The initial trailer is ready for Cianna P. Stewart’s new documentary It’s Not Porn: Behind the doors of a modern pin-up company. As a reminder, the basic treatment is as follows:
In the world of erotic photography, sexy women are objects whose pictures garner huge profits for other people. A handful of young entrepreneurs have decided to upset this system, putting control into the hands of the models & photographers, challenging who defines “sexy,” and creating a new revenue model for the next wave of the internet. Will they succeed? And what happens when regular women become known as online pin-up stars?
Cianna is still looking for investors to help complete the film, which she hopes to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March 2010; so if you happen to know anyone willing to buy shares, head over to Thumbnail Productions and get in touch.
The company being profiled, Zivity has been garnering a fair amount of attention in the press lately, and the quality of the photoshoots are outstanding. If you think you’ve got something to offer, then head on over and apply to be in the beta … it’s currently free, but when the site comes out of public beta early next year, it will be subscription-based; probably around $10.00/month.
I’ve got ten invites to give out, and I’ve been hoarding them … but if you want one, let me know (and why).
An old friend of mine in San Francisco, Cianna Stewart (one of the Sexiest Geeks Alive), is becoming quite a prolific independent filmmaker … her latest project, just going into production, will be a documentary about Zivity.com, a new online social network for connoisseurs of pin-up photography.
Cianna’s basic treatment of the film is as follows:
It’s Not Porn: Behind the doors of a modern pin-up company
In the world of erotic photography, sexy women are objects whose pictures garner huge profits for other people. A handful of young entrepreneurs have decided to upset this system, putting control into the hands of the models & photographers, challenging who defines “sexy,” and creating a new revenue model for the next wave of the internet. Will they succeed? And what happens when regular women become known as online pin-up stars?
Now if I can just figure out a way to get an invite to the beta.
Cianna is looking for investors to help finance the film; so if you happen to know anyone willing to buy shares, head over to Thumbnail Productions and get in touch. For those that want to support, but can’t afford to the extent of investing, donations will also be accepted, with a thank you to be determined (I’ve suggested a private premiere screening, or a copy on DVD) …
Heard on the Street - WSJ.com Some Traders Win Big
Harbinger, Greenlight, Tremblant Profited By Betting Against Bear
By GREGORY ZUCKERMAN, JENNY STRASBURG and TOM MCGINTY
March 20, 2008
The collapse of Bear Stearns Cos. dealt a severe blow to investors, from big names like billionaire Joseph Lewis to thousands of employees of the brokerage firm.
But there’s one group trying to contain their joy amid all the gloom on Wall Street: Investors who placed big bets against Bear Stearns.
Large hedge funds — including Harbinger Capital Partners, Greenlight Capital, Tremblant Capital Group and Paulson & Co. — made millions of dollars as Bear Stearns’s shares tumbled and various bearish positions rose in value, according to securities filings and people close to the firms.
The principle that potential return rises with an increase in risk. Low levels of uncertainty (low risk) are associated with low potential returns, whereas high levels of uncertainty (high risk) are associated with high potential returns. In other words, the risk-return tradeoff says that invested money can render higher profits only if it is subject to the possibility of being lost.
Because of the risk-return tradeoff, you must be aware of your personal risk tolerance when choosing investments for your portfolio. Taking on some risk is the price of achieving returns; therefore, if you want to make money, you can’t cut out all risk. The goal instead is to find an appropriate balance — one that generates some profit, but still allows you to sleep at night.
It’s all about risk/reward; sometimes you have to lose a little to gain a lot … but somewhere along the line you have to decide when it’s time to cut your losses and recoup.
And this concept holds true in so many aspects of life.
I’ve been reading Raising The Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business, by Gary Erickson (the founder of Clif Bar, Inc.) recently. I really like his model of a balanced ecosystem for a thriving business. Following this model has allowed Clif Bar to become one of the fastest growing privately-held businesses, and the leader (at least in my opinion) in the energy bar market.
Essentially, his business has five aspirations:
Sustaining Our Brands — Keeping Our Mojo
Natural Demand
Innovation and Reinvention
Nutrition and Quality Control
Connecting with Consumers
Sustaining Our Business — Living Within Our Means
Extraction, Reinvestment, Profit
Rate of Growth
Business as Stewardship
Sustaining Our People — Live Life to its Fullest
Find and Retain the Right People
Compensation
Learning and Growing
Wellness—Work Hard, Play Hard, Recover
Meaning and Purpose in Work
Morale
Sustaining Our Community — Giving Back
Do No Harm
2080 Program—Giving Our Time
Partnerships and Sponsorships
Product and Cash
Influencing Others
Sustaining The Planet — Reducing Our Ecological Footprint
Sustainable Ingredients
Environmentally Friendly Packaging
Greening the Office
Fight Against Global Warming
Partners in Sustainability
Learning from and Encouraging Others
It would be really nice if every company followed this model, but most corporations, especially public companies (including my own employer) tend to chase the almighty dollar.
Michelin (in France) publishes a series of maps covering most of Europe, and in different scales. On many of the maps, roads are marked in red, yellow, or white. The red roads are the major thoroughfares which get you from point A to point B as quickly as possible. The yellow roads are arterial roads which are not as big as the red roads, but still well-travelled. The white roads are the small country roads that allow a traveller to really experience the country.
Most businesses try to always take the red road to profitability and growth. When travelling the red roads, the only that that is important is the destination, but not the journey itself. Just as it is in one’s personal life, the life of a business should also be about the journey and not simply about the destination. It is possible to have integrity and still make money.
God willing, if/when I open my own business, I will be able to focus on the journey.
Cianna’s basic treatment of the film is as follows:
