Burgold

Got lazy. Decided not to hit Message. I saw the box and so began typing away.

Email sent 

Nice to non-virtually meet you, Sam. I've got four pitches right off the bat. 

Ellouise Schoettler has been doing extensive historical research on the "Hello Girls" The girls were one of the first all women units used in the US. In WWI, they were sent to France to enable communications between the generals and the troops. Like the boys, they endured hardships, attacks, and bombings. When the my returned home they were stiffed of vet pay, honors, and recognition. They fought for 60 years before they began getting their due. This is a group that deserves to have its story told and its Xistance recognized. 

In the same vein, Bernard Storch survived the Concentration Camps and when free joined the army  he wound up being in the first wave to march on Germany  

On a lighter note, Chic Silber invented much of the magic we associate with circuses and Broadway  His first show was the original production of West Side Story, but he's been a part of everything from Man of La Mancha to Wicked  His side gig was working for Barnum & Baileys where he helped train tigers, and invented numerous lighting and special effects  

Last one, I'm not sure that it fits as well, but I have a ton of great tape from Adam West (Batman) Karen Gilan (Dr Who) and a bunch of writers and artists  would the Xistance of pop culture or comic cons be interesting to you?

Let me know if I'm on the right track or if any of these are winners  

Andrew 

301 502-7248

I also have a couple more business ideas that might be better moved to a phone conversation or email ?

Could be fun. I always do have to ask the money question. Does this pay or is it being done on spec (once Xistance becomes a huge success will it then pay). Do you assign pieces? How are subjects identified/cultivated? How many per week, per month is your expectation? What is your preferred run time? Have you chosen music that will for the intro and outro... or music that should be used to bubble underneath the narratives. I'd imagine that there should be some good general domain stuff out there, but you want some consistency in sound. So, that the pieces have a uniform feel to them.

Sorry for the abundance of questions

I don't have a podcast ongoing, but I have all the equipment and production skills to get one going. I have been interviewed a bunch for podcasts, radio shows, etc. in my various roles as writer, reporter, and analyst.

I've been playing around a little with the idea of doing one or doing video slide shows. You can see some of that here (these were based on interviews I conducted this summer with celebrities, artists, and writers at Awesome Con). I must have done them pretty well because 3 out of 4 were picked up for traditional broadcast by NPR stations (though oddly in Washington State)

https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrwHiller

Why? Whatcha thinking?

Cool. So, if the story helps you feel free to use it. You can attach my name, Andrew Hiller to it as well. It may be a little long for your needs.

Thanks for taking a chance on my book! Hope your life eases up and I wish you success on the project

Xistance. There are no baby pictures of my mother except one. She was born in Lodz, Poland in 1939, just months before the Nazis closed the Ghetto. She spent her her earliest days running with my grandparents as they fled to Russia. Life centered around survival. It was hard. They stole at times, used dung to build fires for warmth. A slice of cheesecake once bought as a treat cost a full week's salary. So, keepsakes are rare, but we have one.

It is a torn, brown photograph. Something that was taken before the war and somehow survived it. It lives in an old photo album covered in wax paper. My Grandmother looks serene. My Mom perched on her lap wears a small smile that could be gas. This is a treasure.

Xistance. I would not exist if it weren't for my grandparent's efforts. I am not sure that I could do what they did. My Grandmother once underwent 48 hours of KGB interogation to get Russian papers. She convinced them finally that she was a citizen whose documents were stolen. With that success, they could work, could eat, but it was a risk. If she were caught lying they would kill her. My grandmother didn't even speak Russian.

Xistance. I have a small archive of stories and one picture from the War. Later, afterwards, there are more pictures. Pictures of a life rebuilt, of a journey to America, small moments, and big. Honest moments and posed ones. These are more than photographs. These are memories. These are moments.

Xistance. When my grandmother began to fade, I made an effort to record some of her stories. I spoke to relatives to piece together the parts dimentia had stolen away. There is too much that will never be known, but I'm lucky in a sense. I have the one photo. I wrote part of her story in an op-ed that the Washington Post published. Her story is now part of our history. What's more worrisome is that these stories are likely to fade much faster than a photograph.

For my Mom's sake and maybe later my own, I scanned every photo from the old careworn albums. I put them on a CD. I added to it the documents of the stories I collected. It was actually pretty hard work, but the best thing about beginning it turned out not to be the gift that I gave to my mother, but that she in turn gave it to my uncle who gave it to my nephew and niece. My sister has it to give to her son.

Xistance. A record of us that we can share. A few notes from a song that brings back memories, that stirs smiles and tears. It is a gift to be able to preserve her story. It is a greater one to be able to share it.

(So, here's my writerly, but unread and unedited thoughts about the potential of Xistance and why it could be a needed, wanted, and important service. I don't know if it's along the track you are thinking. It's probably a bit long for advertising, but might work as a testimonial to the idea. If it works let me know. If you need an edit let me know. I can reach out to other authors, reporters, and folks I know. I can't guarantee they'll respond or want to help, especially for free! We writers are used to people trying to use our work for free and some feel a bit grumpy about it.

I think it has potential. I could see it working as a social media tool. I think it could also be a great partnering tool with funeral homes or even the opposite baby announcements and archives... lord knows, that's when people get their most photo and video crazy)

Best of luck!

I can't imagine that they'd say no. They have usually let me put my stuff up (although some of them get a bit grumpy about it sometimes lol). In fairness, I probably do try to push the boundaries at times with things like my novel.

I don't recall if you got a copy. If you did what did you think?

Anyway, It's important that you get the word out. Getting beyond the white noise for a new venture can be pretty tough. ES has been pretty supportive as a community. It's one avenue among many you should try

Are you looking for blurbs?

I'm looking at the "What is Xistance" page and I'm not completely sure what you are providing? Is it a geneology site, a scrapbook, a family photo album, a bio/portfolio?

I think I can write something for you and have an inkling of what I might say, but I need to know a bit more about who your user is and why they need this space. I want to make sure I'm getting it. Once I have that I can give you a blurb and see if any of my fellows would be willing to donate some attention... or do an interview/write up a piece about the service for you.

Mind you, the latter can be tough. The writer has to get their assignment editor or boss' okay to publish or broadcast, but I'll try to help (I wish my contacts were fresher, but I still have some) 

I guess th other really important question is what are your budget parameters for this?

What kind of write up are you looking for? Press release, pamphlet, elevator pitch?