Anything Goes

Over the past two months I got a couple of messages from this guy who claims to be "Vincent Newman".

I go to check today, and the latest one I got yesterday was deleted.

Was this someone deleting spam/scam stuff?

" Vincent Newman

Vincent Newman [DELETED]

It’s a pleasure connecting with you! If you’ve written a screenplay or developed a strong story concept that you’d like to see move toward production, I’d be happy to take a look. I’m open to all genres and budget levels, what matters most is a great story with real potential. You’re welcome to send your material. I personally handle each evaluation, offering professional feedback on story structure, character development, and production potential. With years of experience across film and television, my goal is to identify projects that can move confidently toward development and attract the right partners. Looking forward to hearing about your work and exploring how we might collaborate. Warm regards Producer / Development Partner Email: vincentnewm.n@gmail.com"

"I send out hundreds of emails with my portfolio to directors and galleries, but nobody ever responds. Am I just bad?"

— Artist, Spain.

Here is how I see it:

This reminded me of a time I went to a language exchange event. When I told a British girl what I do for a living, she asked me, "So, what do you do when an artist has no talent?"

I froze for a few seconds. I started mentally reviewing all the clients I’ve worked with, trying to find an answer, but I couldn't think of anything related to a lack of talent...

To me, they were all very talented. So, I just answered honestly without filtering myself: "To be regular, it doesn’t really matter. There are people in the market who are honestly not very good, and they are doing incredibly well..."

Back to the question. It is rarely a lack of talent. You need to have a solid baseline, of course, but anyone who has spent some time dedicated to their craft usually has that baseline. In cases like these, the issue is usually something else.

The problem is the channel and the message. Right now, I am looking at the email icon on my phone. Do you know how many unread emails I have? 27,000.

If you blast emails to public addresses or contacts you scraped off the internet, you are just another PDF. You are just more noise in an already crowded inbox. In fact, it's very possible your emails are going straight to SPAM. Your work might be absolutely amazing, but it never even arrived.

Aside from making sure you aren't getting filtered into the spam folder, here are 3 things you can do:

1) Change your writing style: Make your email punchy and engaging.

2) Keep it brief: Do not overwhelm them with information. Keep the body of the email to a maximum of two lines.

3) Go offline: Try to connect with these contacts in person.

A 5-minute conversation at a real-life event is worth more than 100 emails.

This is just one example of the questions and dilemmas I get sent every now and then (in Spain). If you're dealing with a challenge or a doubt of your own, feel free to send it my way—I'd love to break it down in a future post!

How about you? Have you ever felt ignored by sending cold emails? What is your go-to strategy to connect with directors or galleries? Let's talk in the comments!

In 2009, Bollywood released the film 3 Idiots. One of its most inspiring characters, Phunsukh Wangdu, was based on the real life educator and innovator Sonam Wangchuk.

Today, he is risking his own life, not for personal gain, but for the future of millions of students in India.

For those unfamiliar with the situation: in India, students who dream of becoming doctors must take a highly competitive entrance exam called NEET-UG. Every year, more than 2 million students sit for this exam after years of relentless preparation.

Following the May 2026 NEET-UG examination, reports emerged of a massive paper leak.

For countless students, this wasn't just an exam, it represented years of sacrifice. Some come from wealthy families, while others overcome unimaginable financial hardship. Many spend three or even four years preparing for this single opportunity.

The pressure is so intense that, every year, some students as young as 17, 18, or 19 tragically lose their lives to stress, failure, or the fear of not meeting the cutoff.

Since 28 June 2026, Sonam Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike. Today marks the 19th day, and reports indicate that his health is deteriorating.

His message goes beyond one examination. He argues that when a system fails on such a massive scale, those responsible must be held accountable.

He has called for India's current Education Minister to resign, not because that alone would solve every problem, but because accepting responsibility is the first step toward rebuilding trust and fixing a broken system.

If people can cheat their way into becoming doctors, one day those same doctors may be responsible for treating our families.

I'm not sharing this from a political perspective or as an activist. I'm sharing it as a fellow human being. I don't want to see someone willing to sacrifice his life for students lose that life because the world chose to look away.

If this story reaches you, please take a moment to read about it, discuss it, and help ensure it isn't forgotten. Sometimes awareness is the first step toward accountability.

I know budgeting is important to filmmaking, but I am not good with budgeting and that sort of thing, could others take care of it in a situation like that?

"I’ve been offered a gig writing and directing corporate video content for a major brand. It pays incredibly well, but I feel like I'm selling out and losing my artistic integrity. Should I turn it down?"

Here is how I see it:

It’s important to look at what’s really making you hesitate. Let's dig deeper.

What exactly do you feel you are compromising? Are you afraid of what others in the industry might think of you? If you define your identity purely by the gigs you take, maybe the real issue is that you’re unsure of who you are as a creator. Your identity depends on how you see yourself. If you care too much about your image or other people's opinions, you aren't being yourself—you’re just trying to be who they want you to be.

That’s what usually lies beneath the fear of losing your artistic voice. But honestly, who cares?

If you are confident in who you are and what you do, a high-paying opportunity is just a choice—it either fits your current goals or it doesn’t. When you leave insecurities out of the equation, it becomes much easier to accept a proposal, or even negotiate the terms so it suits you better, because you simply don’t take it personally.

When it comes to the work itself… you might be confusing your artistic project with your business model.

You can absolutely take on commercial work for the money, and then use that money as fuel for your passion projects.

Think about Hollywood. Major directors and A-list actors take on massive, commercial blockbusters or high-budget brand commercials not because it’s their deepest artistic dream, but because those paychecks fund their independent, passion-driven indie films. Commercial gigs can be the stable source of income that pays your rent and buys your creative freedom.

Using commercial projects to fund your true art isn't selling out—not if you know how to keep them separate.

(This is just one example of the questions and dilemmas I get sent every now and then. If you're dealing with a challenge or a doubt of your own, feel free to send it my way—I'd love to break it down in a future post!)

How about you? Have you ever felt like you were compromising your art for a paycheck? How do you handle situations like this? Let's talk in the comments!

Here is how I see it when this happens:

You see others doing what you know you could be doing, but... you don't take the leap. Or you don't want to. Or you just don't know how. I won't get into the "why"... I don't know you, but it’s a highly revealing mirror.

Anyway, envy actually shows us what we want. If look at it in a positive way: "I want that."

Sure, it gets under your skin that someone else is doing a worse job, or that it's someone you have a history with. But that's irrelevant. It still reveals your true desire. It points directly to what you want to be doing.

Great. Now we have a direction. Now we have a goal.

Forget about any resentment. It’s not about them; it’s about you. You aren't doing it right now for whatever reason, but they are showing you the path. So now, the focus is figuring out how to get there.

And spoiler alert: you won't get there by trying to undermine or tear down the person you envy. You'll just waste precious time and energy on things that bring you zero value.

You have two options here:

1) You copy them (and do it better—let's see if you actually can...).

2) You find an alternative route.

Flip that emotion. Don't let it be negative; let it be the fuel to find your own way.

(I get questions like this all the time. If you have a situation you'd like my perspective on, shoot me a message!)

Have you ever felt this way? How do you handle it when envy creeps in?

How many enjoy a good crossover? I do, in fact some of my favorite crossovers are from Disney (from their animated series to their live action material). What is your favorite crossover?

Anything goes. Here I go!

My process is to search, re-search, outline develop. It may or maynot be the "industry" process, but it is my process. I may be more of a searcher and researcher of that which I search, and if the material is worthy of developing into outline then into story-Great! This is my current process.

Following is one of my current projects being independtly developed.

"When a human being chooses eternal survival, he is co-creating destiny;

and in the life of this ascending mortal the finite God finds an increased measure of personality self-realization and an enlargement of experiential sovereignty.

But, if a creature rejects the eternal career, that part of the Supreme which was dependent on this creature’s choice experiences inescapable delay,

a deprivation which must be compensated by substitutional or collateral experience; as for the personality of the nonsurvivor, it is absorbed into the oversoul of creation, becoming a part of the Deity of the Supreme.

God is so trusting, so loving, that he gives a portion of his divine nature into the hands of even human beings for safekeeping and self-realization."

Paper 117:4.2-117:4.3

hashtag#UrantiaBook

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Which troupe is most popular: Spin-Off, Revival, Reboot, or Crossover?

You know how Revival series and Spin-Offs are a thing, right? Well sometimes I watch them to see how they compare to the original series, or how well they continue from where the original series left off. Who else does that?