1915.
A businessman and a prostitute find love.
And hate.

The

United States of America

faced incomprehensible horror one day shortly after
the turn of the century.

There was shock, destruction, and death. War loomed. Americans veered toward either hopelessness, fear, and hate or toward vision, faith, and rebuilding.

They asked, “Could life in America ever be great again?” Some said, “No, let’s retreat to the past.” Others said, “Yes, let’s move forward.” Demagogues exploited fear, painting easy-to-identify groups as enemies to blame. There was amazing technological progress in communication, commerce, industry, and travel that disturbed some people and thrilled others. There were drastic shifts in the way people earned their living.

In the midst of these distressing times, Nate started his career. He left his home in Baltimore, Maryland to become a manager of the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California. It was there that criminals framed him for their theft of gold coins from the Expo.

Nate fled the criminals and the corrupt police.

Kelly fled the people who murdered her mother.

When Nate and Kelly run into each other in a small town in Central California at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, their lives become entangled with each other and with the horrible realities of hatred and evil.

They discover, as everyone does eventually, that the meaning of life is all about starting over.

Author Michael R. Barnard grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, then moved to Hollywood to write scripts for film and TV. He now lives in New York City. “NATE and KELLY” is his first novel. It is a love story intricately woven into historical facts.

NATE AND KELLY

Available in paperback for only $10.99 at CreateSpace and Amazon

 Available as an ebook for only $2.99 at Amazon for Kindle, Barnes & Noble for Nook, and Smashwords for your Internet browser.

NATE AND KELLY

• Social Science > Violence in Society
• Social Science > Discrimination & Race Relations
• Drama > American
• Fiction > Historical
• Political Science > Civics & Citizenship

If you’re interested in delving deeper into 3-D production issues, here are some links about 3-D that you might find informative and interesting:
(updated December 28 2011)

*NEWS: 3-D TV Network Venture CEO Tom Cosgrove Wants to Build Big Content Library http://www.etcenter.org/2010/11/3d-tv-network-venture-ceo-tom-cosgrove-wants-to-build-big-content-library/

*NEWS: Disney’s “Lion King 3D” Could Help Usher In Strong US Blu-ray 3D Sales for the Holidays http://www.isuppli.com/Media-Research/News/Pages/Disneys-Lion-King-3D-Could-Help-Usher-In-Strong-US-Blu-ray-3D-Sales.aspx

*NEWS: FiOS TV to Roll Out 3-D Movies On Demand http://www.hdguru3d.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=848:fios-tv-to-roll-out-3d-movies-on-demand&catid=35:hdguru3d-news&Itemid=59

*NEWS: Fujifilm gives lenticular upgrade to its FinePix REAL 3D digital image viewer http://www.gizmag.com/finepix-real3d-v3-viewer-announced/20376/

*NEWS: Grass Valley Introduces 3D Editing Technology (for Broadcasting) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-cameron-grass-valley-3d-editing-technology-262496

*NEWS: HBO Pops Cork On 3-D VOD http://www.multichannel.com/article/461701-HBO_Pops_Cork_On_3D_Video_On_Demand.php

*NEWS: Indies Eye 3-D in Search of Revenue Bump http://2-pop.com/DigitalCinematography/article/100510

*NEWS: Scorsese rousingly endorses 3-D, says holograms next http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/11/martin-scorsese-hugo-3d-hugo-release-reviews-butterfield-moretz-movie.html

*NEWS: VIDEOMAKER Magazine’s Everything 3-D Buyer’s Guide http://www.videomaker.com/article/15327/

*NEWS: World’s Largest Glasses-Free 3D TV Is 200-Inches of Awesome http://gizmodo.com/5855501/worlds-largest-glasses+free-3d-tv-is-200+inches-of-awesome?utm_source=MESA+Master+DB&utm_campaign=fa31c23aa0-my_google_analytics_key&utm_medium=email

21st Century 3-D http://stereoscopic3d.blogspot.com/

3-D CineCast http://3dcinecast.blogspot.com/

3-D Film Factory http://www.facebook.com/pages/3D-Film-Factory/153911355749

3-D Guy http://3dguy.tv/

3-D Magazine (in French) http://3dmagazine.com

3-D VISION BLOG http://3dvision-blog.com/

3-D Zone http://www.ray3dzone.com/

Alister Chapman, Stereographer http://stereographer.tv/

Broadcast Engineering’s 3-D Technology Update http://enews.penton.com/enews/broadcastengineering_/3dtechnology/current

Cine3-D (in French) http://www.cine3d.com

Createasphere’s 3-D Road Show http://createasphere.com/En/3d-road-show-home.html

DCinema Today http://www.dcinematoday.com/

Enhanced Dimensions http://www.enhanced-dimensions.com/wordpress/

Entertainment Technology Center’s 3-D information http://www.etcenter.org/category/3d/

HDGuru 3-D information http://www.hdguru3d.com/index.php

IndieFilm 3-D http://indiefilm3d.com/home

Lem’s Blog (in French) http://blog.lemsprod.com/tagged/3d

Lenny Lipton http://lennylipton.wordpress.com/

Market Saw 3-D http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/

Meant to be Seen 3-D http://www.mtbs3d.com/

Parallax Film Production blog http://parallaxfilm.wordpress.com/

Randall Dark Productions http://randalldarknews.blogspot.com/

RealVision Knowledge Base http://realvision.ae/blog/

S3-D Database http://www.s3ddatabase.com/

Schubin Café http://schubincafe.com/

Scott Willman VFX Visual Stereoscopic Glossary http://scottwillmanvfx.com/?goback=.gde_3671_member_29978710

Shoot3D.tv http://shoot3dtv.blogspot.com/

Sixteen19′s White Paper on RED 3-D workflow http://sixteen19.posterous.com/new-white-paper-available-for-3d-red-workflow

Stereo 3-D UK http://twitter.com/stereo3dcouk

Stereographer Keith Collea on the Power of Stereoscopic 3D http://createasphere.com/En/insider-view/2575-stereographer-keith-collea-on-the-power-of-stereoscopic-3d.html?utm_source=CSWeeklyNews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=111011

StereoScope International http://www.go2rba.com/Stereo/01.html

Stereoscopic 3-D to the Home http://3dhd.wordpress.com

Stereoscopic Filmmakers http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110354555655198

Stereoscopy News http://www.stereoscopynews.com/

studiodaily’s 3-D articles http://www.studiodaily.com/main/search/?searchType=basic&query=stereo+3d&x=0&y=0

Today3-D http://www.today3d.com/

TRI3-D http://www.n173d.blogspot.com/

Vision III Imaging Inc. http://www.facebook.com/v3imaging

XDCam-User’s 3-D blog http://www.xdcam-user.com/?tag=3d

WHAT CROWDFUNDING IS
Currently, the only way most filmmakers can even make a film (but without any profit), is to use crowdfunding, which is a process of creating a web presence on specific sites and then vigorously and broadly requesting donations from the public. In place of financial participation, gifts known as perks are given the donors. Crowdfunding efforts are considered very successful if they top $50,000 in donations, and some have raised over $100,000 in donations. A million dollars in donations is almost unheard of. All of this effort is strictly controlled to avoid coming under the very strict rules and regulations governing the sale of securities. Offering any equity position of any form is forbidden.

STATUS OF THE INDIE FILM BIZ
The common thinking in today’s independent film business is that the pre-2008 logical range of $3 to $5 million for good production value has now dropped to $1 million or less, so this legislation hits the “sweet spot” for independent filmmaking. It could mean real money for real budgets, with salaries (now rare) for workers, which in turn will mean re-building the infrastructure of the independent film business.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS
Congress has passed the Act, but now it goes to the Senate. President Barack Obama has endorsed the bill, saying it would reduce “the red tape that prevents many rapidly growing startup companies from raising much-needed capital.” But, we never know what the Senate will do with the bill. They need to know you support it.

Also, “Hollywood” is often ridiculed in today’s political environment, and the presumption that everyone is as rich as Steven Spielberg is popular. In this environment, it is possible that independent filmmaking could be excluded from the ultimate bill.

WHAT YOU MUST DO
In this environment, and with something this important to our future, you need to contact your representatives. Thank your congressperson for passing the Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act and explain your optimism for the indie film biz. Encourage your Senators to pass the bill and assure that filmmaking is not excluded.

FIND YOUR CONGRESSPERSON AND SENATORS HERE: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

For a couple sample letters to inspire you to email, fax, or mail to your representatives, download here: http://www.box.net/shared/mqd6ltrou4p8r8ozndyb

SYNOPSIS OF THE ACT: http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/125xx/doc12514/hr2930.pdf

ALSO: the Entrepreneur Access to Capital act is *endorsed* by the National Taxpayers Union http://www.ntu.org/news-and-issues/economy/yes-on-hr-2930-2940.html

Consider that France and Germany are slapping around Greece, and Greece reacted with a strong nationalistic response. (Today, Greece may rescind its own referendum on the bailout, but maybe not.)

How might historians in the future look back on today and consider this the trigger that started WWIII?

What would be the tipping point that moves from Euro protection to outright war? There are always “tipping points” that exasperate nationalism and war mongers; some are convenient ‘window dressing’ to justify actions already desired: the archduke’s assassination, the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Consider:

+ Germany has a strong history of war, and France a history of collaboration.
+ Many society’s economies are in crisis, a very common trigger for warfare and revolution.
+ If Greece pushes back against the Europeans, they will be pushed out of the EU. Such a splintering of unity based on nationalism is ripe for war.
+ Tipping points also trigger long-standing agreements between countries to enter into war for support of aggressors or victims.
+ A European war would present unique opportunities for Arab and Persian societies to try to enrich their own nationalist interests by attacking their suddenly-vulnerable enemies.
+ The U.S. and China (And by the way, Mr. Cain, China has been a nuclear superpower for about five decades) would be drawn in. The U.S. has traditionally been the strongest European ally, but recently the EU has turned to China for financial help because it currently has a stronger economy than the U.S. has. The relationship between the U.S. and China in WWIII might, at best, be like the relationship between America and Soviet Russia in WWII (and that was not very good), or at worst, might pit them against each other as enemies.
+ Would Barack Obama be re-elected under the campaign slogan, “He kept us out of war”? (http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/woodrowwilson)

War is a reasonable thing to think about. Although we might want to believe civilization has evolved beyond war, it has not. Remember that WWI was not numbered when it started about a century ago; it was just called “The Great War” and “The War to End All Wars.” We started numbering our world wars when the next one occurred a couple decades later.

I hate war and wish civilization would evolve. Since we haven’t evolved, however, consider our moment in history right now. In timelines throughout our history, events like today’s have led to war, and quickly (a year or two). The number of countries involved in today’s actions would make it inevitable that such war would immediately become worldwide.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MIGHT BE A SCENARIO IN TODAY’S EVENTS THAT FUTURE HISTORIANS (IN PERHAPS 2025) COULD POINT TO AS THE START OF WWIII (IF WWIII OCCURS)?

Barnard’s Law No. 10
Hysteria breeds where context is ignored. Looking at results of history without knowledge of history leads to poor judgment and prejudice.

… So are you still trying to shop the film around?

Michael said: “So are you still trying to shop the film around?” [THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY SELF-DESTRUCTIVE OF ME!! SO...YES.]

Raven said: haha Well I hope you reach success. Still trying to form the right idea/story for me to write.

Michael said: Good luck. (Hint: Figure out EVERYTHING about your main character, the story will evolve from that person.)

Raven said: So in order to get a story, I need to form a character and his wants/needs first?

Michael said: Well, you have an idea you like. It will evolve as you learn about your character, WHY he would react, etc.

Raven said: Oh okay. Well right now, I am starting from scratch, as my great grandmother would say. (first person to tell me stories)

Michael said: Great place to start! =} Remember: Have character face a problem, send him up a tree, then throw rocks at him, then get him down.

Raven said: That’s good advice and all, but man, I got nothing.

Michael said: Here’s a thought: Search for a real-life story of a gay man serving in Vietnam war, use as inspiration.

Raven said: A gay man serving in Vietnam? Really?

Michael said: Why not? That’s what had your interest originally. REALITY is a good place to start.

Raven said: How did you know what had my interest? haha

Michael said: HAH HAH HAH Either I’m psychic, or it’s because you DM’d me about it! (I *am* psycho…not so different)

Raven said: Oh I did?! haha I don’t even fucking remember!!

Michael said: That’s cool. I’m so damn INVISIBLE and EASY TO FORGET. You are not the only one.

Raven said: lol Yeah

Michael said: I create characters by starting with a birthdate and its horoscope (I hate horoscopes). Then, an address.

Raven said: How does that help?

Michael said: You need to create real characters with whom you can identify and understand their motivations and fears.

Raven said: Okay, so then what after the character is created?

Michael said: What do you want him to do? Save a little girl? If you know your character, you can create the girl. Or…

… Do you want him to fight injustice? Either he’s the victim (less likely) or he becomes aware of the problem.

Raven said: Oh okay I think I get what you’re saying. I like how you were inspired to write you script by what you saw.

Michael said: You MUST make the distinction between EVENTS and CHARACTER. Focusing on EVENTS makes cartoonish movies.

Raven said: So I have to focus on character?

Michael said: If you want to make a film you are proud of, start with CHARACTERS, then have them react to events.

… If you want a “popcorn” movie, focus on EVENTS and throw in caricatures to react in stereotypical ways.

Raven said: No, I want a badass movie that has potential to be recognized by the Academy.

Michael said: Hah hah Then you can go either way. ;-} But, I think you want a life-changing movie. Go for CHARACTER.

Raven said: Yes, a definite life-changing movie. ;-}

Michael said: Create 3 characters: Protagonist, Antagonist, love interest. Add characters to interfere or enhance them.

… Get to know these characters as if they were part of your family, so you know how they SHOULD react.

Raven said: I just hope I can make it as original as possible.

Michael said: If you create real characters, the movie will be as original as each one of us is.

Raven said: Yeah. It sounds easy, but it’s not.

Michael said: It is a lot easier if you start by knowing your characters. If you know them, then you can predict their behavior.

Raven said: Well I don’t have to predict their behavior, I should already know it. The writer is the story’s God.

Michael said: Even GOD is limited to what a person’s reaction will be. That’s free will.

Raven said: haha True.

Michael said: Big point: know your characters well enough so that THEY WILL TELL YOU how they will react.

Raven said: Okay, still trying to come up with an original story. Ugh, getting aggravated.

Michael said: Look at the world around you. Your story is lurking in small details that you usually overlook.

Raven said: Really? Because the details of my life are pretty boring. haha

Michael said: If you think your life is boring, you are not looking at the details. ;-} Look deeper, wider, slower.

Raven said: Trust me, dude. If my life were a western, it would be a ghost town, hands down.

Michael said: THEN WRITE A WESTERN ABOUT A GHOST TOWN! What do you WISH would happen in that ghost town??

Raven said: haha Hell if I know, not a western person! lol

Michael said: How about if ALIENS ATTACKED your ghost town?? Hmmmmmmm??

Raven said: You just described the plot to COWBOYS AND ALIENS

Michael said: (EXACTLY MY POINT)

… How about if bad guys killed your wife in that ghost town??

… How about if a teacher arrives in a ghost town by mistake???

Raven said: My only real film like interests are: gay, geek, action, drama, romance, history ….

Michael said: Before everybody became homophobic, “gay” wasn’t so odd in A WESTERN GHOST TOWN. Figure it out!

Raven said: So maybe a gay saloon film?

Michael said: Well, Gays LOVE to drink, so, sure!! LOL

Raven said: haha Funny!

Michael said: If you’re in L.A., go to West Hollywood, hang out at The Abbey, imagine it 175 years ago.

Raven said: 175 years ago?

Michael said: or 125, or 100. Whatever rings your bell.

Raven said: Wonder what would happen back that far?

Michael said: That’s why God made google and libraries.

Raven said: haha

Michael said: So, create two characters, give them birthdates 150 years ago, read their horoscope, start researching!

… Here’s the Number 1 secret to being a successful writer: ……

… it is: WRITERS WRITE. Start writing.

Raven said: Okay, I’ll see if I can come up with something. How long are you going to be on here tonight?

Michael said: I hope to get to work on my own projects now, so hope to sign off for a while.

Raven said: Okay. This was a nice conversation though.

Michael said: Yeah, I enjoyed it. Good luck.

Writers and filmmakers are often hauling their laptops to coffee houses for writing and working. In New York and Los Angeles, there are many such places, but sometimes they are difficult to find.

Let’s build a list of coffee joints where we like to work.

Besides, we all love the adventure of finding a new place to hang out.

I recommend that you copy the info below, then paste it into a comment to this blog posting and let us know your recommended hangouts.

I’ll start adding some that I’ve found in both cities.

Here’s the form to copy and paste.

CITY:
Name:
Street:
Phone:
Website:
Twitter:
Facebook:
WIFI: [_]Free with purchase [_]Unlimited time [_]pay
AC outlets: [_]Many [_]Precious Few [_]none
Crowded: [_]Always [_]Seldom [_]Never
Atmosphere [_]chatting [_]boisterous [_]library
Crowd: [_]writers [_]tourists [_]mixed
Menu: [_]pastries [_]sandwiches [_]full menu
Price: [_]$ [_]$$ [_]$$$!
Comment:

The expiration of options was becoming a problem for me. Since I’ve been a writer all my life, I moved in a new direction, deciding to write my own scripts. As any writer does, I was keen to find a story that would inspire me.

I got much more than I hoped for, though.

One evening in Hollywood, I was in my car, sitting at a red light at La Brea Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. This was the early ‘90s, long before the Internet changed everything. I was as naive as could be. There’s a Target store on that corner now, and it’s a lot nicer. Back then, however, the stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard was seedy and full of prostitutes. Boy prostitutes. There was no Internet, so people found sex the old-fashioned way: on street corners.

A gunshot rang out.

All those boys started running, fleeing the scene of the shooting. They ran through the traffic, down the sidewalks, they ran everywhere, running around my car. It was an amazing sight; they were dressed in tight skimpy clothes, in preppy clothes, and in dresses. I was stunned by everything that was happening.

Then, I wondered why all these boys were living on the streets, trying to sell themselves to survive.

That’s a thought I’ve grown to regret.

I dug into the idea of writing a script about this unusual slice of life and discovered this thing going right under our noses but that we would not see. One thing I learned: Most of those boys were on the streets because fathers threw their sons away because they were gay.

I created a story about a father who throws away his son when he finds out the boy is gay, then discovers what a stupid and wrong thing that was, but it might be too late to fix it.

This script, called A FATHER AND SON, took over my life. It became a very good script and had a strong emotional impact on people who read it. It was the best thing I ever wrote. And it destroyed my life.

No matter how much producers and other industry people liked it, nobody would make it. Nobody would invest in it. It’s been considered at Paramount and Warner Bros. and several independent producers who thought the script was good but ‘too different.’

I wrote the script in 1998. I’ve spent my life since then trying to make this movie, and often got “this close” to getting A FATHER AND SON made. The efforts were like “a fish-hook in the eye” … the likelihood to make the movie was that impossible to ignore. Instead, I’ve kept tumbling into poverty, assuring a sense of hopelessness. I have worked on many other projects–TV shows, feature films, short films, and projects outside the film/TV world–but have not succeeded with them, mostly because I’ve been emotionally consumed with this project, to my complete detriment.

Movies can change lives. They can change attitudes. And over and over again, even this month, there is proof that this story needs to be told.

A few days ago, a 14-year-old boy who promoted “it gets better,” killed himself. In homophobic Michelle Bachmann’s district, the Feds stepped in to investigate a school district that is home to more than a half-dozen student suicides attributed to gay-bashing. A year ago, a promising college student leapt to his death from the George Washington Bridge because of anti-gay behavior. Many more suicides have happened. More gay bashing has happened. After I started writing the story in 1998, Matthew Shepard was tortured and beaten to death and left to die alone on a fence in Wyoming because he was gay.

A few months ago, when people finally started paying attention to this growing problem of gay-bashing, bullying, murder, and suicide, Arkansas District School Board member Clint McCance posted this disgusting comment on Facebook:

“Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers killed themselves. The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE. Being a fag doesn’t give you the right to ruin the rest of our lives. If you get easily offended by being called a fag then dont tell anyone you are a fag. Keep that shit to yourself. It pisses me off though that we make a special purple fag day for them. I enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids and die.”

And then the thing that really rips at my soul:

“I would disown my kids they were gay. They will not be welcome at my home or in my vicinity. I will absolutely run them off.”

A FATHER AND SON is a movie for the Clint McCances of this world.

It’s an eye-opener for somebody. And, it’s for those who are gay and beaten down. It’s for the community that is concerned, and the community that is ignorant, about this serious problem in our society.

How could I not be compelled to make this powerful movie? People are touched by the script and consider it an excellent script, but the movie has not yet been made. It’s not a blockbuster. It’s a low-budget independent feature film, a thriller, for a broad audience. I need to try again to raise the million dollars to get it made.

Every day, it becomes more obvious how important this message is to our society. It’s only a movie, but sometimes the right movie at the right time can help one person change from a destructive position.

UPDATE:

This is a very personal observation about my experience. If I were pursuing a career, and if I had PR counsel, this blog would never appear. This is so important to me that candor and honesty seem appropriate. Also, I’ll refer to my own BARNARD’S LAWS, No. 5, to wit: “The job of children is to play. The job of teens is to deceive their parents. The job of adults is to slay their demons.” I’m an adult. I’m trying to slay my demons. FOR THIS REASON, I have removed comments and will not post any new comments to this specific blog, since they don’t work toward my slaying of my demons.

In answer to several points that come up frequently:
1) I fully understand how to budget indie feature films, and when I say it’s a million bucks, I know what I’m talking about (although that is not a precise budget figure).
2) As a PMD, of course I budget all the way through to delivery to the audience.
3) I have no interest in making the cheapest movie possible. I intend to make the most powerful story possible as efficiently as possible. In fact, the budget assumes that I, myself, will earn no money from the movie’s production.
4) This powerful indie thriller feature film will appeal to many types of people, and I especially want it to have an impact on fathers. Whoever brings them to the movie, one thing is for sure: the Clint McCances of this world will not tolerate a cheap-ass art house film.

July 2, 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs into law the historic Civil Rights Act in a nationally televised ceremony at the White House. In the landmark 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional.

The 10 years that followed saw great strides for the African-American civil rights movement, as non-violent demonstrations won thousands of supporters to the cause. Memorable landmarks in the struggle included the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955–sparked by the refusal of Alabama resident Rosa Parks to give up her seat on a city bus to a white woman–and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I have a dream” speech at a rally of hundreds of thousands in Washington, D.C., in 1963.

As the strength of the civil rights movement grew, John F. Kennedy made passage of a new civil rights bill one of the platforms of his successful 1960 presidential campaign. As Kennedy’s vice president, Johnson served as chairman of the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunities. After Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, Johnson vowed to carry out his proposals for civil rights reform.

The Civil Rights Act fought tough opposition in the House and a lengthy, heated debate in the Senate before being approved in July 1964. For the signing of the historic legislation, Johnson invited hundreds of guests to a televised ceremony in the White House’s East Room. After using more than 75 pens to sign the bill, he gave them away as mementoes of the historic occasion, according to tradition. One of the first pens went to King, leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), who called it one of his most cherished possessions. Johnson gave two more to Senators Hubert Humphrey and Everett McKinley Dirksen, the Democratic and Republican managers of the bill in the Senate.

The most sweeping civil rights legislation passed by Congress since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, the Civil Rights Act prohibited racial discrimination in employment and education and outlawed racial segregation in public places such as schools, buses, parks and swimming pools. In addition, the bill laid important groundwork for a number of other pieces of legislation–including the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which set strict rules for protecting the right of African Americans to vote–that have since been used to enforce equal rights for women as well as all minorities.

I added these comments:

What preceded this as the law of the land was the horrendous error supported by the Supreme Court known as the “Jim Crow” laws and etiquette, the concept that the Constitution could be appeased by proclaiming “separate but equal” was allowable. A platform of the tea party currently advocates a return to such a reading of the Constitution (as well as a return to the literal interpretation which proclaims that only white male landowners can vote).

The horrific part of “separate but equal” was that white folks, with all the power, were exceptionally good at the “separate” part, but completely and deliberately failed at the “equal” part. Even today, many white folks are myopic about the results of the Jim Crow delusion of “equal” and consider themselves to be, somehow, “victims” of some imaginary discrimination supposedly similar to that which was imposed upon generations of African-Americans.

This was recent history. Many adult “colored folks” today had to, in their formative youth, endure the humiliation and degradation every day of “White” entrances and “Colored” entrances to restaurants and shops, of “White” bathrooms versus “Colored” bathrooms, drinking fountains, public transportation, etc. The “White” premises where always superior to the “Colored” premises. (The significance of Rosa Parks sitting not in the rear of the bus with other colored folks, but in the front of the bus with white folks, was that she violated the etiquette and separation of Jim Crow. Can you imagine today how it could be possible to have an historic and society-changing impact because of where YOU sat on a bus??)

Further, the etiquette and practice of Jim Crow led to the domestic terrorism of the further perversion of Lynch “law” (vigilantism spawned during the revolution by Judge Lynch who took mobs out to hang those Tories who opposed the revolution but where set free by tory-leaning judges). Hundreds of African-Americans were killed by various forms of Lynch actions — hanging, burning, castration, dragging, etc. — as a sign to other African-Americans to “know their place.”

THIS is what the Civil Rights era was battling. It took tremendous courage to fight the inbred white supremacy that denigrated every aspect of the lives of African-Americans for two centuries in this country.

The significance of the Civil Rights Act is more profound than most people can absorb without knowledge of what existed before it.

And I must pitch my book Nate and Kelly, which is a story about these issues.

Please add names, contact information, the agency’s preferences, and other information that could help writers who seek representation.

Please post comments.

 

Abrams Artists Agency
275 Seventh Avenue
26th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(646) 486-4600

Agency for the Performing Arts
250 West 57th Street,
Suite 1701
New York, NY 10107
(212) 687-0092

Allan S. Meyers Agency
1123 Broadway, Ste.
301
New York, NY 10010

Amron Development, Inc.
474 Fulton Avenue
Hempstead, NY 11550
(631) 692-2830

Archer King, Ltd.
1650 Broadway, Ste.
407
New York, NY 10019
(212) 765-3103

Barbara Hogenson Agency, Inc.
165 West End Ave., #19
New York, NY 10023
(212) 874-8084

Beacon Artists Agency
120 East 56th Street,
#540
New York, NY 10022
(212) 736-6630

Bret Adams, Ltd.
448 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
(212) 765-5630

Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Ten Astor Place
New York, NY 10003
(212) 473-5400

Dee Mura Enterprises, Inc.
269 West Shore Dr.
Massapequa, NY 11758
(516) 795-1616

Don Buchwald & Associates
10 East 44th Street
New York, NY 10017
(212) 867-1070

Dorothy Palmer Agency
235 W. 56th St., #24k
New York, NY 10019
(212) 765-4280

Duva-Flack Associates, Inc.
200 West 57th St.
#1008
New York, NY 10019
(212) 957-9600

Earth Tracks Artists Agency
4809 Avenue N, #286
Brooklyn, NY 11234

Edythea Ginis Selman Lit. Agent
14 Washington Pl.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 473-1874

Fifi Oscard Agency, Inc.
110 West 40th St.
16th Fl.
New York, NY 10018
(212) 764-1100

Flora Roberts, Inc.
275 Seventh Avenue,
26th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(646) 486-4600

Georges Borchardt, Inc.
136 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 753-5785

Gersh Agency, Inc. (The)
41 Madison Avenue,
33rd Floor
New York, NY 10010
(212) 997-1818

Harold Matson Co., Inc.
276 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10001
(212) 679-4490

Henry Morrison, Inc.
105 S. Bedford Road,
Suite 306a
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
(914) 666-3500

Hudson Agency (The)
3 Travis Lane
Montrose, NY 10548
(914) 737-1475

International Creative Management
825 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10019
(212) 556-5600

Kingdom Industries Ltd.
118-11 195 Street
Box 310
St. Albans, NY 11412
(718) 949-9804

Laurens R. Schwartz Esq.
5 East 22nd St., #15-D
New York, NY 10010

Lionize, Inc.
2020 Broadway, Ste. 2a
New York, NY 10023
(212) 579-5414

Literary Group Int’l. (The)
The Standford Bldg.
51 E 25th Street, Ste.
401
New York, NY 10010
(212) 274-1616

Luedtke Agency (The)
1674 Broadway, #7a
New York, NY 10019
(212) 765-9564

Lyle Steele, Co., Ltd.
511 East 73rd St., #7
New York, NY 10021

Marcia Amsterdam Agency
41 West 82nd Street
New York, NY 10024
(212) 873-4945

Maria Carvainis Agency
1270 Avenue Of The
Americas, Ste. 2320
New York, NY 10020
(212) 245-6365

Mcintosh and Otis, Inc.
353 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10016
(212) 687-7400

Michael Amato Agency
5 McAdoo Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07305
(212) 247-4456

Milestone Literary Agency
247 West 26th St., #3a
New York, NY 10001
(212) 691-0560

Miriam Stern, Esq.
303 E. 83rd Street,
Suite 20f
New York, NY 10028
(212) 794-1289

Omnibus Productions
184 Thompson #1-G
New York, NY 10012
(212) 995-2941

Otto R. Kozak Literary & Motion Picture Agency
114 Coronado Street
Atlantic Beach, NY
11509

Paramuse Artists Association
1414 Avenue Of The
Americas
New York, NY 10019
(212) 758-5055

Peregrine Whittlesey Agency
279 Central Park
West, #23
New York, NY 10024
(212) 787-1802

Professional Artists Unltd.
321 West 44th St., #605
New York, NY 10036
(212) 247-8770

Raines and Raines
103 Kenyon Road
Medusa, NY 12120
(518) 239-8311

Rick Hashagen & Associates
1369 Madison Avenue
#Pmb 431
New York, NY 10128
(212) 315-3130

Robbins Office (The)
405 Park Avenue
Ninth Floor
New York, NY 10022
(212) 223-0720

Robert A. Freedman Dramatic Agency, Inc.
1501 Broadway, #2310
New York, NY 10036
(212) 840-5760

Robert L. Seigel
67-21f 193rd Lane
Fresh Meadows, NY
11365
(718) 454-7044

Seymour Agency, (The)
475 Miner Street Road
Canton, NY 13617
(315) 386-1831

Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc.
65 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 780-6050

Susan Gurman Agency
245 West 99th Street,
24th Floor
New York, NY 10025
(212) 749-4618

Susan Schulman Literary Agency
454 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
(212) 713-1633

Talent Representatives, Inc.
307 East 44th Street,
#1f
New York, NY 10017
(212) 752-1835

Victoria Sanders Literary Agency
241 Sixth Ave. # 11h
New York, NY 10014
Queriesvsa@Hotmail.Com

William Morris Agency, Inc. (NY)
1325 Ave. Of The
Americas
New York, NY 10019
(212) 586-5100

C A L I F O R N I A
Above The Line Agency
468 N. Camden Drive
Suite 200
Beverly Hills, CA
90210
(310) 859-6115

Affinity Artists Agency
5724 W Third Street,
Suite 511
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 525-0577

Agency for the Performing Arts (La)
405 S. Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 888-4200

Aimee Entertainment Assoc.
15840 Ventura Blvd.,
Ste. 215
Encino, CA 91436

Alpern Group (The)
15645 Royal Oak Road
Encino, CA 91436
(818) 528-1111

Amsel, Eisenstadt & Frazier
5055 Wilshire Blvd.
#865
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 939-1188

Angel City Talent
4741 Laurel Canyon
Blvd, #101
Valley Village, CA
91607
(818) 760-9980

Ann Waugh Talent Agency
4741 Laurel Canyon
Blvd., #200
North Hollywood, CA
91607
(818) 980-0141

Annette Van Duren Agency
4303 Irvine Avenue
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 752-6000

Barry Perelman Agency
1155 N. La Cienega Bld.
#412
Los Angeles, CA 90060
(310) 659-1122

Becsey, Wisdom, Kalajian
9200 Sunset Blvd., #820
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 550-0535

Beth Bohn Management, Inc.
2658 Griffith Park
Blvd., Ste. 508
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 664-2658

Bicoastal Talent & Literary Agency
210 N. Pass Ave, #204
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 845-0150

Bohrman Agency (The)
8899 Beverly Blvd.,
#811
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 550-5444

Bonnie Black Talent Agency
12034 Riverside Drive
#103
Valley Village, CA
91607
(818) 753-5424

Brant Rose Agency
6671 Sunset Blvd.
Suite 1584 B
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 460-6464

The Brogan Agency
1517 Park Row
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 450-9700

Candace Lake Agency (The)
10677 Somma Way
Los Angeles, CA 90077
(310) 476-2882

Cary Kozlov Literary Representation
16000 Ventura Blvd.
#1000
Encino, CA 91436
(818) 501-6622

CEO: Creative Entertainment Office
1801 S. Catalina Ave.,
Ste 103
Redondo Beach, CA
90277
(310) 791-4494

Cerise Talent Agency
11715 Hortense Street
North Hollywood, CA
91607
(818) 766-8226

Chasin Agency, Inc. (The)
8899 Beverly Blvd.,
#716
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 278-7505

Contemporary Artists, Ltd.
610 Santa Monica Blvd., #202
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 395-1800

Coralie Jr. Theatrical Agency
907 S Victory Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
(818) 842-5513

Creative Artists Agency, LLC
2000 Ave. Of The Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(424) 288-2000

Criterion Group, Inc.
4842 Sylmar Avenue
Sherman Oaks, CA
91423
(818) 995-1485

David Shapira & Assoc., Inc.
193 N Robertson Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 967-0480

Diverse Talent Group, Inc.
1925 Century Park
East, Ste. 880
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 201-6565

Don Buchwald & Assoc.
6500 Wilshire Blvd.
Ste. 2200
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-7400

Endeavor Agency (The)
9601 Wilshire Blvd.,
3rd Floor
Beverly Hills, CA
90210
(310) 248-2000

Silver Bitela Agency
6612 Pacheco Way
Citrus Heights, CA
95610
(916) 723-2794

Featured Artists Agency
6210 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 311
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 939-4600

Frank Elliott Shapiro Talent Agency
(818) 376-1583

Fred R. Price Literary Agency
14044 Ventura Blvd.,
#201
Sherman Oaks, CA
91423
(818) 763-6365

Gage Group Inc. (The)
14724 Ventura Blvd.,
#505
Sherman Oaks, CA
91403
(818) 905-3800

Gerald K. Smith & Associates
(323) 849-5388

Gersh Agency, Inc., The (La)
9465 Wilshire Blvd, 6th Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 274-6611

Glick Agency, LLC
1250 6th Street, #100
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 593-6500

Grant, Savic, Kopaloff & Assocs.
6399 Wilshire Blvd.,
#414
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 782-1854

Hohman, Maybank, Lieb
9229 Sunset Blvd., #700
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 274-4600

Hollywood View
5255 Veronica Street
Los Angeles, CA 90008
(310) 480-5118

IFA Talent Agency
8730 Sunset Blvd., #490
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 659-5522

Innovative Artists
1505 Tenth Street
Santa Monica, CA
90401
(310) 656-0400

International Creative Mgmt. (La)
8942 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 550-4000

Irv Schechter Company (The)
9460 Wilshire Blvd.
#300
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 278-8070

J.K.A. Talent & Literary Agency
1926 N. Crescent
Heights Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(323) 650-2093

Jack Lenny Associates
9454 Wilshire Blvd.,
#600
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 271-2174

Jack Scagnetti
5118 Vineland Avenue,
Suite. 106
North Hollywood, CA
91601
(818) 762-3871

Jana Luker Talent Agency
1923 1/2 Westwood Blvd., #3
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 441-2822

Kaplan-Stahlergumer Agency (The)
8383 Wilshire Blvd.,
#923
Beverly Hills, CA
90211
(323) 653-4483

Kathleen Schultz Associates
6442 Coldwater
Canyon, Ste 206
Valley Glen, CA 91606
(818) 760-3100

Larchmont Literary Agency
444 North Larchmont Blvd., #200
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 856-3070

Laya Gelff Agency
16133 Ventura Blvd.,
#700
Encino, CA 91436
(818) 996-3100

Lenhoff & Lenhoff
830 Palm Avenue
West Hollywood, CA
90069
(310) 855-2411

Lisa Callamaro Literary Agency
427 N. Canon Drive #202
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 274-6783

Lyons/Sheldon/ Prosnit Agency
800 S. Robertson Blvd., #6
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 652-8778

Maggie Roiphe Agency
1721 S. Garth Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 876-1561

Media Artists Group
8800 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(323) 658-7434

Metropolitan Talent Agency
204 N. Rossmore Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 857-4500

Michael Lewis & Associates
2506 Fifth Street, #100
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 399-1999

Mitchell J. Hamilburg Agency
149 S. Barrington Ave
#732
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 471-4024

Mitchell K. Stubbs & Associates
8695 W. Washington Blvd. #204
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 838-1200

MLH Literary and Talent Agency
4650 Greenbush Ave.
Sherman Oaks, CA
91423
(818) 745-1290

Monteiro Rose Dravis Agency, Inc.
17514 Ventura Blvd.
#205
Encino, CA 91316
(818) 501-1177

Natural Talent, Inc.
3331 Ocean Park Blvd.,
#203
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 450-4945

Original Artists
9465 Wilshire Blvd.
#840
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 277-1251

Pantheon
1900 Avenue of the Stars
Suite 2840
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 201-0120

Paradigm
360 N. Crescent Dr. N. Bldg.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 288-8000

Paul Kohner, Inc.
9300 Wilshire Blvd.
#555
Beverly Hills, CA
90212
(310) 550-1060

Preferred Artists
16633 Ventura Blvd.
#1421
Encino, CA 91436
(818) 990-0305

Progressive Artists Agency
400 S. Beverly Dr., #216
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 553-8561

Qualita Dell’ Arte
6303 Owensmouth Ave,
10th Floor
Woodland Hills, CA
91367
(818) 936-3566

Rebel Entertainment Partners, Inc.
5700 Wilshire Blvd.,
Suite #456
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 935-1700

Rothman Brecher Agency, The
9250 Wilshire Blvd, Ph
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 247-9898

Sarnoff Company, Inc. (The)
10 Universal City
Plaza, Ste. 2000
Universal City, CA
91608
(818) 753-2377

Schiowitz Connor Ankrum Wolf, Inc.
1680 Vine Street, #1016
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 463-8355

Shirley Wilson & Associates
5410 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 227
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 857-6977

Stars, the Agency
23 Grant Avenue,
4th Floor
San Francisco, CA
94108
(415) 421-6272

Starwill Productions
433 N. Camden Drive
Fourth Floor
Beverly Hills, CA
90210
(818) 761-3213

Stein Agency (The)
5125 Oakdale Ave.
Woodland Hills, CA
91364
(818) 594-8990

Stone Manners Agency
6500 Wilshire Blvd.,
#550
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-1313

Stuart M. Miller Co. (The)
11684 Ventura Blvd.
#225
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 506-6067

Suite A Mgmt. Talent & Literary Agency
120 El Camino Drive
Suite 202
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 278-0801

Summit Talent & Literary Agency
9454 Wilshire Blvd.,
Ste. 203
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 205-9730

Susan Smith Company (The)
1344 N. Wetherly Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 276-4224

Talent Works, Inc.
3500 W. Olive Ave.,
#1400
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 972-4300

United Talent Agency, Inc.
9560 Wilshire Blvd.
5th Floor
Beverly Hills, CA
90212
(310) 273-6700

Verve Talent & Literary Agency
9696 Culver City, CA
90232
(310) 558-2424

Vision Art Management
9200 Sunset Blvd.
Penthouse 1
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 888-3288

Warden, White & Associates
8444 Wilshire Blvd.
4th Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(323) 852-1028

William Morris Agency, LLC
151 El Camino Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 274-7451

C O N N E C T I C U T
Don Gastwirth & Associates
265 College Street,
#10n
New Haven, CT 06510
(203) 562-7600

Tall Trees Development Group
301 Old Westport Rd
Wilton, CT 06897