Hanging out with Robert Rodriguez and Gov. Rick Perry

Well, actually, I was just one of several hundred people standing in a big room at Troublemakers Studios in Austin, April 23. We were watching filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and Texas Governor Rick Perry enjoy a well-earned Big Moment in the media spotlight as the Governor signed legislation that will boost moving image production in the Lone Star State.

Gov. Perry came to Troublemakers Studios in a Texas-sized white limousine that had a movie camera as its hood ornament. He's also one of the few U.S. governors who belongs to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG)--which is a bit funny, since Texas is a right-to-work state and Gov. Perry, a social conservative, is no big fan of unions and guilds.

He got ringing applause, however, from the gathered crowd of Central Texans who work in the movie, TV, game and related entertainment businesses, because the newly enacted incentives promise to bring more projects -- and jobs -- to Texas.

The legislation was spearheaded by State Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin). She said the new law, which went into effect immediately, will give the Texas Film Commission more flexibility when deciding on the size of grants that it can award to movie, TV or game production companies. Approximately $20 million is now in place, and another $40 million in funding is now being debated as separate legislation in the Texas House and Senate. "We don't believe in outsourcing (entertainment industry jobs), especially to Louisiana and New Mexico," she said.

"Oh, we're gonna be busy!" Gov. Perry commented before he sat down to sign the legislation. " He noted that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal recently came to Austin for a visit, and Perry told Jindal: "All those movies you've been having in Louisiana? They're gonna be coming to Texas!"

Gov. Perry added that "the moving image industry has brought in more than $1.2 billion to Texas over the past 10 years. I promise you, this legislation is gonna blow that figure away."

One bystander, San Antonio lawyer David Yanez, remarked before the event that he is changing his focus from state politics to becoming an entertainment attorney. "People want to film in Texas," he said. But he cautioned that states cannot keep trying to outdo each other with production incentives. Before long, the incentives playing field will be more or less level. When that happens, state film commissions may have to create "alliances of states" in their area. In other words, rather than compete with each other, Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico and possibly other states may have to team up to compete with California and other areas of the U.S. for movie, TV and game projects.

After the event, I tried to meet Robert Rodriguez, but his line of admirers was too long, and he appeared anxious to move on and get back to work. The Governor also was busy shaking many hands. Anyway, I'm not one of Gov. Perry's political fans; I think he has been wrongheaded on many issues, including trying to refuse federal money to help the unemployed in Texas.

But this event was good news for Texas' beleaguered entertainment industry. I give full points to all who helped push the legislation through--and to the governor who encouraged it and signed it.

Maybe he'll get a few plum movie parts after Kay Bailey Hutchison defeats him in the governor's race in 2010.

-- Si Dunn

Remember When Information Technology Was Hot, Hot, Hot?

I came across a very telling article recently while cleaning out some old piles of my journalism. In January, 1999, I co-authored a piece, "IT careers for sale," that appeared in Computer User magazine. The subhead stated: "If you have computer skills and a pulse, recruiters want you on the IT front lines."

Remember when information technology (IT) was hot, hot, hot? Clinton and Gore were in office in those days, and the overheated dotcom boom was still underway.

Here is how the article began:

Chances are, you've gotten their calls. And their emails. And their faxes, postcards and letters. You've seen their big "Now Hiring!" signs hanging on the sides of buildings. You've read their billboards, heard their radio commercials, even felt their earnest handshakes and gotten their business cards at professional association social gatherings.

Lately, you may even have noticed their pitches in a most unlikely place: On monthly statements from some of your credit card companies.

It's a recruiters' jungle out there, and you, friend, are the big game they are stalking, even if you don't want to be hunted.

Blame it on demand versus supply. There are now many more information technology jobs than there are computer professionals to fill them. The Information Technology Association has estimated that one in 10 computer-related jobs currently is going begging--that's almost 350,000 vacancies.

Desperate companies are searching far and wide, recruiting on the Internet, on college campuses, at rock concerts and in distant lands. They are offering referral bonuses, signing bonuses and bigger bounties to outside recruiters. Some even are raiding their competitors' talent--or at least being accused of it...."

Sadly, those days likely are long gone now. But that seems to be how the American economy works: in cycles of boom and bust.

A decade later, in troubled 2009, if you have computer skills and a pulse, you likely are unemployed, underemployed or in fear of losing your job very soon.

It may be time now to recruit yourself and turn your computer skills and job experiences into self-employment. If you still have a job or need more income, you can start something on the side and test the waters of small business. If you are unemployed and standing now with others in long lines to compete for one, two or a few jobs, it may also be time to recruit yourself and create your own job.

It's not easy, but if you have computer skills and a pulse, you can do it. You might even have to do it if the economy doesn't pick up soon.

Operators, unfortunately, are not standing by.

--Si Dunn

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Social Media Is Dead -- And You Killed It

That's right. Social media (or Social Media, as its practitioners and aficionados so importantly emphasize it) is dead.

You have killed it by overdoing it--day and night, endlessly posting and re-posting. You now stay online so much that you have become antisocial in real life.

Families? Friends? Co-workers? Don't need 'em.

You tweet, therefore you are. You blog, therefore you matter. And if you can just keep it up, hashtagging often enough in one 24-hour span, you can create the illusion that you are living an exciting, important, digirati life.

Those now jumping into social media soon will discover that they have arrived too late. Social media has become oh, so two hours ago.

The New Hot Thing is...Antisocial Media (ASM).

We in ASM tweet just to tweet (and don't you "@" or "DM" or "RT" me, you rat bastard. I'm too busy posting new tweets to read anything or respond). We blog because we can--and we purposely burn up many hours in the process, so the real people around us will get less and less of our time to waste.

Who needs actual social interactions when we can flood the digital universe with ASM?

Don't answer that. And don't attempt to argue with me. Just post your own stuff and don't expect me to read it. The true practitioner of ASM doesn't even read his or her own postings.

My new book, Antisocial Media: Hashtags in Hell (LOL), will be published soon. In the true spirit of ASM, I wrote it without reading it. I let no one edit it. And I will tolerate no reviews or questions about it.

Just click on the Amazon link, charge your credit card and forget about it. Instantly, you will become another expert in Antisocial Media, and you can publish your own book on "how to boost your ASM productivity." (Suggested title: "How I Got 8 Million Anti-Followers on Twitter in Five Seconds Flat.")

I won't read it, of course. I'll be too busy tweeting and blogging about the death of Antisocial Media and the coming of the Next Hot Thing: face-to-face, offline discourse and conversations (FFODAC). (Gasp!)

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