February 2007

[Just before we get started... I generally like to save my whiny-ass attitude for bitching about Jef, but I want to call this out. For some bizarre reason pretty much the photos Riki sent me this month have no actual relevance to the storyline - for all the writing workshops he's been doing, you'd think someone might have mentioned the importance of context. So for those of you searching hard for the connection, stop looking and relax and have another beer. There is no connection. - your overtaxed Tortuga Minion Editor, AB]

Another month (or so!) has passed, and I have done a bit more traveling. We’ve performed at the only Florida show will be appearing at this year. The Sarasota Ringling Medieval Faire was too short, but oh-so sweet. It was great to be home, if only for such a small amount of time. I rekindled old friendships and formed a few new ones. I was also able to catch the Super Bowl at Earl & Therese Perrin’s in St. Petersburg. I likes me some football, even if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t anywhere near the Play Offs.

 

Hangin' with Canada's own Limey Birds - Charity and Bunnie

Bonding with Queen of the Washing Well Wenches

Arizona Renaissance Festival's Next Generation

A lot has been going on in the Rikker’s world. The screenplay I’d been working on with Sarina is now finished. We are now in the process of putting together a package to better shop it around. Actually, we have professionals working on that. In the meantime, Sarina and I are working furiously to finish the book on which we have based the screenplay. Things are actually a lot further along than we thought. We are optimistic of finishing this project before the end of the Arizona show (April 1 - no joke).

I’ve begun taking film acting classes. I went online in search of a class in the Phoenix area, and I found two. One even emailed be back when I wrote. That’s how I found myself nauseous and uncertain at the Phoenix Film Institute in north Scottsdale. Last year my road to self-discovery led me to a seminar or two where I finally admitted that I should do something about moving closer to my dreams. Taking acting classes is just one of the things I am doing to move closer to "Bigger, Badder, Better, More!" At the rate things are moving, I should have everything I want by 2010. The question is... where will I put it?

 

Minnesota Minions Crash the Arizona Scene

Kickin' it Old School with my Fine Florida Peeps (Okay, I think I'm officially too old to say that!)

As far as what’s happening in Tortuga-land, the boyz and I are flushing out our video short ideas for Modular Comedy.

This is the next direction we are going in as far as video and DVD projects. This slight change in creative focus is due largely to our experience at the NATPE07 (National Association of Television Program Executives) Convention. We are directing our creative abilities to creating video pieces that can be broken up as comedy shorts (for downloadable content fro cell phones, etc.), or sold as a whole to interested television programmers. And, of course, offered on DVD to true Tortugaholics.

 

Don Juan es muy Caliente!

Makin' Tortuga Minion Moves on the Bobster!

Janine & Riki in Soft Focus

The Tortuga Twins comic book/graphic novel (we haven’t decided which yet) project is moving slowly forward. We are hoping to have a solid package put together in time for the San Diego International Comic Con, held July 25 - 29. We went last year and gathered intel, spoke with publishers, shopped for artists. Howard Simpson has begun work on putting together the model sheets and, soon, continuity pages to make good our pitch. One day in the near future, you might look up on a bookshelf and see your very own Tortuga Twins colorfully splashed on the front page of a comic book or graphic novel. (We still haven’t decided which.) Wish us luck.

 

Nixi and Kristin in a Cloud of Flutter-bys

Blackmail photo of Long Ago from my brother Gregg

We Love Tortugaholic Long Goodbyes

The following is an email from some Arizona friends of ours that took a little Tortuga Love with them on a jaunt halfway around the world. Make sure you check out the picture they sent back. It’s a hoot!

 

 
All right, Tortugaholics, time for another fond farewell. I’ve got another month here in Arizona. I’m hoping to take advantage of the beautiful weather, but I’ll probably just end up working lots more on my computer. We’ll see. Wish my sanity luck either way. I’ll catch ya in thirty or so. Ciao for now!!!