Free Short Story Giveaway: "Christmas In New Orleans"

In the holiday spirit, I'm doing a free giveaway for the next few days of my new short story, "Christmas in New Orleans." An evil force has been unleashed in the Big Easy. Model-turned-actress Chloe Bareaux and her screenwriter boyfriend, Alex Michaud, jeopardize their budding Hollywood careers to solve the supernatural mystery. 

If you like romance and suspense, I hope you'll enjoy "Christmas in New Orleans."  To read and download the story, click this link.

"Christmas in New Orleans" offers a preview of a new edition of "The Chloe Chronicles" that I will release in summer 2018.

I adapted "Christmas in New Orleans" from a sequence in "The Chloe Chronicles." The book follows the adventures of Chloe Bareaux —her sheltered upbringing in Parisian high society, her bold move to New York to pursue her lifelong dream of breaking into the movies, and falling in love with a hot young writer named Alex Michaud.

This is an excerpt from "Christmas in New Orleans":

Chloe awoke in darkness, covered in sweat and gasping for air. She reached for her phone, knocking over a vase on the nightstand. She picked up the vase and glanced at the glowing cellphone screen, which indicated it was just after midnight. 

At the sound of a knock on the door of the Michauds' guest room, she started.

"Honey, it's me. Can I come in?"

Chloe slumped in relief, recognizing her boyfriend Alex's voice. "Sure."

He padded into the room in pajama bottoms and sat next to her on the bed.

"Hi," she said in a whisper, placing her hand on his bare, ripped chest, comforted by his presence.

"Hi," he said softly, stroking her hair. "I heard a noise and thought I'd come in and make sure you're okay."

Chloe remained silent for a moment, turning her gaze to the moonlight streaming in through the balcony door and curtains swaying in the breeze.

"I had a nightmare," she said.

Alex's brow wrinkled into a concerned expression. "About what?"

Chloe shifted in bed, suddenly uncomfortable in spite of Alex's soothing demeanor. "Red." 

"Huh?" Alex looked confused.

"Red," she repeated. "In the dream, that building we passed today was all covered in red. Just red — not red and green, not Christmas colors. Just red." She shivered in spite of the warm bayou breeze. "It was like the building was oozing blood." 

2017 Highlight: Guest Lecture At OSU, My Alma Mater

One of the biggest highlights of 2017 for me was having the honor of being invited by my friend and fellow writer Professor Frederick Luis Aldama to speak at his film classes at The Ohio State University in Columbus. I addressed the students in January and October about my soon-to-be-released documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring." 

The experience of speaking at the university had a special significance, since OSU is my alma mater  — I graduated cum laude in '96 with a bachelor's degree in English. Adding to the specialness (as an English major, I hope that's a real word!) was that Professor Aldama's classes are held at the Gateway Film Center. "Lady Wrestler" screened there in June 2017 as part of the Film Festival of Columbus.

My lecture in February outlined the similarities between the brave women featured in "Lady Wrestler" and the fictional character Diana Prince in "Wonder Woman." As I pointed out to the students, wrestling legends such as Ethel Johnson and Ramona Isbell, whom I interviewed in the documentary, are similar to Wonder Woman in that they battled sexism and seemingly insurmountable odds to become heroines adored the world over. 

As some of Professor Aldama's students prepare to graduate this Sunday (Dec. 17, 2017), I have to give them a big shout of congratulations. And I have to give them an even bigger shout of gratitude for their attentiveness and asking insightful questions during my appearances. 

This is the message that Professor Aldama posted on Facebook at the conclusion of the "Film & Comics" class at the end of November:

Film & Comics 2017

It's a Wrap

Will miss this bunch of amazing students (including Groot, 
our resident guide/rescue doggie) after a semester's 
transmedial journey through the distillation and reconstruction of comics into films and films into comics as they make new our perception, thought, and feeling regarding race, sexuality, gender, and differently abled subjects. . .
Big Grx to my amazing co-pilot, Kristen Ferebee, as well as guest lectures by Cathy Ryan, Lindsay Harper Cannon and a guest appearance by director Chris Bournea. . .

Note: Poster art by Jason Gonzalez 

Checking Social Media Stats Can Hurt Our Feelings. Do It Anyway.

“Why is it so hard to do the little things that would improve my life? Our minds are designed [to keep us] from doing anything, at all costs, that might hurt you. ... We are not designed to do things that are uncomfortable or scary or difficult. Our brains are designed to protect us from those things in order to keep us alive.

"In order to change, in order to build a business... in order to do all those things that you want to do with your life, with your work, with your dreams, you’re going to have to do things that are difficult, uncertain or scary.”

The above quote is from an excellent motivational video titled "Retrain Your Mind" that I came across on YouTube. That quote really captures why it's so hard for us creative types to deal with rejection. And in this digital age where social media dominates our lives, we face rejection each and every day.

I had a breakthrough in this area last week. I started out 2017 last January by turning over a new leaf and writing a new "social media policy." I vowed to check my Facebook, Twitter and other accounts throughout the day, reply to any comments and thank people for taking the time to respond. But by this fall, I had back-slid into my old habits. 

I'd post something and then never check to see what kind of response it got. I was too afraid that the post would receive an embarrassingly small number of "likes" or comments or — oh, the horror! — nothing at all.

It suddenly occurred to me that if I went to the other extreme and started checking my social media accounts and looking at the responses (or lack thereof) obsessively throughout the day, it would take away the sting.

This tactic has worked. I started making handwritten spreadsheets to track the status of my social media accounts: 989 Twitter followers as of 6 a.m., 986 Twitter followers as of noon, etc.  Doing this has given me at least some semblance of control.

Looking at these cold, hard numbers has taken away their power over me. But the trick is that you have to keep up with social-media monitoring, or it's easy to slide back into your old ways of posting content and then never looking at the response. It's like anything: consistency is the key to turning an action into a habit.

I totally get why it's hard to look at social media stats. As artists, we're sensitive to begin with. Looking at your numbers on social media is like opening a stack of potential rejection letters every time you tap the Facebook, Twitter or Instagram app. 

But to use another analogy, I've come to realize that trying to use social media to promote yourself and your artistic endeavors without ever looking at the stats is like driving with your hands over your eyes. Wouldn't it be foolish to set out on a road trip, cover your eyes and just hope and pray that you arrive at your destination?

Examining social media stats is necessary so that you can see what you’re doing right and what you need to adjust and do more or less of in order to get the most traffic and positive feedback. 

Here's yet another analogy: using social media is like learning a different language. I'm learning Spanish, and it's difficult to remember sometimes that the adjective goes after the noun. In English, we say "blue sky," but in Spanish it's "cielo azul" (literal translation: "sky blue"). And just like in language learning, there are nuances and exceptions to every rule.

So one day, you might post something that gets a lot of enthusiastic responses. The next day, nothing. 

For example, one day while doing dishes, I posted the following random thought: "Dirty dishes are like Gremlins: you put them in water and they multiply!" So many people responded to this mundane observation that Facebook sent me a notice that this inconsequential post I dashed off was performing better than 95 percent of the other posts I'd so painstakingly crafted.

But just the other day, I posted what I assumed was also a clever observation: "Add to my to-do list: remember to look at my to-do list to remember what I'm supposed to be doing." Nothing. No comments. No likes. No shares. Crickets. Go, figure.

The nature of social media is that it's constantly mutating. Many of us who are from Generation X and older scratch our heads, trying to wrap our brains around this ever-changing, puzzling medium. 

In real life, if someone is your friend, it's safe to assume that they'll continue to be your friend unless you sleep with their spouse, rob their children's college fund or run over their grandmother. But on social media, people will "un-friend" you for no apparent reason. 

Twitter is especially fluid. One day I inexplicably lost 30 followers; a couple days later I gained 30 followers. I hadn't done anything different either day. As a general rule, I try to avoid posting about controversial topics such as politics, religion, etc. So I have no idea why people would un-follow me.

It's so random. Sometimes people un-follow you on a whim: they misinterpreted something you posted, they may be irritated that you’re so perky and positive all the time, or they simply got up on the wrong side of the bed.

Or they glanced at your profile picture and decided they don't like people with dark hair ("pelo oscuro" in Spanish).

To draw another analogy, looking at social media stats is like dieting. When you set foot on the scale, sometimes that dreaded number doesn't reflect all the hard work you’ve been doing to lose weight. You can't figure out why you've hit a plateau. It's easy to get frustrated and give up.

But it pays to persevere when tending to your health. And it's worth it to keep at it with the whole social media thing. It's all about trial and error. 

And just like the number on the scale, the number of people who "follow" or "friend" you on social media is just a number. It doesn't reflect your true value or self-worth. 

(Follow me on Twitter at @chrisbournea for updates about my forthcoming documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring.")

Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Engagement Hits Home With Me

I’ve never understood America’s fascination with British royalty. But the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has captured my attention — along with the rest of the world. 

This past Monday morning when I glanced over the headlines I may have missed over the long Thanksgiving break, of course all the top stories were all about Prince Harry and Meghan.

My initial reaction was one of apathy. Why should we care what the British Royals are up to? What do these pending nuptials have to do with the everyday life of the average American? Hell, how does this engagement affect the everyday life of the average UK citizen?

Apparently, a lot of people do care about the Royals. An African-American female friend told me that her social media feed was buzzing with excitement about the history-making event: a black girl becoming a real-life princess. 

After talking to my friend, I decided to actually read one of the articles about the Prince Harry-Meghan Markle engagement. A New York Times piece revealed several things I didn’t know — mainly, that Meghan is American.

But the main detail in the article that jumped out to me is that Prince Harry and Meghan will be known as the Duke and Duchess of Essex once they’re married.

Reading this detail, I had a sense of deja vu and art imitating life. I flashed back to early drafts of my novel “The Chloe Chronicles” from the ‘90s. In that version of my novel, a character named Gigi, who is a mixed-race young woman like the main character Chloe, runs off and marries a duke she meets while the girls are attending a prep school in London. Where do Gigi and Duke D'Arbanville live after they elope? Essex.

Or maybe it was Sussex. It was one of those British places that end with “-ex.”

Why, you ask, did I write a plot line involving a young nobleman if I don’t care about royalty? Well, the Duke D’Arbanville character in the early draft of “The Chloe Chronicles” is a villain who abuses Gigi. I was trying to show that just because someone is rich and famous doesn’t necessarily make him “Mr. Right.”

My novel aside, another detail about Prince Harry and Meghan that is of even greater interest to me is that I am now seeing my own family reflected among British royalty. I'm an African-American man who grew up with three white stepparents and four biracial siblings. The fact that a young woman who resembles my sisters is marrying into arguably the most famous family in the world is pretty cool.

And seeing a cross-cultural union among such powerful people with a global profile is important in these times where we all seem to be so divided. 

So, as someone who never really cared much about the Royals, I guess I’ve come to realize that what they do and the example they set for the world is kinda important after all.

(I will be publishing a new, updated edition of "The Chloe Chronicles" in 2018. Check my website, Chrisbournea.com, for details.) 

Learn Screenwriting By Rewriting A Movie You Love

As a writer and filmmaker, I've always been inspired by movies like "Whiplash" about people overcoming obstacles to pursue dreams in the arts. 

Imagine my delight when, while attending the American Film Market (AFM) in Los Angeles earlier this month, I got the opportunity to rewrite a scene from "Whiplash." 

AFM brings together filmmakers and distribution companies from all over the world to strike deals. In addition to the business side of the movie industry, the conference also features a wide variety of workshops on everything from the art and science of pitching an idea to how to tap into the rapidly growing faith-based movie market.

During a workshop titled "Revision: Seeing Your Script With New Eyes," instructor Ken LeZebnik offered some very useful tips on how to tighten up a script. This was truly a master class, since LeZebnik is an instructor at the prestigious University of Southern California, director of Stephens College master of fine arts in screenwriting program, and a successful screenwriter and playwright himself.

I was part of a group of about 400 workshop participants who filled the cavernous conference room at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica. LeZebnik passed out copies of a scene from "Whiplash," in which Miles Teller plays an aspiring drummer who will stop at nothing to be the very best at his highly competitive music school. He also nearly kills himself to win the approval of his drill sergeant-like instructor, played by J.K. Simmons in an Oscar-winning performance.

In the exercise, LeZebnik had us break off into small groups and analyze the scene, in which Simmons calls Teller to his office to discourage him from transferring to a different school. LeZebnik added extra dialogue that did not appear in the final "Whiplash" script, which was written and directed by Damien Chazelle (who went on to direct the equally riveting, Oscar-nominated "La La Land").

My fellow workshop attendees and I all came up with different ideas on how to prune the scene to its bare essentials, mostly by cutting extraneous small talk between the student and professor.  The single biggest takeaway I got from the workshop was LeZebnik's recommendation to begin and end scenes earlier. No matter how important you think dialogue is at the beginning and end of a scene, it can always be trimmed. 

This blog post is part of a series about my experience at the 2017 AFM. To view the video version of this blog post, click here. 

To read the first blog in the series about a panel discussion with Oscar winner Geena Davis talking about the status of women in film, click here. 

(Chris Bournea is the writer/director of the forthcoming documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring.")

A Surefire Way To Increase Screen Time For Female Characters

Here's one surefire way to increase screen time for female characters in film and television:

Before casting, creative teams should go through their scripts and simply change some of the male characters to female. 

Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning actress Geena Davis offered this solution during a Nov. 5 panel discussion on the status of women in film during the 2017 American Film Market. The panel also featured filmmaker Jen McGowan ("Kelly & Cal") and producers Catherine Hand and Jim Whitaker (co-producers of the forthcoming movie "A Wrinkle In Time" directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Oprah Winfrey).

Changing a male character to female has been done before to great success. Whitaker shared that the lead character in the 2005 movie "Flightplan," which he produced, was originally written as a man. But when Oscar winner Jodie Foster expressed an interest in the project, Whitaker and others backing the movie gladly changed the protagonist to a woman. They even kept the character's masculine-sounding name "Kyle Pratt" at Foster's suggestion.

"Flightplan" went on to earn more than $100 million at the worldwide box office, proving that movies with female leads can be blockbusters.

In addition to the success of female-led movies like "Flightplan," much of the conversation at the panel discussion centered on the pioneering research conducted by the Geena Davis Institute for Gender In Media. Davis shared that the institute has found that despite gains in recent years, the problem of fewer roles for female characters persists in everything from children's programming to grown-up action movies.

Not only do women get less screen time and fewer lines of dialogue, Davis said, but when female characters are onscreen, editors tend to cut away to the reaction of male characters rather than focusing on the women talking.

This issue is of particular interest to me, since I directed the forthcoming documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring," which portrays a little-known chapter in women's history.

The pervasive problem of inequity in Hollywood unfortunately doesn't seem to going away, but it's good to know that people like Davis, Whitaker and the other panelists are working to bring about parity.

This is the first in a series of blog posts about my experiences at the 2017 American Film Market. The annual conference brings together filmmakers and film buffs from all over the world to sunny Santa Monica, Calif.

To view the video version of this blog post, click here.      

What I Learned From Making A YouTube Video Every Day

Throughout October 2017, I participated in a challenge to make and post a YouTube video every business day. The challenge was organized by Tanya Alvarez of OwnersUp, a site that provides support and motivation to entrepreneurs, and video blogger Jen Morilla of  The Social Girl Traveler.

Prior to taking part in this challenge, I already had a YouTube channel (accessible by clicking here), but I only posted sporadically whenever an idea for a video popped into my head. The experience of having to post every day for the OwnersUp challenge really helped me up my game (pun intended).

Here are three takeaways from participating in the OwnersUp YouTube Challenge:

Takeaway No. 1: You Can Do More Than You Think

The demands of modern life make it seem next to impossible to get everything done on our overloaded to-do lists and still have time for a personal life. Before the YouTube Challenge, I never thought I could have squeezed in making and posting a new video each day.

But I decided to keep it short, sweet and simple. I made quick videos of three minutes or less with my iPhone, using iMovie to edit. Not exactly masterpieces, but it got the job done.

Takeaway No. 2: There's A Happy Medium Between Perfectionism And Doing The Bare Minimum

Participating in the YouTube Challenge showed me that I can produce quick, simple videos on the fly. But the challenge also helped me realize that I need to be more strategic with my YouTube channel.

Instead of randomly making videos on any topic that suits my fancy, I need to first research how much public interest there is in a given topic. In other words, I need to be more user-focused and less self-focused: how can I match my video ideas with what viewers want?

I also need to upgrade my channel art and graphics, profile photo, etc., to present a more polished, professional image. 

There is the danger of over-thinking and over-producing videos, as was pointed out by my friend and fellow OwnersUp YouTube Challenge participant Nina Froriep of Clockwise Productions. 

But I think the sweet spot may be posting one well-researched, well-produced video a week. I can also leave room to be flexible and produce spontaneous videos when inspiration strikes.

Takeaway No. 3: Don't Be A Passive Consumer

The biggest takeaway from the YouTube Challenge is not to be a passive video viewer. Before taking part in this challenge, I'd never "like" or comment on videos I watched. But I've learned that giving constructive feedback really helps those who take the time to produce content that I enjoy and find useful. 

Constructive feedback not only helps content creators attract new subscribers, but also gives them encouragement that people appreciate what they have to offer.

To view my video on this topic that I made for the OwnersUp YouTube Challenge, click here. 

How To Revise Your Manuscript

I'm in the process of revising my novel, "The Chloe Chronicles," which will be re-released in early 2018.

One tip I've picked up that helps a lot with revising is to take index cards and go through every scene in every chapter of your manuscript. Write down a summary of what happens in that scene and whether or not it can be cut.

You can use software that helps you generate note cards like Final Draft. Or you can do it by hand using index cards that you can buy for a stack of 100 for $1 at a grocery store or an office supply store. 

Once you have all the scenes written down, spread them out on the floor, tape them to a wall or put them on bulletin boards or poster boards. Look over all the index cards, which will give you a bird's-eye view of all the scenes in your manuscript. 

You'll begin to see patterns: some scenes are repetitive. Or you'll see that a particular scene isn't really necessary and you can reduce it to a one- or two-sentence summary and merge it with another scene.

Using the "Index Card Method," I've already cut down 100 pages from my novel from its previous length of more than 600 pages. This method also works with screenplays, stage plays and any kind of written material.  

It's really hard work to cut scenes from a story that you love and cherish and that you worked and slaved over. But like Stephen King says, sometimes you have to kill your babies.

To view the video version of this blog post, click here.

Author Shares Amazing Story of Escape From False Imprisonment

I had the privilege recently of speaking with "Thirteen Nasty Little Snakes" author Victor Levenstein. He will kick off the 2017 JCC Jewish Bookfair with an appearance at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus, 1125 College Ave. , on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.

In "Thirteen Nasty Little Snakes," Levenstein shares his amazing story of being falsely convicted, at age 21 in the 1940s, of plotting to assassinate Russian dictator Joseph Stalin. Levenstein, one of 13 students who were falsely convicted of the crime, was sentenced to exile in Siberia for the rest of his life.

Levenstein, who is now 94, goes on to describe how he managed to escape this draconian sentence and later restarted his life in the United States, along with his wife, Dora, and son, Matvey, in the 1980s. To read my interview with Levenstein in ThisWeek News, click here. 

Want To Meet Real 'Wonder Women'? Watch 'Lady Wrestler'

"Wonder Woman" is one of the biggest movies of not only the summer of 2017, but the whole year. The blockbuster superhero movie starring Gal Gadot in the title role has raked in more than $800 million at the worldwide box office and is now available on home video. 

I've been a "Wonder Woman" fan ever since I was a kid in the '70s and the popular television show with Lynda Carter was all the rage. If you're a "Wonder Woman" fan like me and you're interested in a real story about female empowerment, see the forthcoming documentary "Lady Wrestler," which I wrote and directed. 

Like "Wonder Woman," "Lady Wrestler" centers on the story of women who are thrust into a male-dominated world where they must overcome challenges, defeat opponents and show incredible strength and courage.

Like Diana Prince in "Wonder Woman," lady wrestlers like
Ethel Johnson, Babs Wingo, Marva Scott and Ramona Isbell were naïve young women who became unlikely "warriors." Like Diana leaving her sheltered island home Themyscira to embark on adventures in the larger world, the lady wrestlers ventured beyond their sheltered small town of Columbus, Ohio, in the 1950s and '60s. The women competed in matches internationally, from Japan to Latin America to Australia.

And like Diana Prince in "Wonder Woman," the lady wrestlers had dual identities. The women led conventional family lives outside of the ring and sometimes didn't even telling those closest to them about their dangerous line of work, so as not to worry them.

For more information about "Lady Wrestler" and when the documentary will officially be released, visit Ladywrestlermovie.com.

A Chat With Literary Sensation Maggie Smith

I recently had a fascinating conversation with writer Maggie Smith, whose poem "Good Bones" went viral last year.

Like me, Maggie is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and I interviewed her for ThisWeek News about her Oct. 2 appearance at Gramercy Books, 2424 E. Main St. in Bexley. (Click here to read my article.) 

Maggie shared that before "Good Bones" was published, it was initially rejected by a couple of literary journals. Well, the poem went on to be read around the world, translated into numerous languagues and recited by Oscar winner Meryl Streep.

Maggie's amazing story just goes to show that the so-called gatekeepers aren't the ultimate judge of whether a creative work will find an audience. She's an inspiration to all of us writers.

'Lady Wrestler' Is A Real 'Girls Trip'!

Fall has officially started, and it's hard to believe summer is over! Looking back on the summer movie season of 2017, one of the biggest hits was "Girls Trip," which has raked in more than $133 million at the box office.

"Girls Trip" tells the story of four college friends played by Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall and Tiffany Haddish, who embark on a fun-filed reunion during the Essence Festival in New Orleans. Well, if you want a real "girls trip," see the forthcoming documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring." 

There are some similarities between "Girls Trip" and "Lady "Wrestler," which I directed. Like "Girls Trip," "Lady Wrestler" has four strong African-American women at the center of the story: Ramona Isbell and sisters Ethel Johnson, Babs Wingo and Marva Scott. 

These courageous women were professional wrestlers back in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. In the documentary, they talk about the Herculean task of succeeding in a white- and male-dominated industry. 

Like "Girls Trip," "Lady Wrestler" shows women supporting each other, overcoming challenges and being empowered personally and professionally.

And like "Girls Trip, "Lady Wrestler" is a wild ride that will take you on a journey. Both movies ‒ one fictional, one real-life ‒ shine a spotlight on women of color who are often underrepresented on the big screen. 

For more information about "Lady Wrestler" and updates about the official release, visit Ladywrestlermovie.com.

Every Filmmaker Should Read 'Independent Ed'

If you're a filmmaker and you haven't subscribed to Alex Ferrari's "Indie Film Hustle" podcast, do so immediately. On a recent episode, Ferrari talked about actor/filmmaker Ed Burns' excellent book, "Independent Ed: Inside a Career of Big Dreams, Little Movies, and the Twelve Best Days of My Life."

"Independent Ed" is a must-read for anyone who wants to break into the movies. Rather than a full-fledged autobiography, the book gives an inside look at how he's blazed a non-traditional path in the film industry. Despite having success in mainstream movies such as "Saving Private Ryan," much of Burns' career has been spent making small, independently financed movies ‒ often out of his own pocket.

In "Independent Ed," Burns relates that he grew up working-class on Long Island, N.Y. His parents were supportive of his dreams, but also practical. When the aspiring writer/director decided he wanted to go to NYU film school, his police-officer father told him, "Look at your grades and look at my salary. And let's rethink NYU."

Burns ended up going to Hunter College and eventually landed a job as a production assistant on "Entertainment Tonight." Rather than wait to be discovered, Burns decided to jump in and make an indie movie. His father helped finance his $25,000 feature debut, "The Brothers McMullen." 

Burns edited the family comedy-drama in his free time, using the equipment he had access to at "Entertainment Tonight." Despite his hard work and ingenuity, Burns' low-budget feature was rejected by every major film festival, and even some minor ones. But as fate would have it, Burns found himself in the same room with Sundance Film Festival founder Robert Redford when the legend did an interview with "Entertainment Tonight."

Burns worked up the nerve to slip Redford a tape of his movie, and Redford actually accepted it and passed it along to the festival programmers. Through this unlikely chance meeting, Burns got into Sundance and his movie became the toast of the festival, acquired by 20th Century Fox and going on to earn $10 million at the box office (a decent sum for an indie flick back in 1995) and landing him a three-picture deal with the studio.

Despite this early success, Burns went on to have a hit-and-miss career as a director and actor. Some of the movies he wrote and directed, such as "She's the One" with Jennifer Aniston, earned critical acclaim and decent box office, while others, such as "No Looking Back," went ignored. And while he became a steadily working actor, he never became a huge box office draw like Tom Cruise.

Instead of giving up and quitting the industry, Burns decided to return to his roots and make no-frills, low-budget indie movies the way he did at the very start of his career. He made "Newlyweds" with just $9,000, using a camera he owned and asking actors to wear their own clothes and do their own hair and makeup. He managed to turn a handsome profit, releasing on iTunes instead of the traditional theatrical model.

There are two ways to look at Burns' story. One is to get depressed. If a handsome movie star who won the lottery with his very first low-budget movie and was mentored by the likes of Robert Redford and Steven Spielberg encounters rejection, what hope do the rest of us average joes have?

The other way of looking at Burns' story is inspiration, which is how I see him. Arguably, you can learn more by studying the up-and-down career of someone like Burns than those who have had a nonstop stream of blockbusters. Burns is a shining example of someone who has managed to continue to make movies on his own terms, simply for the love of storytelling and forged his own path through trial and error and a lot of persistence. 

Reading "Independent Ed" will uplift you, show you that dreams do indeed come true, and prove that there is more than one way to make it in show biz.  

A Celebration Of Diversity In The Big Apple

Last week, I took a "just for fun" day trip to New York City, and it ended up being a wonderful celebration of performers of color.

After arriving on the Greyhound bus in Port Authority in the middle of Manhattan, my first stop was the Broadway ticket booth in Times Square. I randomly picked a show and ended up seeing "The Great Comet of 1812."

This musical period piece ended up being a great choice - pun intended. It's an interactive experience, with performers coming out in the crowd and literally dancing on seats and up and down the aisles. The best part is the cast is totally diverse, featuring in prominent roles African-American actors Denee Benton, Amber Gray and Okierete Onaodowan (an alumnus of the smash "Hamilton").

Later that night, I ventured to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe's open mic night. This show turned out to be another celebration of diversity, with people of all different cultures getting onstage in the intimate, hip venue to share original poetry and songs. Each performer was backed by the three-piece house band who improvises beats to accompany each piece.

The next time I go to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, I'm going to work up the nerve to put my name on the sign-up sheet and perform something of my own. Presenting my work in the Big Apple will certainly be a dream come true!

My Summer 2017 Playlist Sounds A Lot Like '1984'

My summer 2017 playlist is sounding a lot like 1984 - quite literally.

I recently ended up revisiting Van Halen’s landmark album “1984.” The nostalgia trip came after tuning into the “Rolling Stone Music Now” podcast’s interview with Noel Monk, Van Halen’s manager during the band’s heyday in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Monk discussed his new tell-all book, “Running with the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen.”

Monk described David Lee Roth and the Van Halen brothers as true characters - and Monk is quite a character himself. For example, Monk related a story in which Van Halen was on tour and, after the brothers got into an out-of-control argument with Roth over something relatively trivial, they tied Roth up in a straitjacket to keep him from trashing a hotel room.

After listening to Monk’s wild and crazy tales of life with Van Halen, I pulled up YouTube and listened to classics like “Jump,” “Panama” and “Hot for Teacher” (the stripped-down version with just the drum track is definitely worth checking out).

And, of course, no musical nostalgia trip back to the summer of 1984 would be complete without revisiting Prince’s “Purple Rain.” This summer, we Prince fans received a special treat when Warner Bros. released “Purple Rain Deluxe (Expanded  Edition).” The package not only has previously unreleased songs and alternate versions of the familiar songs we all love like “Let’s Go Crazy” and B-sides like “Another Lonely Christmas,” but a concert DVD as well.

One of my favorite songs from the “Purple Rain Deluxe (Expanded Edition)” is a live version of “I Would Die 4 U” from the “Purple Rain” tour. As a lifelong Prince fan as well as a lifelong Ohioan, it’s cool that the show was recorded during the tour’s Cleveland stop. (I live in Columbus, the Buckeye State’s capital city, which is about two hours south of Cleveland.)

Listening to the live version of “I Would Die 4 U,” I love it when Prince calls out to the crowd to sing along: “Cleveland, help me!”

For my full review of “Purple Rain Deluxe (Expanded Edition),” click here.

Summer Beach Reads - With A Dash Of Diversity

I've come across several lists of the best summer beach reads, and none of them have much diversity. So here are a few of my recommendations:

A Day Late and a Dollar Short by Terry McMillan - An enthralling story told from several different perspectives about a black family coping with divorce, health challenges and other everyday problems.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz - Like Macmillan's book, this story about a nerdy Dominican-American fanboy is told in the voices of different characters.

Rock Star by Jackie Collins - The late, great Collins was the queen of the juicy summer beach read. The diverse cast of characters in this page-turner features a Teddy Pendergrass-type soul singer and a young Mariah Carey-esque pop diva.

What Does It Mean To Be An American?: An Interview With Flame, Pioneering Trans Comedian

A couple of years ago, I got the opportunity to interview a pioneer in the transgender community: Flame, one of the first trans stand-up comedians. 

Flame, who was born a man and identifies as a woman, worked at the legendary Chicago comedy club All Jokes Aside. The club became a “star factory” in the 1990s. The venue not only ignited Flame's star (pun intended), but also launched the careers of Steve Harvey, Dave Chappelle, Oscar winner Mo’Nique, Chris Rock and Carlos Mencia, among many others.

The All Jokes Aside comedy club is the subject of the book I co-wrote with founder Raymond Lambert about his life and how he made the unlikely leap from investment banking to show biz, “All Jokes Aside: Standup Comedy Is a Phunny Business.” 

Here are some outtakes from my interview with Flame that didn’t make it into the book:

Chris Bournea: Tell me about your experiences in the comedy industry and working at All Jokes Aside, in particular.

Flame: My story is a little bit different from everybody else because I was the first and only transgender comedian  to come through there and do stand up.

CB: I know Raymond was always respectful to you, but how were your interactions with the other comedians?

Flame: It was bittersweet. I worked for 10 years and nobody spoke to me in the green room - the male comedians and even some of the women. I guess it was some kind of stigma that if you were seen talking to me, people would think you like guys. A secure man is a secure man. I guess they had their own insecurities.

CB: What did performing at All Jokes Aside do for your career?

Flame: That was my home base. From there, I did [ BET's]  "Comic View" a few times.

CB: How did the audiences at All Jokes Aside react to you?

Flame: It was always shock value because I always dressed very provocatively. I left very little to the imagination.

CB: Did anyone ever heckle you?

Flame: I could always tell the men from the boys. The men would make a joke about it and move on; the boys would keep talking about it and not let it go.

CB: How did you respond to hecklers?

Flame: I always put hecklers on blast. ... I got a few angry patrons but nobody ever ran up on me. I never had an altercation. I always kept it light: "You know I was joking with you and here's my hotel room number, but, oh, you already have it!"

(This blog is part of an occasional series titled "What Does It Mean to Be An American?" about diversity.)

We Need Documentaries More Than Ever In The 'Fake News' Era

Documentaries have taken on a new importance in an era when even mainstream media organizations are being accused of disseminating “fake news," according to a recent panel discussion about the media's role in society. 

“Documentaries in the Post-Truth Era” was the topic of the panel discussion, which took place during “Doc Day." The May 23 event was part of Le Marché du Film, an international moviemaking conference affiliated with the Cannes Film Festival in France. 

The panel discussion was of special interest to me as an independent filmmaker who journeyed to Cannes to promote my documentary, “Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring.” 

Documentaries serve a larger purpose beyond shedding light on a specific subject, said Christophe Tardieu, director general of the Centre National du Cinéma, which stages Doc Day. 

"Documentaries are essential for understanding the world," Tardieu said. 

Documentaries also bring voices to the forefront that wouldn’t be heard elsewhere, said Kathleen Lingo, executive producer of “Op-Docs,” The New York Times’ video series that gives independent filmmakers and journalists a platform to explore different subjects. 

"We're open to filmmakers from all around the world, and really diverse voices," Lingo said, "which is why I'm here at Cannes."

Documentaries play an important role of exploring complicated issues in an in-depth format, as opposed to posts on social media platforms that don’t offer enough context, said Laurent Richard, an investigative filmmaker and founder of the Freedom Voices Network. 

"The documentary can bring complexity,” Richard said. “This is the difference between a tweet and a feature-length documentary." 

Part of the discussion centered on whether channels such as PBS have an obligation to broadcast programming that give all sides of an issue, rather than just the so-called “liberal” perspective. 

PBS and other outlets often don’t get credit for exploring many perspectives, including points of view that can be described as “conservative," said Kathy Im, director of Journalism & Media at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

“If you look at the body of work supported by liberal organizations or public television, it's quite diverse,” Im said. “I think our work is being mischaracterized." 

Documentary filmmakers can advocate for a particular cause but still give opposing views, which can help broaden their audiences, said Carrie Lozano, director of the IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund. 

Documentary filmmakers should “find a way to tell the stories in a way that can reach more people,” she said, “and that can be done a lot of the time.”

Including many different perspectives can ultimately make a documentary more interesting to watch, Lingo said. "Instead of focusing on an 'us vs. them' mentality, it's about finding the great story and trying to have these difficult conversations.” 

And of course, no panel discussion about documentaries would be complete without a dialogue on how filmmakers can find more funding to tell their stories. 

Rather than randomly applying for every possible grant, Im suggested that documentarians work as hard as they can to match their subject areas with the interests of potential funders: "It's almost like we need a matchmaking site: 'I want to make a film about this' and 'I want to fund a film about that.'"