22 August 2009
Anaheim Trip - Good Start.
Well, it's hard to complain about the one-hour flight delay I had. It's hard, because not only was my airport shuttle surprisingly effortless, but also because when I arrived at my hotel where I was getting a screaming deal already, I was greeted by a free upgrade from a two double bed room to a spacious, business-equipped room with a king-size bed. Better, too, it's an accessible room, so it has wide hallways and corners and a huge bathroom. That right there is a great start to the trip.After a trip to the weird grocery/minimart/liquor store (think Bodega, with more dollar-store items and less organization) and the organization of my room and promotional materials, I met up with Billy Baraw, one of the leads in Boundaries of Attraction, for some promotion time. Since my hotel is so close to the event location, it makes both this property and the shopping areas nearby prime territory for talking up our screening. With quarter-page fliers in Billy's pocket and business cards in mine, we hit the streets, talking with cashiers at the Block at Orange and with bar patrons and bartenders up at the GardenWalk.
I've never done this kind of professional promo work before, but Billy does it for supplemental income, so he took the lead in most places we went. Basically the technique is a lot like flirting (which can be a nice side-effort, by the way) but near the end of your interaction, you hand a flier and a business card instead of just scribbling a number on the nearest available bar napkin. The real key is to connect with the people you're promoting to, and leave a positive impression. We want people to know that we are real indie filmmakers just spreading the word. If a cute girl gets my number from my card as a result, well, that's just a great bonus.
Tonight we're headed to the Disneyland Hotel for the opening night party and red carpet ceremonies. I am a bit nervous about the red carpet--my first one--but it should be fantastic anyways.
More to come, and as always, keep up to the minute on what's happening by following me on Twitter!
Your Adventurer,
Nicholas J. Carroll
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Labels: Anaheim, Billy Baraw, block at orange, filmmaking, gardenwalk, holiday inn, promotion, red carpet
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