Notes on the GI Film Festival

wow, i mean what can i say. getting to attend the GI Film Festival this year was amazing! and to be credited with official press passes was even BETTER! my friend edward domain & i walked around with our amateur cameras and video recorders, while the "big boys" tolerated us being in their way. lol no, really everyone we met as members of the press were awesome people! we got a ton of knowledge dropped on us about cameras, photography, etc. they went out of their way not only to do an outstanding job for the GIFF, but also to take time out to teach ed & i a thing or two. and i REALLY appreciated it!

we also met several celebrities who were there in support of the military. those in attendance were Gil Gerard (aka Buck Rogers), James Mceachin (actor & war hero), Gary Sinise (CSI & Forrest Gump), Karri Turner (from the show JAG), Leeann Tweeden (Best Damn Sports Show Host of Poker After Dark on NBC), Mr. Kennedy (WWE wrestler) & Robert Duvall (Apocalypse Now). i've never been around so many famous faces in all my life, let alone 1 week! it was awesome.

we rode in the same car with leeann & karri once. about 8 of us stuffed into a small SUV. the GIFF's founder Brandon Millett was even sitting on a cardboard box full of t-shirts! all of the celebrities were friendly and engaging too. it was refreshing to see. and gary sinise was so down to earth & humble. i couldn't believe it. we shared an elevator with him at the hotel. leeann was really cool as well. i even got to sit right next to her in the car. we were smashed in there, it was awful, just awful . probably more for her than me :)

well, we made a lot of great connections at the GIFF, and are hoping some of them pay off. we'll be sure to go back again next year (if they invite us back). we didn't piss anyone off too bad, so i'm optimistic that we'll get an invite again. next year, we hope to be fully funded in our media company venture and can go to the GIFF as sponsors, not press. ed & i really want to do this full-time. and if funded, we can replace our $100 cameras with some more "professional" equipment that would be taken a bit more seriously. lol

that's it for now.