An NYVS Success Story

TOM HOLMES is an NYVS member.

He also publishes a magazine called Encore.

It’s like Playbill, but better, says Tom.

Like all magazine publishers, Tom understood that he has to get into video for his website and his business so he joined NYVS.

Last November, he wrote this to me:
My short term goal is to turn my site into more video content, if not all, vs. print. One of the stories we have come up with is a video jazz series.

Then he started shooting and cutting video pieces.

Over time, they got better and better.

When he sent me the one above, I knew he had crossed a barrier from amateur to potential professional.

I suggested he start taking them out to show them to cable networks.

He did.

Now, he’s had his first answers:

michael,
i thought i’d keep you posted re: the jazz series piece you suggested i send out. I sent it out to ovation, ifc, sundance and channel thirteen. most were at sundance but ifc seemed initially interested and i have a phone meeting with prog. dir next week. ovation was looking for a docu-soap more than perf arts pieces. which was still great to know. all in all its been really good for me to speak to these program directors because im going a little further and asking them if this isn’t what they are looking for, what is. and then im considering creating something in-line to what they are ‘needing’. your thoughts?
thanks
tom

It’s not a deal.. yet. But it’s a very very good start.

I would not be surprised if he doesn’t sign his first deal in the next few months.

I wrote to Tom and gave him some advice on how to pitch and respond.  He’ll be fine. I also told him I was going to blog all of this.  He wrote back:

Michael,
i forgot to mention this and its just a quick fyi. the inspiration for the jazz piece came while reading your blog. at the time i was in the middle of editing it, I was reading your blog and you were profiling a clip called “Little Toot” re: the water taxi in santa barbara. i loved that story. i liked the less is more concept the director used.

so i assume watching bucket loads of video to critique can be a bit boring but man does it help us all see what others are doing. shows imperfections in our own work….Its the best way for me to learn.

Thanks!
Tom

I was flipping back through my emails and I found the very first piece that Tom shot and sent to me for a critique.  It was a shoemaker. Not bad, but not great.

He’s come a whole long way in just a few months of hard work. And I am sure he’s just beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible.

Congrats.