Confessions of an Executive Producer

george

This weekend George Hickenlooper, director/documentarian, died suddenly in Denver at the age of 47. He was in Denver campaigning for his cousin John Hickenlooper who is running for Governor of Colorado and promoting his soon to be released feature.

George was a rostered director at Epoch. We met him a little more than two years ago at the height of the Obama 2008 campaign. I remember it well as George and I spoke more about his family's deep political roots and the tide change in the country then we did about his work. He seemed more interested in discovering and contemplating the world around him then he was necessarily about the furthering his own career. In many ways he believed his curiosity and career worked in unison with one other. This is one of the many reasons why we wanted George to be a part of Epoch. 

This is not to say that George was not ambitious. He followed his passions and wanted to craft his own unique voice around them. The first piece that turned me onto George was his series of short films he produced and directed called "Speechless" in support of the Hollywood writers strike. It is not surprising his last work was "Casino Jack" the tale of corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramhoff. Within the first month we had singed George he sent me this script and assured me he'd find the financing and make this film. Many directors make this claim yet very few follow through. George was the exception. 

George was a good man. 47 is too young for anyone to pass but he leaves a legacy of excellent work that will last beyond him. His documentaries "Hearts of Darkness" and "Mayor of the Sunset Strip" are classics along with the much underrated feature "Factory Girl". If you haven't seen them you should. 

George leaves behind his wife, his son and the very large Hickenlooper family. He will be missed by all of them as well as the folks here at Epoch. Our thoughts are with him. 

first impressions amended

 

Last week I posted about the importance of a receptionist. I wrote emphatically how they represent the first contact you have with a company. Thinking about it more I'm going to have to amend that statement. The receptionist is the first human contact you have with a company. The first impression is the website.  

I'm sure many of you share the same behavior pattern as myself. If you hear about a company you google them leading to their web address. The site introduces you to everything you need to know. And, if it doesn't, that tells you something too. 

A brief history on Epoch's site. We launched our first site six years ago. We were one of the last production companies to do so. Wiredrive technology was what really gave us the impetus to join the 21st century. Since then, we have done virtually nothing to our site...until now.

Today, Epoch is launching a new website.  Our business model changed. Social media has taken off. Our site needed to reflect it. There are three things we did I'm particularly happy with.

• We updated our LOGO. I like that it's multi-color and symbolic of our desire to diversify
• The FREE IDEA function. It encourages the concept that ideas are a commodity to be shared. 
• We finally featured our FEATURES. Epoch has produced two films and had them theatrically released but you'd never know it from our old site.

Mindy, Tara, and Stephanie did all the heavy lifting. Todd Lamb's contribution was invaluable. And, the guys at Basik did a great job. 

So, take a break from the Superbowl ad hoopla and check out our site. Love to hear any critique. As with everything these days, it's in a perpetual beta state.