I just wanted to tell everyone that I’m leaving for my Cannes/London trip!
I will be away from later today Saturday, May 11th through Friday, May 31st (plus most likely a few days of recovery, etc.).
During my trip, I plan on taking copious notes/photographs in order to share my adventure here with you when I get back.
Unfortunately, I’ll have only sporadic Internet connection while abroad. But please feel free to leave me a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
In February, I made arrangements with my friend Tina and about 3-4 of her friends to go in together on a table at SPX (Small Press Expo) in Maryland. And, on March 30th, after a series of techinical difficulties, I learned that we got the table!!
That means I’ll be exhibiting at SPX later this year on September 14th and 15th selling copies of my upcoming zines, plush toys, and whatnots with some wonderful company. Can’t wait!
＊If anyone has helpful advice about SPX, I would be eager to hear it. I’m trying to figure out how many zine copies, plush toys, and whatnots I’ll need to bring with me or ship by mail. What to do? ╰( ´◔ ω ◔ `)╯
Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!
In the meantime, I’m compiling a list of zine fests/expos I hope to attend and possibly exhibit at this year.
As you may know, I attended APE last year — so I think I have a pretty good idea what it will be like. I have absolutely no idea about my chances of nabbing a half-table, but I did send in a form that apparently means they’ll inform me when tables go on sale. We’ll see what happens!!
Spoke with my high school friend Tina L. about SPX (Small Press Expo) in Maryland. We (Tina, some of her friends, and I) are going to try to get a table there this September! Also, Tina may share a table with me for this year’s APE!
Wednesday, February 20th
Zest Books Internship, Day #7: Super busy with some editing/fact-checking work! Also, sat in on a Teen Advisory Board meeting, which was interesting. Going in again tomorrow instead of Friday to sit in on a meeting and meet a tight deadline!
Thursday, February 21st
Sent Hannah some follow-up answers.
Zest Books Internship, Day #8: Came in Thursday instead of Friday. Managed to complete a big project before the deadline. Finally met Dan in person (had only talked on phone before). Going to help Hallie with a photoshop project on Wednesday. Busy, busy, busy!
First skype meeting with film director Josh! He’s interested in my short script The Man Who Never Smiled. Soon, he’ll be scouting locations and creating a shot list. Wants me to write detailed notes about the script and eventually create a simple storyboard. Set filming date for July. Extremely excited!!!
Zest Books Internship, Day #11: Worked on a graphic-novel-related marketing research project.
Thursday, March 7th
Meeting with Gabe! Hoping I can finished illustrations for Elias in a few weeks, scan them, then meet with Gabe to get everything prepared to send out to publishers!
Zest Books Internship, Day #12: Continued to work on a graphic-novel-related marketing research project. Received some very interesting advice about publishing.
Zest Books Internship, Day #15: Worked on research for London Book Fair and literary agents. Put together a bunch of packages to be mailed. Image research for computer/internet-related ebook.
Saturday, March 23rd
E-mails, e-mails, e-mails…!
Date night with Wes. Saw The Incredible Burt Wonderstone — actually much more entertaining than we were expecting. Bought David Bowie’s new album!
Yay!
Sunday, March 24th
E-mails, e-mails, e-mails…!
Received reply from a potential job — interview on Thursday.
Passover trip — had Passover and stayed overnight at cousin’s house outside of Sacramento. Would be perfect location for filming Death Is No Bad Friend.
Received e-mail from local production company. Interview scheduled for April 11th!
Tuesday, March 26th
Return drive from Passover trip.
Wednesday, March 27th
Zest Books Internship, Day #16: Worked on image research and fact checking! Fact checking is definitely one of my strong suits — I have so much random knowledge stuffed away in my brain that I can immediately sense when something is off.
Beautiful but deadly pollen!
Thursday, March 28th
Interview with potential job unsuccessful, but that’s fine by me. Looking forward to next interview on the 11th!
The Poet and the Flea: 63 pages of written script (1 page of script = 4-6 illustrated pages), and about 36 pages (1-30 completed, and 31-36 in progress) of illustrated work.
The First Reich: about 1-10 pages of illustrated work in progress.
First Zine: about 6-8 pages of illustrated work in progress.
I met my Barcelonian friend Elena in Tokyo of all places. We were both studying at Sophia University for a year.
We met through a mutual acquaintance and the three of us ended up on a three day trip to Okinawa. Both Elena and I share an enthusiasm for Okinawan culture and were so excited to go. We managed to see everything on our checklist and had an overall wonderful time there.
As it turned out, a few weeks later, Elena ended up moving into the same dorm as me. We ended up spending memorable times together, staying up to the wee hours of the morning chatting and eating candy.
Now, having only recently moved to San Francisco, we live on practically opposite sides of the globe. But we still Facebook and tweet at each other. And, most excitingly, we send packages through snail mail to each other, back and forth from Spain to the States.
While we were friends in Tokyo, Elena had no idea I drew at all. This was during my college phase of not having time to draw. Boy, was she surprised when she learned I was working on my graphic novel The Poet and the Flea. And, quickly, she became my #1 fan!
Elena became smitten by the rose from page 27 of The Flea (as seen on Part 4 of Behind the Scenes). So, for the winter holiday, I sent her the following ink and watercolor rose.
In return, at the end of January, I received a wonderful little New Year’s present from Elena (see photos below)! She sent me a delightfully long handwritten letter, a bag of candy, and a flyer of a favorite Japanese band called exist†trace (which I believe Elena was handed by the lead singer named Jyou after a The GazettE concert).
I would love for Elena to come visit San Francisco one day, or for me to visit her in Barcelona (when I’m not an unpaid intern making absolutely no money). Elena is really the only person I keep in touch with from my year abroad and I’m proud to have such an awesome friend! Maybe someday we’ll even return to Japan and even Okinawa together.
***
For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
Prepared for tomorrow — the first day of my new internship!!!
Wednesday, January 30th
Zest Books Internship, Day #1: Wonderful first day! Having an easy time getting into the flow of everything. Staff is extremely friendly and excited to get to know them better. Get awesome sneak peaks of upcoming titles. Friday, will be working on Tumblr and possibly doing some image research — can’t wait!
Thursday, January 31st
Not ready to announce anything yet, but amazing news (from January 20th) continuing to develop!
Received e-mail from follower Hannah Meiklejohn (bellusmundus.wordpress.com) asking if she could write an article for a magazine about The Poet and the Flea, yay! Excited to learn more details about the article and magazine. (^-^)
Zest Books Internship, Day #2: Worked on historical-themed image research for most of the day, which was mostly a lot of fun! Started working on Zest’s Tumblr (zestbooks.tumblr.com). Ate lunch in nearby park, which is very pleasant and relaxing and will definitely be repeated.
Saturday, February 2nd
Happy Groundhog Day!!
Filled out the rest of Cannes paperwork and made a checklist for what to bring (I’m Going To Cannes!!!).
Went to see Warm Bodies with Wes! Not the most brilliant movie, but adorable and a lot of fun. (︶ω︶)
For those of you watching the new Netflix series House of Cards, I highly recommend watching the original BBC version starring the brilliant Ian Richardson also available on Netflix.
Ran into a neighbor on the bus to work today, and she’d like to hire me to help her with her WordPress. We’ll see what happens… (^-^)
Zest Books Internship, Day #3: Worked on creating prom tips for Zest’s Tumblr as well as a mailing project. Getting to know everyone in the office better — everyone’s super easy to talk to. Took home a copy of Zoo Station to read.
Wow, I adore this new FX show The Americans! Amazing character development and really scary/exciting. Can’t wait for the next episode.
Zest Books Internship, Day #4: Continuing work on Tumblr! Sat at Ann’s desk today — she happens to have a David Bowie paper doll (with multiple outfits) taped to her computer, which brings me endless joy. Got to know fellow intern Olivia a bit better. Extremely excited to proofread/edit the back cover blurb for an upcoming book. Also got to share my opinion on some cover art!
Today’s constant companion: David Bowie!
Saturday, February 9th
Went to see Lewis Black with Wes and the folks! Stomach hurts from laughing so much!
Sunday, February 10th
Finally got to talk with my good friend from high school Tina! Talked on the phone for over 2 hours! (^-^;;)
Worked on TOP SECRET project.
Monday, February 11th
Went downtown today to pick up some more supplies from Britex for The Flea plush toy.
Did a little shopping in preparation for Cannes. A lot more shopping to do in the next few months.
Finished writing responses to Hannah’s questions. Just have to edit a bit and then send them to her.
Worked on TOP SECRET project.
Wednesday, February 13th
Zest Books Internship, Day #5: More historical-themed image research and Tumblr. Asked to do some brainstorming for book ideas. Ended up walking all the way home today since the bus skipped a lot.
A few days ago, e-mailed the Tate Gallery about information on their William Blake collection. Today, received response with good news. Will talk about this more in upcoming post.
Received e-mail from Hannah! She sent a draft of the article, and it looks really wonderful so far. Just have to answer a couple follow-up questions. \(^-^)/
Zest Books Internship, Day #6: More historical-themed image research and Tumblr. Also, talked about a potential book idea I came up with, and some of the staff seems interested! Next week, will be attending the Teen Advisory Board on Wednesday and a staff meeting on Thursday. Very excited!
Saturday, February 16th
Ordered a beautiful dress to wear at Cannes. I needed a maxi dress for pool parties, etc. and couldn’t find the right one in stores. So I browsed Etsy and found the talented Nicole Lebreux! Not only does Nicole have really fun designs, but also she was extremely helpful in answering my questions. So go ahead and check out her shop!
Went to see a simulcast of the new Met production of Verdi’s Rigoletto. The opera is usually set in the 16th century, but this production cleverly reimagines the story in 1960s Las Vegas. Wonderfully creative and engaging production with incredible singers! Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-zXLKd76fk.
Sunday, February 17th
Worked on some upcoming blog posts.
Date night with Wes!
Etcetera
The Poet and the Flea: 63 pages of written script (1 page of script = 4-6 illustrated pages), and about 36 pages (1-24, 27-30 completed, and 25-26, 31-36 in progress) of illustrated work.
The First Reich: about 1-10 pages of illustrated work in progress.
First Zine: about 6-8 pages of illustrated work in progress.
★Please Note: Feedback on this post would be extremely appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Dear friends, followers, readers:
I need your help!
This is me, flailing for help, as represented by a simple emoticon.
I am looking to compile a list of webcomics/online graphic novels that have yet to be professionally published and fall under the category of non-fiction, young adult, biographical/autobiographical/memoir, and/or historical.
Here is a brief update on my current creative projects and endeavors…!
Saturday, December 29th
Did some more research on fellowships/internships/jobs.
Sunday December 30th
Happy Birthday, Wes! Classic pizza and ice cream celebration in Haight-Ashbury. Wes loved his presents — a doodle of his future corgis, a ramen noodle chocolate bar, and a Moonrise Kingdom T-Shirt. (´ε｀ )♡
Continued to work on an idea for possible first self-printed zine.
Worked on some new posts and other blog content.
Saturday, January 5th
Did some research on children’s book publishers.
Visited local fabric store to scope out materials for future project.
Sunday, January 6th
Went with Wes to “Out of Character: Decoding Chinese Calligraphy” at the Asian Art Museum. Ate lunch at this amazing restaurant called Absinthe. Later, ate phở for dinner. Such a fun day!
Monday, January 7th
E-mails, e-mails, e-mails…!
Helped with editing a family project.
Wes sent me his newly finished full-length screenplay to read — so excited!!! (^-^)
Tuesday, January 8th
E-mail correspondence for potential internship. Hoping I’ll get an interview!
Wes bought tickets to Lewis Black in February — we’re gonna laugh ’til our stomachs hurt and I can’t wait!!!
Etcetera
The Poet and the Flea: 63 pages of written script (1 page of script = 4-6 illustrated pages), and about 36 pages (1-24, 27-30 completed, and 25-26, 31-36 in progress) of illustrated work.
The First Reich: about 1-10 pages of illustrated work in progress.
I can’t believe it’s already been two years since I saw VAMPS in New York City. I made so many great friends in line, and I still communicate with them via Facebook today! –G. E.
***
Waiting for Hyde:
Curiosity Killed The Average New Yorker
It was 7 in the morning when a skinny, middle-aged woman in a tracksuit jogged up to us and asked “What are you guys waiting for?”
Carey, one of many fellow fans I had met for the first time that very morning, asked her friend Shannon to hand her the signs. After receiving the pile of lined paper from Shannon, Carey proceeded to display the first page to the skinny woman. In crude Sharpie marker, the sign read:
We are here for VAMPS.
After staring at the words for a moment with a confused expression on her face, the skinny woman responded by asking, “What is that?” Carey tucked the first page behind the others to reveal the second sign.
They are a Japanese rock group!
“VAMPS” is the popular side-project band of Japanese rock star Hyde. In Japan, “Hyde” has been a household name for over a decade.
Hyde’s major band, L’Arc~en~Ciel, keeps busy dishing out one hit single after another and playing Tokyo Dome (a venue with more than twice the capacity of Madison Square Garden) for the umpteenth time. This year, the band celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Hyde performing at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City.
Although Hyde doesn’t sport fame in the United States equivalent to that of bands like Green Day per se, his fame among American Japanophiles is enough to earn VAMPS a spot in the 2009 Vans Warped Tour and a 2010 World Tour including four concerts across America.
On Saturday, October 9th, I attended VAMPS’s concert at The Roseland Ballroom in New York City.
After reading the second sign with an increasingly confused expression on her face, the skinny woman asked “How long have you all been here?” Carey revealed the third sign.
Yes, we’ve been here ALL DAY.
VAMPS fan Carey and her signs.
My friends thought me insane for heading over to the venue at 5 in the morning. But I knew better. By the time I got to Roseland, there was already a block filled with VAMPS fans standing in line for the 8 p.m. concert.
By “standing,” I mean fans huddled in blankets, sleeping sprawled out on the dog-piss-covered Manhattan sidewalk.
Chatting in line, I could tell that these fans were truly dedicated.
According to Josh (a friendly, chubby VAMPS fan dressed in a kangaroo costume for some unknown reason), some fans had been waiting in line since Wednesday.
Many had come in from Syracuse, Connecticut and the like. Some – such as die-hard fan Mayline – had flown all the way from faraway places – in Mayline’s case, Puerto Rico – just for the concert. Mayline had even lied about a death in the family just to get time off work.
The skinny woman, confused as ever, continued asking questions. And for every question, Carey had a pre-made sign with the corresponding answer. “7 in the morning, and Carey was already an expert at this,” I thought to myself. “Only 13 hours to go.”
Taxi drivers stopped at the light would shout out their windows at us. We would shout back and, once the light turned green, they would drive away still chuckling.
Tourists stood with their cameras snapping pictures of us. Fans in line would retaliate with their own cameras. Upon seeing cameras flashing in their direction, the tourists would flee.
Theater-goers would ask us, “Is this the line for Jersey Boys?” or “Is this the line for Promises, Promises?” They would leave moping about how young people don’t appreciate Broadway anymore.
Sometime during the afternoon, the VAMPS American tour manager came around and handed out flyers with Hyde’s face on them. We figured the flyers would make our lives easier, a visual tool to show curious passersby.
VAMPS World Tour official flyer.
Unfortunately, the flyer just seemed to confuse people more.
Around 5 p.m. and about the gazillionth curious passerby, VAMPS fans in line started getting fed up with all the questions. Down the line, we started hearing people walking past, complaining, “Why didn’t anyone tell me there was a Justin Bieber concert today?”
By that time, the VAMPS line must have already reached the Letterman Show a few blocks up. I can only imagine the kind of hell that part of the line was getting. “What, you’re not here for Letterman? What’s wrong with you?”
After all her questions were answered, the skinny woman seemed disappointed. As she jogged away, she sighed, “Okay then, enjoy yourselves.” She didn’t even stop to read Carey’s last sign:
Thank you for your time!
Perhaps the skinny woman would have been less disappointed if Carey’s first sign had read “Bette Midler.”
***
2012: L’Arc~en~Ciel went on to become the first Japanese band to headline Madison Square Garden. The “WORLD TOUR 2012 LIVE at Madison Square Garden” concert DVD will be released December 26th.
***
For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
It has been a few weeks since launching my Indiegogo campaign: “The Poet and the Flea: Send G.E. to the U.K.”. Since then, I have received a number of contributions from generous funders. I truly appreciate these contributions and am eternally grateful to these funders for helping me inch one step further to achieving my dream.
That being said — I still need more help!!
There are 22 days left until the end of my campaign. That means 22 days left for you to contribute to my dream of becoming a professional screenwriter.
I am trying to raise funds to go to Northern England for the filming of my short screenplay The Man Who Never Smiled, a contemporary film noir about the tragic fate of a father and his daughter. As the screenwriter, it is important for me to be on set for any last-minute changes. But the production company is working on a shoe-string budget and has no funds to get me there or even pay me. Please help me make my dream of becoming a professional screenwriter come true!
Your support will contribute to my travel and lodging expenses. Earn more perks with every donation level. Every dollar counts!
Also, please help spread the word through Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Thank you so much!
–G. E.
***
My name is G. E. Gallas, and I am a screenwriter and graphic novelist (writer/illustrator). I will be making a trip to the U.K. early next year, and need your help to make my dreams come true!
1. My short screenplay, The Man Who Never Smiled (a contemporary film noir), is being produced by Dream Catcher Films in the North West of England. This film is being made on a tight budget, and there are no funds for me to get there. It’s important for me to be there during filming so that I can make on-the-spot changes to the script and get hands-on experience in film production.
2. In between filming will be the perfect opportunity to visit London to research the 18th-Century poet-painter William Blake, the hero of my graphic novel The Poet and the Flea. I plan to visit Blake’s grave as well as various museums that house his works. Seeing his works in person would be life changing. This would be my first time in England, and I hope to make this an unforgettable learning experience.
Your contributions will help cover expenses for transportation (airplane, train) and lodging. I truly appreciate any and all support, whether through contributions and/or spreading the word through social media (Twitter, etc.)!!
While in Europe, I plan to document my travels. When I return, I will share my photos and experiences with all of you through my blog gegallas.wordpress.com.
Here is a brief update on my current creative projects and endeavors…!
Tuesday, August 7th
Today, had lunch with the lovely Tina C. She’s a really smart and wonderful lady. She gave me some helpful advice about The JET Programme (something I may do in the future) and the JLPT Japanese Language Proficiency Test (something I’ve been considering). We ended up speaking English with a bunch of random Japanese words thrown in (●´∀｀●). I’m not sure if she’ll be staying in SF, but I hope we can become friends!
Lately, been trying to practice my Japanese language skills thanks to my new iPad! Downloaded the app “iBunkoHD” to read literature in the original Japanese (Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, Natsume Sōseki, Dazai Osamu, etc.). Downloaded another app “Japanese Advanced Phrases” to practice newspaper terms, 四字熟語 (yojijukugo: a word consisting of four kanji), idioms, etc.
Wednesday, August 8th
Continuing work on The Flea and The Man…
Thursday, August 9th
Posted a new topic at a forum called Making Graphic Novels to promote The Poet and the Flea. Check out post here.
Finally connected with potential director/producer. He seems experienced, interested, and enthusiastic. Going to send him a few short scripts.
Saturday, August 11th – Sunday, August 12th
Continuing work on The Flea and The Man…
Monday, August 13th
E-mails, e-mails, e-mails…!
Trying to figure out the best way to scan The Poet and the Flea. Options, options, options…
Tuesday, August 14th
Continuing work on The Flea and The Man…
As recommended by a fellow artist, signed up with mlkshk.com. It’s a bit like Tumblr and Pinterest. Not quite sure how it works yet though… Forgot to mention, a few days ago, signed up with stumbleupon.com. Not quite sure how this one works either… I’ll figure it out eventually.
Spoke again with potential director/producer. He has lots of interesting ideas for Robots Are a Girl’s Best Friend. Will speak again soon.
Etcetera
The Poet and the Flea: 37 pages of written script (1 page of script = 4-6 illustrated pages), and about 36 pages (1-18, 21-23, 27, 29-30 completed, and 19-20, 24-26, 28, 31-36 in progress) of illustrated work.
Continuing to help fellow screenwriter/filmmaker Jay Dial.
To Do:
Work on research, character sketches, etc. for Shannon.
Schedule second meeting with Shannon for August.
Attend The Pixel-Flick TV Actor/Filmmaker Alliance Second Meeting (August 18th).
Finish The Man Who Never Smiled by end of August.
Sign up with IMDbPro.
Apply to the Bluecat Screenplay Competition (before October 15th).
Seeking Webcomic Suggestions!
★Please Note: Feedback on this post would be extremely appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Dear friends, followers, readers:
I need your help!
This is me, flailing for help, as represented by a simple emoticon.
I am looking to compile a list of webcomics/online graphic novels that have yet to be professionally published and fall under the category of non-fiction, young adult, biographical/autobiographical/memoir, and/or historical.
Below is my list so far (in no particular order):
Please leave a comment below with your suggestions (name of webcomic and website address) and I’ll add them to my list.
Thank you so much for you help!
Best regards,
G. E.
***
For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
***
Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas
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