Van odometer: 151601
Weight lost (in pounds):Â 6
Aches & pains: sciatic, right ankle
Current reading: The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman
Recent listening: News from Lake Wobegon, Go Tell It On The Mountain by The Blind Boys of Alabama, Fruitcakes by Jimmy Buffett
Recent viewing: Suns at Spurs, The Simpsons, Medium, Torchwood
Recent playing: Xbox 360, Guitar Hero III
Recently accomplished:Â Cleaning up missing rynosoft.com stuff, tagged existing blog entries, installed statistics plugin for WordPress, modified blog sidebar, entertained the Camps, cleaned cat box, reorganized entertainment center
Imperative To Do: Join gym, post office (Kent, Sue, Lala), phone calls, test bike commute, finish 401k rollover, sell G4, get rid of junk (couch, vacuum cleaner, mower), buy trailer for van, clean van, activate new Tivo, pay bills
Tag: wii
Luck of the Wii
You may remember the ordeal we went through last Christmas to get a Wii for the boys. Although we failed to find one before Christmas, we came up with a pretty good idea to convey that we would eventually be buying a Wii: I stuffed 250 dollar bills into a Wii box that I borrowed from a guy at work and we put the whole thing under the Christmas tree. The boys were happy to see the Wii box and not very disappointed to find that there was no Wii inside it. Luckily, I was able to capture the moment on a digital camera. After I put it up on YouTube for friends and family to see, I thought that would be the end of it.
It wasn’t. Last month, Thomas noticed a new item in my YouTube inbox:
My name is Patricia McNaney and I am the Broadcast Business Manager at Young & Rubicam Advertising Agency. My work phone number is: (redacted) and my email address is (redacted).
We are interested in the possability of using a portion of the above referenced video clip in a Sears Holiday TV commercial.
Can you please contract me, at your convenience, to discuss the possability of the use of this clip in a TV commercial for Sears.
I look foward to hearing from you.
Regards,
I was skeptical that this was a typical online get-rich-quick scam, but I called her and found out that her offer was legitimate. They were looking for the kind of great holiday moments that you just can’t get from child actors. If I wanted our video to be considered for final selection, I had only to provide a copy of the video and sign a couple of legal releases. I gave her my email address and she sent the following:
Mitchell –
It was great talking to you yesterday regarding the possibility of using the above referenced footage in a Sears Holiday TV commercial.
As discuss, I have attached two (2) releases for signature. The Footage Release needs to be reviewed and signed by you or if you do not own the video, by the person who owns the video. This release gives us permission to use the footage in a commercial for Sears.
The Consent and Release form is to be signed by anyone who appears in the video. This release gives us permission to use the footage containing their image.
It also explains that if this footage is used in a commercial, anyone appearing in the footage will receive a SAG contract for signature and will receive residual payments. The SAG contracts will be forwarded to the individual(s) in the video after final client approval of the commercial.
I also need to get a copy of the video. If you have the original, that would be the best quality for us to work with. If not, please send the best possible quality copy.
You can send the signed releases and a copy of the video to:
Patricia McNaney
(address redacted)
Please send via Fed/Ex so we can track the package in case it is lost in transit. Please charges shipment to Y&R Fed/Ex # which is: (redacted).
If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me at anytime.
Regards,
Patricia McNaney
Today I sent three signed Consent & Release forms (Tina, Graham and Thomas), a signed Footage Release form and the video in original AVI format burned on to a CD. There is no guarantee that we will be selected for a commercial, but the boys already have plans for spending their residual checks!
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 1263
Weight lost: 58 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 7
Hours billed last week: 45
Aches & pains: right wrist, lower back
Current reading:: 2107 Curious Word Origins, Says & Expressions by Charles Earle Funk, The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, Prey by Michael Crichton
Recent listening: The Pixies, The Rising Tied by Fort Minor, Collision Course by Jay Z with Linkin Park, Teaches of Peaches by Peaches, The Mercury Anthology by Rod Stewart, Meat Puppets II by Meat Puppets
Recent viewing: 2007 MTV Movie Awards, Ocean’s 12, Gilmore Girls, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Sportscenter, NBA Finals
Recent playing: Virus 2, Excite Truck
Recently accomplished: Paid bills, Tivo scheduling to ensure NBA Finals are recording while I’m gone, dropped bike off at Bike Gallery, renewed BTA membership, packing list for WWDC
Imperative To Do: Pack for WWDC, RMA old Tivo drive, backup Thomas, backup Graham, backup Tina, sift through inbox, CDs to post office, return cans
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 1220
Weight lost: 58 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 9
Hours billed last week: 45
Current reading:: 2107 Curious Word Origins, Says & Expressions by Charles Earle Funk, The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, Prey by Michael Crichton
Recent listening: Dolly Parton, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Science Friday
Recent viewing: NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Gilmore Girls, World Poker Tour
Recent playing: Virus 2, Excite Truck, Hoshi Saga
Recently accomplished: Optometrist appointment, bagged cans, cardboard recycling, pulled blackberries, attempted hose return, bike maintenance
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, backup Thomas, backup Graham, backup Tina, renew BTA membership, sift through inbox, Bike Gallery, CDs to post office, return cans, pay bills
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 1193
Weight lost: 58 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 7
Hours billed last week: 41.5
Current reading:: 2107 Curious Word Origins, Says & Expressions by Charles Earle Funk, The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, Prey by Michael Crichton
Recent listening: Fatherfucker by Peaches, Coverville, DrugMusic, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me
Recent viewing: World Poker Tour, Heroes, NBA Draft Lottery, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (magicians), The Late Show with David Letterman (stupid pet tricks), 24 (last 6 episodes), NBA Conference Finals, The Gilmore Girls
Recent playing: Virus 2, Super Mario Bros. (emulated), Excite Truck, Light Sprites
Recently accomplished: Made doctor appointment, paid bills, recycling, garbage, yard debris, renewed prescription, cat box, mowed lawn, trimmed hedge, gorilla rack unloading, loading, unloading & assembly
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, backup Thomas, backup Graham, backup Tina, renew BTA membership, sift through inbox, Bike Gallery, CDs to post office, return cans