To 2008 I thank you.

I sit here with only hours to go before 2008 comes to an end, and want to summarize the last 365 days (and 1 second) of my life. But I don't want to look backwards, because when I do it feels like absolutely nothing happened. This isn't true, but it certainly can feel that way when I couldn't find a job. So I refuse to look back with that mind set.

Instead I would like to take a moment to thank people who have helped me in one way or another, no matter how small. As you all know by now, I've been pursuing a career as a writer in animation and comic books for a very long time, and it certainly hasn't been easy, and one of my greatest problems I have is networking.

So I want to thank all the people who have talked with me over the last months, either in person, on the phone, or across the internet.

To the veteran animation and comic book writers who took the time to give me advice. I thank you.

To the president of a publishing company who though isn't in a position to hire writers, was willing to give advice and point me towards editors who might be able to hire me. I thank you.

To those editors who did response to my e-mails, asking what I had done and was seeking to do. I thank you.

To the editor who not only is willing to consider me to write for him in the future, but also willing to read my series pitch. I thank you.

To the comic book writer and animation story editor who took the time to read my spec scripts. Even though your current series is fully staffed, you were willing to consider me and remember me for future projects. I thank you.

To the studio executives and production staffs that have spent time to talk with me about working with them even though there is no work to be had. I thank you.

To the Human Resource Manager at a TV network who called me for a job I had not applied to, and was very impressed with my resume in ways no one else had ever commented on before. That I was one of only four people in consideration for the position. I thank you. And who was very apologetic when a company wide hiring freeze came down. I still thank you.

To my representative at an employment agency, who was willing to take my angry phone call when they didn't seem to be doing anything, and explained things more clearly to me. I thank you.

To the animation and film producers from other countries who sought me out through the internet. I thank you.

To everyone at the Writers Guild of America and the Animation Writers Caucus who have always been a great support to me, because they've all been the same place I am. I thank you all.

To all my new friends in the comic book and animation industries that I am getting to know through facebook and twitter, I say hello and thank you.

To those of you who have begun to check out my website and web comic. I thank you.

To my family who has supported me through this crazy pursuit. Thank you and and God Bless.

And lastly to Shannon Muir, my writing partner, my love and fiancée, and most importantly my best friend who walks with me hand in hand through this life. I can not thank you enough. We will be married soon!

I may not have gotten a job, or written a comic book or animated episode, or sold a television series, but I have gotten to know a lot of very wonderful people. To you all I thank you, and may 2009 be filled with more opportunities to meet one another and give thanks.


Kevin Paul Shaw Broden
December 31st, 2008

It's Raining outside

It never rains in southern california... Ya right!

Our back yard is flooded, but hasn't gotten in the house yet.

Boy this blogging thing is harder then I thought. :)

There hasn't really been anything worth writing about, but always happy to do so.

The latest page of FLYING GLORY AND THE HOUNDS OF GLORY went up this weekend. I am really surprised at my art sometimes. Some of my work, and certain characters come across absolutely terrible, while other characters hit the mark perfectly and I find emotion and depth coming from their faces more then I expected. Check it out at www.flying-glory.com.

This past week I submitted a series proposal to a comic book company. Can't say anything in fear that it won't happen, but if nothing else, I am building a positive relationship with the editors.

The Christmas holidays are upon us, and I have to think gifts for family and friends. We all know how it's not that easy. We all promise to start making notes early in the year as we learn what he or she is interested in, but by the time the holiday's or their birthday shows up we haven't a clue what that idea was.

Other random thoughts before I sign off. I'm discovering that facebook and twitter are becoming more useful then I first thought they would be. I know I need to network more and this seems to be working out better then going to an industry holiday party.

Enjoy the holidays everyone, hopefully I'll post again before the end of the year.

Neither rain nor... from animation.

From facebook:

Shannon Muir wrote on your wall.

"Hey, you need to update your blog!

(Hey for that matter I need to update mine. ;)  Seem to have reduced my life to Facebook updates.)

We're writers, we should be WRITING,..."

She's absolutely right, I need to be writing more here on my blog, but I find writing a blog, or journal to be harder then writing anything else, would like to hear what your thoughts are on that.

That said, I'll give it a shot.

A few years  ago, during one of those rare moments that it rains in Southern California, I was heading towards a job. As when it does rain here, it was coming down hard, flooding streets and houses were sliding down hills (we're thinking of making it an Olympic sport, House Sliding), and I was caught in the middle of it.

I had been called by my temp agency to head up to one of the studios to sit at someone's desk. I'd prefer being hired on permanently, but I can't turn down even the smallest job if it will get me closer to working in animation. So happy to have even a one day job, I jumped into the car and headed North towards the valley of the studios.

 Heading up the 5 FWY, the rain was getting heavier, but that didn't stop everyone in the cars around me to try and keep as close to the speed limit as possible.   Moving at a "safe" speed I came to a place in the FWY where it drops down under a railroad bridge. 

That's when everything went crazy. The water was building up in the lower area of the road, and I hit it and began to hydroplane. 

I lost control of the car and it flew across the road and spun around and came to a stop in the fast lane facing backwards. Realizing I had come to a stop I was able to take a breath and look over to see my passenger door only inches from the wall that supported to bridge above. Then I looked around to discover that there wasn't one care on the road, when there had been many only moments earlier.

I began to thank God for protecting me, from hitting the wall, and for having cleared the raod so that no one else was caught in the accident.

The road remained clear long enough for me to turn the car around and get moving again, but it wasn't long before others were traveling along side me once more. It was as if they had vanished from the road and now reappeared.

I remember pulling off the road into a parking lot to let my heart slow down, but once settled I started moving again and headed for the job.

A job, like I said, was a temp for only one day; but it was in or related to the animation industry that I kept going even after a near crash.

Though it has been a real struggle for e to find employment, especially in animation, I am so dedicated to it that nothing is going to stop me from working in it.

Now to get a long term job in animation, no car accident will keep me from it. I just need to find it.

Kevin

http://www.duelingmodems.com/~kevinpsb/index.html

My website, thanks for looking...

The traffic through my website/resume has been dead since soon after I put it up.  There were a few people that looked at the beginning, but for weeks and weeks now there hasn't been anyone.

I was surprised when someone looked at it this past Sunday, and then again yesterday.

So who ever you are, I just wanted to say thank you.

(Oh apparently you're in Argentina.) 

Now if only there was someone who'd look at it and hired me.  

(Not certain I am willing to move to Argentina, but can tele-commute and be your company U.S. representative.  I can always writer scripts here and send them to you.)

For the rest of you, check out the site and consider me.  http://www.duelingmodem.com/~kevinpsb/index.html

Kevin

After Comic-Con 08

I've been home now nearly a week since the San Diego Comic-Con, boy does time fly.  Other people have already posted their thoughts on the Con, and I probably don't have a lot to add, but here is a small ramble if nothing else.

I've been attending the con for many many years now, since it was at the downtown convention hall and watched it grow every year since then. The first year I was there the total number was 5000, today we reach over 120,000 people and can't really get much hire then that. 

Even though it was crowded, I wasn't really bothered by the crowds, I was a crowd to them after all.  I won't even blame the greater influx of Hollywood.  Someone the other night said that it was Hollywood was taking too much of the con.  But I see all this as part of the same. Sure there is a love of comics that have been pushed into a corner, but truthfully we are all part of the same world of visual story telling.  Over sixty years ago there were comics based on movies and comedians like Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope.  I think that the important thing in all this is that the world, if for only those four days a year, sees comic books, animation, gaming, television, and movies as equals and all have time to shine all interconnected. 

I guess I can say that because I have great dreams to be working in all those areas and see them all the same.  Sure writing for a comic is different then for movie, but it is still story telling and that's what I dream to do.  There are those who get into animation as a step towards live action writing, but there are also live action television and movie writers who are now writing for comics because they love. 

I haven't always been the best at networking with people at the con, and the crowd makes it all the more fun at trying it.  But I came away from this con feeling much better about things, and making greater contacts along the way.

Didn't expect my ramble to go in the direction it did, but that's where it is. I have a passion for story telling, visual story telling, "narrative illustration" as my professor and I called. So I'm going be working in this world right along side the best comic, animation, gaming, and movie giants.

Interested in working with me, check out my website: http://www.duelingmodems.com/~kevinpsb/index.html

Hope you all had a good time and enjoying your summer.

I realized today that there is only a week and a half before the Comic Con down in San Diego.  I'm going to try and complete an animation pitch package before then. Use the con as a working deadline. 

Am still drawing pages of Flying Glory and the Hounds of Glory, should be able to do two pages before the Con. Check them out at www.flying-glory.com.

I also would like to get a job interview or two in, so that I'll be able to start work the Monday after the con.  Anyone know of any animation production positions?  

Second Annual Animation Book Look

A quick announcement and invitation.

Along with my fiancee Shannon Muir, I will be attending the Second Annual Animation Book Look to sign and sell copies of Shannon's book: GARDNER'S GUIDE TO WRITING AND PRODUCING ANIMATION.  I provided all the interior art, and will be selling original art during the event. 

There will be many other artists and authors from across the animation industry as well.

The Animation Book Look will be at the Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks on Saturday May 17th from 1pm to 6pm. Please visit the Animation Book Look website for further information.  It is co-sponsored by the Creative Talent Network.

Book Looking to seeing you all there. 

Grand Reopening

Announcing the opening of the new website of:

Kevin Paul Shaw Broden

"Four Names of Professional Creativity"

www.duelingmodems.com/~kevinpsb/index.html

With fifteen years of providing creative content as both writer and artist, Kevin is ready to do the same for you.

Having worked in both domestic and international animation markets, Kevin has written episodic scripts and developed full series, and has pitched to major studios.

With an artistic background he has provided conceptual drawings and character designs for animated projects, and continues to draw the weekly online comic book Flying Glory and the Hounds of Glory.

As a Creative Consultant, Kevin provided guidance towards various story and artistic approaches, researches demographics, and meeting with creative staffs and potential financial partners and co-producers.

Kevin seeks a position to use his experience to coordinate between the writers and artists on your next production.

Check out his website, and drop Kevin a message. He's ready to work for you.

www.duelingmodems.com/~kevinpsb/index.html

Development and ReCreation

Hi all,

Really didn't want to take this long to get back to posting, but it happened all the same. 

Here are a few things that I've been up to.

The final page of Issue 9 of Flying Glory and the Hounds of Glory. I'm currently painting the cover art for Issue 10 and hope to have it up with in the week. 

I am also in the process of redesigning my website, but won't post the link here until it's finished. Will be really stressing my animation development and production work there.

Things seem to be going better in my pursuit for work. Though I not hired yet, I have been meeting with people from several different studio who are really interested working with me. Yesterday's meeting could really turn into something fantastic.  I also got to pitch another series idea and expect to hear back on it in a month.

Looks like I may be in a gallery show next month, will post all the appropriate information when it's ready.  Have to actually finish the art work itself first. :)

Speaking of art, as bonus for sticking with my quiet moments here, I'm posting drawing that will eventually be part of new website. I do most of this type of work, like I do the web comic, on my computer using Painter. So these "pencils" were actually done digitally, I will then "ink" it and paint it the same way.

When I wrote the Title line for this blog, I was thinking in one direction, and then I realized what I really wrote.  Don't know about the rest of you, but though my writing and art work is done for a job, it is also done out of enjoyment.  I love animation, that any hard job is also enjoyment. Creation is Recreation.  What do you think?

Stick around, I hope to have more postings soon.

Best,

Kevin 

My first complain letter to a TV show.

Last night I did something I've never done before.

I wrote a complaint letter to a television show.

I haven't enjoyed CSI MIAMI for at least two years now because the stories seemed to based more around the "MTV" style editing then an actual story (I wont bring up the product placement), and really bad dialog where four different characters restate a fact the audiance already knows.

But last night they did something that really upset everyone in my household. To the point that I had to go to the CBS website and post a complaint.

Obviously, since it was a rerun, thought they needed to some way to make people actually watch the shw again, so they came up with little factoids about each of the actors (regular and guests), think the old Pop Up Videos concept. But that wasn't enough, each of these factoids came on with a bullet. Literally, a loud BANG would cover any dialog that was important right then and and a graphic would cover a large portion of the bottom of the screen.  

Okay, it's a stunt, and might have been okay if done once or twice, or maybe even once an act, but it happened at least twice in every important scene. It was so distracting you couldn't follow the story.

As a writer I can't help but think of how all the people who created the show feels about it, from actors, to directors, writers and more. How all their hard work, no matter how good it was is being corrupted after the fact by a really stupid gimmick.

I doubt I was the only one to complain.

Was a problem

This post was a mistake, and now I need find ways of deleting it.

I was able to get the 18th page of the current story of Flying Glory and the Hounds of Glory a day ahead.  Maybe next week I'll be able to do the same.

I am currently searching for employment, both in the animation industry and outside of it, but not having much luck anyway.

In the meantime I'm still working on a web comic book with Shannon Muir, and you can check out th latest page at www.flying-glory.com

I wish there was a lot more to post. Some great message to send out, but there's not.

For a writer the hardest thng to do seems to be to write.  I had hoped to write something related to the "Why we Write" essays done for the Writer's Guild strike support.  But after starting it three times i end up so off topic that it wasn't worth it.  In the end I will have something to say about it all, but not now.

Right now my main focus is looking for employment. A "day job" to have while I keep writing.  Not having much luck there either.

On the side, along the struggling with an animation saple script, I am working on a non-fiction book that may hopefully work as a Bible study guide.  I'll let you know how that goes.

That seemed to work. I'm pleased.

Should have a real blog up by the middle of this week.

The only problem  I have with the Mac Widget to blog here is that I can't include the Label Tags for the post through the Widget.  So I have to go back later and add them directly as I am now. 

Hi everyone, this is basically a test to see if a Widget on my Mac Dashboard will allow me to blog.

If anyone is reading this, please let me know. I'd like to know if there's anyone out there. :)

Hoping to get to more blogging soon.