Producing Organizations

In regard to producing "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure"...

Although I have been building IMS to have the production capabilities to follow through on manifesting The Gnomes, (as well as other projects) the one thing I didn't count on was getting so old so fast. Ha, well I did not anticipate that publishing this collection of books would take so much effort. The process has dragged on for years and now that it's almost finished (on the design and pre-production end of things) I find that I am less enthusiastic then I used to be. 

I still have to tend to many things; studio Facilities, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of the published goods, as well as other production elements, which I have discussed elsewhere. Music, Animation, Puppetry, the Parade Float, Legit Theatre, Cinema... and the list goes on. 

I'm past retirement age and my energy level isn't what it used to be, nor is my focus of attention. I have to recognize the truth of this.

So all that being said, I'm inclined to believe that the more front line degree of production activity (in numerous arenas) might be more effective if they were to be implemented in a different production environment; meaning one, or more, of the Major Producing Organizations. Not that I don't want to do it, but practically speaking, it might be best if I don't try. I would need to build a personnel structure of that a major already has in place as it well as all the other machinery that needs to be employed. My activity has always been in development and my production capabilities are, reletively speaking, minor in comparison. So that really is the path I must follow with this anything else would be foolish.

Of course I will continue on the path, developing and bringing the critical aspects to fruition and moving toward production, within IMS if necessary, but finding another production scenario for the first class union production activity appears to me to be the best course of action.

As you know, this takes a rather specific course of action. I have prepared the materials to take this into account, but to also provide the ability to advance in the other secondary markets, while seeking the "First Class" opportunities. 

I simply do not want this to drag on and I am facing other business demands which needs to be tended to. That being true, I have to recognize that I may be faced with distractions that will delay production within IMS to some degree.

I do think that there will be some combination of what I have mentioned, since I designed this to be able to move forward under numerous scenarios. It will do that, but it is prepared to move rapidly within the Industry and to meet the requirements in terms of the Core Creative Materials. Should it move into production it can do so with a complete collection of tools to move forward at a good pace and produce very desirable results.

For First Class Legitimate Theatre; Broadway Producers, for Live action Cinema and high end Animation; Hollywood, for Interactive Theatre; the Theme Park Organizations and for the Publishing Arena; Major Book Publishing and Distribution.

These areas are setup for either Internal (IMS) or External (Producing Organizations) advancement, and even a combination thereof.

I think I'm at the point where Licensing across the board is quite possibly the best option, but I also know that my knowledge and vision of this is a critical element of the overall project. So that will into come into play as well.

I have a Business Plan that builds on numerous organizations to implement production activity as a whole. Not only The Gnomes of New Hope, but any number of other projects. The design I have would work very well if it is implemented properly. But to do that required, three boards comprised of the right people and the right investments. My thinking in this regard is that this structure could be part of a sale of Image of the Mind Studios. 

There's no point in denying that I am approaching the end of my run in this life. I'm not dead yet, but as we all know, after a certain point, that could happen at any time. So my thinking is to sell the whole kit and caboodle, thereby putting the future of Image of the Mind Studios into the hands of an organizational structure that can make it grow into something far greater than I can ever achieve, being that my time is winding down.

I'm not sure where this will lead to, but those are my most recent thoughts on the subject.

If anyone wants to talk turkey on this, let me know.

AG

AG Bio (continued)

 Here is a continuation of the Bio,

 which was produced a few years ago as part of The Business Plan:

Many things have happened since then, but mostly it has been working on 

The Gnomes of New Hope;

Zach & Zebby's Grand Adventure

and assorted activities regarding building 

Image of the Mind Studios

Production Capabilities

Please communicate via email;

image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

Management discussions

  

Here's one of the Lithos we will be producing as a collectable item.

  As the theatrical and film production of The Gnomes of New Hope draws ever closer to reality, more details of our progress will be posted here.  I may at times discuss details which are not easily understood by people who are not engaged in this activity, but for the most part those details will be posted on IMS Producing Partners. It's a fine line between posting classified business information and enough details to inform those persons who are not vested, but may like to consider being vested.

  Obviously, we need to raise significant funds to keep this project moving forward and at this time, the mechanism for doing that is to establish The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture. Some details have been posted below, but the more significant details are left to one-on-one business, taking place at my studio. Future activity may be remote from the studio, but to kick it all off, activity must take place at my offices. Let me just say that producing the larger project will involve millions of dollars, which I leave up to The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture to secure and manage, but my budget design does accommodate categories and su-categories that can be funded at various increments and does not require the Joint Venture to be in place. Although any funding will fall under the authority of the Elder Gnomes Joint Venture, IMS Management, and the Gnomes of New Hope Productions.  That's not to say that another management plan may present itself, but in the absence of another plan, those three organizations make up the Organizational Structure.

As it stands now, I am still engaged in Publishing Activities, so that Business Plan remains unimplemented. It is my hope that another plan will be revealed before I move to engage this three tiered management plan. Or at the very least, other partners will step up to implement that plan, because it is a very good structure.

I will continue this later.  AG

Thoughts on Reorganization

I have not been focusing too much on management for the past year or so, mainly because of the urgent work necessary for IMS Publishing and preparing The Gnomes of New Hope Book Collection. The book series represents a substantial product line, which you can glean from the Gnomes blog. So the focus has been finishing the Core Creative Materials, most specifically the publishing layouts. 

That being said, The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture is the next "management" arena that will need attention. The business plan for the Gnomes of New Hope addresses numerous aspect of management. For some time I have kept that plan close to my chest, not being willing to post it online, but since I am 67 years old, I could drop dead tomorrow, so there is no point in keeping it to myself. I feel like all I want to do is play with my cars, which of course, I can't do as long as The Gnomes of New Hope is still in it's gestation period. So - let's get the show on the road, as they say.

With that in mind, I expect that I will begin posting some of The Business Plan here.

I also have other business activities that require building a vested Board of Directors for each of them. So there are some real investment opportunities here. Now, I will say that in those circumstances, any success in those endeavors will depend wholey upon the credibility, experience and talent of the board members, not on me. The opportunity has only made itself known through me, it cannot depend upon me for success. I am nearing the end of my rope. I want to be straight up about that. My goal is to establish the management operations so that the endeavors I make mention of here can "have legs". Here's the truth of the matter; I have spent almost fifty years building Image of the Mind Studios, very slowly and very carefully, so as to survive while engaging in assorted creative art endeavors that, as you know, seldom provide enough resources to make it to the end. That has meant keeping it low key, enough so as to be able to direct resources as needed to be able to weather the storms of depravation. There has always been the potential for real growth, but I have remained in the development arena for very good reasons. Now there is no need for that to be the case, but in order for it to grow, practically speaking, there needs to be an organizational structure that is different than what it has been. That is the goal. And that structure is outlined somewhat in The Business Plan. So I will begin posting some of that here.

The clearly stated objective is to build a vested Board of Directors and begin transferring Image of the Mind Studios over to a corporate management structure, thus retiring myself from the operation.

I will discuss more of this in coming posts.  AG

Internal Operations

The Gnomes of New Hope is being pursued as an Internal Project of Image of the Mind Studios. The possibility of that changing is inherent in the design of the management, however, the primary objective is to keep the project moving forward with or without external intervention.

The potential to move into a highly active production schedule now exists, because the Core Creative Materials have reached a stage of completion where the full scope of it's range is not only defined, but certain variable elements are now locked in and are invariable. Having reached that stage of completion is a great relief. What this means is that the portion of the project that is presented before the public - the published goods, are now satisfactorily refined to the point where no major changes will occur. All of those changes revolved around the layout design and corrections to the material.

As I have noted in other posts, most particularly on The Gnomes of New Hope pages and on IMS Publishing blog, there still remains a significant amount of artwork for Illustrations to be completed. I have estimated that the amount of money required to complete those illustrations is approximately $90K. Of course, being that this is the IMS Management page, I don't need to say that I will be seeking to raise these funds from one or more sources. If you are reading this page, you are likely a person of the caliber and nature that you might be able to become am IMS Producing Partner.

That being said, I am still working with Front Money and among other terms, front money returns 300%. If you are capable of providing a minimum of $10K and would like to communicate about investment, please contact me via e-mail at; image.of.the.mind.studios@gmail.com

The work of preparing the e-Storybook and printing the prototypes of the Hard Copy Series is coming to a conclusion, making the Three Volume, Seven Book Collection available for release to the public, pending completion of the remaining 348 Illustration Panels. I will address the approach to that in another post.

I invite you to explore the other blog sites that discuss the nature and progress of this project where I also comment on how the books will be released. If sufficient capital is not gathered to forestall the release of the products until all the artwork is completed, which would be the preferable approach for marketing and distribution purposes, then we will release the books on a scheduled basis in order to generate the cash flow to pay for the remaining artwork. I am leery about doing this for various reasons and would prefer to secure the $90k required for all the remaining illustration work. But we will do what we have to do.

In terms of Internal Operations; work is continuing to set up the scene shop as the first priority, followed by the metal working capabilities (meaning securing another lather and a decent milling machine). In the midst of setting up the shop, there are numerous facilities issues that need to be address, not the least of which is preparation for the winter season, when operation expenses increase substantially to involve the issues of heating the buildings. My goal is to secure sufficient back-up funds to never have to concern myself with issues of the facilities overhead. Up until this point, the bulk of resources have gone into crafting The Core Creative Materials and publishing. So now that that is coming to a close, hopefully more resources can go toward facilities. Although, printing,binding, inventory, shipping, not to mention marketing and distribution, will still draw resources away from other activities, at least until cash flow is gained from the product line.

Well, that's all for now.  AG

The Gnomes of New Hope, Core Creative Materials

Since I know there are professionals watching the progress of The Gnomes of New Hope, I am posting some of the management Modus Operandi for your consideration.

I'll address this subject in more detail over time. You may have seen other discussions regarding The Core Creative Materials.

 For now, I'd like to point out that these Core Creative Materials have been and are being preserved from revelation in totality, until I have significant capital from participating partners proving commitment to the security of the project and to the overall plans for international presentation.

If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it to protect your investments. 

The value in the Gnomes of New Hope is the ability to implement the project across the board in a simultaneous fashion, or at least as close to simultaneously as possible and certainly on a well planned out schedule.

Revealing the Core of the project to the public too soon destroys the overall market value, because the markets need to be postured to take advantage of the highest level of interest.

So this strategy is being maintained for a number of reasons, but the most significant is to preserve the value for a potential buyer.

There are numerous production aspects that can, and are, being advanced without revelation of the Core to any public forum. 

With proper representation, the classified nature of the Core Creative Materials can theoretically be protected, but none-the-less the materials are being revealed only in parts that are insufficient to duplicate the overall project, should any nefarious characters attempt to steal it.

This is why I am seeking financial commitments from our partners, along with the Restrictive Covenant Agreement, before permitting anyone to see the Core Creative Materials.

This policy must be carried to the highest level. The Industry Review Package reveals sufficient materials to professionals who have provided a cover letter of intent with the Restrictive Covenant Agreement to allow that to happen.

AG

Studio Overhead

The work of preparing the Core Creative Materials has the very real tendency to distract from all other matters of import. One of those realities is the Studio Overhead.

Without going into detail, let me say, for the sake of simplicity that: the very basic minimum for studio overhead maintenance, without personnel, supplies and or any project line items is $500 per day, based on a five day week and a 50 week year.

(Let me also say that the studio rate, not connected to The Gnomes of New Hope is $250/hr, plus materials and special tooling)

Any discussions about Rights to The Gnomes of New Hope must start on that basis and add to that for personal accommodation to the creator, myself.

I post this for the sake of realizing that this foundation must be met for a thirty-year plan, which rounded off to the highest increment is $4M. Accounting for taxes and inflation that equates to $7M.

I discuss those details in the IMS Business Plan, which I expect to post on a separate (private) blog. If you are a business partner or a member of IMS Producing Partners, you will have access to those documents.

My original intent was not to post that Business Plan on the web, but with restricted access to that information, I see no reason not to. That Business Plan lays out the organizational structure for building a management team for numerous projects, using The Gnomes of New Hope as a model. The establishing foundation for that organizational structure is the formation of the project's Joint Venture. In the instance of The Gnomes of New Hope, it is The Elder Gnomes Joint Venture.

The two links provided above contain some redundancy, by necessity.

Although The Elder Gnomes is part of the Business Plan, I expect I will post that subject on IMS Producing Partners separately from the other components; IMS Management Inc, The Gnomes of New Hope Productions, and Image of the Mind Studios. You will find a postings elsewhere on these subjects, as I have made mention of them in various postings (see link above) .

The Business Plan is currently part of the DVD Industry Review Package, but I will be investigating accessing the MS Word files to use them for posting on the appropriate blogs. I do this for the sake of informing those individuals who will be involved in direct involvement, investment, production, purchasing rights, or negotiating any terms.

Clearly it is easier to distribute this material via internet access than by other means, but it is done so to facilitate knowledge on the subjects and not to serve as a means to solicit any degree of direct participation.

All actual and direct participation may only occur via face to face communication with Arthur Greisiger taking place within the walls of  Image of the Mind Studios at 1325 Industrial Boulevard in Southampton, Pennsylvania 18966, or at other locations - upon providing a written invitation, accompanied by The Restrictive Covenant Agreement. (a link will be provided in the near future) submitted to Arthur Greisiger at the same IMS location.

No other persons are authorized to make any commitments regarding The Gnomes of New Hope, Image of the Mind Studios, or any project attached thereto.

AG