Ten years ago Dreamfinder Productions was incorporated. I was driving up to Manchester to look after my 9-month-old nephew Louis. I stopped at a service station and my accountant called me to tell me that he had chosen my 2nd preference for a name-1st was Dreamcatcher which someone was already using-and Dreamfinder was born.

I set up Dreamfinder to find dreams-mine and other people's- and turn them into reality. I had a passion-and still do-for working with great like minded people in a collaborative way to bring strong stories to the screen finding entertaining ways to tell these stories. In 10 years I have produced/executive produced over 60 short films, one of which won a BAFTA, several broadcast documentaries and 2 feature films SOULBOY and TURBULENCE. I have produced over 100 episodes for BBC's DOCTORS. I have spent 9 of the 10 years really involved in the Producers' Forum which I co-founded with 3 other producers and I have trained and mentored new talent. I have worked as a consultant to a film festival, a private film development initiative and a number of Universities. I have been bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate from Stafforshire University and I have sat on 2 Boards for the late Screen West Midlands and Producers' Forum. I have developed numerous projects many of which have never come to fruition.

I feel truly priveleged to work in something that I love so much and to have met so many wonderful and talented people along the way.

But there has been plenty of heartache and disappointment and several times when I was down to the last few quid in the bank and the rejections! There have been so many rejections and so many times that I just felt like giving up. But each time something amazing would happen or the next job would come in or an extraordinary actor would agree to become attached to a project and each time one of these elements would just be enough to keep me going.

I never thought the company would survive for 3 years never mind 10 and so it is with awe and wonder I reflect on what has been.

During this time I have also met and married my wonderful husband (who still doesn't fully understand what it is I do) and together we have created what I consider to be my best production, Daisy. My cup overfloweth!

I am so very grateful to every single person who has helped and supported me along the way-there has been a lot-I could never have survived in this volatile and turbulent industry without it.

Needless to say I have learned a lot in 10 years and here are the top 5 things that I always come back to:

1.When you get a rejection turn it into a reason to do even more/be even better/defy the odds.
2.You have to be in it for the long haul-it's only been in the last 2 years that I really feel as if things have come together.
3.The film and television industry is all about relationships-build them the best way you know how.
4.Make sure you have a great sense of humour!
5.Find as many ways as you can to make money and then you can make the films as well.

And finally the things that have kept me going other than the amazing people and projects have been moments of inspiration.
Here's a link to a fantastic TED talk about how great leaders inspire because in Simon Sinek's words,
"People don't but what you do they buy why you do it."
http://tinyurl.com/29nuvxh

God bless and goodnight.
Natasha
x

So....it's been a while since I posted here and what prompts me to get it together now is International Women's Day which has, in fact, passed but as I have not yet gone to bed I still count it as today!

This was going to be a long post dedicated to all the amazing women in my life who have suported me so well and who continue to bring me so much joy, wisdom, love and laughter-its still dedicated to them but due to the lateness of the hour it's only going to be very short.

Special mentions for my Mum-AMAZING woman who has tirelessly and selflessly devoted herself to my ever dementing Dad and us 3 kids and now grandkids-she has so much grace, humility, wisdom and above all endless love. She inspires me, nurtures me and constantly reminds me of life's infinite possibility. Also to my beautiful daughter who's snoring away in the room in which I write this and who is the funniest little girl full of sparkle and pure zest for life. And last but by no means least to the fabulous Stirling Gallacher who is working really hard to create a wonderous documentray all about women called THE LADYCHAIN. She is discovering just how tough the world of filmmaking is but she keeps on keeping on and I am so proud to be working with her on it and watching the birth of a great filmmaker. A press release below-support us if you can.

Night all and BIGLOVE to all the gorgeous and wonderful women in my life and to women everywhere.

Natasha
xxx

The LadyChain - Radical Multi-Platform Documentary and Campaign Launches on International Women’s Day

           

Actor and filmmaker Stirling Gallacher and Bafta-award-winning producer Natasha Carlish have collaborated on a ground-breaking film and campaign called The LadyChain, produced by Wopaddy Partnership in Association with Vicarious Dreams.

The LadyChain is a multi-platform project that uses crowd-sourcing, social media and conventional filmmaking to cast and recruit the contributors to a documentary feature film.

Stirling Gallacher has started a chain of women, who by their actions have inspired the lives and actions of others, and so changed the world. Each woman in the chain will nominate the next. In addition to classic documentary filmmaking methods, The LadyChain employs animation and user-generated footage to provide a pace and wit that sets it apart in the feature documentary genre. The film will be inter-cut with other stories and mini chains established through social media and crowd sourcing. Stirling Gallacher also immerses herself in the documentary and her quest to create the chain forms the narrative backbone for the film.

The film will feature ten key women in the chain, and the first five already span three continents and jaw-dropping global stories:

Baroness Rennie Fritchie, pioneer of equal opportunities in the UK. Baroness Fritchie nominated Baroness Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Valerie in turn nominated Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. Radhika then nominated Grace Akallo, a former Ugandan Child Soldier turned activist. Grace has nominated A Comboni Missionary who, while she performed a feat of great bravery and continues to inspire & support the lives of others wishes to remain anonymous.

Stirling Gallacher and Natasha Carlish are seeking financing partners to complete the film.

Funding promo can be viewed at http://www.theladychain.com/The_LadyChain/home.html

Notes to Editors

Stirling Gallacher mazeusla@mac.com

Gallacher is a successful actor in British television drama and theatre. She has held major roles in several long-running drama serials; Holby City, Doctors, Footballers Wives, and Casualty. She has also worked extensively in scripted TV comedies, such as; The Office, Little Britain, and Meet Ricky Gervais. The LadyChain is her first film as director.

Natasha Carlish Natasha@dreamfinder.net

BAFTA award winning film and television producer. Credits include: Golden Montreux Nominated ABBA; Bjorn Again for Channel 5, RTS award-winning The Man Who Wouldn’t Paint Hitler, The Woman With Multiple Personalities for Channel 5. Natasha has produced over 50 short films and 2 features.

So I have already failed in what I set out to do 4 weeks ago which was to post a blog once a week about the proposed distribution of TURBULENCE.

I managed the first 2 weeks ago did not manage last week and let me tell you dear reader why!

Having finally received an investment into the TURBULENCE FILM LTD account I merrily began to write cheques for people and organisations that had provided us with goods and services to enable us to finish the film. As a Producer there are moments when it feels very good to be able to repay people for their faith, talent and hard work and this was one of them. Imagine my shock and horror when I found out that the first 3 cheques had bounced even though we had plenty of money in the account!

Thus begun a nightmare week of trying to understand why we couldn't write cheques from our own account. It seems that even though we had held the account for 6 months and we had cheque books, debit cards and statements it was in fact still "locked"!So whilst Lloyds were happy to have us deposit our money we could not actually do anything with it. We could, they advised us, set up a new account!Of course that was not an option owing to the fact that all the legal paperwork connected to the film and investment cited that account as the account through which all money had to flow.

All in all so far (and account still not unlocked) I have probably spent around 20 hours dealing with it and the fallout it has created. 20 hours when I could have been focusing on the distribution of the film, 20 hours when I could have been blogging, 20 hours when I could have been making our SXSW application, 20 hours when I could have been putting the book proposal together, 20 hours when I could have been approaching Universities and colleges!

I have had to practice the art of Business Zen and steadily, in the manner of a small terrier persist with getting our creditors paid and the bank working for us and not against us. I think we are nearly there-but what a very long and winding road it has continued to be!!

Meanwhile the Hare & Hounds screenings are shaping up really well and you can go to the TURBULENCE site and book tickets: http://www.turbulencefilm.com/
Its going to be amazing to see who comes and also amazing to see it at the venue where it was filmed!

We have proposals out with numerous colleges and Universities & also we are in the process of organising a small star studded screening in London.
There are several smaller venues up and down the country who we are approaching to see if they may want it for a few shows.

A new website is underway and a hot social media campaign brewing!

We will soon be submitting the film for SXSW in Austin, Texas.

If you would like a screening near you let us know either by commenting below, going to the site and commenting on the trailer, contacting me on natasha@dreamfinder.net or following me on Twitter @natashacarlish

See you next week hopefully & remember you can help us meet our target of 15,000 followers on Facebook and £30K revenue by next March!!Follow us on Facebook and request screening!

So if you are reading this welcome to week 2 of my distribution blog.

The main thing to report this week is that we have now confirmed the first 2 screenings at The Hare & Hounds for Wednesday 14th September.
There'll be 2 screenings, one at 7.30 and one at 9.30.
Tickets are £5 on the door. The very lovely Rachel Maclar Plant is helping us with the publicity and Nat, Julia, Michael and myself continue to work on putting all the pieces together that we need for a successful distribution campaign. It's going to be AMAZING to see the film screened in the very same venue that we made it in! So if you are in and around Kings Heath on 14th September, pop down, grab a pint and sit back and enjoy the ride of TURBULENCE.

The publicity material for the GARAGE presents DVD launch party is also being prepared and this will take place on December 2nd at VIVID in Digbeth.
It will include the opportunity to buy the DVD at a reduced price and also to hear live sets from legenday DJ Russell Shumway and The Scholars.
Tickets will soon be on sale for this as well so more information coming soon.

Whilst I am very excited about getting the film out, there's still so much to do!

If you would like us to arrange a screening in your home town/college/place of work/for a party, please leave a comment below with contact details and we'll gladly oblige.

Finally a reminder that we have set ourselves 2 major targets of 15,000 fans on Facebook and £30,000 revenue by next March.
Help us get there by following on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CrossDay-Productions/163916716990494?sk=wall&fi...

and check out the trailer
http://www.turbulencefilm.com/trailer

See you next week!

So just 3 weeks ago we completed TURBULENCE & had our glorious cast & crew screening.

If you read my final daily blog WE DID IT OUR WAY on day 78, you'll remember I was full of praise for Michael, Nat & Julia. They have, and continue to be the A Team behind the making of the film.

But now we have finished the 1st part of our epic journey we need to focus on the road ahead & how we're going to get TURBULENCE into the world.

So broadly speaking our strategy is to have plenty of uk screenings between mid-Sept & March next year. Then to launch the DVD on Dec 2nd under The Garage presents brand at Vivid & hopefully to be accepted by SXSW Festival in March 2012 for our international launch.

For all of this to happen we need a well oiled distribution team who between them can book venues, ensure screeners & screens are available & compatible, a poster, an epk, marketing strategy, press coverage, social media campaign, a DVD, an enhanced website, financial & company management, the offer of Q&As with cast & crew and on it goes.

In the traditional model at this stage the producer would seek a UK distributor & international sakes agent. Both these outfits would charge a considerable commission + expenses to deliver all the elements I described and TURBULENCE would be one if a number of films they were distributing.

So I got to thinking & realised that if the A Team of Nat, Julia, Michael & myself were to now transform ourselves into that well oiled machine-we could be the distributor as well-each responsible for a different part of the process.

So exactly a week ago we 4 met in Sy Cafe in the Jewellery Quarter & we hatched our plan.

We also set 2 targets:
To generate 15,000 fans on Facebook & to generate £30,000k in revenue by next March 15th -exactly 7 months from now.

Will we succeed?Follow us on Facebbok & see!

I will be blogging once a week from today to let you know how we get on!

First screening-Hare & Hounds on 14th September-if you fancy it leave your name here & I will be in touch when we're selling tickets.

So today saw the first meeting of the Producers' Forum Mentoring Scheme. It's being funded by Skillset and SWM and it gives some of best producers in the region access to industry expertise. The idea is to enable producers to move further forward with their projects and therefore their careers. I am running the programme on behalf of the Forum and it was a great moment starting the programme.

As I looked around the room at the successful applicants I felt a huge surge of pride at how far we have all come as film producers in the last 8 years when the Forum was set up. We now really have a community of filmmakers and a solid group of some great producers with great projects. When we first set the Forum up there were only 2 producers who had made a feature and I now I think there are around 12 in the region.

This scheme is really important for a number of reasons but the most important is ACCESS. I have often said that I think the biggest challenge facing producers who do not live and work in London is access to industry expertise. We simply lack this for the most part in our region and it is the stumbling block that we come up with time and time again. For any of us to have a meeting with a Sales Agent, Distributor, Specialised Film Lawyer, most financiers, most agents and many HODS it's a trip down to London. We will not just "bump" into these people at some of the numerous industry events, networking or masterclasses that all run out of London. The Forum has been really good over the years at filling in the gaps but now 10 producers will get the opportunity to have 4 days of paid mentoring from an experienced producer.

I am really excited at what could happen and I thank Skillset and SWM from the bottom of my heart for making this possible.

The project runs until early December and I feel sure that in that time some amazing progress will be made on some of the projects.

Watch this space.

So it's been a while!Seems like a whole lot of "time off" not having blogged for 10 days!When you have been doing something every day for 78 days, 10 days out seems like a long time!

So this time last week we had the cast and crew screening of TURBULENCE.
On the day of the screening I woke up feeling sick with nerves!
Would enough people come to fill the cinema?
Had everyone been invited that needed to be invited?
Would the DVD work?
Would it sound OK?
WOULD PEOPLE LAUGH AND GET THE FILM???

I need not have feared. Flanked by my husband and one of my brothers I arrived at 8.30 to an already full bar teaming with TURBULENCE family and much jollity and excitement. It was so good to see so many people again who had helped us make it all possible and I met Stavros, our esteemed screenwriter and one of our investors for the first time! A lot of people had family and other halves there and there was a fantastic atmosphere.

We filed in at around 9.20 and following a few thankyous the house lights dimmed and we were off.

I had never seen the film on the big screen before and IT LOOKED AMAZING-it also SOUNDED AMAZING! People laughed a lot and as I relaxed I realised we had really and truly pulled it off-a wonderfully charming film with great performances, real heart, extraordinary production values, some rocking music and a film that clearly entertained its audience. I was so excited at the end that I could have cried. I was especially thrilled for the actors who everyone said had given brilliant performances and seemed to have so much more experience than their years.

Afterwards so many people came up and said how much they had enjoyed it and even the husband, who is often my harshest critic, thought it was great.

RELIEF AND DEEP JOY ENSUED and back at my childhood home over a glass of wine with my Mum I felt so proud of how far we have all come with this film.

Now to get it out there and into festivals.................................If you are reading this and you saw it please spread the word!

First screening will be at the Hare & Hounds on 14th September.

More news soon to follow on the site.

Day 78 of the BIG CHALLENGE!!!To post a blog a day until we have finished TURBULENCE AND WE HAVE DONE IT-YEEHAH!!!
We finished our film on schedule, on budget as far as I can tell and with the sanity of the 'A' Team still intact.

So before I start to describe the closing hours let me first say that I would like to dedicate this post to Michael, Julia and Nat who have been courageous and ever creative in the face of adversity, who have worked pretty much all the way through the last year on the film and who are three very wonderful, talented and committed individuals.

The last few hours were very chilled out, quietly optimistic and with a great collective sigh of relief. You see when you work on a film for a long time you see it over and over again. For those closest to it they lose a sense of whether what they've made is as special as they thought it once was. But I am in the "fortunate" position of not having seen it nearly so many times and therfore I have the luxury of coming to it with fresher eyes and ears.

Around 5ish we sat down to watch the film to check any tiny glitches that might need ironing out. It was the first time I saw the dubbed, graded, fully scored with all the graphics and titles version and let me tell you-IT ROCKED!!! I know I am biased but I think we have made, against all the odds a film that looks and sounds great, a film with heart, humour and love and a film that contains some outstanding performances.

There's so much more that I could say but it's late and I have a date.

So this is me signing out for now and saying a HUGE thank you to anyone who has followed this journey thus far.

Try and see the film if you can-there'll be news of screenings on the site soon www.turbulencefilm.com

I'll be checking in from time to time but not blogging every day for a while at least.

Over and out, goodnight and god bless.
x

Day 77 of the challenge to blog every day until we finish TURBULENCE which should be TOMORROW!!!

So just one more day to go-the dub & grade complete with "just" the on- line & layback to go. I cannot believe that we are this close. I did expect to feel a huge sense of elation at this stage but there's still a shedload of paperwork to go to make the financing work & so I feel a sense of anxiety & responsibility of course for paying people who have been contracted.

Also I know that someone who's still working really hard on the project is not 100% well & it does not sit well with me that he is having to continue to work so hard.

Despite all of this I do not for one minute underestimate what an enormous achievement this is for all the many people who have been involved in creating TURBULENCE.

It began as a thought that Michael & I had back in October 2009 & less than 2 years later here we are with an almost, so almost completed film.

What a journey, what a team, what a film-watch this space tomorrow for completion blog!

Day 76 & just 2 more days of the challenge I set 78 days ago-to post every day until we finish TURBULENCE which may well be on Friday.

So first day back at the office since 7th July and the e-mails predictably were out-of-control with over 740 to attend to. That together with numerous situations that all seemed to need IMMEDIATE attention meant that I have found myself right back at the centre of the madness that is independent producing. An alternately wondeful and challenging universe.

I was greatly moved by a small package that arrived from my mentor with a beautiful card stating,
"Every day reserve just a little time for yourself" and a beautiful yellow notebook entitled, "Life is a journey."
Needless to say that I failed to create that time today but I will make it happen from tomorrow.

Some of the other great moments of the day-when the invite for TURBULENCE cast and crew screening popped into my in-box-A HUGE thankyou to Julia, Gwen, Anna and the team for putting this all together.

Most of the bands that feature in the film are not published. However one who is have slipped in and we had to await a tense few hours whist the publisher and I spoke regarding what the "deal" was for this film. Luckily for us (in our last few hours of the dub) the publisher was one of the good guys-understood completely the nature of the project whilst still trying to do the best for his client-I was well impressed and it so could have gone the other way. That was a great moment.

A fantastic moment was on checking the TURBULENCE site and seeing that we have over 3100 views now of the trailer-AMAZING!

But the challenges are too numerous to go into and the toughest part is that there are so very many urgent things that even trying to prioritise the urgent is a challenge!

So Friday I will spend the day at Aquila/Rebel Uncut HQ and it's looking like there's a very strong chance that we will have a film........