geoff shotz

i'll bring the lisigav and we can fight over who's the prettiest! no cameras and no zoolander moves allowed! geoff p.s. when are we all gonna go drink? someone work this out, please!

be careful jess! bj, brad, and ron are the three best looking girls in that place! geoff p.s. don't forget to call me with a meeting time!

thanks guy and gal! i'm calling them now! geoff

happy holidays to all! just wondering if anyone out there has a high hat or two that they'd like to get rid of? i don't need them mounted, i just need the high hat itself. let me know. thanks! geoff 310/ 880 2233-cell

damn, i'm missing everyones b-day this week! a bit tardy, but happy birthday mi amigo! geoff

i'm in with the belated crowd! happy birthday! seems like you have enough beer for the year already! may it be a good one! geoff

jeez, jim! another one? you gotta be in your 30's by now with all the birthdays i've seen you have! ha! thanks for all your kindness, workmanship and gracious help over the years! and may this year be the one where the navy decides they need 500 bartechs at $21,720 apiece! (i don't know where that came from!) happy birthday! geoff

the canatrans has been sold. geoff

canatrans ntsc transmitter for sale. the unit is in excellent condition and has all the latest software. i just had lentequip check it out, inside and out, to make sure everything is topnotch. included are the mounting bracket, 1x pro sled cable, 1x bnc, and comes with the original instruction book all packaged in the original pelican case. new the unit is $4200 plus a cable. i'm asking $3600. give me a call at: 310/ 880 2233 or email me. thanks. geoff

eric- a few months back i went to do a few days on a pilot for a dp of mine. the deal and rental was fine and the producer was a guy i liked in the past, but they had a production company name and never let on that it was an nbc show. after the job, i turn in my invoice as usual only to have accounting call me and tell me box rental only, no invoices! fine, fax me a box rental form and i'll fill it out, i say. well, you've shown what the box rental form says! i was appalled and angry and vocal with them. i pointed out the idiocy of the wording and the form in general. their response was, 'it's really to protect us from the bad operators. the one's who are trying to take advantage of us and rip us off! we've had problems in the past and this is just to protect nbc. but, we know you and we trust you. don't worry, we'll always cover your gear.' i asked them what happens if their boss in corporate decides he doesn't want to cover my gear? if there's a problem, then what? i pointed out that by signing the box rental i give up all claims if they decide not to pay. i ask if they are aware of my options then? silence. they just kept saying trust us! i kept saying if you trusted me, i might trust you! eventually, after a couple of weeks of this, i had to submit the box rental to get paid. but under advisement from a lawyer friend, i wrote in large print across the the form, 'sign and submitted under duress. terms not agreed.' best i could do. since then, i have turned down a full show simply because they said it was box rental only and will continue to do so until that behavior changes on nbc's part. let us know how it goes. i'm curious how we're gonna get a precedent set here. hopefully, you'll be the one! good luck! geoff

may this year bring you all the health, happiness and prosperity that life has to offer! and of course, no really heavy cameras! happy birthday! geoff

mike- i too was wrong about the size of my incoming system. it's a 3.8kwh system. we are reasonably conservative with our power consumption and it is l.a. afterall! the weather is really mild in general, so that system will cover 105% of our current needs and 85-90% of our needs with an electric car in the future. all for $3 more per month than i am currently paying (on average). i recommend anyone that is interested call the number i left. if i had purchased, our system would have been $17,000 after rebates and credits and now, it's nothing. hoping for a greener future for us all! geoff

we are a funny bunch of green warriors, aren't we! it seems our profession does really lean towards the green! the stories of dave and joe are the ones that provoked me to go all the way to canada for my diesel/grease landcruiser. 20 mpg on soy oil in a 6000lbs 4wd truck. not perfect, but all my gear fits. and like mike, all the easy stuff for the house, on demand water heater, double paned windows, insulation are done. on set, i carry a reusable bottle and occasionally plasticware. but, the one thing that has eluded me was the solar! and in california, that's sad! so here's the skinny on that for all you l.a. guys! as dave mentioned, you can now lease a solar system. solar city is the largest solar installer in this part of the country and they have a new 15 year lease program that should make it easy for anyone with decent credit to have solar. they install, maintain, repair and monitor the system for 15 years at basically no additional cost over your old power bill. they even cover roof damage around the installation. i'm installing a 2.5kwh system that will supply 105% of my current power needs and approximately 90% of my needs when i get a plug in electric car. the lease cost is within $5 a month of my current electric bill (which i no longer will have). and as prices rise, i will actually start saving money every month. i know the technology will have improved by the time my lease is up, but i can cover my needs immediately and upgrade later, all with no investment needed. i recommend you all give them a call. here's the guy to talk to: jeff palmer 310/ 895 6595 jpalmer@solarcity.com tell him i referred you. he's really straight forward and will evaluate what you need, if your location is suitable, and if a solar set up is cost effective for you. and for the non-l.a. ops, give him a call anyways and he'll point you in the direction of your local solar companies and help you with info. lastly, cheers to dave for all the commitment and awareness he's brought to all this! geoff p.s. call soon if you're serious as there is a really good price set up going on for a short time through the state. it's a limited time deal and the rates will go up soon.

charles- yeah, what eric said! geoff

also handy for all those goth concerts that larry goes to!

a big congrats to will arnot and his lovely wife starrs on the birth of their baby boy! griffin shackleton arnot was born on sept. 23 at a healthy weight and, dare i say, short size considering will's lanky nature! to you both, mazel tov! geoff

i second doc, 'mazeltov'! and remember, once the euphoria wears off and the reality sets in, it only gets better every day! in 6 months, we'll see if you even remember anything that happened before bella was born! beautiful child! congrats! geoff

i don't necessarily agree with mike's assessment of needing an agent or them always helping, but i do think we all absolutely need to hold our ground on both rates and rentals. learning to negotiate has become almost as big a skill as flying the rig. the only way to learn that is to do it! don't be afraid to call a producers bluff once in a while. i remember how hard it was to turn anything down when i was starting out! it hurt both the pocketbook and the ego, but it has really paid off in the long run. once i personally set my value and stuck to those numbers, my career actually got better. it's hard to believe in the beginning, but producers and upm's actually respect you for holding your ground if you are cool and personable about doing it. also, stay in touch with one another and keep a mental note of the rates your friends are getting on which show and, particularly, which networks! that is always the ace in the sleeve- knowing what other guys and gals are getting on shows for the same network! the producers will say, "this is what --- pays!" now, if you know so and so is doing another show for that network, don't be afraid to mention that you think the going rate is higher and to be sure, you'll check with the operator on that show. if precedent has been set, they'll at least equal that. i actually used that tactic just yesterday and it ended the negotiation instantly. they just agreed because they knew i knew what precedent was. i still get burned here and there, mostly by things i neglect to work out in advance, but i am managing to keep the tv rates and rentals on the high side. this is accomplished not only with a resume and a reel they like, but with negotiating that they respect and answer too. i was once the new guy and i understand the desire to be working, but i never lowballed or undercut anyone (knowingly!) because i understood how quickly that was gonna come around and burn me. lastly, i will offer this to anyone in need, please don't hesitate to call me for advice. i'll gladly try to help you see all the points that may or may not be obvious to you. hell, maybe you can point out a few to me too! good luck to all of us! geoff

all the batteries have been sold.

i have switched chemistries and have these batteries sitting around for the last few months. there is some life left in most of them, but they really should be recelled. i need them off my shelves! come get 'em! 9x proformers 4x trimpacs (non digital) $75 a piece or make me an offer for all of them. thanks, geoff 310/ 880 2233

tammy- i tend to keep reciting one mantra on those films- "no one's gonna see this!" you don't do those films to be rewarded in any other way than a paycheck and experience! i feel like if someone was dumb enough to front the money to make that crap, well, i oughta just be smart enough to collect some of it and work on my skills at the same time. make it a selfish gesture and work, work, work (if you can stomach it) and you never know who you might meet along the way. more power to you though for saying no! geoff

hey all- i just stumbled on this while cruising around craigslist. i have no idea who it is or where it comes from, but someone may get lucky. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/pho/704359325.html geoff

for sale are 4x hytron 100 digital batteries. all are around 250 charges and holding at about 70%. i'm asking $100 apiece for them or take all 4 for $320! easy to recell and even then, cheaper than new. give me a call: 310/ 880 2233 thanks, geoff

on this very topic, has anyone actually used an online law service or document service that does simple wills? i have heard that you can very easily do so, i just would prefer a recommended service. like joshua, it's well understood that my wife gets all the cars and houses, okay, car and house, and the life insurance is in her name, but what happens with the assets could get a little weird with a father like mine. any references? as for the you-know-what, i leave my stash free for the taking at my wake! you guys are responsible for the tequila though! geoff

kris- a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do! sometimes that involves lisigav, sometimes it doesn't! as for jason, the work really depends on your existing market and your marketing skills. there are a lot of right time, right place guys and there are a lot of 'my best friend is the producer' guys. then there are the majority of us who just worked hard at it. good luck and welcome to the club. don't forget to keep the lisigav in the kit! geoff