Nicolas Cage to Reunite With John Woo for ‘Gambino’ Mafia Boss Biopic

Nicolas Cage (“Longlegs,” “Pig”) is set to star in upcoming crime epic “Gambino” from director John Woo (“The Killer,” “Silent Night”), reuniting the pair almost 30 years since cult action hit “Face/Off.”

Woo will direct from a script written by “Bad Boys” scribe George Gallo and Oscar-winning “Green Book” writer/producer Nick Vallelonga, with the package launching at the AFM with WME Independent handling sales.

The title follows Cage’s Carlo Gambino, a butcher’s son from Sicily, who ruled New York’s underworld with quiet authority. But when his death sends shockwaves through the city, Pulitzer-winning journalist Jimmy Breslin follows the trail he left behind to uncover the man beneath the legend. As the synopsis reads: “Through the voices of those who loved him and those who feared him, Breslin peels back the composure that masked Gambino’s ruthlessness, revealing how this outsider rose to redefine power, loyalty, and the American dream.”

Cassian Elwes (“Dead Man’s Wire”), Edward Zeng (“Following Harry”) of NextG Films, Robert Daly Jr., and David Lipper of Latigo Films (“Not Without Hope,” “The Neglected”) will produce, with NextG Films financing. Cage, Gallo, and Vallelonga will also produce along with Ken Atchity, who developed the novel with James Pierre, published it through his Story Merchant Books, and initiated the project.

“At NextG Film, our vision is to unite the finest creative talents of Hollywood with the bold entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley,” said Edward Zeng of NextG Film. “Together, we aim to deliver an epic cinematic experience that brings audiences back to the theater again and again—an experience that not only entertains, but inspires people to reflect on the world we live in today. Humanity stands at a crossroads. Through powerful storytelling and innovative artistry, we hope to remind everyone that the future is ours to shape, and it is our shared responsibility to make it better.”

News of “Gambino” will likely reignite excitement that Cage and Woo may soon embark on a sequel to “Face/Off,” the hit 1997 action thriller that pitted Cage’s terrorist-for-hire against John Travolta’s FBI agent. Paramount revealed in 1999 that it had plans to remake the movie with a new cast, but in 2021 it was reported that Adam Wingard would direct a film that would instead be a sequel to the first.

via Variety 

Dr. Bazan New Book: Brain Aging and Resilience

In his new book Dr. Bazan explores the Adaptability of the Human Brain in the Face of Aging and Adverse Conditions.

PURCHASE

Brain Aging and Resilience explores how amazingly adaptable our brains can be—even as we grow older or face difficult conditions. Drawing on decades of research, personal stories, and historical insights, Dr. Nicolas Bazan challenges common myths about aging. He shows that our neural networks can keep changing and supporting a rich, meaningful life well into old age.

The book traces how scientific understanding of the brain has evolved—from early beliefs about inevitable decline to modern discoveries about plasticity and regeneration. Dr. Bazan breaks down key topics like oxidative stress, neurogenesis, lifestyle factors that influence cognitive health, and new therapies that could boost brain resilience. He also offers practical, science-based tips readers can use to strengthen their own cognitive well-being.

Experts around the world praise the book. Nobel laureates describe it as a unique, enlightening, and inspiring guide to healthy aging—highlighting Dr. Bazan’s rare combination of scientific expertise, personal storytelling, and deep humanity.

The cover features a remarkable MRI scan of a 103-year-old man who maintained normal cognition. Despite age-related brain atrophy, his anterior cingulate cortex—an area linked to emotion, decision-making, and social behavior—remained strikingly well preserved. This real-world example underscores the book’s central message: the aging brain can be far more resilient than we once believed.

Check out this interview with Dr. Bazan about his research for this book: https://www.fox8live.com/video/2025/11/03/dr-bazan-new-book-brain-aging-resilience/

John Woo & Nicolas Cage Teaming Up Thirty Years After ‘Face/Off’ For New York Crime Boss Pic ‘Gambino’

 

John Woo and Nicolas CageGetty Images

“It’s like looking in a mirror, only” … 30 years later. Almost three decades after they graced screens with wild action pic Face/Off, movie legends John Woo and Nicolas Cage are teaming up again on crime biopic Gambino about notorious New York crime kingpin Carlo Gambino.

George Gallo (Bad Boys franchise) and Oscar winner Nick Vallelonga (Green Book) have scripted the project, which WME Independent is launching for sales at this week’s American Film Market.

The movie will follow Oscar winner Cage’s Carlo Gambino, a butcher’s son from Sicily, who rules New York’s underworld with quiet authority. But when his death sends shockwaves through the city, Pulitzer-winning journalist Jimmy Breslin follows the trail he left behind to uncover the man beneath the legend. Through the voices of those who loved him and those who feared him, Breslin peels back the composure that masked Gambino’s ruthlessness, revealing how this outsider rose to redefine power, loyalty and the American dream.

Gambino was one of the most notorious figures in organized crime in America last century. The Sicilian boss was leader and namesake of the Gambino crime family of New York, playing a powerful role in mob matters for more than 50 years until his death in 1976.

Gambino was revealed a few years ago but has been totally retooled with director Woo, star Cage, seller WME and new producers and financiers.

Mudbound and The Butler producer Cassian Elwes now is producing with Edward Zeng (Following Harry) of NextG Films, Robert Daly Jr and David Lipper of Latigo Films (Not Without Hope). NextG Films is financing. Cage, Gallo and Vallelonga also will produce. John Burnham is an executive producer along with Ken Atchity, who developed the novel with James Pierre, published it through his Story Merchant Books, and initiated the project.

Industry vet Elwes and Chinese tech entrepreneur and NextG founder Edward Zeng last year launched a $100M fund to invest in movies.

“At NextG Film, our vision is to unite the finest creative talents of Hollywood with the bold entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley,” Zeng said. “Together, we aim to deliver an epic cinematic experience that brings audiences back to the theater again and again — an experience that not only entertains, but inspires people to reflect on the world we live in today. Humanity stands at a crossroads. Through powerful storytelling and innovative artistry, we hope to remind everyone that the future is ours to shape, and it is our shared responsibility to make it better.”

Face/Off wasn’t the last time Woo and Cage teamed up. They in fact worked together in 2002 on WWII pic Windtalkers. So it’s 23 years since their last rodeo.

Action supremo Woo, master of the “bullet ballet,” is known for such iconic movies as The Killer and Hard Boiled as well as Hollywood pics Hard Target, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible II. He most recently remade The Killer for Peacock with Omar Sy, Sam Worthington and Nathalie Emmanuel.

Leaving Las Vegas Oscar winner Cage made waves last year with horror Longlegs and has Spider-Noir, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and John Madden biopic Madden in production. He’s also aiming to film the Lords of War sequel soon.

In a fun twist, Cage’s Face/Off co-star John Travolta previously played another Gambino boss, John Gotti, in a 2018 biopic.

Cage is represented by WME, Stride Management and Patrick Knapp at GGSSC. John Woo is represented by IAG, Burnham at Atlas Artists and Tom Hansen and Stuart Bookman at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

via Deadline 

How To Be Productive: Understanding Time, Work and Creativity by Dr. Ken Atchity

Film Courage: One of your many books Ken is WRITE TIME? And in the forward you say that the world can be divided into two people, productive people and non-productive people. And you say that productive people have a love affair with time. I’ve love to know what makes someone on the right side of time and what make someone where time is their enemy?

Dr. Ken Atchity, Author/Producer: Well that’s a very good question put in a very intelligent way that makes it hard to get a handle on it because time is…time doesn’t really exist. Time is a human construct, we created time. Squirrels and chipmunks don’t have much idea of time. They know that the sun rises and the sun goes down and they know that it rains but they don’t think the way that we do and they don’t keep track of their birthdays for example, only humans do that. And it’s unfortunate because you’re only as old as you think you are. And that’s the way a squirrel looks at it and nobody is arguing with the squirrel about it but humans know better.

Some people look at time as the enemy and some people look at it as a friend. There is an old Spanish saying that is “There is more time than life,” which I always thought was a wonderful way of looking at it because that is what a productive person would say “there is more time than life.” And another Spanish or Italian saying says that “Life is short, but wide.” And that’s another way of productively looking at it. Like people say “How can you do as much stuff as you do?” Well that’s because that’s what I do. I don’t do anything else. And I used to give classes on time management and do a lot of studies on it, in fact WRITE TIME is filled with time management theories. And one of the things I noticed about people was they had no idea where their time went. And they go “I don’t know where you find all the time.” And I would say “I don’t know where you lose it.”

I mean we all have the same amount of time and they go “How much time do we have by the way? How much time is in a week?” And 2 out of 10 people can ask the question right off the top of their heads because they’ve never really multiplied 25 by 7 and realized exactly how many hours there are in a week.

Everybody has the same amount of time. So what I would do in a time management class at UCLA or elsewhere is I would say let’s chart your time this week. I just want you to make a chart of what you do with your time and let’s come in and talk about it next week when we come back together. And they would come back in and that was before I asked them how many hours there were in a week I would wait for the third week to ask that question.

And some people would come in with 98-hour weeks and some people would come in with 62-hour weeks and nobody seem to agree in general how many hours there were in a week because the hours they gave me didn’t add up, they didn’t make sense. They’d say “I sleep six hours a day.” But it turned out in the third week of analysis that instead of 6 hours a day they were actually sleeping 10 hours. They just were telling themselves they were sleeping 6 hours a day.

How much time do you spend talking on the telephone? Most people thought they maybe spent 15 minutes a day, when in fact it might be an hour a day. And watching television (of course). Some people said they were only watching an hour a day when they were actually watching three hours a day.

But a productive person knows exactly how long it takes to do something. Like when I write a screenplay or a book, I can tell you how many hours it takes to do it and so I know that I can get it done in a certain amount of time. Agatha Christie apparently wrote as many as 10 books a year. She had to use four or five pen names because she just kept writing. When you think about it writing is a function of how fast you type. Because I always say (in my writing book including that one) if you’re making a rule not to sit down to write if you don’t know what you’re going to write then you’ll never waste any time and you’ll never have writer’s block. So simply don’t sit down until you know what you’re going to write. It’s just a matter of how fast can you type. So it’s better to be walking along the beach thinking about the structure of your story then it is to be wasting a lot of time sitting in front of the computer typing stuff and throwing it away and all that stuff. Just figure it all out in your head. “Well what if I forget it?” Well guess what? If you forget it that’s probably good. You are forgetting forgettable things? You won’t forget it when it starts getting really good. Because then it will do what Faulkner said, it will start haunting you and you won’t be able to forget it and then you’ll just write it down.

William Saroyan was asked once how long it took him to write the Human Comedy because somebody had told the journalist it had took him three days and he said “No, it took me all my life to write it. It just took me a few days to type it out.”…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).

Ike’s Love & Sandwiches Partners with Iron Chef Cat Cora to Launch New ‘Mr Irrelevant’ Sandwich

'Mr. Irrelevant' is made with a promise that every bite counts.

At Ike’s Love & Sandwiches, being picked last just means you’re about to surprise everyone. Iron Chef Cat Cora and Ike himself have come together to turn an NFL punchline into a bold sandwich celebrating the resilience in all of us.

The term “Mr. Irrelevant” traditionally pokes fun at the last pick in the pro football draft, but this sandwich flips the script. “Mr. Irrelevant” isn’t about being overlooked – it’s about the power of showing up. Ike, a self-made success story in the competitive sandwich game, resonates deeply with this term.

                         

“Cat and I both root for the doubted because we were both counted out early in our careers. Everyone has star potential, and this sandwich is a tribute to that,” said Ike Shehadeh, the heart and soul behind Ike’s. “The Mr. Irrelevant is what resilience tastes like!”

Cat Cora added, “Ike and I share a passion for feeding people with love. Mr. Irrelevant is celebration of everyone’s unique contributions. Just like in the kitchen or on the field, every role is crucial, no matter how big or small.”

“Mr. Irrelevant” is made with a promise that every bite counts. Packed with layers of savory ham, an underdog meat in the sandwich game, crispy bacon, Ike’s mouthwatering Godfather sauce, sweet honey mustard, melty American cheese, and a crunch of chips—all hugged by Ike’s signature Dutch Crunch bread slathered in Dirty Sauce—this sandwich is a flavor fest destined to steal the spotlight.

Dive into the bold world of “Mr. Irrelevant” at all Ike’s locations. Experience the unique blend of flavors that champions the spirit of the underestimated. Make your first pick online at ikessandwiches.com and root for those told it couldn’t be done by following @ikessandwiches.

via QSR Magazine

Mr. Irrelevant™ Launches Global Brand Celebrating Resilience and Turning Doubt Into Triumph

 

New York, NY – Mr. Irrelevant™ once was just a label for the last name called on draft day, but now it represents a broader movement redefining what it means to be overlooked. Mr Irrelevant™ proudly announces its official launch as a global storytelling and lifestyle platform dedicated to those who have been doubted or underestimated. More than just a sports term, Mr. Irrelevant™ represents the universal journey of turning adversity into achievement.

Whether on the field, in business, or in daily life, everyone faces moments where they’re told they aren’t good enough. Mr. Irrelevant™ champions these stories—celebrating athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists, military, and everyday heroes rising above challenges to prove that relevance isn’t given, it’s earned.

“Our ambition is to take an expression that historically meant ‘last’ or ‘least’ and redefine it as a badge of honor,” said David Rubenstein, co-founder of Mr. Irrelevant Enterprises, LLC. “Mr. Irrelevant™ speaks to anyone who has been counted out but came back stronger. It’s about resilience, empowerment, and finding inspiration in everyone’s journey.”

A Multi-Faceted Movement

Mr. Irrelevant™ is building a 360-degree platform that includes:

• Original Entertainment: A flagship podcast hosted by acclaimed broadcaster Josh Lewin; films, documentaries, and streaming content
• Lifestyle Products: Apparel, footwear, accessories, and collectible merchandise
• designed to inspire fans and embody the brand’s message of perseverance
• Licensed Goods: Through partnerships led by Stuart Pollock of Bridge Licensing, the brand is expanding into:
• Print and publishing, including books and magazines, starting with 50 Irrelevants Who Rocked the World (2025), an Amazon #1 New Release
• Food and beverage products
• Home goods, jewelry, and clothing
• Digital collectibles and gaming
• Toys, sporting goods, trading cards and memorabilia
• Co-branded collaborations with major sports and lifestyle brands

“Mr. Irrelevant™ resonates across multiple industries,” said Stuart Pollock, Chief Strategic Partnership Officer of Bridge Licensing, representing the brand. “By offering products that consumers can connect with emotionally—from clothing lines to food and fitness—we are creating a lifestyle brand that empowers and motivates people worldwide.”

From Afterthought to Global Inspiration
Mr. Irrelevant’s first major film project is in development, inspired by the journey of a college quarterback picked last in the football draft who beats the odds – and personal adversity — to achieve greatness. The original screenplay was written by Steve Alten, author of The Meg and The Meg 2, a billion-dollar film franchise. Collaboration by Academy Award winner Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, In the Name of the Father) makes “Mr. Irrelevant” the first football movie penned by an Oscar recipient. This cinematic adaptation will serve as a high-profile expression of brand storytelling, supported by podcasts, books, and merchandise that deepen fan engagement.

About Mr. Irrelevant™
Mr. Irrelevant™ is a global storytelling and lifestyle brand dedicated to celebrating resilience, perseverance, and overcoming challenges. Through entertainment, licensed products, and community-building initiatives, Mr. Irrelevant™ inspires everyone to rise above doubt and embrace their true potential.

via Licensing International

Inspiration From Ken Atchity

What You've Already Done is a Wonderful Thing!

Film Courage : Being An Artist Is Lonely - Dr. Ken Atchity

CREATIVE MINDS: Psychotherapeutic Approaches and Insights by Dennis Palumbo

Creative individuals navigate the fine line between solitude and loneliness, discovering how isolation can fuel artistic expression or lead to despair.

panitan/AdobeStock

“Art is everywhere, except it has to pass through a creative mind.”

-Louise Nevelson


In the early-1960s, a British film was released called “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.” It was a predictably dreary, angst-ridden story about a rebellious loner trying to find his place in an unforgiving society.

This column might just as well be called “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Artist,” because one of the issues creative patients often struggle with is the sheer loneliness that is required by most artistic endeavors. Whether the patients are just trying to realize some creative dream, or they are successful veterans in their respective fields, they are usually in it for the long haul. In other words, they plan to “go the distance.” Or as one of my creative patients put it, for a true artist, such loneliness, or what feels like self-imposed isolation, is “the cost of doing business.”

Even film and TV directors, orchestra conductors and the like, whose creative efforts involve working with others, spend many hours alone in preparation for those admittedly group-oriented endeavors. Regardless, my interest here is in those creative patients—writers, painters, composers, designers, etc—whose workday is characterized by being alone. Alone with their thoughts, alone with their creative concerns, alone with their doubts and fears and hopes—and, literally, alone in the sense that there is rarely anyone else in the room.

Now for many creative patients, this time alone is a wonderful luxury, a period of grace bestowed on artists that frees them to focus on their work. They are liberated from the noise of the outside world—the emotional demands of others, the burdens of everyday responsibilities, the endless cacophony of worrisome world events. What one person experiences as loneliness, another appreciates for its most profound aspects: it is quiet, usually unhurried, and blissfully unpopulated.

As novelist Saul Bellow once remarked about writing, it can possess “a stillness that characterizes prayer.” For many artists, regardless of their particular field, this is demonstrably true.

But not every artist experiences those long hours alone as either inspiring or profound. For them, there is only the aching emptiness and despair that loneliness can invite, particularly when the creative work is not going well. In such cases, as I have seen in my practice, loneliness can give birth to a set of painfully familiar (usually family of origin-based) meanings. An artist suffering from crippling loneliness is subject to doubts about their talent, questions about the validity of the project they are engaged upon, and vulnerable to the heightened suspicion that they were not cut out to be artists in the first place.

In such instances, the desire to pursue a creative career is, to paraphrase one of my patients, “either a blessing you’ve been cursed with or a curse you’ve been blessed with.” This ambivalence about endeavoring to be an artist lies at the heart of many a creative patient, regardless of level of outward success.

I know this from personal experience, having been a Hollywood screenwriter for many years before becoming a psychotherapist. Writing—for both veterans and those just starting—is time-consuming, frequently frustrating, often terror-inspiring, and bad for your posture. Its other prominent features include long hours of typing, frequent intervals of staring at a blank page or screen, and no guarantee whatsoever that anything you produce will be worth the effort. In addition to which, in the words of screenwriter Ben Hecht, “fun is the enemy.”

Which reminds me of a novelist patient of mine, the author of a successful series of thrillers, who once complained: “I can’t go in that room anymore. It’s so damned quiet.” Divorced, his children grown and flown, he worked alone in his office at home.

“I mean, writing these damn things is hard enough.” He shook his head. "Plus, it’s so lonely in there by myself.”

“It can be,” I said. “But let me suggest something. Maybe you’re not in there by yourself. You share that room with the memory of every person you’ve ever encountered—parents, teachers, friends and enemies…”

He frowned. “Listen, my office is eight-by-ten feet. If anybody else is skulking around in there, I sure as hell don’t see ‘em.”

“You know what I mean. Besides, in one sense loneliness can just mean being disconnected. Not just from others, but from your interior self. You carry a whole world of feelings, experiences and fantasies inside you. Maybe if you let them out, and explored them fully, the office wouldn’t feel so lonely.”

He didn’t buy this approach. Nor any of the others I offered. We returned to this issue again and again in therapy. Some days his loneliness overwhelmed him, leaving him lethargic and unmotivated. Yet at other times a patch of solid writing made him so excited, so anxious to get back to “that room” that he actually felt lonely—in essence, disconnected—when he was not writing.

Over my years in practice, I have seen many creative patients wrestle with this issue. Especially when contrasted with its seemingly adjacent (though quite dissimilar) circumstance—the solitude necessary for most artistic efforts. And there is a difference. Loneliness is usually experienced as a loss of connectedness, either with oneself or others; an interior emptiness that can feel both soul-crushing and self-invalidating. As opposed to solitude, which can inspire a felt sense of coming into contact with yourself, taking ownership of your interior world. Which, paradoxically, seems expansive rather than inhibiting.

As a well-known conceptual artist once explained it to me in session, “I only live in the solitude of work, God help me. It’s everywhere else that I feel uneasy, like I’m faking it. Because I am.”

Obviously not a “people person” (her own words), our clinical work lay elsewhere. But there was no question in her mind (nor in mine) of the value of solitude when it came to her art. In fact, many artists have noted the value, if not the necessity, of solitude, both in their work and for personal growth.

For example, Leonardo da Vinci said, “If you are alone, you belong entirely to yourself.”

And according to May Sarton, the distinction was clear: “Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.”

Rilke was even more blunt. “What is necessary, after all, is only this: solitude, vast inner solitude.”

When working with creative patients, particularly those for whom loneliness is a salient, presenting concern, our job as clinicians is to help them reframe the meaning of their experience in terms of solitude. For one thing, it can be empowering to choose solitude in pursuance of your artistic goals, as opposed to seeing loneliness as a condition imposed upon you merely because you are alone. In which case, loneliness thus feels like a punishment for the mistake of attempting to be an artist; in contrast, choosing solitude can support the experience of feeling proactive and self-affirming.

Moreover, as I have written about elsewhere, I believe it is crucial for any creative person to have a positive, engaged relationship with their process. If you can help patients see that the choice of solitude supports the requirements of that process, is in fact a necessary aspect of it, its benefits become self-evident.

As Henri Poincare said, “to invent is to choose.” So, I feel it is vital that the creative patient embrace the solitude of artistic endeavor as a choice. Conceptualized this way, solitude then is not mere isolation. It is a return to the self, a reacquaintance with the patient’s inner world, including both its turmoil and its riches. The darkness and light from which creativity is birthed. Admittedly, such a commitment to solitude can risk an occasional slide into loneliness, a disquieting sense of isolation. That “cost of doing business” that my patient above mentioned. A price every artist pays at some time or another.

Which brings to mind a somewhat snarky quote attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre: “If you’re lonely when you’re alone, you’re in bad company.”

But that is a topic for another column.

Mr Palumbo is a licensed psychotherapist and author in Los Angeles. His email address for correspondence is dpalumbo181@aol.com.

via psychiatrictimes.com

Jeffrey Gitomer's “Little Black Book of Connections” On Bob Litell's Netweaving Concept

Bob Littell, CEO of Littell Consulting Services, Chief Netweaver and author of The Heart and Art of Netweaving talks about the concept of Netweaving to help you build relationship capital with others. Netweaving is a unique form of networking that is ideal for women as it allows them to be a connector of others, for the benefit of others, knowing that eventually there will be payback in return for them.

 

As an impressionable youth, I watched my dad bring people together that

he thought could "do business together."

"What do you make, Pop?" I asked.
"Nothing and everything, son. They don't pay me, but I will often be
rewarded by them or others in many ways."

"I don't get it, Pop."

"If you give to others without measuring, you get repaid without ever
asking for it." He stated as though it were a law of the universe.

"Oh," I said without really understanding.

"You'll get it later, son." He promised.

My dad repeated his philosophy for years. Helping others at every turn,
and bringing people together.

By osmosis, I have done the same thing. Never really thought about the
right or wrong of it. Never even questioned the validity of it.

Then I came to find that someone had named the process: NetWeaving.
Bob Littell from Atlanta has even written a book about it. Cool.

Bob invited me to be the guest of honor at two NetWeaving events. One
sort of public one held after one of my seminars. And a more private,
smaller event held the next evening at a more upscale location.
At the first event, about 150 people were putting a spin on the traditional
"networking"process. "What can I do for you," rather than, "what can you
do for me." Great concept.

And it worked. After a brief lesson and introduction to the concept of Net
Weaving, people were engrossed so deeply that no one wanted to leave.

The second, smaller event was held at the fabulous SPA Sydell. An
incredible day spa in mid-town Atlanta that puts a new meaning to the
word pamper. It's scientific combined with SPA.

About 50 people of some influence and character (I guess that includes
me) came together to see what they could do for one another.

The results were fantastic.

Wanna NetWeave? Start with your BEST. Your best friends, your best
contacts, your best influencers, and even your best prospects. Throw a
party. Doesn't have to be big. More like a social gathering with a message
and a mission: help others first.

The good new is that people who think it's a crazi idea won't show. The
better news is that everyone who does show will be eager to participate.
The best news is that you will have business and opportunities being thrown
at you left and right.

Like anything else, you have to practice the process outside the event in
order to master it. Bob Littell is the current master. He's an insurance guy
who doesn't sell insurance. He creates opportunities for other people to
succeed, and then people buy from Bob.

Proof? I've seen it personally. And in two NetWeaving events, I've never
seen so much power in a room. Not necessarily powerful people, rather
people with the power to help others. It's a business sight to see. And
when someone offers their help, you can't help but want to help others.

My philosophy of business has always been "give value first." People
read my article and want more. Been doing that for eleven extremely
successful years. Plan to continue that process for the next twenty-five
years or so, and then I'll quit.

Jeffrey Gitomer's The Little Black Book of Connections is based on the power of give value first. It's about how you can climb the ladder without stepping on people's backs. It's about how to earn the respect of a powerful mentor without begging.

Story Merchant E-Book Deal - Sell Your Story to Hollywood $.99

Through the expanding influence of the Internet and the corporatization of both publishing and entertainment, the process of getting your book to the big screen has gotten more complicated, more eccentric, and more exciting.⁠⁠

 AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

New From Story Merchant Books Welcome Home Warzone by Gregory Asgaard

AVAILABLE ON AMZON 

Fresh from the intense responsibilities of overseeing the mental health and fitness for duty of 5,000 sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Lt. Gregory Asgaard thought he was finally stepping into a quieter life. He had a meaningful job with good hours, the love and support of family, and a new home. And then, in the fall of 2018, Greg plummeted overnight from respected psychologist to pariah after being falsely accused of a terroristic threat, a devastating experience that exacerbated his underlying PTSD and obliterated his ongoing efforts at readjustment from military service.

This is the true account of one veteran's fight to reclaim his life and mental health from the nightmare of wrongful incarceration, which resulted in a traumatic head injury and ultimately led to a landmark legal case, forcing a reckoning with the legal system's treatment of the vulnerable within its custody.

The Power of How Stories Change The World with Ken Atchity

The Write Mindset | Thomas J. Bellezza

With fifty years’ experience in the publishing world and thirty-five years in entertainment, Dr. Ken Atchity is a self-labeled “Story Merchant” author, professor, producer, career coach, teacher, and literary manager, responsible for launching dozens of books and films.

Performentor Shorts: Dr. Ken Atchity on Rejection as an Illusion

Well-known writers throughout history have shared their perspectives on the inevitable rejection that comes with the profession. Their insights often emphasize the importance of persistence, self-belief, and finding a valuable lesson in every "no."

Listen to Dr. Ken Atchity reframe rejection as an illusion we can see past, instead of an unmovable barrier. It matters. Find out why.

via @peopleenergyprinciples

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Revisting: Myth to Movie: Pygmalion By Ken Atchity

The wish-fulfillment archetype —the dream become flesh—finds perennially poignant expression in stories based on the Pygmalion myth.

A Cyprian sculptor-priest-king who had no use for his island’s women, Pygmalion dedicated his energies to his art. From a flawless piece of ivory, he carved a maiden, and found her so beautiful that he robed her and adorned her with jewels, calling her Galatea (“sleeping love”). His became obsessed with the statue, praying to Aphrodite to bring him a wife as perfect as his image. Sparked by his earnestness, the goddess visited Pygmalion’s studio and was so pleasantly surprised to find Galatea almost a mirror of herself she brought the statue to life. When Pygmalion returned home, he prostrated himself at the living Galatea’s feet. The two were wed in Aphrodite’s temple, and lived happily ever after under her protection.

Though it was never absent from western literature, this transformation myth resoundingly entered modern consciousness with Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, which enlisted it to explore the complexity of human relationships in a stratified society. My Fair Lady, based on Shaw’s retelling, took the myth to another level of audience awareness.

The obligatory beats of the Pygmalion myth: the protagonist has a dream inspired by encounter with an unformed object (“Look at her, a prisoner of the gutter!”), uses his skills and/or prayers to shape it into a reality; falls in love with the embodiment of his dream, and lives happily ever after, or not.

Essential to the pattern is that the dreamer-protagonist is rewarded for doing something about his dream, for turning it from dream to reality with or without a dea ex machina. Thanks to the infinite creativity of producers, directors, and writers, Pygmalion has generated countless wonderful movie story variations: Inventor Gepetto, in Pinocchio (1940--with numerous remakes), wishes that the wooden puppet he’s created could become the son he never had; a department store window dresser (Robert Walker), in One Touch of Venus (1948, based on the Ogden Nash/S. J. Perelman musical), kisses a statue of Venus (Ava Gardner) into life— trouble begins when she falls in love with him. In 1983’s thenEducating Rita (from Willy Russell’s play), a young hairdresser (Julie Walters), wishing to improve herself by continuing her education, finds a tutor in jaded professor (Michael Caine), who’s reinvigorated by her. In a reverse of the pattern, as quickly as she changes under his tutelage he resents the “educated” Rita and wants her, selfishly, to stay as she was.

Alvin Johnson (Nick Cannon), in 2003’s Love Don’t Cost a Thing, a remake of Can’t Buy Me Love (1987), comes to the rescue of Paris (Christina Milian) when she wrecks her mother’s Cadillac and can’t pay the $1,500 for the repair. Alvin fronts the cash with his savings and, in return, Paris has to pretend to be his girlfriend for two weeks; Alvin becomes “cool” for the first time in his life, but learns that the price of popularity is higher than he bargained for. In She’s All That (1999), the pattern is reversed as Freddie Prinze, Jr., is a high school hotttie who bets a classmate he can turn nerdy Rachel Leigh Cook into a prom queen but, of course, runs into trouble when he falls in love with his creation. In The Princess Diaries (2001), Mia (Anne Hathaway), a gawky Bay Area teen, learns her father was the prince of Genovia; the queen (Julie Andrews) hopes her granddaughter will take her father’s rightful place as heir, and transforms her from a social misfit into a regal lady but discover their growing love for each other is more important than the throne.

Pretty Woman (1990) is my second favorite example of the tirelessness of the Pygmalion myth. Taking the flower-girl motif of My Fair Lady to the extreme, Vivian (Julia Roberts) is a prostitute (albeit idealized) and Edward (Richard Gere) a ruthless businessman with no time for real love. As he opens his credit cards on a Rodeo Drive shopping spree, we experience a telescoped transformation-by-money accompanied with the upbeat music that reminds us that we love this highly escapist part of the Pygmalion story, the actual process of turning ugly duckling into princess swan.

My favorite example is La Femme Nikita (remade as Point of No Return, 1993, with Bridget Fonda), because it shows the versatility of mythic structure, taking Pygmalion to the darkest place imaginable as it fashions of street druggie Nikita (Anne Parillaud), under Bob’s merciless tutelage (Tcheky Karyo), a chameleon-like lethal sophisticate whose heart of gold allows her to escape both her unformed past and her darkly re-formed present.

So popular is the Pygmalion myth with audiences that it crops up in the most unlikely places. In Pao zhi nu peng you (My Dream Girl, 2003), Shanghai slum-dweller Cheung Ling (Vicki Zhao) is thrust into high society when she encounters her long-lost father, who hires Joe Lam to makeover his daughter to fit her new status. In Million-Dollar Baby (2004), the unformed matter (Hilary Swank) reports for duty and demands to be transformed. Instead of falling in love, the boxing instructor (Clint Eastwood) is reborn, reinvigorated, re-inspired, learns to feel again—thereby revealing the underlying emotion that drives the Pygmalion myth for both protagonist and the character he reshapes: rebirth into a more ideal state of being.

First published in Produced By, the official magazine of the Producers Guild of America

Most Important Lesson Every Screenwriter Should Learn: Don't Wait

 Every project has its own clock!

~ Ken Atchity

In 2015 I, and my dear producing partner Norman Stephens, produced a sweet little Christmas movie called Angels in the Snow for UPnetwork. I had only been trying to get that movie produced for twenty years! I sold it to TNT once and came close to a deal at Hallmark another time. My client Steve Alten’s Meg after twenty-two years, finally premiered in 2018. What was I doing for the last twenty years? Not Waiting!

A Screenwriter's Life in the Waiting Room

How long can I wait?

Screenwriters ask me that all the time, becoming impatient and anxious that their script is taking so long to make it to the screen.

My answer surprises them:

Don’t wait at all.

Waiting is a massive waste of time and can lead to depression and/or existential despair, and who knows what else. Write something while you wait. Plant another seed, cultivate it, and train it to grow straight. And while it’s taking its sweet time to bud and then bloom, do something else. Start a new spec script!

Back in my own “waiting room” in the sixties, I reviewed a great book by Barry Stevens: Don’t Push the River, It Flows by Itself. I translated Stevens’ Zen advice to Hollywood where every project has its own clock and will happen when and only when that clock reaches the appointed hour. Other than keeping that project on track the best you can by responding when asked to or when appropriate, there’s nothing much you can do—other than financing it yourself (a serious option, by the way) to speed up that project’s clock. By the nature of things, the project clock is invisible, which means extra frustration for the creator—unless you refuse to wait.

In 2015 I, and my dear producing partner Norman Stephens, produced a sweet little Christmas movie called Angels in the Snow. I had only been trying to get that movie produced for twenty years! I sold it to TNT once and came close to a deal at Hallmark another time. My client Steve Alten’s Meg after twenty-two years, finally premiered in 2018. What was I doing for the last twenty years? Writing twelve scripts and producing other films for television and cinema, managing hundreds of books, writing and publishing ten of my own, playing tennis, traveling, having a wonderful life. Not waiting.

Waiting makes writers neurotic. If I allowed myself to express my neurosis, as many writers have not yet learned not to do, I would drive those involved in making my or my clients’ stories into films crazy—and risk losing their support or return calls. The question I personally hate hearing the most, “What’s going on?” is one I have to force myself to refrain from asking. Your job, when it’s your turn to move your story forward, is to “get the ball out of your court” as efficiently, as well, and as soon as possible. Then, on that particular project, you have to wait for it to be returned to your court. Very few actual events requiring your help occur along the way, leaving a huge gap of dead time in between them, like super novae separated by vast time years of space. But it’s not dead time if you use it for something else creative.

If the glacial pace of the Hollywood creative business fills you with dread, you’re in the wrong business or you’re dealing with it the wrong way. Don’t wait. Do. As the great photographer Ansel Adams put it: “Start doing more. It’ll get rid of all those moods you’re having.”

Writer/producer/literary manager and former professor Ken Atchity’s most recent book for writers is Sell Your Story to Hollywood: Writer’s Pocket Guide to the Business of Show Business (to accompany his online course realfasthollywooddeal.com. This article is adapted from that book.

Contact Inktip

 

Newtown screenwriter creates her own path to success, markets her own work

Daina Ann Smith, of Newtown, is a screenwriter who got her start right from her kitchen table. Most recently, she had two of her original feature scripts brought into development. Smith also is working as a creative lead at an audio storytelling company. Photographed on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Newtown, Conn.  H John Voorhees III/Hearst Connecticut Media

NEWTOWN — When Daina Ann Smith first sat down at her kitchen table nearly a decade ago to work on screenplays, she said she was in “steep student loan debt.”

And now, the first screenplay she completed, called “Student Loans,” is in development to be made into a full-length feature film with the producers of “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Magic Mike.”

“Student Loans” will hit theaters sometimes in 2026. “It’s been an eight-year-long journey,” said Smith, who works from home as a creative lead at Pocket FM, an audio storytelling company.

In 2018, she began working with “The Meg” producer Kenneth Atchity, who took one of her scripts into development. In 2021, Smith signed a contract for another original feature screenplay.

To get noticed by Hollywood producers, Smith said she looks for those involved in similar types of projects as the one she’s pitching, and emails them her queries.

Over the years, Smith said she has sent out thousands of emails and built an “amazing network.”

Her advice to fellow writers? Don't become obsessed with getting someone to represent your work.

“It’s very hard to get an agent,” Smith said. “You have to have a proven track record of selling work.

“Instead of focusing so much on that, I will continue to write and continue to build relationships," she said. "Don’t think that it can’t be you.”

Read full interview via The Register Citizen

Georgia OKeeffe on Being an Artist

“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant — there is no such thing, making your unknown known is the important thing — and keeping the unknown always beyond you.” 

Georgia O’Keeffe counseled Sherwood Anderson in her 1923 letter of advice on being an artist.

 

Famous Author Mentorships: William Faulkner and Sherwood Anderson

Anderson, an established writer in New Orleans, encouraged Faulkner to focus on novels and write about his native Mississippi region, leading to works like The Sound and the Fury.

 

Faulkner reflects on the most important thing Anderson taught him about being a writer:


"I learned that, to be a writer, one has first got to be what he is, what he was born; that to be an American and a writer, one does not necessarily have to pay lip-service to any conventional American image… You had only to remember what you were."

Decades later, Faulkner would remember Anderson as his sole important mentor in a beautiful 1953 piece originally published in The Atlantic as “Sherwood Anderson: An Appreciation.” 

Produced BY: Mentoring Matters by Kia Kiso

 

Mentoring Matters - Developing A Career: Learning To Identify The Story You Want And Go After It

By Kia Kiso,

I have more than 90 credits as an AC/Loader, Telecine Colorist and VFX Coordinator, but eight years ago I heeded my lifelong calling to produce. Since then I have shepherded award-winning videos, promos for CBS and launched two feature documentaries on Netflix. In 2013 I joined the PGA because I knew of its many benefits, and I wanted to be part of a community of like-minded creatives. Currently I have focused on building my production company to develop fictional content, with an aim at creating compelling and unique stories in order to make the world a better place.  When I applied to the 2016 PGA Mentoring Program, I had just walked away from the option on a book into which I had put a lot of time and resources. I was disappointed and wished I could have saved the project. The experience led me to realize that development was an aspect of producing I was less familiar with. I was looking for expert advice on how to assess opportunities, set up a project for success, handle relationships with authors, lawyers and talent, and run a production company. Thankfully the PGA Mentoring Program paired me with producer Ken Atchity. I was thrilled to be matched with Ken for a lot of reasons, among them his industry experience and teaching background. However I admit, I was especially attracted to his philosophy—“I believe in the power of stories to change the world.” Our first connection was an in-person, 90-minute meeting, in which he gave me feedback on a particular project of mine. Ken had some great advice about pitching—if a project tackles potentially controversial or delicate issues, Ken advised weaving some well-researched statistics or facts into the pitch to send the message that the material wouldn’t suggest a problem for the network and lead to a premature no. He wrapped up the meeting saying I could contact him about the project at any time, even after the mentorship ends. Very generous. Since that first meeting, we’ve had a pivotal phone conversation during which he suggested I was in a great position to go after an option I was very excited about, helping me to design a strategy on how to move forward quickly—starting with enhancing my relationship with the rights owner. He’s been ready to answer any questions by email. Even as recently as this morning, we were in touch to discuss a lunch I was preparing for with a writer who wanted to work with me.   Ken has been wonderful. He celebrates my triumphs and brainstorms solutions to my challenges. I am very grateful for his willingness to participate in the Mentoring Program and to the Producers Guild for providing it