Location Scouting

I have officially put together three Raindance Montreal courses for this spring/summer and this week we begin knocking on the doors of the press to announce our official presence in Montreal! I have had quite a ride negotiating with tutors and venues. My favorite was definitely the church...which in the first discussions gave me the impression that renting the basement room would be free or realllllyyy cheap...NOT the case! I get an email from the lady who says it will be $50/hr plus a $87 insurance fee...wow...

Location scouting is location scouting, transferable to many industries such as event planning and of course film-making in all of it glorious forms!

 

There are a few valuable lessons that I am being reminded of...the importance of the following:

- a backup plan or exit strategy: plan as much as you can for the unforeseen circumstances, know cancellation policies, draft contracts, and always be ready to brainstorm a new idea or solution on the spot.

- perseverance: blood, sweat, tears, passion, and the drive to make things happen even if they feel like they are beginning to crumble in your hands. 

- things are not always as they seem: the church lady may not cut you a deal. Do your research and leg work, know that you may not always be welcomed by people, but also that you may stumble upon a great connection in the most peculiar place...try not to judge the process.

- phone calls: sometimes call even when you really don't want to, it will expedite the communication with the person you are negotiating with and not only can you have a better sense of them, but you create a bigger opportunity to build ongoing relationships!

Most often, the best way to find a venue/location is by asking for help...start with your inner circle of friends, family, co-workers, simultaneously do a bit of cold calling and connecting to interesting places directly.

I am heading into the press waters this week, should be some valuable lessoned learned along the way I'm sure,

Cheers

Kate

Katelynd Kuhar

Director Raindance Montreal

katelynd@raindancecanada.com 

Happy Valentine's Day

It is a cold and snowy Valentine's Day in Montreal, so what better thing to do than to create a blog while waiting for my man to come home from work and cook me dinner, with a bottle of red wine in hand of course (no wine could be a deal-breaker). I am wondering if having a blog will actually affect my verbal spewing, although I am doubtful. I have been a journal writer since I was 9, and my affinity for pen and paper will never die I'm sure. 

So Raindance Montreal had it's official launch last Monday, and I am plugging away at making it a valuable tool for my fellow filmmakers. New partnerships and relationships are forming at light-speed! 

I developed an interest in RAINDANCE CANADA, while still living in the suburban outskirts of Toronto, just over two years ago(had even planned to volunteer),  but shortly thereafter Reese and I made an impulse decision to move to Montreal two months after visiting the city for the first time. I continued to receive their online newsletters, keeping myself in the loop of the certificates, workshops, and support that Raindance was offering filmmakers in their Toronto community.

 After our first year in Montreal, Reese and I became HUNGRY for art, specifically FILM. A friend that I had made working as a cook at a pub downtown had a Sony Handycam that her mom had bought her a few years back. We began to write. This is the birth of THE TEAM AWESOME SHOW (www.theteamawesomeshow.com), the first 3 episodes have been released and there are two more still in post production. 

This brings me to TWITTER...as a part of my online marketing research, I decided that it seemed valuable to create a twitter account, especially while launching a Web-Series. Naturally, I found Raindance and followed them (as I also had NO idea who/what to follow lol). Sometime in August there was a tweet from Raindance that I read, promoting some more of their Toronto workshops, I finally had to act! I sent a msg to them: "You guys should totally bring your workshops to Montreal!" It seems that I cast my line out and have reeled them in :) On my birthday, this past August 26, I received a message back from Elliot in London, completely endorsing the idea of expanding Raindance Canada, needing someone on the ground here to set it up, and BAZINGAAAAAA here I am. I have experience with exactly that from my time working for an acting studio in T.O for a year and a half. 

It seems that my first blog is longggggggg, so I will stop the puck here. Thought it made sense to write a bit about who I am, and what I'm all about! Feel free to contact me about Raindance Montreal, follow me on Twitter, and add me to Facebook! ECT ECT  :)

Cheers and chocolates to all!

Kate