I am just now getting settled back home in Cali after traveling to Baltimore and New York networking and promoting the movie. I have many emails to answers. Thank you all for the positive comments and feedback!

The BMORE HACKS screening was truly a dream come true. I was overwhelmed by the wonderful reception and appreciation for the film. We had nearly 140 people in attendance. I am sorry that I didn't have more time to spend with folks' but I look forward to our encore screening in January! More on this later...

Here are a couple of pictures from the event. I have additional pics, a bit of video, and an audio podcast of the program, coming up in the next day or so.

Elders Ben Prestbury and Mrs. Verna Day, co-stars or BMORE HACKS, attending the World Premiere.

Sister Mamma Kay Lawal and her Wombwork crew rolled thru deep with 30+ people.

The BMORE HACKS DVD

http://dvd.bmorehacks.com

The BMORE HACKS DVD orders are picking up. We had an error with our automated shopping cart/on-demand system, so some orders had been delayed going until I returned home. However, all orders have now been manually processed. They will be shipped by Kunaki.com on Thursday afternoon. I will have the wholesale order system in place by Friday.

Please call 512-498-9999 x70 or e-mail support@urbanartsclub.com if you have any questions. We ordered an extra DVD for everyone as a token of gratitude.

More exciting updates coming soon, including the launch of the BMORE HACKS book project!

Most gratefully,

Maxie Dayrron

Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Maxie D. Collier

Riverside, CA- December 2, 2008

For filmmaker and author Maxie D. Collier cutting edge technology has always been one of the keys to self producing his own books, movies, and websites. Some of his previous projects include "Paper Chasers," the Independent Film Channel co-produced documentary on hip-hop entrepreneurship, starring Ludacris, Flavor Flav, Fat Joe,  and many others. As well as his bestselling book,  the "IFILM Digital Video Filmmaker's Handbook," one of the first guides published on amateur and prosumer digital filmmaking.

Collier is also drawing upon emerging digital technology when he debuts his new feature film "BMORE HACKS," in  Baltimore on Weds. December 10th. The period movie tells the stories of a group of illegal cab drivers working the streets of Baltimore in the mid-90s.

Collier is releasing the film direct-to-DVD and digital download on the same night as the film premiere. The debut screening will be streamed live on the web. The movie's soundtrack and t-shirts are already available online at the BMORE HACKS website http://www.bmorehacks.com

Read More...

To build the website, Maxie utilized numerous cheap and free online tools to develop a unique social networking community for fans, supports, and the cast and crew of the film. The site features e-commerce, member profiles, a message system, forums, chat, blogs, photos and videos.

"We have used a variety of vendors and services to complete, merchandise and promote the BMORE HACKS project. Our desktop editing was completed with Apple's Final Cut Pro, social website hosting with a UK service called SocialGo, digital merchandise sales thru a Norwegian company named The Biz Mo (http://www.thebizmo.com) and DVD on demand using http://www.kunaki.com. Promotional widgets created using http://www.sproutbuilder.com . With these tools, we are able to effectively produce, merchandise, and market our movie. without spending thousands of dollars of more cash and debt. And to retain greater control and ownership along the way."

Back in the 80s, Maxie and his brother Zay were coding, desktop publishing, and surfing electronic BBS services with 300 BPS modems, in the pre-web days; using Radio Shack, Apple, and Commodore, and Atari computers. Along with their brother Mar-Yoi, they published Black Reflections Magazine from their father's house in Columbia, MD. 

Their father, Dr. Maxie T. Collier, MD  had moved to Columbia in 1977, as a 32 year old medical graduate, still facing 3-4 years of internship and residence, and now a single parent of six kids. With help from his parents, Dr. Collier advanced swiftly in his professional medical career as a Psychiatrist, Counselor and Public Health Administrator.

By the time he moved the family to Baltimore, 10 years later, Maxie T. was a married father of eight children and the youngest, and first African-American Health Commissioner to be appointed in Baltimore.

After graduating from Howard High school, Maxie D. bounced around colleges, attending Howard Community College for a year, a semester at the University of Maryland, and a year at Howard University. During the Winter of 1990, he landed a part-time job as a teleprompter operator at an emerging cable TV network, Black Entertainment Television (BET).

A few months later he dropped out of Howard an accepted a full-time position as a floor director at BET. In this capacity Maxie was exposed to many emerging and veteran, Black recording artists, actors, politicians, and community activists.

He was also fortunate enough to meet filmmakers like the Hudlin Brothers, Spike Lee, Bill Duke, and Robert Townsend. These encounters inspired him to study filmmaking and produce his own short films and music videos

In 1996, Maxie co-produced his first feature film, "Detention," the debut film from Baltimore writer and director Darryl Wharton.  A few months later he wrote and directed "BMORE HACKS," inspired by people he met in his travels thru the city via the network of illegal cab drivers, and months he spent hacking, as research for the project.

The film was financed with income younger brother Zay earned as a freelance programmer, while attending Morgan State, after two years at Cornell University.

In the years that followed, Maxie wrote and self-published his DV Handbook, before licensing the text to an Internet TV start-up called IFILM.

After working in silicone Valley a few months, he kicked off the Paper Chasers documentary film project, eventually securing a production deal with the IFC footing the bill for the film's $225k budget. During a 3 year production and post production period, Maxie and crew documented the rise of numerous artists from across the country, most notably Atlanta rapper/CEO Ludacris.

Following a debut at the Tribeca Film Festival, Paper Chasers was released domestically on DVD by Koch Records and internationally by the Weinstein Company. The movie aired on the IFC 8 times, generating great visibility.

However, this exposure was bittersweet, as it neither translated into sales nor net profits for Maxie or any of the Paper chasers production team.

"On the one hand we received a greater than average DVD advance for North American and International rights, Eighty-five thousand and fifty-thousand dollars respectively," Collier candidly shares

"However, due to the nature of our deal, we receive no money for any of the cable TV airings. Therefore the income (85+50k) was less than the liabilities ($225k). We didin't recoup. But even worse, because the film was on Netflix, Amazon, Blockbuster and bootleg sales, everyone thought that I was making money from the movie.But after all those years of work, I didn't earn a cent from Paper Chasers."

It was this experience that inspired Collier to self distribute BMORE HACKS on DVD and digital download. As well as to seek alternative income streams, such as soundtrack and t-shirt merchandise sales.

This is accomplished thru social networking, webcasting, and e-commerce technology that was a sci-fi dream when the Collier Brothers first started BMORE HACKS, nearly 13 years ago.

Maxie's goal is to use niche social networks as platforms to create, distribute, and sale media products and services to highly targeted demographics. In addition to BMOREHACKS.com, Maxie is also the co-founder of the BET Alumni Network,  Gospelplays.tv,  africanfilmclub.com, and the UrbanaArtsClub.com, an online digital media training center.

"We are in the era of micro-networks. While other people are looking to build the next myspace, I am seeking to build a bunch of well maintained, modest sized entertainment and learning communities supported by members, much like member supported radio and TV stations. We have already used our website to reconnect with cast and crew members we have not seen for more than 12 years. It's amazing and wonderful."

Collier is also completing his next book, a digital technology and media production guide entitled "New School Media For Young, Old School Folks." The title ships in January via his production company, Urban Arts Club International.

His homecoming to Baltimore also has another ironic twist for Maxie, as today the press room of the health department is now named the Maxie Collier room, in memory of his late father, who passed away in 1994.

"It's beautiful and humbling to me for there to be a press room named after my father. I'm looking forward to giving back my own contributions to the people of Baltimore. "

BMORE HACKS screens 7-9 pm, at the Patterson/Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD. To order movie tickets visit http://bmorehacks.eventbrite.com   To order BMORE HACKS  DVDs, music, or T-shirts visit http://www.bmorehacks.com

#########
For Additional Information Contact:
Maxie Collier
512-498-9999 x70
http://www.bmorehacks.com
http://www.urbanartsclub.com
maxie.collier@urbanartsclub.com

Greetings everyone!

Please forgive me for the length of this message, however there is much to share.

First, let me apologize for my lack of communication during my West Coast and Texas, digital hermit years. I would ask that none of you take the lack of communication personal.

I have spent weeks, months, and years as a recluse writing, editing, and coding. But I know it's now time for me to share my research and development with those who may be interested.

It's truly a joy and a pleasure to now be in contact with so many people who have invested time, money, expertise, and talent into the BMORE HACKS movie, DVD, and website. It's really exciting to see everyone network on the website.

Read More...
For those of you who have asked or are curious about how I built the website, here are a few details.
1. I registered the domain at http://www.godaddy.com for about $9. Don't be oversold by the many services they try to upsell to you.
2. I set-up an account at http://www.socialgo.com , a free social network service company.
3. I customized graphics using a free photoshop compatible program http://www.gimp.org
4. I created a promotional widget using http://www.sproutbuilder.com
5. I created a digital shop offering digital good, pay-per-view, and merchandising, using http://www.thebizmo.com
6. I created a ticket sales page with http://www.eventbrite.com
7. We are going to utilize the DVD on demand services of http://www.kunaki.com
8. The http://www.e-junkie.com shopping cart.
9. And the http://www.paypal.com payment services

So in other words, this whole distribution and sales campaign was kicked off for less than $20, plus a good amount of time!

I am sharing these details because there are people who may think that all of this work was completed with an infusion of cash from some outside company. When in fact this project remains just as grassroots and indie/self financed as it was when we started nearly 13 years ago. 

Time and a dedicated team of supporters has been the greatest asset that I/we have had  to resurrect and complete this script, movie, DVD, soundtrack, and website.

I know that the odds are super slim of ever recouping the $40K cash invested by family, friends,  and supporters or settled the additional $35K in debt associated with the film.

Let me give you one example of this debt. To date the BMORE HACKS film has had three editors, in addition to my own editing. To complete the final cut and DVD, Los Angeles editor Ryan Molina, has clocked over 520 hours of work during 46 intense days of post production during the past two months.

My own post production and admin time mirror these hours. And the time invested by both of the other two editors, Matt Gottshalk and Andrew Fraser equal or surpass these numbers. Yet none of these men have received payment for their services.

I watched many friends lose their films and books to bad deals, which I learned well during distribution deals for my own DV Handbook and Paper Chasers DVD.

Given the downturn in DVD sales, tightened cable TV budgets, and shady practices of so many distributors, there are even less dollars for an indie Urban drama with no Hollywood actors, rappers, shoot outs, or sex scenes.

However, I believe that there is an audience for this film. Indie film fans, as well as thousands of past and present  residents of Baltimore, who identify with the movie in a highly personal manner.

Today my goals for the movie and website are to:
1. Provide a nice, professionally packaged DVD and digital download for sale to viewers.
2. To provide a profile page for every crew and cast member to promote themselves.
3. Provide a vehicle to showcase the talents of  other Baltimore artists, past and present.
4. Provide an interesting historical documentation of Baltimore in the mid-90s.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the Baltimore/World Premiere Screening, Weds. Dec. 10th, 7pm, at the Patterson/Creative Alliance.

Each cast and crew person will receive 1 ticket and 3 DVDs (hopefully keep 1 and sell or give away 2).

I will have 12 tickets on reserve for youth and community members recommended by the cast and crew. Please have people RSVP on the site.

The venue only holds 200 people and we need to sell 120 tickets and some DVDs to cover the screening, travel, and DVD costs. I have rescheduled the Sat. Dec. 13th workshop until February, so we can focus on the screening and DVD release.

Please encourage people to buy tickets online at:
http://bmorehacks.eventbrite.com

Also, we are in the last couple of days of editing on the BMORE HACKS DVD. I appreciate feedback from everyone who has already provided corrections and updates to the credits page.

If you have not, please visit the page and post your credit addition or corrections. http://bmorehacks.com/members/profile/1/blog-view/the-bmore-hacks-credits_1.html

If you have any suggestions or corrections, please post in the comments, email, or message me. See you next week. Thank you again for your support!

Sincerely,
Maxie Dayrron Collier
512-498-9999 x70
support (at) urbanartsclub.com

We are very excited to announce that the BMORE HACKS movie will have it's world premiere in Baltimore on Dec. 10th 2008. The movie will screen at 7pm at the Patterson/Creative Alliance Theater, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD. The cast and crew of the film will be on hand, as well as many of Baltimore's film and creative arts community. Ticket will be available online beginning Weds. Nov. 27th. Click here for additional information.

The movie will also screen in its entirety on the BMORE HACKS website (http://www.bmorehacks.com), and be available for purchase via digital download. Music from the BMORE HACKS soundtrack and related merchandise are already available via the Urban Arts Club Digital Multimedia Marketplace.