The 12 Steps of Filmmaking - Article 2

After winning the money, I had some problems with my partner on the video. Another lesson: put your name on everything you do. Contracts and clearances are a necessary evil in this business. Neglecting these will bring serious problems later. I still felt good about what we had done, but some of the joy was definitely stolen as a result. For the next six months I floundered a bit. It seems like winning pointed out the obvious: I was not supposed to be working at the post office. I became more depressed with the current situation. In August 2002, a friend came to me and said "If you want to leave, I can loan you $10,000." I could hardly believe my ears, but it was all I needed to hear. I gave the post office a terse, one-sentence retirement, and began my own company.

Park Bench Productions, Inc. was launched in September 2002. I had been reading several books and listening to tapes on business over the past year. Now it was time for action. My friend became the first shareholder, I became the president, and off we went. I still had a lot to learn, so for the next 2 years I struggled with direction. I knew what I wanted to do, but didn't quite know how to get there. I got distracted with 'jobs', doing legal video, a first holy communion. We did a video for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which I felt good about, but overall I wasn't doing what I wanted. I worked seasonally doing taxes, continued to bring investors, and bought office equipment. Still, no movies.

Looking back, I should have taken the $10,000 and immediately made a film. It would have been enough for a camera, computer, editing equipment, etc. But that simply wasn't my journey. It seems I had to go through that frustration to really commit, without distraction. I consider it on-the-job training. It all came to a head in September, 2004 when I had lunch with a friend who would go on to be my first producer, Dino Campitelli. I had been speaking to Dino about what I was doing, rather passionately as I remember. He smiled at me. "I only have one question", he said. I looked at him. "Why didn't you come to me?" I had no answer.