Meet James Sklar, Podcast Host

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, James Sklar attended Syracuse University, studying Russian, Finance, and Marketing. He has traveled extensively throughout Europe and was the very last individual to walk through Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, Germany. James has lived in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles, but he is now proud to call Western Massachusetts his home. He has always been a great lover of the spoken word medium. James is always listening and is grateful to have the opportunity to be heard.

The James Sklar Show is a podcast which covers a variety of topics, including life in the Berkshires, current events, food, and history. Check out a sample of his show by listening to his belated Father's Day podcast...

1. How did you first get interested in podcasting?

I started listening to podcasts a few years ago. My interest in spoken word begun with The Lost Lennon Tapes which aired in the 80s. The content was riveting. Ever since then, I've been hooked on the medium. Now with podcasts, the joy is listening when and where I want.

2. What are some of the topics you cover on The James Sklar Show, and how do you get your ideas for what to talk about?

My topics come from everyday life, an article, news, or whatever I feel like discussing. Generally, I bounce from one to the other.

3. What do you think that the element of audio adds to a reader/listener's experience, compared to just reading a blog post?

The audio creates an intimate relationship between speaker and listener. Reading a blog post is less engaging. I find that audio adds a sense element which personalizes content, which is key and what separates audio from other mediums.

4. As a listener, what do you personally admire in other podcasts, and what are some of your current favorites to listen to?

Passion and integrity. I listen to The Unexplained with Howard Hughes, since I love the subject matter and his delivery. I listen to Coast to Coast AM, due to the interesting variety of topics they explore. For laughs, I will listen to Doug Benson's Doug Loves Movies, because it's so silly and can be very funny.

5. For someone just getting started in blogging, podcasting, and other online media, what's your best advice?

Just start! It's so easy. My motto is don't talk about it, be about it!

Thanks, James!

Meet Curtis James Salt, Independent Filmmaker

Curtis James Salt is a independent filmmaker in Boston, MA. For samples of his work, check out his page on Vimeo. His credits include directing/producing the New England Film award winning documentary The Reality Behind Closed Doors. Most recently, his feature length script Adonis is currently in the top 100 scripts (for Drama) at the Filmmaker's International Screenwriting Awards. His newest endeavor is the fantasy Mosden that is currently in pre-production.

For information about the crowdfunding campaign to help support the production of Mosden, please see the IndieGogo site for the project. See also the Facebook page for Mosden.

1. What is the meaning of Mosden, the title of the short film you're working on?

The title "Mosden" actually refers to the name of the fictitious language that all the characters speak. Early on in the script, the main character Canvas (played by Matthew Eriksen) discovers a mysterious note left for him alongside a box of colored pencils and a mirror. The note's message reads "Mosden" and that's the first time you actually hear Canvas speak. So it seemed appropriate to name the language after that message. Some of the language is made up from scratch while the rest is a mixture of Latin, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Cantonese, French, and more; all sliced up together so it feels somewhat universally familiar in nature, but also very organic. Currently I'm working with each actor on tailoring the vocabulary of the language and finding what sounds most natural for them to speak; then translating the words on the page from English to Mosden.

2. In exploring the experiences of a character named Canvas, how does your film work with the idea of creating art as a metaphor for creating other experiences/meaning in life?

[Laughs] Your question is incredibly close to being "on the nose." You follow Canvas from his inception, or what some of us refer to as his "birth." He has to teach himself how to walk and talk. Eventually he acquires the box of colored pencils and learns whatever he draws on the walls becomes real. This is where the audience can start to dissect the metaphors hidden within the story if they choose. For example, the first character Canvas creates is RED (Olivia Moriarty) who he has to then teach everything he had to teach himself. Red in return falls in love with him. The next character created is GREEN (Harry Aspinwall), who is very bitter and envious of their relationship. It quickly becomes apparent that the art/characters Canvas creates represent either an aspect of the human psyche or characteristic of how we perceive things. Eventually he creates his opposite, BLACK (Cezar Constantine) who is the literal definition of malice; who in return creates his own art/characters that conflict with Canvas until the climax of the story. The ensemble of this cast remain very "one note" and true to their color(s), whereas Canvas becomes fleshed out and whole, learning from each of them. In the end I hope my intended message becomes very clear; nothing in life is ever just black and white. (I also promise this movie doesn't end as a dream or an acid trip!)

3. What would you say distinguishes experimental fantasy film from the more narrative filmmaking that viewers may be used to seeing?

Knowing that you're creating a project with a macro budget practically forces you to be experimental in order to achieve your ultimate vision. This can hinder a lot of filmmakers and tends to make them play it "safe," which I feel nine out of ten times results in an end product that's all too familiar to today's audiences. I think embracing the notion that you have to get creative allows you to start to think outside the realm of more conventional storytelling.

With Mosden, I gave myself the challenge of trying to create a short film that appeals to a worldwide audience. So I watched a lot of movies that I love and inspire me (The Cell, The Fifth Element, Moulin Rouge) and examined what made them so appealing. Hopefully, if I did my homework correctly, you're going to get something extraordinarily unique. It's much simpler to summarize Mosden as an experimental fantasy, then to also add it's a comedy, musical, drama, fairytale, and did we mention that it's very abstract? [Laughs] Once again, I swear it's not an acid trip.

4. What are some of your personal goals as a filmmaker?

Never to compromise. Always collaborate. Remember that you might not always be right and to listen to your actors and crew. It might sound ambitious of me to say, but I always want to work on a project that I'm passionate about, opposed to doing it just as a job. I would love to get discovered (as I think most do) and be able to make movies that can appeal to a much broader audience and someday hopefully work with the people that inspire me. Regardless if a movie I work on is seen by 10 people or 10 million, I always want to provide an experience that makes people forget that they're watching a movie. Any filmmaker that is able to achieve that is a true master at their craft. Thirty years from now I hope someone can tell me that I inspired them. My all time favorite quote (from Moulin Rouge) represents my love and approach to filmmaking the best, "Why live life from dream to dream and dread the day when dreaming ends?"

5. In addition to contributing to crowdfunding campaigns, how can viewers help support independent filmmaking--and why is it important that they do so?

I think filmmakers today are both blessed and cursed by influence of social media. Crowdfunding didn't exist when I was a kid, unless you went door to door. Thanks to sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and more, your voice can either be heard or lost amongst the sea. I compare crowdfunding to playing the lottery. People gamble on playing the odds, and you just hope that they're in your favor. When a person is lucky enough to "win" because of people who believe in them, people get discovered! Amazing stories get told! Original pieces of art get created! A majority of the movies, directors, writers, actors you see and love, would not exist today if it wasn't for independent filmmaking and the support for it.

Thanks, Curtis!

Meet Wright Forbucks, Author

Wright Forbucks (also known as W4$) is a comic fiction writer. He is the author of The General Store, The Walking Man, Even Steven, and most recently, Billy Grist. He lives in Massachusetts, in a town that grows apples. He is married with children. He is also devout Red Sox fan, a graduate of an Ivy League university, and an inventor of many fun things. Learn more about the author and his books on his website.

1. You have one of my all-time favorite author names. What's the story behind it?

Real simple. It's my real name :)

Actually, the name pokes fun at myself and Indie Publishing. I think many "writers" rushed into self publishing thinking it was a gold mine. I was one of these people. I make some decent bucks inventing things, but often I was not paid my royalties due by my broke or greedy licensees. So, I decided to write a book to see if I could cash in on some direct payments from Jeff Bezos. In all, I've made a few hundred bucks on book sales, so I no longer have any illusions about writing for big bucks. Instead I write because I really enjoy it. This amazes me because I never had any desire to be an author, but now I'm loaded with ideas for books and having a great time with it. I totally look forward to writing and try to put in an hour or two a day. I also discovered I have an ability to consistently write 500 words an hour and I never have a bout of writer's block. I'm not sure this is a skill, but I can crank out books and it is a very part time thing for me.

2. When writing comic fiction, do you generally have a sense of what will read as funny to other people, or do you regularly share your work with other readers to get a feel for how it plays?

I do not test my stories to see if people think they are funny. I couldn't care less. I just let it rip and hope for the best. My books start with a concept. I then make up a related story in my head. I then write the story down fast--very fast. I don't use an outline. I then re-write the book a couple times to make sure the quality is good. All the funny stuff happens in the first draft. I never come up with a funny thought when I'm in editing mode. After I complete each book I'm overwhelmed by a desired to re-write the whole book again to make it better, which I'm doing to The General Store to make it more light-hearted.

3. Who are some of your favorite writers of comic fiction, and how did you get started with your own writing?

My favorite writer of comic fiction is Kurt Vonnegut. I loved Blue Beard, The Sirens of Titan, and several of his other works. Frankly, until recently, I didn't read many novels. I spent a good deal of time reading technical articles about physics, public health, and other things that interest me, but I only read a few novels a year. So, I don't know my own genre. In fact, on several occasions a real writer has sent me an email saying I remind them of some famous author who I then have to google. Per above, I got started writing because I thought I could cash in on the ebook wave--maybe some day :)

4. What is your "day job," and do your colleagues know about your writing career?

Nobody knows I write books, but my lawyer, and Uncle Sam. My wife and family don't even know I write books. I am not ashamed of my work in any way, but it's just my thing. I'm not looking for advice or acclaim. I like to keep things simple, and sometimes keeping your mouth shut helps. I received an email the other day saying it's a damn good thing I have a pen name, because if radical Islamists read Billy Grist, they're going to try to kill me. This is true. But, to this I say, bring it on! (You can talk tough when you have a pen name.)

I real life :), I'm a engineer and scientist. I make a living inventing things. Most of my inventions involve the manipulation of light. I have numerous patents and a couple million unit sellers on the market, so I do okay, not fantastic, but I have no boss and I usually make ends meet.

5. As a writer who values originality, what's helped you to get your books into the hands of interested readers, outside of mainstream channels of the "big" publishers?

I have zero desire to work with a publisher. I want to do my own thing without interference. This means I have a very small following, but I'm cool with that. I'd write for ten or ten million. I started out with Twitter which led to relationships with a few authors which led to a few readers. I then did a free giveaway of The Walking Man at Amazon, and for some reason, 8000 downloads happened in a few hours. I picked up many readers after that event. In comparison, Billy Grist, a better book, only received 81 downloads over the same time period. So...I'm currently struggling to find readers. However, based upon my reviews to date, which are not from family and friends, I seem to be picking up a few readers, which is all I need. If people like reading my books, great. If not, there's not much I can do about it because I have no desire to write a book based upon an outline with proven sales appeal, which does not mean my next book is not going to be about a voluptuous teenage-female vampire who hangs out with an orphaned wizard :)

Thanks, Wright!