And Dingo is her Name-O

Yes, ladies and gents. The New Dog has a name.

Dingo.

And yes, I've heard all the "ate my Bay-Bay" jokes, enough now. She does look at bit like a dingo, it's true but I think she might be a Belgian Malinois-yellow Lab mix.

She is a lovely girl. More confident now being left on her own. Very excited to play with a tennis ball and loves a flying disc - in fact she has shredded a few already. We think she is younger than 2 because she's still teething a bit.

She seems an excellent candidate for agility and/or flyball and I can't wait to try her out with that.

The Dog with No Name

We adopted a dog this weekend from a shelter in Los Angeles. Witness the satisfied customer above, taking her first contented dog nap.

We'd seen her mugshot on the shelter's website and thought she looked like a good dog.  She was in a kennel with 2 other dogs about her size. When we approached she was nibbling on the others to prevent them from coming close to us. Not in a very aggressive way, but more like puppy gnawing on them as if to say - nope, these are MY people!

She seemed a little freaky when they moved her from the kennel to the outdoor space where we could see her alone, but she calmed down a bit and we decided that for a shelter dog, she seemed very mellow. We walked her around the block at the shelter and were pleased to notice she was an OK leash walker but needed a little practice.

She rode home well in the car, seemed relaxed and when we got her home we spent some time walking in our fenced back yard with her off leash. We came inside and she explored around then we took her for a walk around the neighborhood, again giving her more leash practice time. She's VERY interested in cats! Other dogs don't seem to rate much interest, nor do children, people on bikes or loud trucks.

She arrived at the shelter Dec 17, they estimated about 2 years old and pregnant. She was handed in by her former owner. She left micro-chipped and spayed. I'm glad she was spayed, but I wonder what happened to her pups.

She is very relaxed for a new dog. I think she is just relieved to be at a house, without other dogs and the smells and the drama that is inherent in a shelter. She has demonstrated to us she is house-trained and she enjoys her brisk walks in the neighborhood. She is getting much better on lead but still has some separation anxiety. She doesn't know it but when I go out for a while today she's getting a nice puzzle chew toy with treats inside. I hope she likes it because she's not terribly food motivated. In fact she hasn't eaten much since she's been with us. Her low food interest and worm problem will be addressed at her vet appointment.

For a shelter dog, she is surprisingly mellow and well-behaved. She's been one of the easiest dogs I've ever encountered.

Name-wise we've had a few ideas - but so far she remains without an official moniker.

Making it happen

A recent conversation with a producing partner got me thinking about how I "brand" myself in this business. One thing they don't really teach you in art school (or film school for that matter) is how to set yourself up as a business and market yourself as a creative person.

The ironic thing is that I do know how to do this, I just have never applied it to myself.

Thus, after some pondering, I've set up this blog. Admittedly I am a bit late to the blogosphere - but rather than look at myself as a day a day late and a dollar short - I see it as having taken the time to think it through.

The things that I would like to accomplish this year with this blog as a catalyst, and in no particular order:

1. Get another feature made (the second one is the hardest I hear)
2. Meet VC people!
3. Be a resource to others for making ones' way in this mercurial business
4. Be more diligent about writing and generating my own content
5. Do more travelling
6. Join the PGA
7. Form an LLC
8. Continue to explore how internet social networking can build on the already collaborative nature of film and television production. In other words, expand my collaborators base and meet those people that I didn't know I didn't know.

So as I put this blog out into the world, I invite your feedback and I leave you with these questions.

• What happened to the smart and funny half hour sitcom? Am I missing something here or was the last good one Seinfeld?
• Is it really true that being accepted to a high profile film festival "makes" your career?
• How do we define success for ourselves? Is it money? Awards? A sense of achievement? What milestone moments have you had?