My martial arts school, Self Mastery Systems, is in the process of refining a workout and conditioning program called Moyo Fitness. I made a teaser video for the program, with some of the images from fellow student and media producer Johnathan Reed.

Moyo will combine kung fu and yoga with calisthenics, core and cardio conditioning and all sorts of awesome workout routines into a set of 10 two-minute exercises per session. It’s an incredibly diverse and exciting way to train, and being one of Fundi’s “guinea pigs” for the program, I’m happy to say it’s gotten me into rip-roaring shape! Take a look! I FEEL THE BURN!

Myself, Bob, Damien, and a few others in the group will be going to Otakon 2010, having a blast and repping Strike a Pose!!! Films. Here’s some details:

First off, to promote SAP at the convention, I went out of the way to make a new biz card (that’s business, abbreviated, word) to hand out to unsuspecting new fans! Here’s the image, and it’ll be our new marketing image for at least the rest of the summer, if not the year. A final logo is still in the works though:

MAX ACTION attended the convention, and will soon bring us the inside scoop on the crazy world of anime, videogames, and violent nerd culture straight from the source: Downtown Baltimore! You’ll see interviews, theme songs, street fights, and even some karaoke! Who knows– if you went to Otakon 2010, you might even be in a few of the videos yourself!

Finally, we have other random content to add, such as an upcoming roadtrip video featuring myself and Rob Ramirez, and of course, our PREDATORS off-the-cuff review!

SITE EVOLUTION:
Ryan and I are on the hunt for a new layout, but in the meantime I’m adding a crap load of new content, including a page COMPLETELY dedicated to your favorite character, MAX ACTION. He’ll be having a lot of new videos coming soon to an internet near you! Just click his name right there to find him on FACEBOOK and share him with your friends! He’s getting big, and may soon get syndication with a comrade site of ours, Space Monkey Mafia Studios! Also expect for Max to start making quite a few more public appearances…

Such as when he visited Otakon 2008, and met Snake from the Metal Gear Solid Series, and discussed Mechanized Nuclear Robot Political Policies!

What else are we throwing in though?

Well how bout this: A CAST AND CREW PAGE under the ABOUT section on the website, to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about your favorite actors, cameramen, musicians, website designers, graphic artists, and more from the STRIKE A POSE!!! Films family. If you’d like one made, just look at Stu’s profile, and be sure to email me 250-500 words with similar information! This counts as portfolio/resume material, and if you’ve ever been in a Strike A Pose!!! Films production, you’re eligible for a page!

Speaking of EMAIL, check out our contacts page- you can now shoot us emails about the site, your favorite videos, or even if you wanna get in with the group for all of our great parties and film making extravaganzas! This was all Ryan’s brilliant idea– so if you got tech issues, I’ll be sure to forward them to him ASAP!

The Forums have also undergone a makeover, so be sure to log into those and get chatting! Amateur/Indy film? We’re the number one place in the DC area to discuss potential and future projects! Wanna bitch about Predators, or tell me how you think Inception is the greatest movie ever made? I probably won’t reply to either, but I’d be glad to ignore it! Seriously though, BEGIN THE CHATTING!

Also- ever wanted to comment but didn’t wanna log into the site? Well now you can! We have officially enabled ANONYMOUS comments! So be sure to comment on EVERYTHING YOU POSSIBLY CAN, click the share button and let everyone on the Twitterverse and the Facebook Dimension know what the hell you’re talking about when you mention Bodangofish, Peregrine Saga, Interdimensional brush portals, or how you saw the greatest battle of all time.

The site just keeps growing and the fanbase keeps escalating, and we’re happy to pay you back for your support with a growing consistency of features and content!

There’s a lot going on behind the curtain at Strike a Pose!!! Here’s an example of something that will hopefully be coming soon to an internet near you!

Personally, it’s been a rough month for me, but thanks to our wonderful cast and crew and the support of loyal fans, things are finally coming back around, and I’m proud to announce SAP is getting ready to gear up for some exciting events!

All next week we’re going to try and bring you new content, leading up to the day when someone very special is going to make a big public appearance at OTAKON 2010. If you have any clue who we’re talking about, and you’re a fan of the guy, you should let him know where you’re gonna be. You might as well, it’d be a lot scarier if he were to track you down…

So we’ll have road trips, movie reviews, and promos for new content! Be sure to check the site regularly, and if you’re a fan, share us on Facebook and Twitter!

SCENE: Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg MD.

A little over three weeks ago I participated in a final round audition for a modeling contest hosted by the American Mall Model Search. The grand prize was a one year contract with Model Productions, a company that’s been around for over 25 years and has produced loads of successful actors and models.

The contest required the completion of three tasks:

A photo shoot

Photo touch ups courtesy of Elizabeth Harvey, who we’ll have a post about next time!

A runway walk featuring personalized clothing

And a talent performance (for me, acting!)

I was nervous as hell, but I knew because of my history with Future Film Makers, Six Flags, Al Thompson’s project, the various indies I’ve been working on and the undying support of my family and friends, I would at least have a shot. Good thing all the training I’ve been doing with Self Mastery Systems at least let me feel like my body belonged there…

Special thanks also go out to a mentor of mine, Kevin Christy, who sent me this email regarding how I should approach the monologue contest:

in a situation like this, don’t over do it. people make the mistake of trying to showcase every talent they have as opposed to just acting what’s appropriate to the piece. there are a a million monologues out there, it doesn’t matter so much which one you do. it matters how comfortably you execute it […] try to enjoy yourself, performing when its done correctly is extremely fun. don’t worry about it . the life of a performer is filled with performances, there is no “most important” one. they are all the same.

Truer words of wisdom are very rarely spoken!

Then I saw all these beautiful young women dancing and singing, and videos of chiseled Adonises up on the monitor, I got pretty nervous pretty quick. My talents only extend as far as my pronunciation and occasional comedic timing (which usually involves flailing my arms around like a madman), hence me not usually starring in the Strike a Pose!!! Films you see on this site.

But when it came down to it, I worked my butt off and with help from my girlfriend, who had complete and unyielding faith in me (I know, I’d say she’s pretty crazy too!), I managed to win over the audiences with my performances, and get marks high enough from the incredibly supportive judges, sending me up into the heavens towards stardom!

Well, at least let’s hope so!

Once again, thank you to all my family and friends who helped out, I couldn’t have done this without you!

This weekend myself and Robert Ramirez (Line of Sight, Car Trouble), will take a trip up north to scenic New Hampshire to attend a martial arts seminar hosted by the Soke of Yoshida-ha Shidare Yanagi ryu, Don Angier. Here’s a video of the master in action:

So, hopefully you all will get a look into this trip. That’s right– we’re bringing the camera and will try to get some great footage of the journey as well as the destination. In the meantime, please be sure to check out this old video of Strike a Pose!!! Films performing our own little samurai action, the original LOCKED BLADES!