Donnybrook Production Services

I’d certainly never profess to be the world’s foremost authority on podcasts, or anything cyber-induced for that matter.  I’m one of those late bloomers who’s only recently (in the past few years or so) thrown his respective hat into the ring that is the ‘blogosphere’ of modern technology.  I am, however, capable of discerning what’s interesting and worthy of attention…at least I think so, anyway.  It’s that reserved palette for all things pop-culture that has me tuning in to the weekly “Doomed to be Awesome” podcast.

If there’s any truth to the old adage that ‘two heads are better than one’, then imagine the destructive power that could be wielded by four heads.  Such is the case where D2BA’s founding fathers team of Gary Irwin, Matt Casale, Brendan O’Brien, and Dom Fera are concerned.  Armed with ‘phones’ of the micro & cell varieties, these gent’s engage in a weekly conversation about…well, pretty much anything entertainment-infused.  Film, television, music, photography, fine arts, and all things viral are equal fodder for discussion.  And rather than relegate themselves to the depths of irreverence, this quartet opts instead for the higher road.  As a result, the podcasts and associated website have attracted fans of all shapes of sizes…and things are just getting started.

So go ahead and gather your family members, pull the roast from the oven, and set your url in the direction of the family-friendly fare that is “Doomed to be Awesome“…there’s plenty of ‘awesome’ to go around!

With his latest win at this years Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon was propelled to the rank of third all-time in racing history.  While the win was only his third of the season, it constituted his 85th lifetime, placing him on the top-3 list behind only Richard Petty and David Pearson.  And while it’s highly unlikely he’ll be able to overtake Petty’s 200 wins all-time, he does have a legitimate shot at Pearson’s record of 105.

Now I don’t fancy myself a super-fan of NASCAR, as it’s been my experience that you’re either a ‘race guy’ or your not.  A solid case in point, the producer I just worked with on my last project certainly was…Brian, you know who you are.  Having said that, claiming to not know who Jeff Gordon is because you’re not a race fan is like saying you’ve never heard of Tiger Woods because you don’t follow golf.  After all, guys like that are just as much pop-culture icons as they are representatives of their respective craft.

I, for one, found Mr. Gordon to be a swell fellow when I had the unique opportunity of working with him ealier this year.  I produced a spot for a pharma client that used Jeff and his wife (model Ingrid Vandebosch) as its lead spokes-folks.  The campaign, directed by Kevin Hack of Get-Kinetic and shot on the RED One by DP JR Campbell, was aimed at raising awareness for parents to the dangers of Pertussis (also known as whooping cough).  Both Jeff & Ingrid were enjoyable to work with, making the otherwise hectic production schedule far smoother than it likely should have been.

So again, my hat’s off to a nice guy who actually does get to finish first…apparently 85 times and counting.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been immersed, at varied times throughout the year, in the development of the indie horror-feature “Sufferance” that I’m Line Producing.  Or perhaps it’s just because I’m a sucker for a well done (and well marketed) horror/thriller infused project.  Either way, a few of Fall TV’s looming lineups have me kind of excited.  In somewhat strategic order, here are a few of the shows I’m most ‘tuned’ in to:

(1) The Walking Dead; Sunday’s @ 10p on AMC – If the sophomore season of this show is anything like the first, then starting October 16 I know exactly where my buttocks will be squarely planted on Sunday nights.  The series is based on the graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, and AMC has done as much justice to this show as they’ve been able to do for pretty much everything they lay their hands on.

(2) American Horror Story; Wednesday’s @ 10p on FX – Knowing full well that I suffer from a morbid sense of what constitutes cool, I’m happy to admit that this show’s creepy viral campaign has me chomping at the bit for October 5 to arrive.  In addition to being disturbingly cool, however, the teasers do little to spoil much of anything where the show’s particular plot line(s) are concerned…it’s equal parts refreshing and curiosity inspiring.

(3) Dexter; Sunday’s @ 9p on Showtime – Not to be a subscriber-based TV snob or anything, but let’s face it…cable is just kicking Network TV’s heiny all over the place!  Dexter, the series based on the collection of novels by Jeff Lindsay,  kicks off it’s sixth season on October 2…and rumor has it that this time, ” all hell breaks loose”.  Oh goody!

Now, to show that I’m a good sport (and not a TOTAL cable-centric elitist), here’s a matching top-3 list of Network based shows that I’m willing to offer a fair shot at impressing me:

(1) – Terra Nova; Monday’s @ 8p on FOX – While the 8pm time slot (on FOX, no less) is enough to invoke at least mild trepidation, the fact that Steven Spielberg is involved offset those concerns with at least a glimmer of hope…enough to sucker me in for the premiere on September 26 anyway.  It will have to be a better crafted show than Mr Spielberg’s disappointing “Falling Skies”, however, if it intends to keep me coming back for more.

(2) – Once Upon a Time; Sunday’s @ 8p on ABC – I think it’s the fact that this show’s trailers have my wife and I equally intrigued that’s encouraged me to bump it into the ranks of this list.  After all, it constitutes the first time in a great long while (arguably, since ABC’s former hit LOST) that we’ll potentially agree on a series.  As a result, we’ll both be destined for the couch on October 23.

(3) – Grimm; Friday’s @ 9p on NBC – Supporting evidence that this show is doomed from the get go (Friday as a time slot and NBC as the network) be damned…I still find myself really (really) pulling for this one.  And if the October 21 premiere does anything to facilitate my hopes, I can always DVR it and watch it on a different night of the week for principles sake.

So there ya have it, a mixed bag of sure-fire crowd pleasers and hopeful contenders.  Combined with AMC’s “The Killing” and HBO’s “Game of Thrones” (both apparently relegated to 2012 scheduled returns), there’s bound to be something here for everyone with a penchant for darker material…at least enough to get us through the chilly winter months anyway.

Over the years I’ve taken to including a variety of daily sponsors for call sheets I’ve developed for my many shoots.  At first, it was a ‘beg, borrow, steal’ approach that followed in the footsteps of my brother Gary when it came to listing a “song of the day”.  Moving forward, and always having harbored a love for words as much as music, I opted instead for the inclusion of a “word of the day” in an effort to expand the vocabulary of the crews I put together…they were eternally grateful, I’m sure!  No wonder there are a slew of eloquent set technicians running around the streets of Philly these days.

Now, with my looming involvement in this summer’s Philly-based indie “Backwards”, I’m thinking of shaking things up again with the notion of a “hat of the day” approach.  My goal will be to show off a variety of what has come to be a staple of my daily attire…the ever-popular baseball cap!  While I’ve never actually taken the time to count all of the hats I’ve accrued over the years, I’m willing to bet I’ve got at least enough to cover the film’s planned 21-day shooting schedule.  In fact, it’s likely I could make it to the project’s halfway point on a steady diet of Phillies caps alone.  It will be interesting to see how deep into the ol’ closet I’ve gotta reach in order to go the distance, as some of the hats in question haven’t seen the light of day in quite some time.  Hopefully there’s nothing stuffed back there that would be too embarrassing, as I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten rid of those Sesame Street hats from my younger days…here’s hoping, anyway!

For those of you that like angry Irish music (or friendly Irish music), feel free to pay a visit to the official Donnybrook Productions station on Pandora.  If you do a quick search for “Donny Brook”, you should find it with relative ease.  The initial framework for this station is based solely on my own selfish acoustic preferences and/or rudimentary research…any omissions are inadvertent and can be blamed on my haste to get the station up & running.  Anyone looking to offer thoughts on possible additions/subtractions can do so by dropping me a line at opinions@donnybrookproductions.com, the catchall for feedback.

As it stands now, a visit to the station will offer up the Gaelic harmonies of such acts as “Thin Lizzy”, “The Thrills”, “My Bloody Valentine”, “Virgin Prunes”, & “The Dubliners”…just to name a few.  And if these mainstream bands don’t tickle your fancy, you’ll also be able to tune in to a lesser known group that hail from the Emerald Isle as well…they go by U2, & you may have heard of them (perhaps on college radio or the likes)!

At any rate enjoy…& if you do manage to drop by be sure and let me know what you think.  I’d love for the station to have a sampling of melodic DNA from folks besides myself.