There’s something really sweet and joyful about people dancing outdoors to old-time swing music. This Dupont Circle dance craze was part of an organized event put on by the Washington DC Lindy Exchange. Also check out this video from the day.
Tag: DC
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Murder in Ocean Hall – Now in Germany
My book Murder in Ocean Hall can now be found in the Kindle online store in Germany. For less than a euro, readers in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg or elsewhere in the country can download this DC mystery.What did I have to do to publish my work in Germany? Nothing. I had already published my book in the USA with Kindle Direct Publishing. Amazon did the rest, creating a new Kindle store for German users.
If a few years ago you had told me that I would write a mystery, publish it electronically, and that people would actually read books on e-readers, and that my book would be available in Europe…. That sentence involves so many improbabilities, but all of these things are now true. Makes you really hopeful about what comes next.
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Friday Photo: Gelato Edition
A cup of delicious gelato (flavor: banana split) at Dolcezza. This little storefront on Connecticut Avenue not only has great gelati but also features some of the best coffee in town.
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Novelist in Our Midst: Me
Check out the interview with me at Borderstan, a news web site that covers the Dupont-Logan area in DC. Or, rather, the border between the two areas. At one time the neighborhood was called Dupont East. Now, most people call it Logan Circle. Though less funky than it used to be, it’s still a fascinating cityscape, filled with beautiful townhomes, hip bars, art galleries and pretty much anything else a city person could need.
I like the area so much that I set much of my novel Murder in Ocean Hall here. I have the detective protagonist of the book living on the 1400 block of T Street while the murder victim lives in one of the new condos by Whole Foods. My books asks where DC has really changed for the better, from the bad old days of Marion Barry. On a beautiful spring day like today, that’s an easy question to answer.
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Author Friend: Allison Silberberg
My friend Allison Silberberg has written an inspiring new book, Visionaries in our Midst: Ordinary People who are Changing our World.
I first met Allison more than ten years ago. She used to run the FilmBiz Happy Hour, a monthly meetup of aspiring filmmakers in Washington, DC. Held at the former Biddy Mulligans, these fun events attracted a diverse crowd of writers, actors, directors, voice artists and others. What made them different was that every month, Allison selected a charity to benefit from the happy hour. The charity collected the admission fees and also got to speak about the work that they were performing in the community. Allison brought a real passion to finding deserving organizations. She researched them, talked to their leaders and vetted them – they had her stamp of approval and meant a lot to her on a personal level.
So, it wasn’t surprising to me that she wrote Visionaries in our Midst: Ordinary People who are Changing our World. The book profiles amazing people working in the shadow of our nation’s capitol finding innovating and expansive ways to serve the citizenry and, in particular, the most vulnerable among us. And she got a quote from Studs Turkel!
“This is a book of wonders–and hope. It tells us of extraordinary things `ordinary’ people can do.”
What’s impressed me over the years is Allison’s compassion. I remember discussing with her the hopeless case of DC’s public schools. Hopeless from my perspective. She believed that positive change was possible.
Allison is speaking at her (and my) alma mater, American University. Here’s the info:
Book Talk and Signing with Allison Silberberg
Visionaries in our Midst: Ordinary People who are Changing our World
Wednesday, April 6
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
School of International Service – Room 300Admission is complimentary, but please RSVP online.
Contact Judy Donner, 202-885-1616 for more information.
Parking is free after 5p.m. in the SIS garage – entrance on Nebraska Ave. at intersection with New Mexico Ave.
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How to Market Your Movie: Tips from Allied Integrated Marketing
The March DC Film Salon offered tips from Allied Integrated Marketing on promoting your independent movie or documentary. The salon is a free monthly networking opportunity for film and video professionals.
The meetup began at six, allowing filmmakers plenty of time to mingle before the presentation started at 7. There were about forty people at the super-hip Gibson Guitar Room, one of my favorite venues in DC. Located near the Verizon Center, it’s a beautiful space complete with a piano and scores of electric guitars.
After showing a “sizzle reel” (a flashy intro movie about their agency), Ivory Zorich and Gloria Jones from Allied Integrated Marketing shared their expertise on how to bring a film the attention it deserves. Allied Integrated Marketing is a marketing agency that specializes in the entertainment industry. They have offices around the country, including a small one in DC.
Ivory and Gloria shared examples of how they promoted the films that they represented. Their talk held some interesting tips for anyone promoting a product:
- All marketing is local these days. Even in Washington, newspapers want to see a local angle. You can’t just have a story about a movie – you have to tie it to the local community somehow. For example, if one of the stars is from the area.
- Secondary press partners are key. These are smaller publications like the City Paper that are easier to pitch too.
- Use niche marketing. For example, with the film Sin Nombre, they targeted Latino audiences. Milk was aimed at the LGBT community.
- Tastemaker screenings are another useful marketing tactic. These are preview screenings for “tastemakers” in the community, i.e., influential people who love movies.
- Partnerships. If you have a documentary about AIDS, then you should partner with AIDS organizations to get the word out.
- New media. They mentioned Brightest Young Things as a “hipster” site to reach out to. (I am not hip – I find BYT to be unfathomable.)
One question I had was, “How do you measure results?” That’s difficult to do, according to Ivory and Gloria. It’s hard to tell if a movie’s success comes from PR or something else. I think that’s part of the reason why the field can be so frustrating to people – if I bought Google Ads, I can track how they’re performing. But how do you measure schmoozing tastemakers?
Still, these are all excellent ideas for getting the word out about your movie, or your product. The most important thing is to think about your movie from the perspective of the audience, and tailor your efforts accordingly.
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New Article on Silent Code Features
Check out my latest article for the Pink Line Project on local filmmakers – this time I look at Silent Code Features. This local production company is helmed by Anthony Greene, a screenwriter I’ve known for a couple years now. He writes very punchy, topical scripts.
Out of the four films by Silent Code that I saw at a special screening on March 12, the one that I liked best was “The Favor.” Greene handles controversial material with a deft touch. It’s also a very funny film.
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Friday Photo: Signs of Spring
Spring is coming to DC! Some first green signs spotted on 4th St.
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Party Report: DCist Exposed Photography Show
Last night was opening night for DCist Exposed, a gallery exhibit of some of the most interesting photos from around the Washington region. Read my FAQ to learn more about this interesting show which, by the way, runs until March 27 at Long View Gallery.After hanging out there for a couple of hours, drinking beer and talking to photogs, what did I learn?
- Long View is almost too cool to be in DC. It’s enormous, sparse and separated by historic Blagden Alley by just a glass garage-style door. Last year, it played host to the opening party of DC Week too. One drawback: only two little bathrooms in the back, not ideal for large crowds served beer.
- I cannot tell the difference between the various varieties of Yeungling that they served last night.
- Giving the photogs and DCist staff name tags was an excellent idea. You could easily spot the show’s participants.
- From Samer Farha, one of the show judges, learned that Mpix was a good place for prints and Apex in Virginia was a great place for framing. We both agreed: insanely expensive to print at home.
- Brian Mosley informed me that you don’t have to go too early down to the Mall on July 4th to get a shot like this. I find this hard to believe.
- Art lovers bought photos on opening night, including this classic shot of a stunned-looking Mayor Fenty. The photographers don’t know who buys their pics.
- Selling tickets in advance was a brilliant idea. No fire marshals and there was plenty of room for everyone.
- Heather Goss, who started DCist Exposed, has about five different jobs. But not to worry, she’s apparently a machine.
- People liked my line in the FAQ I wrote for the Pink Line Project about the DCist commentators being a “riotous crew of misfits.” That’s me literary background.
Be sure to check out these great photos of the night from Vincent Gallegos. Can’t wait til next year!
Update: more great pics from DCist!
