News, News, News, and Sunshine

It's been quite awhile, and for that we're both sorry. But we have good reason, I promise.

March has been a month of exciting news, and I've been a bit of a tease about everything. Not because I wanted to toy with your collective emotions; but because I didn't want to announce something awesome and then have it turn out to be made of suck. I'm glad to say that has not been the case.

And now, Good News. In the order it occurred:

* I was offered (and accepted) the lead in a feature length film! I'll be playing a spicy/strong cop in an upcoming slasher flick produced by Yellow Ape Productions. We're keeping a pretty tight lid on most of the details, for good reason, but I'll share as I'm able to.

* I was offered, accepted, and began working with CUNY's School of Professional Studies in concert with the NYC Office of Emergency Management as the Content Manager for customization and development work on Sahana Disaster Management software. To say I'm excited would be a massive understatement. I just wrapped up my first week with them and the project is engaging, the people are awesome, and the work is enough of a challenge that I wont be bored. (And you know how I feel about being bored...)

Those are the big things. The response to Venture has been incredibly positive; so fans of the book will be happy to know I started working on book 2, mostly because my brain wouldn't let me write anything else creative. We're planning to take a much longer creative process this time around; partly because the book will be longer and partly because we had to rush so much last time.

We're getting a bite of spring this week in NYC and I'm going to be out on a rooftop filming all afternoon and enjoying it. I hope you are too.

-D McC

I'm An Author

For a long time it was a secret wish: something I didn't tell others about because it felt like an unachievable dream. I seemed silly and unrealistic (which I realize is ironic coming from an actor and musician); I didn't think I was creative enough or smart enough and that I didn't have the chops to write a book. That no one would want to read it or it wouldn't make sense and I'd be setting myself up for a catastrophic failure.

Last April, after a recharging trip to sunny LA, I was feeling an excess of creative energy but a lack of time for collaboration, so a new friend from that trip and I started an experiment. We both loved the creative writing courses we took in college, but had spent little time writing post graduation. We devised a writing exchange based on our favorite writing exercise: to trade prompts about once a week and write a short story, poem, and once even a song, based on the prompt.

Out of these exchanges came some great stories and some realizations: I'm a better writer than I thought, I have a lot to write about, and I really love doing it. If it weren't for his help, I'd never have considered taking this on. (I doubt he'll read this or that he realizes I feel this way. On the off chance he does see it: Thanks)

And what is 'this'? Why, the release of my first novel, of course.

{In kitschy announcer voice}
Ladies and Gentleman, I'm pleased to announce the release of my first novel: Venture. Available for purchase tomorrow morning!

Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign I was able to pre-sell 40 copies with some great extras for the backers and feel the wonderful support of my family and friends while I was developing the book. I started writing on Oct 14, 2009 - here we are 4 months, 8 days, and 176 pages later. I feel really good about it and the responses I've gotten from the pre-orders have been really positive.

I've also been feeling the creative energy feed itself. From the development of the first book I've begun the planning stages for two more books in a series, at least two other series beyond this one, and I've started writing a series of short stories that I hope to release as podcasts later this year. These will all take place in the same world setting, Aeowal, and all be released under a Creative Commons license to encourage fan fiction, art, expansion, and collaboration (like ya do).

I hope you'll jump on the proverbial bandwagon tomorrow and visit my Lulu Store. I'm shooting for it to be available by 9am EST.

Sliding into 2010

I've been meaning to blog for awhile - it's been weeks since the last post and it's a habit that must be inforced or it will shrivel and die - but good excuses kept coming up. Christmas travel, New Years, nothing good to say, and then I didn't want to jump over John's last post. Then, this morning, Wil Wheaton wrote a great nostalgia post and it got me fired up to get back into the blog.

When I say the last month has been hectic I don't mean your annual Dec. 25th until the New Year Blitz. I mean all out social warfare - pegging one holiday party against the next for who will recieve our energy and time. Scheduling in naps to ensure that we can meet our militaristic-like celebration obligations.

I wont bore you with the itinerary - but I can tell you that we ended up in Hartford for the New Year to celebrate the nuptials of Ben and Jen Steinhurts; long time friends and a long time couple. I probably spent over 100 hours crafting Jen's wedding dress in 2009 and so was so happy and beautiful. I believe the final count was Dar: 5, Jen 7 (times we cried that day).



We ended 2009 with a champagne toast and entered 2010 watching fireworks peak over the industrial park on the eastern side of I-91; John holding me up I was so exhausted. We decided to stay an extra night in Hartford to get some more sleep and have the happy couple to ourselves.

But the fun doesn't stop just because it's January. On the 5th I celebrated the successful funding of my Kickstarter campaign and announced the name of my novel: Venture Book 1 in the Orla Series.

Yup. It's a series. Because I enjoy the feeling of overwhelming myself with the need to produce.

John's headed back to school to plan his 2nd semester as Professor McCullough (duh duh duh!).

I think later this week we'll take a look back at 2009 and gaze forward into the fog of the future... 2010! (I realize that everyone else did this last week... but we had some unexpected events that prevented it.)

I'm So Excited

This silliness about sums it up:



There's a metric ton of crazy-awesome that's going down in McCullough-Land these days. I have a few fun announcements to share today and I hope that video puts you in the right mood. Here we go:

• This past weekend I finished the first draft of my novel. To celebrate (and also in celebration of my birthday), I'm having a few promotions on the Kickstarter Campaign. If you back the campaign from 12:01am Friday morning (12/4) to 11:50pm Sunday night (12/6) you'll get some exclusive bonus content with your book: stickers, buttons, and a special surprise! Click on over and hop on the bandwagon.

• We played a sweet game of Cyberpunk this weekend between rounds of turkey dinner ~ and if we ask JJMIV nicely enough maybe we can get him to write a post about it... pllllleeeeaaaase!?!?

• I'd also like to introduce an idea to the interwebs: SEEKER. It's a webseries about two female bounty hunters, the bad guys they chase down, and the trouble they get into. I'm collaborating with my best friend and general co-conspirator, Sarah Croce. I spent a good part of the fall writing season 1 and we've recently joined forces with a wonderful director. The wheels are turning and I'll be sharing this process as we move forward.

• Finally, I want to share one of Sarah's recent projects. I'm one of her True Fans (because she's beautiful, talented, and brilliant!) and it's important to pass on the work of those you love and admire. Episode two of the web series Bleeder (name similarities merely a coincidence) is out and embedded below! Check out episode 1 here.
  

Bleeder - Episode 2 - Common Bonds - SD from Mark Kochanowicz on Vimeo.

We've got a lot of work to do; but also a lot to celebrate. Man, I love December!

~DMcC

Indi Artists and 1,000 True Fans

We all have felt it. We all know it's there. We feel it in the way our habits have changed and the doors opened or closed.

For most the impact is in how we get our news and entertainment or approach shopping. You no longer head to your local music store, whether it be a small independent shop or a monster Best Buy. You don't get the New York Times delivered because you can read it on-line. If you need final proof, it's in how many of my friends no longer have cable. Why pay for it when I can get it for free on Hulu?

We all are listening to the old model of producing entertainment take its last rasping breaths. Just because analysts have been saying it for years doesn't mean that they're wrong. When's the last time you bought a CD? Compare the number of books you bought in 2002 to 2009. The blockbuster, Top 40, Brittney-Spears-mega-seller business model is on its way out. The time of the independent artist is rising.

But in the vacuum being left how is the independent artist to breath? The path used to be laid before us, even if it wasn't simple: Get agent, write proposal, struggle, try to make enough money to support all those that have failed. Rinse. Repeat.

Now we are faced with a world of uncertainty. Should I take this risk. Can I still feed my family if I do. What if no one buys it? What if no one is listening? What if I'm not a NYTimes Best Seller? Add to the mix that most artists have no idea what it means to be business savvy and we're facing a scary cocktail.

Kevin Kelly's 1,000 True Fans Theory has been making the rounds and it makes a lot of sense. It's how I comfort myself in the cold, wet, dark of the night when my teddy has rolled beneath the bed and I've convinced myself that I'll never amount to anything.

Best described in his own words:

A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can't wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.

Kelly continues by elaborating on the concentric circles of supporting fans that may not buy everything but still support your work. (Every indi artist should read this. Hell! Everyone should read this. As a consumer of indi work you should understand how your artist survives).

The “1,000” number is really an X value. X = The Number of Fans Needed to Keep Your Work Alive. I (and many others) believe that this is the new business model we're all fitting into. Using the tools of technology to keep close to our fans ~ Twitter, Facebook, iLike, and (thank god) Kickstarter. We connect to you directly and you tell us what you think. The feedback loop is strong and supportive. The best example of this are Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day. Watch how they play with their fans on Twitter and you'll see what I mean.

But how do we get to our X number? Starting with our families and friends, how do we push beyond? The theory leaves us with a model but few techniques. The artist is left screaming into the static of the web looking for a way to be heard. Hoping that everyone they spam that YouTube link to will forward or repost it. An artist can't go viral without their help.

The artist is still found to be hoping that their work and their fans are strong enough to bring in more. The anxiety of the mass market is still there, still very real. We talk about not living in the shadow of Blockbuster production; but we're also living without it's shield.

With the direct link to the artist now available, Fans have more power than they ever have. They can tell an artist exactly what they think and feel the ripples of the opinion. But, as we know from Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Without the viral effect, without art pushing beyond the original audience, it eventually dies. The artist can not sustain production. No fan wants to feel put-upon, so what is the artist to do?

Keep producing. Keep Twittering. Keep clutching the bear in the night and dreaming of new ways to reach out into the static.

Write Write, Bloody Well Right

When presented with endless free time I'm a fan of quickly filling it with projects and I wouldn't be exaggerating to say that I often over-extend myself. This fall seems to have become no exception.

I currently do not have a full-time "job". I quote it because I'm not currently getting paid or what I've been up to; but I might some day (I hope). I've applied for a few, but nothing seems to be biting. In all honesty I'm not looking all that hard. So what have I been up to?

First: Auditions! Every week I'm running around the city popping in and out of overly-bright rooms and blurting out a few pages just to run to the next one. Even one audition that takes five minutes easily becomes an all day affair. I get up early to work the sides and set my curly hair just right and then ride in on the subway for an hour or more, have my five minutes of glory, and then ride back.

The result of these efforts are 2 commercials I hope to come out in the next week. They're hilarious and I can't wait to post them.

But beyond the acting and the occasional make-out session with my guitar (admit it, you thought that would end in TMI), I've been writing. Like there's no tomorrow. Songs. Blog posts. But most importantly: novels.

As a kid I loved the idea of writing a novel, and even planned how I would do it someday, but couldn't "find the time" to actually write it (even as a kid, I overstretched myself). So in the first week of October I got the brilliant idea that I should start working on one. And I did. And I'm really proud of how it's turning out. So proud that I've decided to self-publish it.

Here's the catch. I know I can use Lulu and I know what I want to do, but how to launch it all? And then I found Kickstarter. Kickstarter helps artists/creators/collaborators launch their visions by asking for backers. They choose an amount and a timeframe and shoot for it. As I believe in doing scary/crazy/exciting things, I launched my project this past Sunday. YOU SHOULD FUND IT!! You get cool stuff in return for funding and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. (A side note: if you pledge now you're not charged until Jan 5 when it ends, so don't worry about waiting for pay-day)

As if that wasn't enough, I've decided to try my hand at NaNoWriMo ~ National Novel Writing Month ~ and do another novel for that. Oh, and we got a director for the webseries I wrote, Seeker. I'm collaborating with Sarah Croce and we're bringing in Mark Kochanowicz to direct. (We'll probably use Kickstarter to raise the money for that project too.) More on Seeker in the next few months. It's going to be huge!