get your supporters to spend a little more when they do buy and/or convince them to buy a little more often. For example, let’s say you can sell 100 people a $10 item twice...