1:00am- Today/Yesterday/Friday was a good and productive day. I’m now trying to wrap the day up. There was alot of focus and positivity in the office. Iyesha opened up my young brother Felipe vaccummed the office carpet w/Eric. Myself, Janis and Iyesha got some important youth afteschool letters out. Kyle sent out disc w/You Tube entries so we can begin getting back on cable access stations w/the DR Project TV show.  We will be producing it in-house. I set potential sells meetings up for Young Studios.  We had book orders come in from Barnes and Noble, Baker and Taylor and Hartford Public Library.  Ace came in w/his team from Scavenger Records.  We were trying to meet w/50 Cent  brother.  But he got tied up. Mike  Sanders was in the meeting giving his thoughts on the approach we should take. We brainstormed on ways to get 50 involved on the project.  I will put together a workplan for this goal.  It is important everyone is on the same page.  My leadership is really important now w/so many new people getting involved.  Everyone should have written agreements no matter if it’s an intern, volunteer or producer.

Brett the President of NewYork.com emailed me a response that he will try to set up a meeting w/The WilliamMorris Agency for me and the project.  He said it is hard to break in.  But anything is possible.  I dig his attitude.

Debbie and Sherri/ VP Marketing and Production of NewYork.com connected.  They were discussing the Diamond Ruff New York tour. 

I did a first draft of a letter we will be sending out to potential funders for our event on February 24th.  Debbie and team will make suggestions. A letter must go out this week.

Today was long but felt good.

Today was a difficult day juggling alot of hats and fundraising.  An old school producer whose been trying to do a movie for at least 3 decades was very critical about how we are going about doing this project.  He said he wasn’t sure we knew what we were doing and said it is bad business that we do this project in the public’s eye and everything should be quiet so no one steals our idea. It’s funny though he wants to be a producer on the project. I understand where he’s coming from and listened out of respect and kept my thoughts to myself.  If I expressed them he would have felt the same way he did anyways.  I don’t have time to go back and forth w/negativity.  This person has a pattern of talking bad about celebrities who have made it.  If he talks about them I’m sure he’s talking about me behind my back if he doesn’t get what he wants. As far as what he felt about the project. I feel the public will help us get us to where we have to go.  I’m not afraid of my idea of Diamond Ruff being stolen.  There is only one original manuscript and screenplay written.  If someone did steal my idea, it wouldn’t be the real thing.  But just say it was copied and commercialized before I got it out that’s cool too because I have more Diamond stories.  Diamond is a trilogy. I’m not insecure I can come up w/more ideas.  If it was stolen, it let’s me know my ideas work.  It would be test marketing.  Also I think because the way we are  doing it would be stupid for someone to copy because people have read Diamond and have seen it.

The key to our success is to be positive, no matter the negative we get… we move forward in positivity. We got to have Obama’s swagger.  No negative words should come out our mouths.  It takes too much energy. We have to be light and water personified. I’m checking myself now.  This blog should have been about the positive experiences I had today. If we see negative people we move quickly away from them . Jim Noble from the “Benson” TV show talked about it in Diamond Ruff blog 27 (I think).  This stuff is getting hard.  I’m reminded of words from President Teddy Roosevelt that inspired me in the 90’s when I saw my biggest success:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

The weather was pretty bad in the Northeast today it snowed and sleet.  I wind up working from home.  Anyone who truly knows me knows I don’t like driving in bad weather.

A Club member contacted me and said she enjoyed the blogs.  It’s always good to hear positive words while you struggle. 

My brother has been helping to get everything organized.  We began distributing agreements to people helping on the project.  These are really good because it defines roles, expectations and enforces performance of the team.  One of our biggest concerns is paying book printing investors back.  We’ve been waiting to pay back the investors at one time, but after talking to a couple investors we will be paying small amounts ubtil it’s paid off.  Showing good faith is better than someone not seeing any money.

I spoke to Ace today, him and Lovie were working diligently today making calls trying to get a meeting with 50 cent.  The meeting w/his brother is still scheduled for Friday at 5:30pm.

One of my best friends Dino is contacting some  well connected people in the entertainment industry who live in LA.  He will be going out there in a couple weeks to bring them packages.

Today was very busy.  Debbie  of Enchanted Destinations set up another tour date at Barnes and Noble in Manchester, CT.  We have set a date of February 24th to bring prominent figures from CT to discuss and support the DR Project.  Debbiw will sparehead this project through Enchanted Destinations. I sat down w/Dwight and Eric they will begin working on expanding our Diamond TV Show on cable access stations nationwide.   Kyle will send them the You Tubes next week to manipulate.  Sherri began typing up the agreements for everyone working on the DR Project.  Myself, Mike and Ace(and team) continued our discussions of getting to rapper 50 cent about the project.

Ace met w/Tony today a wealthy businessman who is interested in helping out on the project.

I receive a few  compliments about Kevin Thomas hosting the You Tubes.  I think the whole positive messages of figher fighters made a difference.  Last i checked we already had 90 hits on You Tube.

Very interesting day w/alot of hustling.  Interns Anthony and Ty are almost done putting the done putting up the Diamond Ruff Exhibit at Capital Community  College’s gallery  (which is located in the front window-facing Main Street).  It looks really good I will add it to next week’s You Tube.  I spoke to TV One today.  They are interested in my Scruples Animated family holiday special.  Also I spoke to them about  a Diamond Ruff reality show, which they are willing to look at.

Debbie also was able to secure another venue for the book signing. Barnes and Noble nat’l office  faxed us requesting more books.

Slept in this morning until 11:00am.  Needed to catch up on rest.  I went into the office.  Spoke to my brother Tony, he will be helping us more on the project.  He’s a no nonsense type of guy.  He wants to tighten up the operation.  The main objective today was throow all the principal players in agreements.  This helps define roles and allows you to see performance and accountability.  Most of all it creates organization.  The content for agreements is created for players, we then just have to put them in the agreement format. These should be  done tomorrow. Janis came in and worked a little on fiscal stuff.  The bills seem to mount.  I have to concentrate in bringing real money in.

Kyle finished up You Tube of visiting Barnes and Noble.  Mike’s cousin Kevin  from New Rochelle, NY  is a DR club member and fire fighter is hosting this episode.

Ace brought Levie in today he has ties to the 50 Cent camp. We want to see if 50 has any interest in starring as Diamond Ruff.  Levie was impressed w/the project and is going to do all he can to get the project to 50.  Like always as Levie does his thing we will also try to get 50.  We had other prospects  for playing the lead of Diamond Ruff but we haven’t heard anything so we have to keep the ball moving.  Alot of times celebrities are busy and can’t get to alot of good opportunities.  This project will find itself into the right hands and unfold as it should.

Tonight I am writing  the You Tube video this week for Kyle.  Mikes cousin Kevin a Diamond Ruff Club Member, and Firefighter from New Rochelle will be hosting the You Tube this week.  He also has some good information on Firefighter’s contribution to the community.

A very long day.  We went to NYC and saw Akon’s people.  We ran late because the address for the  navigation systema was put in wrong and we couldn’t have a complete meeting with them. But Ray said he was down with us, which is cool.  Another meeting is being set up for another time.  This was a big lesson.  On this project we should be an hour early to outwit any left curves.  We don’t have time or energy for excuses.

We also met Sherri of  w/newyork.com and they want to collaborate w/the Diamond Ruff high school and college book tour in NYC. Also Sherri will be showing Brett the president of newyork.com to see if he can set us up w/The William Morris Talent Agency to rep the project.  He is an accomplished non-fiction writer is represented by them.  William Morris is one of the largest talent agency representing famous entertainers.

A very productive day.  Got alot of work out today.  We continue to set up the Diamond Ruff display in Capital Community College’s gallery.  An old friend?kid I use to mentor Ace(Anthony) has some connections into the 50 Cent camp.  He also introduced me to Tony via phone an independant wealthy businessman.  Tomorrow Mike and I will meet w/Ray Grant in Manhattan who is a friend and business associate of some top entertainers in the music business.  Also we will be meeting w/my client Newyork.com that has ties into the famous talent agency William Morris. Tomorrow will be a big day for the Diamond Ruff Project.

A good day today.  Last week Thursday… Capital Community  College’s Animation Club led by David Platt asked us to put up a Diamond Ruff exhibit in it’s art gallery which is located in it’s lobby facing Main Street (Hartford’s Main Drag).  In the other This is great visibility.  A college student Anthony who I have worked w/his mother Geannetta is heling to put the exhibit together with an intern Ty Madyson. The space will look good and recruit members, as well as promote the project.  The Opening for the event ids January 20th at 3:00pm.  It should be fun.

Today was long day and everyone was focused.  I think everyone was thinking about Obama’s speech about being focused and no excuses.