It’s Official!

WEBSERIES CREATOR LAUNCHES 72 HOUR TWEET-A-THON

LOS ANGELES, California (January 12, 2012) – “They Live Among Us” writer/director Anne Lower is preparing for her upcoming 72 hour Tweet-a-thon, as part of a crowdfunding campaign, to raise capital for her series.

Sponsored by the Office Hooky Chat (#ohchat), Lower will issue live Tweets and recordings, interacting with Twitter account holders around the globe, taking questions about her project.

 “They Live Among Us” is a web-based series that follows the lives of supernatural beings – fallen angels and spirits – as well as the mortals who love them. “I wanted to write about social issues,” Lower said, “but I knew that if I delivered didactic content, no one would listen. So I created a world in which one fallen angel tends the homeless, while another loves a battered prostitute. My goal was to create thought-provoking and entertaining content that would make people think.”

Office Hooky Chat founder Jay Donovan adds “#Ohchat launched 2 months ago with 4 people chatting with each other.  Its growth and reach is staggering.  Since inception, #ohchat has reached nearly 400,000 people with 4 million impressions. I felt that the combination of our reach, and of Anne’s entertaining online presence would result in a really unique event.”

The Office Hooky Chat at #ohchat is a fun, lighthearted Twitter chat where people can enjoy Office Hooky responsibly. #ohchat is moderated by @OfficeHooky two times per week, every Wednesday and Friday.  @OfficeHooky is the Twitter handle of Office Hooky, a transmedia brand that provides escapist fun through fresh, original content.

To participate in the Tweet-a-thon, people will log into their Twitter accounts beginning Wednesday, January 12 at 10 am PST, and search the hashtag #ohchat. Lower has pledged to go without sleep, issuing round-the-clock Tweets and posting videos of her hourly experiences on the “They Live Among Us” YouTube channel.

Lower (@princess_scribe)  is trying to raise $18,000 to fund the next three episodes, each of which has a running time of 13 to 15 minutes.

To find out more about the “They Live Among Us” Indiegogo campaign, visit the project website at http://theyliveamongus.com .

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Film Courage

I’ve written a great deal about the experience of “They Live Among Us” from a writer’s perspective; I’ve written in-depth about the characters, the world, the conflicts and dilemmas.

Today, you can read about the production. My article “Going Indie Takes Courage” just went live on the Film Courage site.

I detailed our Martini Shot day, from start to finish. It began, as any other day, filled with hope and promise…

 

Click here.

Enjoy!

Mission: Possible

We’ve had a great start out of the gate with our Indiegogo campaign for They Live Among Us, Episodes 4 – 6.

There’s a lot going on! Check out the TLAU Trailer Contest on our Contests Page!

I’ve heard from many people who plan to pledge. Yay! And thank you… but please don’t wait too long. There’s a psychological component to crowdfunding; delays may make a thriving project look like a dead fish floating in pond scum. We certainly don’t want to be that.

Are you short on funds? Pledges start as low as $15.00. That’s 1) the price of one IMAX ticket 2) Two six-packs of beer 3) One week of Starbucks lattes 4) A DVD in the sale bin at Wal-Mart. The point being, supporting indie filmmakers takes an effort from both sides of the equation. Our works are not mass-distributed through chain theatres. We don’t have networks backing us up. We work hard to make this happen for you… so maybe you’d send us your beer money?

I keep saying that it takes a village to make a film. That’s because it is true. And that is what crowdfunding is all about – building a community of support for artists and audiences alike. So, in that spirit, some more suggestions on how you can crowdfund They Live Among Us:

1) Go to your local eatery/pub that you frequent, and talk the owner into letting you hold a one-night fundraiser for the project. Eating establishments do this all the time! At the end of the night, add together all of your change – and send it to the project. You’ll be amazed at how quickly this adds up.

2) Hold a fundraising dinner party! Dinner with friends is a great way to quickly bring some money to the table. Prepare a sumptuous feast (if you need menu suggestions, I have many), and ask your friends to each throw $$ into the hat. At the end of the night, add it up and send it in. Your group might just get an IMDB credit!

3) Hold a staged reading as a fundraiser at a local theatre or hangout. 6 – 7 short plays, or one full-length. Need plays? I know playwrights. Really good ones, who will let you do this for free. Invite audience members, asking them each to pay a set amount… add it up, and you’ll be amazed. So will we.

4) Host a wine tasting. If you frequent a local liquor establishment, often they will donate a couple of cases for a cause – and if they are a wine store, they may even provide you with an employee who is knowledgeable in regard to the wondrous grape. Invite a large crowd; they each pay a suggested donation. They can use it to tout their product; you can use it to fund TLAU. Get some cheese and crackers, pop some corks and imbibe safely

Bonus: any of you who are holding fundraisers, E-mail me. I’ll provide you with some nifty giveaway items for drawings.

What this all boils down to is that you may not feel that your contribution alone will make a difference (although it will), but if you think about the power of numbers, when you add all of the donations together, a HUGE difference is made.

So. Fundraisers. It’s January 4. You have 26 days to complete your mission. I will not disavow you. This post will not sel-destruct. I’m here to help.

Who’s going first?

We Did It!

WE DID IT! Happy New Year to all! May 2012 be YOUR year. We set a lofty goal yesterday – to reach $2000.00 in funding for TLAU Episodes 4 – 6, and we not only succeeded, we exceeded! That’s a great way to ring in the New Year!

Let’s give a giant cheer and a shout out to our first wave of 2012 TLAU backers (in alphabetical order):

Gary Anderson

Katie and Matt Armistead

Reed Boyer

Marneen Lynne Fields

James Gale

Sandra de Helen

Christine Koehler

Marilyn Lower

Liza Martz

Pattie Mulderig

Katia Nizic

Liz Ross

Seth Ruffer

Paul Singleton

Don Shirey

Seth Ruffer

Thanks to each and everyone of you, WE MADE GOAL!

We’ve still got quite a road ahead of us… but we are definitely off to a start.

Next goal? We need to double this amount by Thursday, January 5. Can we do it? YES! With your help.

Here’s a couple of ideas for you – throw a TLAU fundraiser! Are you a great cook or chef? Have a fundraising soiree! Do you frequent a local restaurant or pub? Talk to the owners and see if they will host a fundraising night, donating 30% of sales to TLAU. Are you involved in theatre? Have a staged reading of plays, and donate the proceeds… the possibilities are endless!

Check back later today, when we’ll be announcing our first TLAU Contest! Oh, is it a goody!

Remember, it takes a village to produce a film, and we’re so happy to have you as members of our tribe. So let’s make goal, and have some Bloody. Sexy. Fun!

xo

anne

Bloody. Sexy. Fun.

The script is ready. The cast is raring to go. All we are waiting for is… YOU.

Tonight, we launch our Indiegogo campaign to help fund Episodes 4 – 6 of They Live Among Us. Oh, my. It’s bloody sexy fun. Serafina and Rocco reunite. Beth’s disappearance has Jimmy perplexed. Ted searches for Peg. Lucian and Beliala hunt down Buer. Caim gets hungry….

…. all this, and a balcony scene, to boot.

So please. Start off the New Year right, and help us see our project to fruition. We need these next three episodes to find it a home. Check out the PERKS at http://www.indiegogo.com/Fund-the-Webseries-They-Live-Among-Us-Episodes-4-6?a=256354

Let’s have some bloody, sexy fun. Shall we? Mmmmmmmm…..

Episode Three: Let’s Do Lunch

In Episode Three, Beth gets the chance of a life time when Alex arranges for her to audition for an A-list power broker, and Ted, a lonely park ranger, comes to the aid of an ethereal young woman on top of the Hollywood sign.

With Justin Baker, Jessica Nicole Webb, Erik Kowalski, Allen Marsh, Marcia French, David Stanford and Kendra Munger.

Original score by Brent Heflin McHenry.

“A Story Forever” courtesy Mike Peralta.

To learn more about the legend of Peg Enstwistle, click here.

Winds of Change

I’m viewing the final cut of Episode Three, Let’s Do Lunch. The launch was delayed by Santa Ana winds, which roared through L.A. like one of King Lear’s storms, downing trees and triggering massive power outages some of which are just now being resolved.

It’s an odd feeling, watching something that you have crafted, come to life. I created this world… and yet, I find myself worried for those who live in it.

I want to tell Jimmy to go easy; to savor this time with Beth, for there may not be another. I want to hold Alex’s hand and lead him out of his dark state. His deal with the devil may prove to be too much for him.

I long to stand with Peg, all alone, in the dark, and help her to find her way out of that horrible place… and I wish that I could give Ted comfort. I want to ease his pain, the unbearable isolation of being all alone…

…instead I plunge headfirst into pages, into new chapters of these character’s lives. I walk the lonely streets with Caim. I know the depth of pain that resides within his heart. I watch Serafina as she returns to the only life she knows, as she once again dances to the beat of her tortured tango with Rocco. I’ve been away from my characters during this final push-through to post, and I long for them to wrap me in an embrace.

 

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

I am thankful for the amazing love and support for this little dream known as TLAU. I am grateful for my team, and for my glorious cast. They are, all of them, beautiful people inside and out.

Episode 3 will be released next week. Until then, enjoy an interview with TLAU creator Anne Lower released today on Curve Wire.

An Interview With Writer/ Director Anne Lower | Curve Wire.