Back in action

I've been trying to think of a creative, palatable way to explain why I stopped blogging. A ton of goodness going on with the project. So where ya been...Ben?

Uh, you know. Just busy. 

Nope. If you're a DIY filmmaker (or DIY artist of any kind), "too busy" is never a valid excuse for failing to connect with your audience. Here's the true story:

I am going through a divorce. And it blows.

I'm grateful that things have been relatively civil between my me and my ex. I have also been super fortunate to have incredible support from friends and family. There are a handful people who have stepped up and literally saved my life. I've been sleeping on my buddy's air mattress for the past six months, which was a Godsend. But being away from my kids was pure torture. I was depressed, suicidal at times. It was the darkest period of my life. Thanks to the generosity of said friend, I didn't pay rent for several months and was able to get my own place a couple of weeks ago. Life still hectic. Divorce not final. Linens lacking. But my daughter is living with me. I'm three blocks from my boys. I'm sleeping in my own bed in my own house (actually sleeping...as in eyes continually closed for multiple hours at a time). Short story long: I'm back!

My daughter, Summer, and her faithful companion, Gracie

So, where are we with Mothers Milk?

As you are probably aware, John Michael Schert came on board as Executive Producer. JM is a brilliant, talented, hard working guy with a parallel creative vision. We are so stoked to work with him. The absolutely kickass MM team is now: Zach Voss, John Michael Schert, Peggy Rajski, Kev Robertson, Gracie Bingham, and Eric Gilbert. My goal in life is to work with people smarter than me. Mission accomplished.

Executive Producer/Super Star John Michael Schert

We just finished the pitch book. James Lloyd did illustrations (including this cover) and Chris Jennings designed.

MM pitch book cover

A pitch book is an extremely valuable tool for approaching potential investors and collaborators. I'll share it with you shortly. We also delivered the first round of Kickstarter rewards, which was a great opportunity to re-connect with what will be our core audience/army.

Boise filmmaker, David Thompson with some of his Kickstarter rewards

Zach and I are wrapping a script re-write (tweaking tone to fit Zach's voice, and adapting for Boise). We will be raising money over the summer, and plan to shoot in the fall. I will write more about these processes as we go. Instead of retreating when life gets turbulent, I have decided to let my writing drift into more intimate and personal waters. It will still be informative from a film/art/business standpoint. But it's also going to serve as a therapeutic tool for me. Win-win.

Onward!