Showing posts with label buddhism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buddhism. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Thank You

I'd like to take this opportunity and use this unique forum to thank the entire cast and crew of "Days of Joy! with Gene Moonfeather."

This was truly a concerted team effort and this web series is the product of many people's time, effort and talent.  

Thank you!
~Chris

Monday, June 1, 2009

Grassroots Marketing - Postcards Pt. 2

The most humorous encounter of the day involved my walking into the middle of a class at a very conservative spiritual center, where a female guru was seated lotus style at the far end of the room on a dais while the class seemed in some state of rapture, performing very advanced postures.  I smiled awkwardly, clutching my kicks in one hand and a stack of postcards in the other.  The guru smiled back, asking if I was there to see Jane.  I obviously couldn't run my sales pitch in the studio, so I replied "Yes.  I am.  Is Jane here?"  The guru responded "She is in the breathing room.  To your left."  I wasn't sure what the breathing room was, but figured it was the lesser of two evils.  
The breathing room ended up being a simple space with couches and a massage table.  Jane was a very sweet woman who instructed clients on best meditation practices.  She also laughed uproariously at my description of the show (I almost told her to bring her expectations down a notch or two, but refrained).  I handed her a stack of cards and ambled into the hallway to put my sneakers on and head to the next location. 

Rejection and Almost Rejection Quotes of the Day:

"Yeah.  I can't letcha put dose out here.  I'd havta let everybody do it then. You know?  Sorry pal" (pause and glance at postcard) "Are you Gene?" ~ Guy from a certain vegan pizza place

Studio Gestapo, I mean, Employee: "Are you a student here?"
Me: "No." (pause to formulate lie) "I'm a student at another one of your studios"
Gestapo (looking at card, referring to Gene):  "Does he teach (insert specific form of yoga here) at another studio?"
Me: "Uh. No.  He's a student at one of the other studios though."
Gestapo: (long pause) "Ok.  You can put out a couple. But not too many."
Me: "I extend the gratitude and warmth of one thousand suns upon you and your family!"
Gestapo: "Just put out your cards and please get the fuck out of here."

(the last two lines of dialogue were added for dramatic effect)



Grassroots Marketing - Postcards Pt. 1

Anticipating the release of DOJ Ep 1 (and possibly 2) Wednesday next, my producing partners and I have embarked on a small scale marketing campaign, one facet of which being postcard distribution.
Our first target market is yoga studios in NYC.  I spent a fair portion of my day traversing the East Village and surrounding areas, stopping by each studio scrawled in my notebook.  I originally thought that studios would be generally receptive and easily accessible.  I no longer harbor that misconception.  
There were a couple of fairly receptive establishments, but most were less than cordial (I shant mention any names). One in particular was very receptive...and then they informed me of a $20 fee for two weeks on their "message board" (a plastic rack that was unceremoniously situated behind a rolling ladder in the front corner of the store/studio).  Capitalism is still king in this great country of ours.  "You can find harmony. But its gonna cost you."  Being on less than a shoestring budget, I decided to skip advertising Herr Moonfeather at this location and moved on to the next.
The other hurdle I ran into was gaining access to certain buildings while classes were being held.  I piggybacked more than three delivery men today to enter various buildings and reach the sweet, sweet honey I sought.