Hello Fellow Zoodango friends,

I've recently left my full time job to devote my time to freelancing and working on video projects that interest me. I own a 3CCD camera, and I have an editing system. I've produced videos professionally, and I'm looking for new people with whom I can collaborate on future projects. Maybe you need a DVD about your service or product? Or maybe you want to make some fun videos for your website, no matter what your need is, I can help make it happen.

Visit my website for a resume and clips of work: www.ericcockhill.com

Have a great day!

Eric Cockhill

I've been thinking of getting an iphone. Have any of you out there made the jump in? Has it been worth it? Do you find having all of your stuff syncing to one device help keep you organized and focused? Any feedback would be appreciated!

In the Film/TV/Production biz you run into people who are talkers. Talk. Talk. Talk. Rarely do they follow up their talk with actions. One of my biggest pet peeves in life and business is when you have contacts who don't return calls or e-mails. I made a few contacts at the Seattle International Film Festival, and I was really hoping to collaborate on a future project. I sent an e-mail (no response), then followed up with a phone call, and was then told to call at a specific date and time. I did. No one answered, so I left a message. No response after a week.

Granted, people get busy. I do too. It happens. Yet, when a response isn't given in a timely manner this very act communicates whether the person wants it to or not. It communicates that the other side isn't really interested and is avoiding just saying it, or that they are overworked, or are just flaky. As a busy professional myself, I could call everyday, or really try to get a hold of someone, but does this make me look desperate? Where is the balance between an aggressive approach and a persistant attitude?

In an ideal world, people would just return the call or e-mail, and we could all go on our way. Untl then, I will just try to have to adjust my pet peeves and run with passion for the things I really want. Do I really want to work with people who don't treat me with respect? Maybe not. How do you other zoodango users handle this?

I remember going to a little acting summer camp when I was about 13 years old. One of the techniques taught in class for the actor was to clear the deck before a performance. What that essentially meant was that before the show or scene we had to mentally empty our mind and thoughts from our real world situation and place us in the world of our character. Clearing the deck was essential to our job because it helped clear the distractions that could kill the performance on stage.

When I was a senior in high school I played the role of Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie, and did I have a great time. One Saturday matinee I injured my foot and I don't know how I made it through the play but I did. For the performance that night, I had no idea what I was going to do, so I ended up using a cane and making my character appear like he too needed a cane. I did every scene with a cane and even improvised a new dance with the cane so that the integrity of the character and story would not be altered.

Even with an injury I had to clear the deck. The injury was now a part of the character and a part of the journey because it wasn't going to go away. Sometimes adversity can be so big that we can't get rid of it right away, but we need to adapt and maybe even us it to our advantage.

In life how much more important is it for us to make that big deal, or get that new job, or just achieve our dreams. Distractions can be the difference between a dream job and a failed career. It's important to dream big, but more important if we can't get there because negative influence are in our lives, then we have some deck clearing to do! Big time!

How do some of you out there deal with distractions and clearing your deck?