I'm back!

​Seems like it was only yesterday when I announced that I’d be taking a break for a couple of weeks. Well, I’m back. Had a wonderful time collaborating with Top Knot Films. It was a lot of work and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

 
A lot has happened over the last two weeks and I wanted to make sure I sent out a special THANK YOU to all of the brave men and women of CAL FIRE, working tirelessly in both South CA and here to keep property and people safe. We came extremely close to losing the Linde Hacienda and we are very grateful for those who risked their lives to save our little neighborhood

​In the meantime, sit back and relax and I will regale you with another installment from the fucked-up saga of Wiley Bowman.
 
Although we never signed a formal contract, Wiley and I had our signatures firmly affixed to a deal memo that promised me the world if “The Touristers” ever got off the ground. A meeting in Beverly Hills Talent Agency was on the books and I immediately loaded up the car for the thousand-mile drive to Los Angeles. I arrived the very next day at the prestigious Beverly Hills Agency 13th floor lobby. Waiting in the lobby was everyone ever associated with Wiley and the project. Not only were the director and the cinematographer present, but the ENTIRE crew was waiting in the small reception area. What the fuck is going on, I asked myself as we were led into the conference room. Wiley was late and, for the first time, I suspected that I was not the only one in the room being conned. When Wiley did show up, he was met by the agent and the rest of us with cold, icy stares. The director and I quietly excused ourselves and we left, leaving Wiley alone to explain himself.

(The Touristers Budget)

​​It’s a remarkable feeling being conned. You want so much to believe that you managed to a script in development that you repeatedly ignore the warning signs. Well, this warning sign was just too big to ignore. I confronted Wiley and he was surprisingly apologetic. “I’m just so proud of the work of all of you,” he attempted to explain contritely. But I was not having it and was now officially biding my time until the option would be over.
 
Sensing I was about to move on, Wiley was very insistent on getting my signature on a more formal agreement. I was reticent, having just undergone the ordeal of the Beverly Hills Agency. We were at loggerheads. Enter a concert producer from Texas and the promise of funding. She looked like she knew what she was doing, had some experience in promotion and motion pictures and was currently promoting concerts in large to midsize venues in Texas. She was smart, intuitive and very anxious. Wiley insisted that we would have the money within the next few weeks, but I had to have my signature on a more formal option agreement. At one point, he even said, I can’t pay you until you sign. What can I say, friends, I signed. 

(A cast member's deal memo)

​As an extra added bonus, along with my signed copy of the contract, I received Wiley’s complete rewrite of the entire script. The title of the project had transformed seemingly overnight to “Baja Adventure,” and Wiley had given himself full writing credit. The script had been turned from a 100-page comedy to a drug-running thriller. I had been had and was now trapped in a 2-year option agreement with a man I could no longer trust.
 
The final installment next week.