What a lovely thing it was to wake up yesterday and discover that the online version of an interview I did in Advocate magazine is out! (to coin a phrase)
The magnificently gifted writer Christopher Harrity reviews my tour and then we cozy up for a little Q & A. It's great fun and I hope you'll all read it. After which, doubtless you'll be planning your trip to Hollywood to take the tour for your self!
I said I would be keeping you updated on the Tour Company, so I figure it's time I file a report!
I have yet to do any advertising or marketing other than this bloggy thing, yet here's where I stand:
* In the last two weekends I have given four tours, and have five more scheduled between now and the middle of November! Two of the five come from readers of this blog.
* My dear friend David Deluise (of TVs "Wizards of Waverly Place" and son of the late, magnificent Dom Deluise) twittered, I mean tweeted about the tour for me, and encouraged his fans to take it.
* The Tour website has only been up for 14 days and has already been viewed 367 times!
* I have filed a DBA for the company and, through the help of one of the inner circle of readers of this blog, have been connected and enrolled in the Small Business Development Center to learn more.
* My best friend Chad (the other felix) took the tour and invited a PR person who has given me a list of emails for concierge people of various LA hotels, and the aforementioned inner circle person arranged a list of emails for reporters from various business and general publications.
* I googled 'how to write a press release' but I've been scared to send one out without it being reviewed by a professional, since the last thing I want is to send out something with a format flaw and have press people dismiss me from the gate.
* My next immediate needs are, a telephone number dedicated to the tour, business cards, and fancy bi or tri-fold brochures to leave at hotels and such.
Being a complete believer in signs and the old axiom, "there are no coincidences", I had a wild day on Wednesday.
By complete happenstance, I met Sunhee and Chinhee Park, Korean-Identical Twin-Psychics. Through chit chat, they revealed what they do, and I revealed what I was starting to do. They got that psychic-y look in there eyes and started babbling away. And they had nothing but fabulous things to say about the company's eminent success and they were genuinely excited that I was doing it. They're pretty cool, check 'em out.
Then, driving home from work that evening I saw a gorgeous double rainbow in the sky. Remarkable since it hadn't been raining where I was! (and I wasn't hallucinating, there was a picture of it in the paper the next morning) I was stopped at a red light when I first saw it. the second arc was pretty faint, but the main arc was bold and unbelievably vibrant. Now the trippy part: from my vantage point it appeared to have it's one end coming from the mid point of my tour route, and the other end coming from my house!!!
It's been a very busy couple of days around here, what with selling tickets (oh yes I have!) and trying to stretch my nontechnical mind to wrap around building a website:
But at long last -- SUCCESS! Now, before you get too excited and rush over to have a look, I have to say; it's a pretty uninspiring website. But let's think on the bright side shall we. The more tickets that are purchased, I'll be that much closer to being able to hire a web designer to spruce things up over there!
So before you hop in the car to come and take the tour:
You have to go to the new website and shop for your tickets!
Dearest friends - I've been hinting and suggesting, and suggesting and hinting that I would soon have an announcement to make; well here it is.
THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
I am launching my own guided tour company!
Get off the bus and take a walk with me!
"...In A Place Called Hollywood: a stroll through the first 100 years of Tinseltown."
I have designed and scripted a fascinating exploration of the 7 block stretch in Hollywood where it all began. We'll talk about how Hollywood (the town) happened and why Hollywood (the business) happened here. We'll discover the origins of 4 major film companies, 3 radio networks, 3 television networks, 3 record companies, and 2 world class recording studios with a list of hit records to their credit that will knock you off your feet. There are tons of stories, anecdotes, facts, gossip and fun! I've also compiled a wonderful book of photographs to show you what it all looked like.
Following My Bliss
This is a topic that I love, and have researched and studied, literally for years, and I'm a born story teller. That combined with the fact that I will walk to work, and walk for work make this a rather perfect thing. I've given this tour about a dozen times now to a broad range of people from Old Hollywood Geeks like us, to people who think that Hollywood means TMZ and the latest reality star, and everyone has loved it.
What It Is And How To Play
Tours will begin on September 24th and presently will be offered twice daily at 1pm and 4pm. They are available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. More times and more days will be added as they become necessary. All of the tours will be intimate (generally 6 to 8 people), and they will last about an hour and 45 minutes. There are lots of great restaurants on the tour route so if you want a drink or a bite to eat before or after the tour, there's no need to go any further. Make an afternoon of it. It is a 1 mile walking tour, so throw on some sunscreen, some comfortable (yet stylish) shoes, grab a camera, and let's go!
**Here's a Thought** Get a group together and combine the tour with a meal at one of the local restaurants for a great Birthday Event!
The cost of the tour is $30, but for a grand opening special, let's knock off $5 and make it $25. I'll make that price good till the end of Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 28).
By Now You're Probably Thinking, "What A Terrific Idea, How Can I Help?"
Well kiddies I'll tell ya. The success and growth of this company necessitates that I become a publicity whore. So if you want to blog about it, or Facebook about it, or Tweet about it, you'd be doin' me a solid. If you know anyone from an L.A. hotel concierge; let them know. If you know any body in newspapers, magazines, radio or
TV (!!Jackpot!!), have them email me. I am open to all media requests.
Needless to say, in addition to the regular content that you've come to expect, this blog will be faithfully reporting on progress of things. You guys are the best, thank you.
