what are you going to do wiht your life?

Jeff's Bait and Tackle :D

Television and movie production.

Not sure, retire gracefully. Travel. What does one normally do when they retire? Cut the grass. Drink beer in the morning. Buy lots of great toys.

Not sure, retire gracefully. Travel. What does one normally do when they retire? Cut the grass. Drink beer in the morning. Buy lots of great toys.[/b][/quote]
how old are you?

everything what you envisioned will keep you busy for 12 months....what's next?

If you are going to do that one, get a good early start. Its a killer business. I know it well. I have a t shirt collection in my basement.

how old are you?

everything what you envisioned will keep you busy for 12 months....what's next?[/b][/quote]
Probably older than you. And I can stretch it for years. Peace and serenity has a certain charm, don't you think? Oh yeah, maybe I will get a dog.

Probably older than you. And I can stretch it for years. Peace and serenity has a certain charm, don't you think? Oh yeah, maybe I will get a dog.[/b][/quote]
The clatter of the lawnmower ......

Mid afternoon hangovers ......

Punctuated by the barking dog .....

Ahhh the serenity.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha.



:yowsa: :agrin: :blink:

gilgy, this is an interesting time of transition for the television business, as they move to high def. There is so much potential, so much need.

Serge, got a spare million lying around? :-)

Alex

The clatter of the lawnmower ......

Mid afternoon hangovers ......

Punctuated by the barking dog .....

Ahhh the serenity.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha.



:yowsa: :agrin: :blink:[/b][/quote]
You gotta learn kid, you just keep drinking. You need more experience. Don't worry, practice makes perfect.

I first saw High Def in Brighton in 1986. It has been around a long time. It has all been about politics. The thing with High Def is that it is just a format. Nothing more. The software (ie: programming) remains the same. Hell I predicted the death of betacam 5 or six years ago and its still going strong. You can pick up a decent betacam for about 20 grand and you are in business. Most have no vision or budget and all they will do is someday upconvert the 525 program. There are more visionary productions doing high def. I have a colleague that has about 10 hi def cameras and they are all busy. If you are thinking of jumping on that bandwagon, you are probaly too late. The money is in place and good luck to you if you can shake a little off the tree.
BTW, what would a million do for you in that world. Hi def wildlife doc?
I am not busting your chops, and you might just have a line on something, but just "hi def" will not make you rich.

Hi Def in and of itself won't change much (except the sets have to be built better, because people can actually see how bad they look otherwise), but the US government's move to force broadcasters to move to Hi Def only in the next 18 months or so certainly does create issues.

If there was no government mandate, I don't think there would be any rush, and there wouldn't be any potential. Because of the rush, well...

Who knows, right? :-)

Alex

Probably older than you. And I can stretch it for years. Peace and serenity has a certain charm, don't you think? Oh yeah, maybe I will get a dog.[/b][/quote]
I am 47....you?

nope
;-)))

Serge, The Porn Gig will never be over! :rokk:

yeap, that's what guys said about:
black and white pics,
video rentals,
phone sex,
etc, etc, etc....

it won't be over as an institution, but it WILL BE over for the most webmasters

Speaking of retirement... I always liked this story.



A boat docked in a tiny foreign village. A business tourist complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the fisherman. "But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The tourist asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a nap with my wife. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The tourist interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to a big city. From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the fisherman.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the tourist.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the tourist, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a nap with your wife, and spend your evenings playing the guitar with your friends!"

Not sure, retire gracefully. Travel. What does one normally do when they retire? Cut the grass. Drink beer in the morning. Buy lots of great toys.[/b][/quote]

Sounds like my life today only I'm still working.. hahaha

I bought his and hers riding lawn mowers so my wife and I can have races. Also makes mowing more fun when I have someone to help me draw figure 8's in the pasture.

yeap, that's what guys said about:
black and white pics,
video rentals,
phone sex,
etc, etc, etc....

it won't be over as an institution, but it WILL BE over for the most webmasters[/b][/quote]
I got stuck with a betamax

I am 47....you?[/b][/quote]
54

yeap, that's what guys said about:
black and white pics,
video rentals,
phone sex,
etc, etc, etc....

it won't be over as an institution, but it WILL BE over for the most webmasters[/b][/quote]
The trick then is to not be "most webmasters". But that is the trick of making money in the first place. So I guess the point is moot.

You gotta point. But the real winners manufacture the hardware. Samsung will make millions. Jumping into high def at the production end is no different than jumping into tv and film production. In film they just call it digital and it is happening now. The same folks are doing the lighting and operating with the addition of a video engineer to shade and track levels. There could be a future in that, but it will still only pay you 80 to a hundred grand a year and you got to live in a production center where they make lots of movies. If you jump into high def in a smaller market, you could get creamed. I know folks who jumped in too early and failed big time. And where I live we make tons of movies, documentaries and tv series. So it is a dodgy future unless you been to broadcasting school and know what you are up against. Just an informed opinion if you are intereste. Not rainin in your parade at all.

gilgy, I like your train of thought...where have you been? what took you so long to join the "think tank" called Oprano?

I have been around since about 98. I keep my websites under wraps on boards because they are all off in their own little world far removed from the mainstream. But they are very successful. I have a long background in entertainment which I put to use in this business because I no longer have to work for anyone but myself. I just observe and watch em come and go and my little business steadily grows. There was, of course, the phenomenal 99 to 2002 growth, but now it has settled into a 20 per cent a year kind of thing, depending if I open more websites. I now hire people to do a lot of the drudgery and travel more and more. Its a good life. I am half way retired. Apart from a little grief over the past two weeks, life and business are good and getting better.

ahhh...fellow traveler!

where have you been lately?

gilgy, funny enough I am just in the last bit of school for this year, currently working on a feature film as DOP, and continuing to work on my own projects. The after adult part of the world is already starting to form up for me (so much that I will likely have a ton of domains and stuff for sale in the very near future, as I slim down this side of things a bit).

The production end is good if you are NOT working for the man, but are the man. The billion channel universe means there is almost always demand for new programming, as these outlets attempt to grow their audiences, and they want it for a good price. I am based in Canada, so I have some economic advantages over the US market place.

Where are you based?

Alex

I hope you are in Toronto or Vancouver. Busy as stink right now. IA is running out of people at the moment and I assume nabet as well. You might want to contact them. I am in T.O.eh.

Not a lot lately. Asia over the winter. London in the fall. New England in the Spring and NYC for awhile in the summer last year. Driving to the west coast in a couple of days...wine tour of BC. Then off to Paris to eat then down to Provence and maybe Tuscany to eat and drink some more for a few weeks in September October. Then time to regroup and move west. Peace and serenity, remember?

Not a lot lately. Asia over the winter. London in the fall. New England in the Spring and NYC for awhile in the summer last year. Driving to the west coast in a couple of days...wine tour of BC. Then off to Paris to eat then down to Provence and maybe Tuscany to eat and drink some more for a few weeks in September October. Then time to regroup and move west. Peace and serenity, remember?[/b][/quote]
good choices to get fershtukken
;-))))

how did you like Thailand?

Already working in the next career ....

Illusionist

Don't talk about it here much but I've been working the past 5+ months as an illusionist (which was a hobby for 3+ years)

This past weekend played for over 20,000 people in 3 days (still a warm up act but getting a lot of positive exposure).

Also the Baltimore Sun Newspaper was where I am working Friday night doing a story and snapped a lot of pics that included me so hoping to get some newspaper coverage soon

Still have one foot in the on line porn business but it's nothing like is was up until 2002, commitment or revenue wise

That is so true, Wig. :okthumb:

good choices to get fershtukken
;-))))

how did you like Thailand?[/b][/quote]
I have always loved Thailand. I have been going there on and off since the 80's when Pat Pong and Pattaya really rocked. Its toned down somewhat, but still fun. They make the best Pizza's in the world there.
I used to go to Khatmandu as well, but passed on it this time around.

About Drinking - To quote Humphrey Bogart

"The problem with the rest of the world is they're always a few drinks behind"

I have always loved Thailand. I have been going there on and off since the 80's when Pat Pong and Pattaya really rocked. Its toned down somewhat, but still fun. They make the best Pizza's in the world there.
I used to go to Khatmandu as well, but passed on it this time around.[/b][/quote]
have you been to Ankor Wat?

have you been to Ankor Wat?[/b][/quote]
I have. I love Siem Repp. Great place to sit and drink Angkor and Lao beer and eat German food. I actually preferred Bang Melia to Angkor Wat. Its safe to go there now. It is eery because it really is overgrown.

gilgy, when were you in Russia the last time?

Never been there.

Never been there.[/b][/quote]
oh good, for a second I thought you were somebody else who was posting on this board under the different aliases
;-)))

Have you been to Singapore?

oh good, for a second I thought you were somebody else who was posting on this board under the different aliases
;-)))

Have you been to Singapore?[/b][/quote]
I have been to Changi airport many times en route to KL, KK or BKK. But never actually set foot in the place. Da Da is Death.

I liked Singapore....most "unAsian" Asian city....anmd the food is out of this world

I would like to go someday. But there are just so many other places I would like to go. I really want to go to Patagonia. Just don't know if I have the energy. I usually make spur of the minute decisions. Hell, I could be there this winter for all I know. My travel plans usually take all of two weeks, bottle to throttle.

I would like to go someday. But there are just so many other places I would like to go. I really want to go to Patagonia. Just don't know if I have the energy. I usually make spur of the minute decisions. Hell, I could be there this winter for all I know. My travel plans usually take all of two weeks, bottle to throttle.[/b][/quote]
there is a good trip to Patagonia with Brendan,
we might go there in December/January:

http://www.brendanvacations.com/maintourpa...sp?id=6&PID=185

there is a good trip to Patagonia with Brendan,
we might go there in December/January:

http://www.brendanvacations.com/maintourpa...sp?id=6&PID=185[/b][/quote]
That is way cool. Its got my mind ticking over. I have to read it again with my wife.

That is way cool. Its got my mind ticking over. I have to read it again with my wife.[/b][/quote]
I hope I won't overload you two:
http://www.affordabletours.com/

it lists 90% of ALL tours available out there in the world
;-)))

I hope I won't overload you two:
http://www.affordabletours.com/

it lists 90% of ALL tours available out there in the world
;-)))[/b][/quote]
No all information is good information. Tours are not something I have ever considered so it needs a little thought. I have never taken one. I usually book a flight, train or whatever, a couple of nights in a nice hotel, then rock on. I like the lonely planet a lot. It helps, but gets heavy to carry. The thorntree on the lonely planet site is a great current resource. There are a few things you should book ahead...like a nile cruise or you can be fucked. I learned the hard way. Almost wound up on the romantic faluka cruise drinking nile water. But it is something to consider. Thanks for that.

gilgy,
I make tons of decissions EVERY FUCKING DAY
(when market is open ;-)

on vacation I like to be a vegatable with NOTHING to think or worry about.

but......everybody have preferences about travel

Yeah I know. Even as we speak I am making tons of decisions, writing copy and blah blah blah. When I travel, I try and spend longer periods of time in a few places. I used to be frenetic. Had to see everything. Now I am more selective and more relaxed. I plan ahead if I am going on a diving holiday, because that is a group thing. Small groups on boats in the middle of nowhere like PNG or Borneo. That makes it fun, paid for and all inclusive. The only worry is my bar bill which is usually immense. Hey compressed air makes you thirsty. Drinking perrier jouet at thirty feet is also fun. I usually rent cars and drive. I am thinking of gettin a gps to make that even more fun.

after renting the car in Italy and being robbed in Naples,
I avoid this mode of transportation
;-)))

you seem to be much more adventourous type than me
;-)))

Living in USSR robbed me of my "zest for adventures"
;-)))

No, I am an adventure woos really. I have seen a lot more than most. I have lived behind barbed wire and am not in the mood for that in my dotage. But hey, your first clue should have been the insurance regs on rental cars in italy. I was going to fly into Marco Polo and rent a car and drive to Provence. My inlaws have a place there for us. But the charges were outrageous (mostly for theft). So instead I am flying into Marseilles and renting a car at half the price and I might drive to Venice.

NICE

Alex, got any plans for some anti-American films ?