I am so ridiculously excited to see this film today.  I’ve been a huge fan of Baz Lurhmann’s work since I first popped the Romeo and Juliet VHS into the VCR hoping that I would avoid re-reading the Shakespearean play.  I was shocked at the use of visual aesthetics and commitment to contemporary music usage.

Same goes for Moulin Rouge, I can oddly recall exactly the place I was when I first stumbled upon it. I think it I was in an extreme punk-rock phase and recall not wanting to like the film.  Nope.  I loved it.  The mix of Elton John songs with U2 ballads and Queen inspired me so.  Nicole Kidman’s red dress in the giant elephant was what girls talked about as their dream prom dress.  (OK, THIS girl.)

I’ve got high hopes for Gatsby and not just because I can remember whispering Leo’s best Titantic lines to friends in Jr. highschool and that my well-thumbed version sits on my office desk to my right (after 7 years of post-secondary liberal arts school, one would expect it to be so!).

 

GIFSoup

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This guy was an absolute pleasure to interview and I wish I could have included all of his thoughtful responses to my questions while he was researching a song in Peru.  I was thrilled to learn that Ottawa Comiccon had been tweeting about it.  Sometimes you have to trust your instincts in what will become news-worthy topics.  Sometimes you interview an artist you’re sort of interested in, but after picking their brains walk away being big fans.  This was certainly the case.  From discovering his music on a Warped Tour mix comp album in 2005 to now, this guy’s got mad flow skills.

and thought… Thazzza Me!

Sidenote- I think Amy Poehler totally and completely rocks.  She and her character of Leslie Knope are definitely inspiring feminists to me.  I seriously felt like Leslie Knope at the press conference yesterday.  I was nervous to be on the other side of a press conference for the first time ever but it was a big success.

Extreme Leslie Knope momenets consulting with my marketing assistant and advisors the day before and especially debriefing once it was all over.

Talking to the crowd with my speech I rehearsed to friends and the ninja the day before and of.

I didn’t go for waffles though- smiles and kind words from friends did great.

Cheers!

ORL friends and team!

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]]> http://samanthaeverts.com/2013/05/09/press-for-orl-rock-lottery-a-crazy-challenge/feed/ 0 samanthaeverts 941133_621504844529413_893110246_n http://samanthaeverts.com/2013/05/09/orl-web-promo-commercial/ http://samanthaeverts.com/2013/05/09/orl-web-promo-commercial/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 16:05:36 +0000 samanthaeverts http://samanthaeverts.com/?p=2152 ]]> This turned out better than I could have ever have imagined.  I have amazingly talented friends who happen to believe in Ottawa Rock Lottery.  I acted as the producer on this scouting locations, actors, caterers, drivers props, and even makeup artists.  It is now trending across Ottawa and was on the front page of Metro Ottawa’s website today.

My Saturday afternoon- shooting the web commercial. Launches May 7!

This is what my Saturday looked like.  Yes, I doing makeup on a David Bowie impersonating actor was part of it.  As was ripping the fishnet tights of our hot rocker chick while she was in them- all in a day’s work!  Rock Lottery is just over two weeks away and I’m prepping for the first press conference I’ve ever been on the other side of the podium.  Every day there are small victories,  Tuesday’s were:  we have a gorgeous poster done, CBC’s Amada Putz will be hosting.

In my work-work this week was a battle between Hollywood agents and time differences and bad wifi.

Actual texts from this week’s work.

This is an actual conversation I had with one of my BFFs’ on Tuesday night.  I’ll leave it up to you to determine which one got completed…

It’s important to be able to escape from your own invented “Busy-ness.”  I was in a grumpy mood on Tuesday and forced myself to get out for a bike ride.  I felt so much better!

Biking oasis!

Another important lesson learned:  Don’t listen to Jian Ghomeshi interview Trent Reznor before trying to write your own music-related interview article.  I get envious that music interviewers like him not only get so much time to pick the artists brains (which is why I first started some 10 years ago by chasing down Alexisonfire).  Trent Reznor told one my absolute music journalist heroes Neil Strauss that “Making music is the most difficult things on earth.”  That stuck with me.

Exclaim Canada darling Rob Moire and I 9 years after first booking his band.

So did what my old friend Rob Moir tell me last night.  “Even if they don’t buy a CD they have to come away with something from you.”  He’s making that extra effort to connect and I know he’ll succeed.  I booked his old band Dead Letter Department a full 9 years ago and it was really cool catching up with him over dinner before his show.  I’ve been talking about this with a few people lately and it’s becoming more apparent that those involved in the music scene/industry as musicians/photographers/writers/whatever are now making it a living at it, and that’s so cool.  I like to remind my mother that the hardcore punk music that she hated overhearing from my bedroom now pays the bills.  I met Rob when his band played a show I booked in Shawville, Quebec.  He’s about to head off on a 65-date tour that will land him in Germany to Australia until October.