420 stories by "Michael Roderick"
I recently sat down with a friend who expressed some concern about things going wrong. At the time, nothing was going wrong and she told me she was in a really good place. When I asked her a…
Recently I have met with a number of people who are plagued by the same thing: Very little or no money. The common thinking is that if you have no money, you're stuck and that there is nothi…
Once you decide to take on the role of producer, you are also making the decision to take on the role of being in charge of a team. This is something that is not to be taken lightly as other…
If you are a member of the Indie Theatre Community you have no doubt heard about this amazing organization. In the earliest stages of my producing career, they made it possible for me to sec…
When I think of people who have influenced my childhood, teens, and now adult life, George Lucas is at the top of my list and here's why: His stories enchanted me as a child so I went to see…
One of the best things you can do at any event is solve problems and that is why tonight is such an exciting one for me. As was announced on Thursday, tonight there will be numerous F.O.D.'s…
We've all been there before. We made a call or sent an email and waited. And waited.... And waited.... We followed up And waited.... And... Well, you get the idea. It's really irritating to …
This week's A.P.T. is dedicated to Doug Shapiro and the F.O.D.'s I'll let Doug tell you more below. A while back, I decided to reach out to the people I identified as connectors and we creat…
Having been pitched myself a few times in the past week and watching a few pitches, I wanted to offer this piece of advice. Feel free to take it or leave it. Stop pitching on the first meeti…
As the lovely extra hour I've been enjoying slipped by this weekend, I was reminded that spring is indeed on the way. That of course also lead me to the thoughts about spring cleaning and cl…
The one on one meeting is the most important part of building a relationship. If that first meeting fails to produce results, chances are there won't be a second. So today I'm going to tell …
There is a lot going on this week, so I thought I'd take this Monday blog to tell you all about it. So here we go: Tonight: Is the first official Actors' Embassy Caucus and I will be speakin…
Those who know me well know that I have a lot to say about the state of education having taught for 8 years and mentored numerous student teachers. That's why when Seth Godin published this …
In the past few months I have had a number of people come to me with scripts that they would like produced. This comes with the territory, but recently I have had a number of writers who hav…
You've probably seen videos of the image above. Here's how it works: Drop a mento in Coke and watch the insanity. In my first year of business I was constantly overwhelmed. I spent a lot of …
The people who have taken my Solving for X class. Below is a list of five people who took Solving for X and the amazing work they have done since. I wanted to highlight their accomplishments…
This week's APT comes from Amanda Feldman who I have known for a number of years as a producer and supporter of great art. When she tells me to check out someone's work, I listen. Take it aw…
Imagine you are a mob boss. Fun, right? Ok, now below is a conversation with your hitman: You: "I want you to find anyone who I might be angry with either in a few days or a few years a…
We've all seen this at the store. Have a penny? Leave one. Need a penny? Take one. It seems really simple, but I'd argue that is one of the largest challenges out there for anyone who produc…
It's often been said that an idea is nothing without the execution to back it up and I have been in plenty of rooms where ideas have been bandied around, but not many where someone actually …
There are plenty of people who work on shows, but there is one person who can make the job ten times easier: The Stage Manager. I have had amazing experiences as a producer as a result of hi…
This week's Awesome person is the talented, funny, and social media savvy Mary Dimino. I had the pleasure of working with Mary on her one woman show Scared Skinny during FringeNYC and we hav…
I'm talking about a reboot. Some of you may have taken the four hour workshop version of Solving for X. It had a good run, but I have decided to retire that one and take a cue from ol' spide…
As we come to the end of our series, here is the last P and the one that in essence started my business: Produce Your business will only be viable if you produce something. Be it a product, …
Partnering It's very easy when you get started to be attracted by the concept of being the lone wolf. You're on your own, you don't need anybody, you can do it all yourself, etc. WRONG. When…
