It is a common enough dilemma for Christian authors and filmmakers — to promote or not to promote... themselves, that is. Picture this: An independent filmmaker who has a great story to tell that will change the lives of viewers yet there he is, outside of Hollywood's great golden doors, trying to make his knock heard by the industry's bigwigs. Or a Christian actor who could hold himself up with the entertainment industry's respected artists but has not gotten the opportunity to show his stuff to mainstream moviegoers. The reality is, in this fickle-minded industry, faith-based professionals need to be creative and promote themselves.... and sustain it. However, as Christians, they are still bound to Paul's words of wisdom: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."
Well, cheer up, for there is a way to do it without violating moral integrity. Thanks to the combined gifts of Christian creatives Paula K. Parker, Mike Parker and Torry Martin — altogether offering 55 years of professional experience — Christian actors and filmmakers can now 'strut their stuff' in a way that does not deviate from their faith. Their book, "Shameless Self Promotion and Networking for Christian Creatives," has the answer to the challenges of building many an independent Christian filmmaker's business and career.
"'Shameless Self Promotion and Networking for Christian Creatives' is designed to help equip creative individuals and organizations with the tools for successful self-promotion, without the need to sell your soul for 15 minutes of fame," explains Paula, an accomplished author, playwright and journalist who has written over 1,000 articles for major national print and online publications, such as Christian Single, Living with Teenagers, ParentLife and HomeLife.
Paula's co-authors are themselves highly respected industry professionals. Mike Parker is an award-winning actor, director, novelist, freelance writier, playwright and screenwriter. As an actor, he acted in feature films like "Country Strong" and "Lukewarm" alongside well-known actors John Schneider, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw and Bill Cobbs. The creator and host of the Christian music video program "Nightvision," Mike is also recognized for his screenplay adaptation of Oscar Wilde's "Dorian Gray," which was a finalist in the 2010 Gideon Media Arts Screenplay Competition.
Of course, who doesn't know and love comedian and actor Torry Martin, who is also a writer, speaker, author, storyteller and sought after teacher? Torry is a two-time winner of the Christian Artists Gospel Music Association Grand Prize and is the Grand Prize winner for his Life Lessons commercial for The Learning Channel. He is also the creator of the much-loved "Adventures in Odyssey" radio series for Focus on the Family, Wooton Bassett. He is also the writer for the said series.
"Shameless Self Promotion and Networking for Christian Creatives" is a great idea whose time has come among faith-based filmmakers. In it, readers will be guided by tried and true principles in making introductions and creating that 'killer' press kit. It also discusses the basic rules in publicity and handling interviews, as well as gives tips on branding and tackles the power of networking. This is a handy tool not only for filmmakers but also for those engaged in public relations, publicity and marketing, as well as copy editing and writing.
"Shameless Self Promotion and Networking for Christian Creatives" is published by WordCrafts Press and is available on paperback or through Kindle and other eBook formats. If you'd like to obtain review copies in ebook formats, as well as request to interview any of the authors, contact:
CE Edwards
Senior Publicist
WordCrafts Press & WordCrafts Theatrical Press
pr@wordcrafts.net
For more information, visit www.wordcrafts.net or www.shamelessbook.com.
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