Thoughts on 2014

So we have finally crossed the threshold from 2013 to 2014, and I couldn't be more excited about it. While overall, 2013 was a good year in terms of getting things done, it was also a hard year for me physically, with a major illness and two major injuries taking up the predominance of my mental energy for most of the year. Although 2012 saw my father's sudden passing, and as such, still had it's fair share of tears, it was also the year where I was cast as a character in Japan's the biggest drama, one of the biggest movies, and internationally one of the largest (if not the largest) video games of the year, all at the same time. Going into 2013, I had a schedule that was fully booked solid in January (which was a first) and was hopeful to see the trend continue... But alas on the very first job, I contracted the EB virus infection that rocked my system, made me unable to work, and left me weak enough to have two other major injuries (my first ones) back to back.

As soon as I got the infection from that first job, I had a feeling that this would be a rough year. Not really one with major victories and successes as in 2012, but one where I would work my tail off to get the groundwork laid to have an incredible year in 2104. And it was just that.

This is included:
-Getting a new apartment even closer to the city center to cut down on commute times, that has the space for me to both work out and film at home, and also allows Mari and I to have our own separate workspaces so we can both maximize our working efficency.

- Two new income streams:
1) A contract to train the paramedics of the Tokyo Fire Department that is not just incredibly fun, meaningful and rewarding, but also keeps me gainfully employed for 4 months out of the year; thus allowing me to replenish lost savings, and catch up in any bills that may suffer while working freelance.
2) Freelance Cross-cultural Business Consulting work that fills in the gaps at those times where entertainment work is few and far between

- My Youtube channel breaking 1/2 million hits and Getting into the YouTube Studio:
This will allow me not just continue How to Defeat Dudes for free, (as well as start another show, and launch a new language based channel), but also do something that I have dreamed of for years, but had no way to pay for: formally study film production.

- Getting funding for my first film:
Getting outside funding for a feature film is hard. Getting it for a short is damn-near impossible. Especially a first-time effort. But Jorge and I have done it, and with that our action film production project is on its way.

- Starting my Taekwondo School:
By combining with the the Shinjuku Taekwondo Club, I not only picked up my own space teach in, but also a bilingual assistant instructor, and with that, our club has been growing ever since. While the Quiet Flame Dojang is still small, (about 30 members or so) it is big enough that we are in the black, and on its way as a school.

Now, as I head into 2014, I get to see many of these things come to fruition:

1) My TKD school has its first stunt fighting training session coming up in January, and it's first student to cross the line from beginner to Intermediate level with Dean's green belt test.

2) Jorge and I's short film is set to start production in March... Finally. After 5 years of preparing for it.

3) My new YouTube language channel will launch and after 8 years off struggling to make gains with it, my American English pronunciation training tool, Phat English will finally be taking shape in a major way with its own high production quality Youtube channel, and a new Japanese website, and our first sale at an international university. We also finally qualified for a trademark, with just a month left before my application period expires. (I've been trying for several years).

4) The first part of the largest entertainment project I have ever been involved in, the $70 million dollar video game I was in back in 2012, will finally be released on March 18, and with it, international interviews and things are sure to follow.

Granted, seeing as how 2013 started off on equality positive circumstances and ended up being a hard year to get through, I don't want to jinx this one...But at the same time, getting through 2013 has given me a quiet and cautious, (but still very positive) approach to 2014, and the confidence to know that no matter what happens or comes, it's not going to slow my roll. The positive energy going into this year is incredibly strong, and the fact that its actually the year of the horse-my Chinese zodiac sign- (AND that the Spartans just won the Rose Bowl on New Years Day!!!) is just more reason to feel that way. This is going to be an incredible year people. And I look forward to sharing it with all of you. :)

Shooting at the YouTube Space Tokyo in Roppongi

So, not too long ago, a friend of mine contacted to tell me that he had taken a tour of a new YouTube Studio that had just been build on the 29th floor of Roppongi Hills. He had said that he was able to get a press tour of it through the company he worked for, and that given the success of How to Defeat Dudes, I might be eligible to use it. Sure enough, I did a bit of homework and found out that such a studio did indeed exist... and it was only one of three in the world (with the other two being in London and LA).

 Basically, as YouTube continues to grow it is getting more and more of a share of people's leisure time viewing that traditionally only belonged to television, and cable. As such, they built these studios in key locations to allow their top partners access to better skills and equipment so that they could continue to create to local and international content that could compete in entertainment value with big budget or network TV.

Roppongi Hills: The Home of the YouTube Space Tokyo

With that, I looked into the requirements to film there, and while my channel is still relatively small for Youtube standards, (1/2 a million views), my regular monthly views were just enough for the minimum requirement of 15,000 per month (at that time I had 15,200) and my subscriber count was 6x higher. With that, I put in an application, and sure enough I was granted full access to the studio. I think I also lucked out in this regard because YouTube is still a lot smaller in Japan than it is in the states, so even though I was creating content largely for American / Western audiences, they were simply happy just to have me in to make use of the studio. As Youtube Japan & the studio continues to grow, who knows at a later date I may not have been able to get in to make use of it.

At any rate, I can now use the studio space and equipment to shoot there for free, I get an agent/mentor, and a manager, and I can take classes on production ranging from top level editing software like Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Audition, to how to use green screens and effective lighting strategies. Furthermore I also get the chance to meet and work with other top earning Japanese partners as well.

The Green Screen Set

Audio Recording Booth

The last camera I got to shoot on- the Canon FX305.
(About a $6000 camera)

In a lot of ways getting access to a studio like this was something I had been yearning for for years. How to Defeat Dudes always has been the flagship of my channel, and where most of my views come from. While I have created a few other things on my own since then that have done really well, ultimately, in order to succeed I knew that I would need to 1) continue the show and 2) create more content that was of the same or better quality. Having access to this studio will allow me to do just that without it being the massive financial strain that producing the first 13 episodes on my own was. Now I can not only continue the show indefinitely on my own, but I can also start more high production value shows (as well as my first Japanese channel) all while learning from top-notch industry experts, and on top-notch equipment- experiences that will lend itself very well to following my dream of producing content that extends beyond YouTube and onto other forms of media.

The only challenge that working at the studio presents is the fact that it is more or less all in Japanese. (i.e. All of the forms I have to fill out, all the classes I am taking, etc)... And trust me, learning to use Premiere Pro is hard enough in English. Learning it in Japanese is exhausting at times to say the least.

At the same time though, I'm not taking this opportunity for granted in the least… I'm getting to learn all those things that successful film makers go to school for, and doing it for free. And it's pretty damn safe to say that Chuck is a happy camper at the moment.