Entertainment Licensing & Branding Blog

Rocking in the Free World (Neil Young) is going to be an understatement this long weekend!

Independence Day is a time for us to raise a drink in honor of all the troops!  Not just because I served in the military but because these brave men and women who are risking their lives so that we can keep our way of life deserve our respect and appreciation.  So a toast to FREEDOM!!!

Fire up the BBQ and enjoy your holiday!

I love July because I celebrate Canada Day - July 1st  - because I was born in Vancouver, BC Canada and my mother is Canadian.  I also celebrate July 4th as my father was American!  The best of both worlds…

Have a happy holiday and give your family a big hug of appreciation!

Sandford Tuey

info@Playdigm.com

Michael Jackson’s estate has one of the most powerful brands on the planet and the potential to earn more than anyone expects.  Controlling his name and likeness will be critical to maintaining the brand now that he has passed away. Combine that marketing income, with his assets and their total earning potential should allow his estate to become a powerhouse of revenue.   Especially since he is not able to continue his multi-million dollar extravagant spending sprees anymore.

On CTV the other day, the announcer stated that the Michael Jackson brand could top $20 million US dollars a year and depending on the business decisions of the Jackson family, could be structured to top the Forbes highest deceased celebrity earners list within the year.

MJ’s music has been selling faster than at any time during his life (except maybe when his Thriller album was released).  Check out the brand new separate page for Amazon and you’ll see young Michael Jackson smiling at you to click and buy, making it quick and easy to purchase more Michael Jackson merchandise.

Forbes last year had Elvis Presley as the top deceased celebrity earner making over $50 million US per year for his estate.  Rumour has it, that this is more than The King ever made annually when he was alive.  With Graceland and tight fiscal control of Elvis’ image, the Presley estate revenue is secure.

So will the King of Pop dethrone The King?

My prediction is ‘Yes’ and I prefer Elvis’ music.  It’s just logical.  Jackson’s original mass audience is younger than Presley’s, which translates to more of his fans outliving Elvis fans. Based on my radio listening, I hear MJ’s music more often than Elvis’ and I listen to many different stations.

It will be interesting to see how the Jackson family manage Michael’s estate. I hope they are able to pay off his staggering debt and still have enough cash leftover so his children are taken care of.  Which will be the case I am sure.

I wonder if Paul McCartney will now be able to purchase the Beatles publishing catalog rights?   I think that would be fair…

Sandford Tuey

info@Playdigm.com

A new brand is about to be launched in British Columbia, Canada.

W.A.L.L. Music and Entertainment stands for ‘We All Love Live Music and Entertainment’.  It is a production, protection and promotion company that is about to launch its brand into the music and celebrity arena.

Our first ever event is BILL COSBY for two shows July 31, 2009 - 6:30pm and 9:30pm.  Tickets are $100 and $60 (plus service fees and taxes).  Enjoy the hilarious humour of this master comic in Penticton - where the sun and the fun never sets.

Our first Rock concert is MARIANAS TRENCH headlining on August 1, 2009. With Special Guests - FABER DRIVE, THE LATENCY and THE ARMCHAIR CYNICS. Tickets are only $20 or $47 (plus service fee and taxes). Perfect for the Penticton long weekend.

Both events are located at the Southern Okanagan Event Centre - 853 Eckhardt Avenue West, Penticton, British Columbia.

FOR TICKETS: Call - 877 763-2849

ONLINE - www.VALLEYFIRSTTIX.com

WALL Music and Entertainment looks forward to Rocking Your World at an event near you!

Sandford Tuey

Business Affairs

Have a great Canada Day today!

Fire up the BBQ and relax, enjoy the sun.  Celebrate Canada’s birth as a nation but remember to toast a drink high for our troops around the world risking their lives to keep our way of life free and democratic.

I like voting in true fair elections, human rights, free speech, free spirits, a free media, all women (and their rights), my made in North America car and our majestic country!   For I AM CANADIAN!

Let our nation be a beacon to the world that multiculturalism works.  When you become Canadian, leave your troubles behind, including the wars and other non-democratic systems.  Live life to the fullest and Peace on Earth for our children.

Have a great holiday!!!

Sandford Tuey  = 604 687-1836  = info@Playdigm.com

CANADIAN BY BIRTH - BRITISH COLUMBIA BY CHOICE!

Democracy has been stamped on Iraq but can it be forced on the region?  Will it spread into neighboring dictatorships, monarchies and questionable religious controlled states?  Or will it be snuffed out as soon as western nations pull out in 2011?

The Iraqi government named June 30 National Sovereignty Day and declared it a public holiday. Israel is not alone any more. Will democracy thrive in the Middle East?  We should all hope it does. So on Canada Day or America’s 4th of July, raise a drink to freedom, human rights and the right to vote in fair elections.

In some countries doing so is still just a dream, a fictional story or a real good movie plot.  Dreams do come true!

Sandford

Okay. You have a great idea for a story/script and characters.  Now what?

The first thing is to protect it by registering copyright.  Well the fastest way to obtain copyright is to write a short story.  a one or two page synopsis.

The next thing I do is write a 90 to maximum 120 page screenplay and register that with the copyright and Writers Guild.  Then I start shopping the script to the film and television industry.  Luckily, I landed an agency and one of the best entertainment lawyers in Canada, plus optioned two screenplays.

Meanwhile, I then copy the screenplay and paste it into a word processing file and develop the detail more, which expands the story to over 200 pages and perfect for a novel.  Now I have diversified the same concept into two separate markets.  Quick and fast.  Then marketing it commences.

Heck, why not copy and past the screenplay or novel into another file and rewrite the text into a comic series or graphic novel or video game format?  I did and Galactic Gladiators was optioned and published as a comic series throughout North America and Europe.  Still seeking publishing and distribution throughout Asia and the rest of the world.

The point I am making is that the more you diversify your writing the better chance you have of getting a sale or option.  Through query letters into multiple markets I have managed to catch a break for one of my projects via the comic industry, when I had yet to obtain interest from the book or film or television industries.

The more versions you have of your intellectual property, the more opportunities you will gain by word of mouth throughout the entertainment industry.  Trust me - this works!   Good luck branding your idea!!!

Sandford Tuey

info@Playdigm.com

PS: I am a self motivated, hard-working, committed writer and creator of entertainment properties. I blog to continue my give-back to the world community as I once did locally in Vancouver, Canada at the Alliance of Arts and Culture Searchgrad program. My hopes are that my information and knowledge will assist in creating and selling your intellectual material and one day be produced. I have had feature scripts optioned, written for hire, and have made comics, novels and games. I love movies and am dedicated to the art and business of screenwriting and licensing/branding.  Ask me whatever you want and I will try and get answers for you.

I attended my first Meetup and it was a fun and great way to network.  This was a meetup that included many Meetup groups for the Vancouver, Canada region and was a full house.  Standing room only.

The prizes were better than expected, the pub staff were great and I recommend everyone to attend the next event.

Well done to all the organizers and I look forward to the next one!

Cheers!!!

Sandford

How to develop a brand using Galactic Gladiators as an example:

Stage 10

I called Diamond Comics Distribution while the process of choosing which artist, colorist and graphic designer was ongoing.  After this company merged with Capital, it became almost a monopoly distributor of comics and related merchandising to mom and pop, hobby, comic and pop culture stores throughout North America and Europe.  One powerful corporation.

What I learned was that if Diamond did not pick up your comic book, you were not going to get sales into the comic retail stores very easily.  So negotiations started and the first thing I was told was that management would need to see a full color sample of the first issue and a total of three more issues synopsis laid out and described in writing.

I explained that the Galactic Gladiators story was based on my screenplay and that there were only three issues marking the three acts.  They said it was their policy that a minimum of four issues had to be committed to and they needed to know that the story was ready or they would not handle the product.

One of the hardest writing assignments I have ever had to do was turn a three act screenplay into four parts and make it tell the same story.  Each comic ending had to be a climax to ensure readers would want to buy the next issue.  This was a longer and harder process than I expected.

Next Report will be #7.

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FROM THE MIND TO THE MARKE - Pre-Order this ebook by sending an email to info@Playdigm.com (put title of book in the subject line).  This ebook is expected to be available in late 2009.  Reserve an issue with no money down. Payment to be required later.

(c) Sandford Tuey All Rights Reserved.

The ongoing development of a brand.

Stage 9

Learning how to write a comic was the hard part compared to finding artists, colorists and lettering people. I took a three act sceenplay and broke it down into three comic issues of 22 pages each (this is the standard amount of story pages per comic these days).  Everything seemed fine.

I then searched the net and asked everyone I knew to recommend people to develop the screenplay into my comic book/story boards.

After compiling a list of potential candidates and reviewing their portfolios and previous work, it came down to three excellent artists.  There was a female who drew manga style (good for international markets but not what I really wanted), there was an unknown guy who drew very well but normal super hero style (which I knew would not translate well into the Asian markets)  and Scott Lee, who’s artwork was excellent and unique (might even go global if given the chance).

Scott’s characters are long, sexy and lanky. Very different style then what is out there.  His artwork is interesting and good enough that he has worked with Marvel, Top Cow/Image, DC comics and presently works with Radical Entertainment (one of Canada’s premiere video game publishers owned by Universal - Vivendi).  Picking Scott was the best decision I have ever made for designing new characters for a new brand.

The same process kind of happened with choosing the colorist but once Scott introduced me to the work of Ben Prenevost, it was an instant and wise choice.  His coloring technique was perfect for my theme and story. Plus he had worked with Scott before and together their style just works.

Next I checked out graphic designers who could provide lettering and page layout for printers.  I knew from the beginning that this person should be local (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) as I would need to work closely with them prior to it being submitted to the print company.

Rachel Moffat of was introduced to me and her graphic art experience is incredible.  Not only did she pick up the comic craft instantly, but we also designed our own dialog balloons (needed a special way to transmit thoughts from one Psion character to another character).  It was a pleasure working with her as the patience she needed to put the whole project together was amazing.  Remember, both of us had never produced a comic before.

The next installment will be titled Galactic Gladiators Part #6.

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Order - FROM THE MIND TO THE MARKET - now.  It will be available later in 2009. Pre-order by contacting Info@Playdigm.com.

(c) Sandford Tuey All Rights Reserved.

Learning by example. How I developed a brand.

Stage 6

Creating a three act screenplay is straight forward once you’ve read dozens of ‘How to Write a Screenplay’  books and absorbed so many scripts and compared them to the actual films.  This is mandatory, do your homework.

If you are going to introduce your brand in a novel or graphic novel form, then seek out the information on these publications and industries and work towards creating the best product you can.

When I finished the first draft of Galactic Gladiators I was pleased with myself (as anyone would be after writing 100 to 120 pages).  I read it again and again searching for spelling and grammar mistakes and changing a word here or there to increase the emotion or action.

Then it was time to give it to other writers, film contacts and friends for their opinion.  Guess I did a pretty good job because the majority loved the story and overall concept.

Stage 7

When I pitched the Galactic Gladiators idea to my corporation’s shareholders they were impressed.  I explained that I needed about $20,000 for storyboards to attract ‘A’ list actors, producers and directors.   My shareholders however, reminded me that they were capitalists and wanted to know how I would make money from selling storyboards.

It seemed no matter how much I tried to get them to invest further funds they would not do so as they only would give money to produce something that could be sold in a store.  So I banged my head for a couple days until I came up with the idea to turn my needed storyboards into comic books.

Stage 8

I pulled out my comic collection and reread all my Frank Miller and Stan Lee books.  Everything from Superman, Batman to Ironman, Spiderman to Sin City, 300, Ronin, Spawn, Men In Black and Hellboy.  Always trying to figure out why these brands hit it big.  I read a few books on drawing and writing comic format.

Then I approached my company shareholders again, only this time with the focus of financing a comic series based on my Galactic Gladiators screenplay.  Because they recognized the fact that I might be able to sell comics throughout the world, they started investing.  The cost of creating, developing, printing and marketing the GG comic books cost ten times what the story boards would have.

The next installment will be titled Galactic Gladiators Part #5.

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Order my ebook - FROM THE MIND TO THE MARKET - now. It will be available later in 2009. Pre-order by contacting Info@Playdigm.com.

(c) Sandford Tuey All Rights Reserved.