Enjoying Summer 2011, hope you are doing the same. The Prankster is out there doing its thing. We expect the airings on Showtime and Starz next year to bring the movie to full public awareness. And our foreign sales agent has brought it to the attention of the rest of the world. Bottom line, looks like 2012 will be the year of The Prankster, so please postpone the apocalypse!

Actually we foresee 2012 as a pivotal year in human transformation, from illusion to awareness. There may be some challenges on the physical level, but we will be brining in a lot of spiritual energy and consciousness to aid the transfomation. Speaking of which, Prankster Entertainment is preparing a wealth of content – screenplays for entertaining and insightful movies – to be a part of that movement. Our latest is called The Infiltrator, about domestic spying in the US in the 60s. This was an amazing time that has never, to my mind, been well depicted on film. Also, we have Baja, 45 Minutes to Nowhere, Largo, The Outsider (aka Outside Man), and Region of the Heart, ready to go. You can check out the logs at www.pranksterentertainment.com/prankster-mission.php .

All the best, T

We just signed a foreign sales agreement with Arsenal Pictures, who is taking The Prankster to the Cannes Film Market on May 11-22.  They will sell the movie to territories all over the world.  This is wonderful news, and an important step in getting the movie out.  As a small indy film without major promotion, The Prankster’s journey has had many twists and turns.  But now it’s clear the movie has a life of its own.  As Shakespeare said, and I’m paraphrasing, “there’s a higher power that shapes our ends, rough hew them as we may.”  Willie was a wise and funny guy, kinda like The Prankster.

More news soon!

Greetings friends! Good news – deals have been finalized with Showtime and Starz/Encore to air The Prankster on those networks beginning in 2012. This is great because it will give the movie the wide exposure it deserves.

In the meantime, Prankster Entertainment is busy with other deals and setting up new projects. More news soon!

Aloha

The Prankster is being offerred as a VOD title through Lion’s Gate VOD. Still waiting to hear in what regions it will be available. Also, a deal with a major cable network is being worked out. Suffice to say, The Prankster is entering the marketplace through various routes and will be with us for many years to come. Enjoy!

As for me, I have turned my full attention to launching some of my other projects such as Baja and 45 Minutes to Nowhere. Will keep you posted on the progress of these two, and others!   Tony

Hi, it’s been awhile. The Prankster has now been in release for a little over two months and it is being well received by the audience. Check out this review on Itunes:

“Amazing Movie!!! A must watch for all teens
I watched this movie because Devon Werkheiser and when I watched the movie I was just like ITS SUCH A CUTE MOVIE! I absolutely love it and have definitely watched it more than once. All the actors were great and this movie is going to be a 21st century teen classic. This movie is gender neutral its not too girly nor boyish it’s just right.”

The intended demographic seems to really like the movie. Now we just need to build awareness and that will take time. If you have seen The Prankster, please spread the word.

Meanwhile, I am working on setting up new projects. One of them is Baja, which is a road movie set in Mexico involving four 22 year old characters. It’s a step up from The Prankster in terms of edginess and has some more, well, “adult” themes. Hoo-ah!  But it’s still really fun and sweet, with a Latin flavor.  More soon, amigos!

The Prankster is up 551% in popularity on IMDB. People are seeing the movie and spreading the word. This is so cool!

We depend on grass roots support and word of mouth. Check out the movie and see for yourself what people are talking about. If you like it, and chances are you will, a lot, then help spread the word. We are an independent non-Hollywood film, doing an end around the industry system. Make it happen with us, people.

Gracias, Merci, Thank You, Obrigado, Gracie

In the Prankster, there is a scene in English class where T.S. Eliot is quoted.  Pardon me for paraphrasing, but it goes something like this: “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring shall be, to return to the place where we started, and know it for the first time.”  I love that quote.  In a nutshell it reflects the story of The Prankster, inside and out.  Inside the movie, Chris Karas begins to learn who he is.  On the outside, I literally returned to the place I started, namely San Rafael High School.  We shot the film there.  And now, just days before the film’s release, I just attended a class reunion in which I reconnected with many people who once formed my universe.  It was amazing and wonderful to see how everyone has evolved.  I realized that the person I thought I was back in high school, and who I thought they were, was a complete illusion.  Over the years my life’s journey has led me back to a simple place of acceptance and love, of myself and others.  My best to you all.

Goodness, where does time go – my last blog is already over 3 weeks old. Well, here’s the news. We had a screening at the beautiful Lark last night and had a good turnout, maybe 80 people, mostly adults. Lots of positive feedback, and great to see the movie on the big screen one more time.

Prankster hits the streets on Sept 28, so all of you who have ordered the DVD from Amazon (they just dropped the price by 10%, bargain hunters) will get it soon after.  We still need more Saves on Netflix for them to purchase the title, so all  of you so inclined, queue it up and tell your friends.  Itunes will be carrying us too, and Lionsgate VOD will be marketing The Prankster to all the cable operators throughout the U.S. and A.!

It really now feels like the finish line has been crossed.  Nothing else to do except to let things unfold.  In the meantime, I am turning my full attention to my next two projects – Baja, a road comedy, and 45 Minutes to Nowhere, my Hollywood novel which will make a great movie.  Looking foward to bringing these new babies into the world. 

August 20 is a big day in my world. It was the day my daughter, Celina, was born in 1998. And, synchronistically enough, advance copies of The Prankster are due to arrive, well, today – August 20.

Suffice it to say that my daughter’s birthday is the most important thing happening today, at least in our family. That said, The Prankster is my baby as well, and has been a long time coming. I wrote the first version of The Prankster in 1994. It was set in 1970 and was a lot closer to my own experince in high school in those antediluvean times.

Over the years The Prankster has evolved. Different drafts for different times. Finally, by the time we went into production, the script had grown into maturity. Now, 16 years after conception, it arrives on my doorstep as a DVD, ready to go out into the world.  Go Prankster, Go!  I wish you a lot of success.  And yes, of course I want you to make gobs of money, but what goes with that is the hope that you will touch hearts and inspire spirits. That’s what we’re really here for, whether we’re a movie or a human being.

So, Celina and The Prankster – Happy Birthday Baby!!!!!!!!!!

All things on the path – the path of filmmaking and the path of life – are merely steps.  Our job is take each step with quality and care.  And to enjoy the journey.  As Suzuki Roshi said in Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, it’s as if we’re on a train traversing a  railway track ten thousand miles long.  Our job is to stay present while riding the track, the various sights of our life flashing in and out, forever….