Nina Hartley

Nina Hartley

How did a San Diego video production crew meet the magical Nina Hartley? Back in the mid-1980’s, we used to travel to Las Vegas to attend the VSDA (Video Software Dealer Association) shows, to pedal our wares.  We had produced a handful of special-interest videos including some that were the first of their genre.  

Cold Calling

Cold Calling

how can you use cold calling as a way to improve your future? Cold calling is quite an art. It’s a technique that not many marketers today make use of the way we did just a couple of decades ago. Cold calling is when a salesperson uses the telephone to call people to solicit their business. There’s an “old-world” aura to cold calling as it conjures memories of IBM Selectric typewriters, white-out liquid and Rolodex cards. But it can still be a very effective tool today for intrepid marketers.

Lessons in Photography

Lessons in Photography

I am no Henri Cartier Bresson or Annie Liebowitz; however, photography has been intrinsic in my life since I was a wee child. And I still have my original camera, the Brownie Hawkeye, sitting on a shelf in my office. I use photographs to accompany articles and press releases that I write about video production here in San Diego. I’ve had good success in getting many pieces published over the last couple of decades.

The Punisher

The Punisher

in 2004, just after “The Punisher” hit the theaters, Automat Pictures hired the Crystal Pyramid Productions crew to videotape interviews of comic book artist, Tim Bradstreet, who draws “The Punisher,” and Thomas Jane, who starred in the 2004 movie “The Punisher” as Frank Castle. Lions Gate wanted to create a Special Feature for the movie DVD called “Drawing Blood – An Interview with the Cover Artist.”

The Renaissance of Poetry

The Renaissance of Poetry

A teacher’s encouragement can light the candle that guides their student for a lifetime. My passion for poetry steered me towards college where I signed up for a poetry course with Carolyn Forché. The 24-year-old Carolyn, a brilliant poet, was about to achieve poetic fame by winning the Yale Younger Poets award with her book called “Gathering the Tribes” in 1975.