Blog

Yesterday, the Payin' The Price cast and crew and supporters of the film attended a private screening. We showed 15 minutes of the film and I think everyone was very pleased with what they saw. It was a good turn out, there were more than 100 people there. I was nervous and excited about showing the footage. After the screening the cast told me they wanted to see more and they were proud of me. I felt good to hear good things. The main characters of the film joined me on stage for a Q&A session. The audience asked a lot of questions. I was sad that my grandparents weren't there to see the film. My grandfather was in the hospital and my grandmother didn't feel well. More than anyone else, I wanted them to see the film because they supported it in many ways. At the screening, we collected toys for kids whose parents are in prison that's something my family has been doing for two decades. It felt good to help keep the tradition going. The toys were donated to Nellie K. Parker School, Kips Bay and Children of Promise. Special thanks to Mr. Stephen and Mrs. Dayna Varano; they donated over 100 hundred of toys for the cause.

Today, we officially hired a new editor, Jessica, to complete the editing of PTP rough cut and to edit the promo that will be shown at the screening on December 12th. Majesty will continue to edit bloopers, a behind the scene piece, teasers for the film and some videos that will go viral once the marketing of the film kicks off. Kinetic Trailers, a professional trailer company, will be creating the Payin' The Price trailer. We are very excited about these new business partners we have acquired and we think the entire editing crew will produce some incredible content. We also brought Music Composer Eric Johnson on board to create some original music for the film along with Music Director Ronnie Garrett. Eric will work with me to create the theme song (yes, I will be rappin) and a gospel song. There are a lot of things to go with the film. Film Marketing Guru Jackie Bazan, a longtime friend of the family, has agreed to work with us on the marketing campaign. The process is exciting, but it's a lot of work. Thanks Mom, for waking up early and staying up late everyday to "make things happen."

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Today, I attended the Bootcamp for DoSomething.org. The greatest thing is that I wasn't just there to attend the bootcamp, I was one of the youth panelists during the lunch program. It was pretty cool. There were about 100 kids there who were doing or wanted to do something to make the world a better place.

I spoke about my Say It Loud Foundation (which I am in the process of starting). It's a non profit that uses film, photography, art, and creative writing to address issues that face teens. The foundation is designed to educate, entertain, enlighten, empower and encourage kids to use the arts as a tool to help others.

DoSomething is a great organization. Nancy, Amanda and the rest of the DoSomething people are always willing to help teens with their projects. I can't begin to tell you how much help DoSomething has given me to get the word out about my projects. I really appreciate all they do.

The DoSomething panel didn't last that long, but it was a lot of fun. It took place at 150 E. 42nd Street in Manhattan. My goal was to answer the questions and help others, but I also set out to let everyone know about my film Payin' The Price. I think I accomplished all my goals. I gave out my website and talked about my new film every chance I got, I was like P. Diddy promoting one of his products (lol).

When I have to speak in front of large crowds of people, I am very comfortable. When I have to have conversations with random people or when I try to tell people about my film one on one, I get a little nervous. It's kinda weird, but it's true. My little brother, Justin, is the exact opposite. He loves passing out fliers and telling people about the film (as long as he's getting paid) and he is very good at it. Even though he's only 9, I am learning from him.

I hope the DoSomething Bootcampers visit my website and support my film.

Today is as a day as any to start up my blog again. I will try to write something everyday, but my life is busier than most 15-year-olds. I go to school, play football and basketball, make films and I'm a public speaker who travels around the country talking about the importance of education.

For three years, I was the voice of Tyrone the Moose on the Nickelodeon cartoon The Backyardigans, but my voice changed so they had to replace me. My episodes still run, but I am not recording any new shows.

Like I don't have enough to do, I also have to do all the other stuff kids my age have to do like take out the garbage, clean my room (our housekeeper says my room is too messy for her to clean, that's odd when she comes to clean), like I said I have to clean my room, clean the bathroom and keep the basement clean. Most times I don't have time to do all the cleaning stuff which doesn't bother me at all (lol), but I do find time to play Madden, Call of Duty and 2K 11. I also find time to get on Facebook and to send a Tweet everyone once and a while. Us kids have to keep our priorities straight.

My upcoming film is about teen dating violence. I think it's a good storyline. We filmed the entire movie in 11 days over the summer. It was so much fun. We shot the film in NJ at a bunch of places like the Bergen County Courthouse, Moon Doggie Cafe, some houses, BranchBrook Park Roller Rink and NY City.

We are waiting for the film to be edited (C'mon Maj) and it's taking longer than we thought. We worked on a few versions of the trailer, but we are not ready to share it yet. The trailer needs more work, but you will see it soon. I'll really try to write every day, but if I don't you know I have a lot going on.