Hitched!

I really am the luckiest guy in the world.  Marital bliss, here I come!

Second Skin Theatrical & DVD Release!

At long last!  Second Skin, the documentary I wrote and produced about virtual worlds, is being released in select theaters and on DVD.  I had little faith that our movie would grace theaters, as the competition is unbelievably fierce right now, with film companies tanking left and right and a glut of indie movies fighting for the few non-Regal theaters around.

But after a lot of hard work on producer Peter Brauer’s part, and the director Juan Carlos- we’ve secured week-long theatrical runs in New York City, Los Angeles, Austin and Boston!  Those start August 7th and run until the 20th.  On August 25th the DVD comes out everywhere.

All the information is on the website- here.

The official press release is below, and already the news has been posted on Boing Boing (with a short rave review!) and on Kotaku, among other places.

SECOND SKIN INFILTRATES THE GAMING VIRTUAL WORLD 

The highly acclaimed Massively Multiplayer Online documentary

comes to DVD August 25, 2009.

LOS ANGELES– June 30, 2009 – Liberation Entertainment, Inc. and Pure West bring the first feature length documentary about virtual worlds and the gamers who live in them, Second Skin, to DVD August 25. 

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So I’m In the New York Times Today…

In one of the more surreal experiences of the past few weeks, Ev and I landed us a New York Times article!  Turns out we were the first to take advantage of a housing program that Nassau County was putting in place for first time homebuyers.  And so there we are, at the still-boarded-up back door to our new house… in the New York Times.

You can check the full article out here.

Published In Vice Magazine

Vice Magazine just published an interview that I wrote and conducted a few months ago with Ray Latypov, the inventor of the Virtusphere.  Though it’s pretty drastically edited, it’s still the biggest publication I’ve been published in (a million people read the magazine, and millions more check out the website) so I’m all sorts of thankful.

I’ll include my original intro below — the link to the article is HERE.

In eighth grade I wrote a sci-fi story about people living in giant hamsterballs with virtual reality goggles pasted to their faces.  I had just learned the word ‘dystopian’.  Watching Lawnmower Man, The Matrix and Existenz, I was kind of disappointed each time by the undeniable lack of giant hamsterballs in our future. 

It’s good to know that the Brothers Latypov felt the same kind of vexation, and actually did something about it.  The Virtusphere finally offers an easy out to all of us ready to part ways with society.  Hell, bring a backpack with a PBJ in there and you could live out the techie version of The Neverending Story, every single day. 

Taking a tour of the lab, I expected to stumble into a cybersex sweatshop with immigrants trying to claw their way out of these things.  Either that or a hyperintelligent gerbil with VR goggles- the Patient Zero of the Virtusphere.  Instead, the “lab” was more like a Michel Gondry-directed episode of The Office- small and sterile, but with an enormous hamsterball looming over everyone’s cubicle. 

Will the Virtusphere be the mass cyber exodus we’ve all been dreaming and blogging about?  Or will it just be like those VR machines from the nineties- a $200,000 cure for a settled stomach?  Virtusphere inventor Ray Latypov has the answer.

Copywriter For Big Spaceship

Now that its been nearly a full month, I think it’s okay to let the cat out of the bag.  At least partly.

As of April 1st, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work as a copywriter for one of the best digital agencies out there- the one and only, Big Spaceship.  I was hired for a specific project (which I’m dying to reveal, but it hasn’t launched yet) and I’ve had the time of my life.  It’s really fantastic, high-profile work, and I’m getting paid well to write full-time.  Though I’ve done a lot of copywriting in the past year, it’s been in fits and starts for start-ups, and usually part of a larger marketing/PR campaign I’ve constructed.

This is pure writing, about a topic I love, with a fantastic company.  A dream job.  It also made me realize that I’d like to focus on pursuing copywriting contracts, as nothing beats writing for a living.  At least not in my book.

So, yes, I think that will officially put me on the market soon.

An epic thanks to Ivan, for thinking of me when the job presented itself.

Opportunity Blasts

This past Thursday I was just given the opportunity of a lifetime- probably the most exciting opportunity since wrapping Second Skin.  I’m crossing my fingers that it works out, and as soon as it’s more tangible, I’ll definitely post about it.  Haven’t been able to sleep all weekend.  Damn it pays to have wonderful friends who remember you at opportune moments…

PopTen Redesign

Juan just took this photo of me exiting a lunch meeting, and it does a hilariously good job expressing the way life has felt lately.  Between all of our projects at Pure West, wedding preparations and house hunting, I haven’t had a second to sit down and take stock of things lately.

However, I did want to announce the project that makes me happiest most days- PopTen- is getting a total redesign and facelift from our web designer jedi, Chris Baily.

Writing and editing PopTen is my joy.  Take a look at it, maybe add the RSS feed, make a comment or two- welcome to our group blog, PopTen: Top Ten Lists For Pop Culture Junkies.

Visiting the Virtusphere

Yesterday Juan and I went to Binghamton, New York to film the Virtusphere, the first virtual reality locomotion machine.  We spent the day talking to the inventors Ray and Nurella Latypov, and the ever-so-welcoming COO, Jim DiMascio.  Then we got to try out the Sphere, taking our first official trip into virtual reality- the closest thing we have to an honest-to-goodness Holodeck.

The short should be coming out on VBS TV in the next month, and hopefully the article they asked me to submit about the Virtusphere will go through as well!

Our Series Launches Channel

Our three-part series on software legend and magical millionaire Richard Garriott just launched VBS TV’s new Motherboard Channel.  We’re thrilled to be featured on VBS.tv, a site that brings in 2 million unique views a month.

Here’s the three part saga.  Part One introduces the man…

(Part Two and Part Three after the jump…)

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Second Skin Festival Summary

Second Skin was blessed with an amazing festival run.  Here’s the summary:

SXSW - Austin, TX - March 7,9,11 - WORLD PREMIERE

Hot Docs - Toronto, Canada - April 21,23 - INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

Independent Film Fest of Boston - Boston, MA - April 24,25

Origins Convention - Columbus, OH - June 26-29

Fantasia Film Fest - Montreal, Canada - July 6,8

Indyfringe - Indianapolis, IN - August 8

Edinburgh Film Fest - Edinburgh, Scotland - August 10

GenCon - Indianapolis, IN - August 14-17

PAX - Seattle, WA - August 29

ACE FEST - New York, NY - September 5 - WINNER, BEST DOCUMENTARY

Calgary International Film Fest - Calgary, Canada - September 19-28

Camden International Film Fest - Camden, MA - September 27

Manitoba Con - Manitoba, Canada - October 11

DOC/FEST - Sheffield, England - November 5-9 - EUROPEAN PREMIERE

Guangzho International Doc Fest - Guangzho, China - November 3

Bradford Animation Festival - Bradford, England - November 12-15

Santa Fe Film Festival - Santa Fe, NM - December 3-7