$TACK$ Lead Actor

 Mark Christopher Lawrence Nominated For Daytime Emmy® 

For Outstanding Lead Actor In a Daytime Fiction Program

LOS ANGELES, CA – July 8, 2020 – Transformation Films, LLC is pleased to announce that $TACK$ lead actor, Mark Christopher Lawrence, has received a nomination for a 2021 Daytime Emmy^® Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Daytime Fiction Program for his gritty portrayal of Hector in the award winning film $TACK$. 

$TACK$ is a biting drama dripping with social commentary on our post Covid-19 world. The film was written by and is the directorial debut for previous Daytime Emmy^® nominated producer and actor, Gerald Webb (BARRY, L.A.’s FINEST, PLAYERS, Assault on VA-33). Mark headlines a fantastic cast that includes previous Emmy^® Award winner Diahnna Nicole Baxter (SCANDAL, A House Is Not A Home), Calvin Winbush (This Is America, NASHVILLE), Tarnue Massaquoi (Terminator: Dark Fate), Jamie Burton-Oare (CSI: New York) and Jadarrel Belser (Zombie Apocalypse).

The nomination tallies Mark’s second Emmy^® nomination of the year, following his Pacific Southwest Regional Emmy^® nomination for narration of THE FLOURISH. He was also nominated for Outstanding Comedic Actor at the Micheaux Film Festival where $TACK$ was also nominated for outstanding directing, outstanding writing and took home the festival’s award for Outstanding Comedic Short.

“Mark is one of the most genuine people and most talented performers in the business. Him receiving this type of honor is long overdue. I could not be any happier, prouder and more honored to have been a part of his amazing accomplishment”.  - $TACK$ director, Gerald Webb

Mark Christopher Lawrence also served as a consulting producer with Meredith Thomas as a supervising producer on the Gerald Webb produced $TACK$ for Transformation Films, LLC. Principal photography took place in Los Angeles, CA wrapping just 46 hours prior to the L.A. Safer At Home mandatory quarantine going into effect.

In recognition of Mark’s second Emmy^® nomination, $TACK$ has been made available for free streaming now through the Daytime Emmy^® Award announcements on July 17^th at: https://www.stacksmovie.com/index.php/screenings/

About Mark Christopher Lawrence

Mark Christopher Lawrence has had a 35-year career on stage, in film and television. His notable appearances include: series regular as Big Mike on NBC’s CHUCK, Pursuit of Happyness, Terminator II, Fear of a Black Hat and his DryBar standup comedy clips that have amassed over 18 million views. The veteran stage actor received the San Diego Critics Circle’s Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Actor of the Year in 2012. He was also nominated earlier this year for Outstanding Comedic Actor at the Micheaux Film Festival where $TACK$ was nominated for outstanding directing, writing and took home the festival’s award for Outstanding Comedic Short.

$TACK$ DETAILS

Directed and written by: Gerald Webb (directorial debut)   

Starring: Mark Christopher Lawrence, Diahnna Nicole Baxter, and Calvin Winbush

Produced by: Gerald Webb Consulting Producer: Mark Christopher Lawrence Supervising Producer: Meredith Thomas

RELATED LINKS:

Mark Christopher Lawrence on IMDB: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0492924/?ref_=tt_cst_1 

Director / Writer Gerald Webb on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2230938/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

$TACK$ official website: http://www.StacksMovie.com

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES

@StacksMovie @MarkChristopherLawrence @MarkChrLawrence @GeraldWebb @Diahnnanicole @Calvintheii @Knappy @TarnueMassaquoi @soulfulstepsjj @theBelser @Jeffmurphy @MeredithActress

MEDIA AND CONTACT:

(818) 848-2001 ext. 102  press@GeraldWebb.com

Mark Christopher Lawrence, Christian Hoff & David Kamatoy Present at 

YAA 41st Annual Young Artist Academy™ Awards

San Diego, CA (For Release) -  The 41st annual Young Artist Academy™ Awards presenters will include NBC star and comedian Mark Christopher Lawrence, Tony Award winner Christian Hoff and television producer David Kamatoy on Saturday, November 21. This year, because of the ongoing restrictions for the Covid-19 pandemic, the event will be presented virtually with live audience engagement via Zoom and YouTube Premieres beginning at 2:30 p.m. Hollywood time. (YoungArtistAcademy.org)

David Kamatoy, Christian Hoff and Mark Christopher Lawrence at San Diego Comic Con.

Mark Christopher Lawrence is the recipient of the 2012 San Diego Critics Circle’s Craig Noel Award – Outstanding Actor Of The Year. He is an international headliner who has worked with the likes of Sinbad, Jerry Seinfeld, Rodney Dangerfield, and Jeff Foxworthy. Mark is best known for his series regular role as Big Mike on the NBC TV series CHUCK and has a recurring role on The PureFlix.com comedy hit, Malibu Dan, The Family Man. A strong supporter of youth actors and previous host of the 38th Young Artist Academy™ Awards, Mark will present the award for Supporting Role by a Young Artist in a Feature Film.

Christian Hoff is a Tony Award-winning native San Diego entertainer whose early training through the San Diego Junior Theater program set a course to Hollywood and Broadway. He has recorded two Grammy Award-Winning original cast albums for “Jersey Boys” and “The Who’s Tommy.” Christian’s resume is highlighted with originating the voice of Hanna-Barbera cartoon “Richie Rich.” This will be Christian’s first invitation by the Young Artist Academy™ where he will present the award for Supporting Role by a Teen Artist in a Feature Film.

David Kamatoy is host of The DavidKamatoy.com Show. As a television producer, he has been responsible for hundreds of episodes of business and lifestyle talk shows seen on BizTV and Youtoo America. David has worked closely with both Mark Christopher Lawrence and Christian Hoff over the years on a variety of entertainment and business projects. While he has been involved behind the scenes with the Young Artist Academy™, this will be David’s first invitation as a presenter. He will present the award for Leading Teen in a Web Series.

Established in 1978, the Young Artist Academy™ is Hollywood’s first and longest running youth awards and has honored many young artists who have gone on to become internationally acclaimed adult actors. This list includes such luminaries as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Ryan Reynolds, and Michelle Pfeiffer. The list of presenters this year will include  Daily Show Host Trevor Noah, academy alumni Scarlett Johannson and Mario Lopez, Sir Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, X-Men), Star Trek legend George Takei, and creature character actor Doug Jones (Shape of Water, Star Trek: Discovery). For more information about Young Artist Academy visit YoungArtistAcademy.org.

For more information about Mark Christopher Lawrence, visit MarkChristopherLawrence.com, Christian Hoff, visit ChristianHoff.com, David Kamatoy, visit DavidKamatoy.com. Media inquiries please contact KamatoyMediagroup.com

Networking in Covid-19 with Steven David Elliot - DavidKamatoy.com Show Clip #KMGTV

This is the 2nd posted clip from the new DavidKamatoy.com show. Steven David Elliot is also a former radio host, so he is a great guest. We cover a lot, and I was inspired to get back out  there virtually connecting to my database and making new connections in Covid-19. Which we have, so I invite you to watch this interview and hopefully it will help spark and inspire networking in and out of Covid-19.

Networking in Covid-19 with Steven David Elliot - DavidKamatoy.com Show 2020.10 from David Kamatoy on Vimeo.

Here are a few personal takeaways from this interview...

1. Steven David Elliot and Rockstar connect reinforce the importance of being an extrovert at times in order to promote yourself, your brand and your business. This is hard in a pandemic and even harder for introverts. But Steven David Elliot and I both are introverts and extroverts. The trick is to just do it, fake it even if its just for 20 minutes or a networking event or a social media post.

2. Relationships, Building relationships is extremely important for business but also for referrals. Helping and connecting people creates a Karma like effect. Relationships in and out of Covid can be  reinforced now by picking up the phone, sending an email and just checking in with people.

3. Want to network? Check out Steven David Elliot's RockstarConnect.com, he hosts a virtual session on Tuesdays as well as in person events where events can happen safely in Covid-19. Network with us by joining the email list / database and fill out your profile, we will be in touch. 
    

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(Press Release) Multi-creative entrepreneur and television host and producer David Kamatoy has released his latest video from The DavidKamatoy.com Show on networking in the era of Covid 19 with author and entrepreneur Steven David Elliot. In the segment, “Networking in Covid-19 with Steven David Elliot,” the two discuss the creation of Elliot’s networking program, Rockstar Connect, and the challenges of networking in the coronavirus era.

After beginning a career in social work with the elderly, Steven David Elliot became interested in marketing after learning sales technique from a cousin. Remembering what his elderly clients had often said to him while in social work about regrets for things they had not done, Elliot decided to follow a dream and open up a bookstore. Eventually he had four successful bookstores, two each in North Carolina and Miami, Florida, which he ran for 15 years. Even in an era of growing online book sales, Elliot’s stores thrived because of his emphasis on networking.

“It’s not about what you sell; it’s about the people,” Elliot explains in the interview. “I would help people, and they would reward me by doing business with me.” This focus on networking continued to grow and developed into a consistent networking event that provided the help he needed in his business. “I’m not a small business when I have a networking event, because I have that big tribe, a nation of people who are around me.”

Elliot goes on in the interview to explain how this networking event then grew into what today is the Rockstar Connect series of networking events. His theory, which he has shown to be quite successful, is that if people did a consistent networking event every month, they would never have to do any other form of prospecting. This is the power behind Rockstar Connect events which focus around an event host who is featured through social media pushes. By building an event designed to provide attendees with what they need to be successful, the host earns their gratitude and their connections. Many times a person who was never at the event is inspired by an attendee to connect and do business with the host.

The interview concludes with a discussion on the continued importance of connections and networking during the current Covid-19 era and beyond. Kamatoy points out the challenges of the new generation placing an inordinate emphasis on social media connections in contrast to tried-and-true methods such as phone calls. “That’s something we need to reinforce again, that it’s so strongly about relationships first.”

David Kamatoy is a multi-creative entrepreneur - a juggler both literally and figuratively. His mission is to support and inspire like-minded multi-creatives in taking their projects to the next level. With a background in entrepreneurship and entertainment, he has produced hundreds of nationally syndicated Radio and TV episodes. He works in media and business development for clients via KamatoyMediaGroup.com and is co-founder of Jugglemail.com, a CRM, Email Marketing Web Platform. Juggle your business with jugglemail.com

Visit RockstarConnect.com  for more information about Rockstar Connect and Steven David Elliot.

BTS Note: If you are wondering this is the new Youtube channel above and we would appreciate a follow. The original channel  has 1500 subscribers but we are moving to a new channel since the  powers at Youtube won't take the account out of purgatory. It wont allow me to  monetize, control the content the way  I should be able to within the Youtube world. 

Additionally, we use Vimeo Pro and its great, we post to Vimeo first since you can replace a video and keep the link in that system. Once it is there and we work some kinks out of it. We then can move it to another platform. 

For more information about David Kamatoy, visit DavidKamatoy.com or DavidKamatoy.guru. To view the full video, visit LINK NEEDED

BTS Notes: Shooting virtual while becoming commonplace is not as simple as recording your Zoom call. While it can be that simple. In order to raise the bar you need to take the time to hack  through the options. In this specific version I used Canon cameras with EOS utility connected. I recorded a secondary camera and used the feed recorded via Skype and OBS. This was not how I planned to do it. We are looking at other solutions to get the best possible live cut or post cut involved. 

How to Google Yourself Properly - DavidKamatoy.com Show 2020.10

(Blog) Many of you have Googled yourselves, but most of you have been doing it wrong. Not wrong, necessarily, just not optimally. Googling or searching for yourself is basically typing your own name into a search engine like Google, Yahoo, Bing and seeing what comes up.

 

DavidKamatoy.com Show Clip, "How to Google Yourself Properly" on Vimeo.
KMGTV  broadcast on KZTC7 San Diego, CA. 

Most of us do this from a skewed perspective because we use the same search engine that we work from. The same site we do social media on, build our websites on and search  for ourselves and related projects and brands. Your search history affects your results. 

In order to Google yourself or search for yourself correctly, you should use an Incognito window in Chrome, an Inprivate window in Edge, or a private window in Opera. Your search is still most likely affected by your location, and for most of us that’s perfect. However, by using a VPN service you could see how you trend in another country.

Opera private has a built in VPN and I am happy to say that DavidKamatoy.com comes up #1 in Google in the Nederlands when searching for David Kamatoy. 

Why should you Google Yourself?

Are you working on your personal brand as an Artist, Entrepreneur, Entertainer, Author, Actor, Singer, or Media Personality? Maybe trying to apply for that next job? 

If you are looking to blow it up on social media and the internet, the best thing you can do is to start by “Googling yourself” or searching for yourself, your brand, or your company to see what comes up. Study what comes up, compare that to the top searched sites, and then optimize accordingly.

We often base our branding decisions “on what we want,” but that has to be balanced with the reality of how people actually see you on the internet.

Google is the #1 Website in the United States according to Alexa.com.

ACTION: Open an “Incognito” Browser in Chrome or your favorite browser and search for yourself or your brand: “Your Name” “Your Brand” “Your Company Name.” 

• Tip: You want to type in your name or, if your name is not unique, then most likely your name + your occupation or company. 
• You want an incognito window so that your own search history does not bias the results. 
• You can also use a VPN to try to check results in other countries or areas.
• If you can’t find your name because it’s generic, then that’s when you want to get a yourname.com URL, or you may consider changing your name or creating a stage name. (Just ask Michael Douglass aka Michael Keaton).

So the question is, what comes up? Does your website come up? Your Facebook account? Your IMDB?

Whatever you see is most likely what other people are seeing when they search for you. If someone meets you or does research on you, this becomes the first, second or third impression. 

If you are using Chrome and Google, then you have technically Googled yourself.

Let’s dig deeper.

Within the world of Google we suggest looking at...

• Google News
• Google Images
• Google Videos
• Google Maps
• Google Shopping
• Google Books
• Google Scholar

Other Search Engines

• Follow a similar path on other search engines and browsers
• Bing, Yahoo, Opera
• Dogpile is a great search engine because it returns all the best results from the leading search engines. 

YouTube.com is the #2 website in the United States according to Alexa.com.

Whatever or however you are searching for yourself, type it into YouTube.com 

What videos show up? Do you have your own channel? Does someone else have a name or brand like yours? If you don't come up, then what does? 

This is why Video is such a powerful tool. Google owns YouTube, and YouTube results feed into Google. A well-viewed, optimized video typically comes up in the Google Search. 

Facebook.com is the #5 website in the United States according to Alexa.com

Search for your name, your brands, your company, and your hashtags on Facebook and other social media sites.

Top social media sites, and how you trend or rank in those sites, will show up not only on those sites but also in the search engines based on traffic. 

Tip: Build your own name .com Website Yournameasabrand.com

Grabbing your name url as a .com, . net etc. is the top strategy that helps you to control your own message. Your own consistent blogging and content should be placed here, in addition to social media sites. Remember, you most likely do not own or control Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and your profiles can disappear or be banned overnight. 

On that same point. Remember to build your own database using a system like jugglemail.com (Shameless Plug) to build, control and communicate with your fans or database. 

Youtube.com Video Link

CTA: Call to Action, Action, Action

1. Please, like, follow and comment on social media platforms.
2. Join the DavidKamatoy.com email list, our circle of influence for updates, free reports, and latest content. (Check out Jugglemail.com CRM)
3. If you are interested in discussing a project, please contact us directly via DavidKamatoy.com , DavidKamatoy.guru or KamatoyMediaGroup.com

David Kamatoy, Multi-Creative Entrepreneur is a juggler figuratively and literally. Working in the fields of entrepreneurship and entertainment, the DavidKamatoy.com show is about his crazy journey as Jack of all Trades, Master of Some while working professionally in multiple fields. He and his team are often tasked by other entrepreneurs to help build their projects because of their eclectic backgrounds. 

For more information. Contact us directly and visit  KamatoyMediaGroup.com,  DavidKamatoy.com,  DavidKamatoy.guru

Join the email list and the circle of influence. Complete your profile and we will be in touch. Click here to join the madness. 

#Kamatoy, #Jugglemail. #MCE #MultiCreativeEntrepreneur, #EmailMarketing #Kamatoy #Juggler 

"Typewriter Blog Theme" on Typepad, David Kamatoy's original Blog gets retro update.

It seems like a typewriter blog theme on typepad make perfect sense. I did a version of this in the past but I am trying to get a bit more detailed. 

My design idea for the blog is a typed paper sitting on a desk.  Iv'e been trying to get warmer tones out this last website build for a client and I think that carried over to this idea. I wanted to keep our red, black and white Kamatoy Media Group and Jugglemail theme but give it a warm retro typewriter feeling. Here are the elements I used to create to piece this blog theme together. It is a work in progress...

Element #1: Special Elite Font

The font. I ended up choosing the "Special Elite" Google Font by Astigmatic, Principal Design that mimics the Smith Corona Special Elite Number NR6 and the Remington Noiseless typewriter models according to the Google Font website. Which can be found here. https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Special+Elite

I really think the effect of this font on top of the paper backdrop really works well. I want add some white out or a coffee stain. 

Using CSS in Typepad is a little tricky but not too bad. I used the customized template with adding the CSS. I could have really gone deep with it and played with the HTML but for now, this worked. 

Element #2: Paper Post Background

I chose a paper background from Envato. I had to play with a texture that was not too distracting. As close to white as possible. In case the image doesn't load. The color behind the image is white or near white.

I am a true believer of white backgrounds especially for email marketing. Image backgrounds on email is never a good idea.So typically in order for us to continue the style guide from website to email on the Jugglemail (our project) platform I typically choose white. 

Element #3: Desktop Backdrop

I also went with an an Envato wood backdrop for now. After playing with a few options,  Ideally I need an image that is repeatable that has warmth without drawing attention away from the text. I uploaded this as 4000 px accross, the reason is that I found that the repeating image worked better on a 1920 screen. Above the fold with one scroll kept the theme. There are other wood options that I played with but this was the one that did the best job of being a background vs. a "Ooh look at that background." background. 

I may go crazy at some point and try to overlay images on my hands on the sides of the blog as if they are sitting on the desk.  If I can set it up so that my hands stay while the background moves. That would be cool. 

Here is the code link for Typepad CSS. https://help.typepad.com/background_images.html

Element #4: The Banner

The banner is using another typewriter font from Adobe, Typeka Regular. I used the same paper backdrop and added a few lines on the blog to help break up the layout a bit. I had to incorporate the 3 ball mark, my name and additional text. 

This typepad format is suggesting a 1000px- 1200px native accross. So I did 1000px. I included a little of my bio which I feel is always going to be confusing but that's one the reasons for the blog. To show the crazy diversity skill set. I ended up going flatter with the logo vs. shadowed. But I did throw in that Typewriter image to carry the retro theme through. 

This is a work in progress and I am going to continue to tweak the code on this and also play with the layouts of blog posts, so that they fit. 

This typewriter theme blog allows me to have a little fun since my other related sites should  take a more traditional tone to them.

Please comment if you are doing something similar or found something similar. I did a cursory search and was surprised that nothing immediately came up. There was a cool typing effect blog theme though so that's cool. 

If you are wondering. Most of what is written moving forward on DavidKamatoy.Guru will be also mirrored on DavidKamatoy.com in a slight variation. DavidKamatoy.Guru will be more of a true blog, while DavidKamatoy.com will be connecting all the dots to sites and projects.

Thank you for reading this. Please stay connected. 

Check out Jill Lublin's Crash Course in Publicity

If you are interested in getting Media to cover you, your event, your company then you have to understand PR, Public Relations. It's that simple.

One of the ways to do that is to learn as much about PR as you can and Jill Lublin, Co-Author of Guerrilla Publicity is a great way to do it. 

Click here for more information & to register for Jill Lublin's Crash Course in Publicity.

As a TV producer of hundreds of TV and Radio talk shows. I can tell you that understanding PR, Public Relations how it relates to marketing is constantly misunderstood.

PR is one of those strange gigs in the business world that almost every business needs to understand at some level and at the same time its a job that requires no degree and no certification.

As an entrepreneur, I try to learn as much as I can about something before I hire someone to do the job. 

Click here for more information & to register for Jill Lublin's Crash Course in Publicity.

Do you need a PR person or can you do it yourself? My answer is YES! Both are true. 

As a producer I can tell you straight out that the best guests are typically represented and pitched by an agency. Why? because they are prepped, the understand the format. 

We get things like

• Press Releases
• Interview Guides
• Question Suggestions
• Talking Points
• B-Roll
• Images
• A media friendly website
• A simple pitch or CTA and if its appropriate for the show.

That being stated, that does not mean that you need PR Agency to prep the above but the truth is that most who approach me without a PR Agency are not prepped correctly.

My other reality is that many of our regular guests are not attached to a PR Agency and have not been for years. 

So how does that work???

The simple answer is that they are great guests and they know how to prep, are media coached, media friendly and can carry a conversation on air.

Rock 105.3 Boo Ball 2018 Rocks San Diego, CA

San Diego, CA - Rock 105.3 Boo Ball in San Diego was a rousing success. We have helped with placing entertainers for this event for the 4th year in a row. Stephen Prendergast and David Kamatoy had a chance to capture the event. Here a few highlighted images from 2018. We will post a few more on Facebook and additionally at KamatoyPhotography. 

 Congratulations to the Rock 105.3 team and the winners from Boo Ball 2018.

One of the most entertaining lines of the year at House of Blues. 

Radio Hosts of Rock 105.3 at Boo Ball 2018 with a packed house.

Go Go Dancer Sam onstage at House of Blues. 

Winner of the Sexiest Costume.

Runner Up of Sexiest Costume. It was close.

Art Macias as Freddy Kreuger at Boo Ball 2018.

This guy won, BEST COSUTME. Detail and Practicals were fantastic.

Go Go Dancer at Boo Ball. 

One of the last shots of the night. I found this very amusing. 

More photos to be found at KamatoyPhotography.com soon. 

Interested in working in working with the team. Send an email. 

David Kamatoy is a juggler literally and figuratively. A Nationally Syndicated TV/ Radio producer known for The Big Biz Show and America Trends. He has worked proffessionally as a juggler-comedian, actor, musician, photographer, Director of Photography to name a few. Clients have a tendancy to work with David based on wanting to produce media and business development. He teaches once a week acting and performance. He is co-founder of Kamatoy Media Group and Jugglemail.com a CRM email marketing company As an early adopter to social media he understands the long term benefits of self-branding and content creation. He host’s his own show, “David Kamatoy Blog Show” a magazine style format show covering entertainment, entrepreneurship and e-marketing

Hip Hop 5K San Diego, CA 2018 Kickin with Producers

Multi-Grammy Winning Producer Anthony Dent and Carleton Overstreet Jr..

San Diego, CA - We had a blast at the 3rd Annual Hip Hop 5K in San Diego,CA held at ECC organized by Diamond Minds and Futuristic Music Group with our associate Carleton Overstreet Jr., Entertainement Director at the event. We hlelped with stage managing the event and entertainers. The day started early of course 7:00 a.m. with a successful run, walk that was well participated in. The staging area was surrounded with full group of vendors that stayed to the end. Entertainment ran from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 P.M. pst. It was a long day in the sun and I probably got several shades darker and should have worn more sunscreen. All those years street performing pay off at these events.

Anthony Dent with the band tulengua. This group notably played live instruments along with Abelton resulting in a powerful sound from a trio.  

We had a parade of local and national entertainers throughout the day but what was impressive from an entrepreneurial and mentorship perspective is that the event featured music producers that were there to speak meet and greet the next generation of talent. Many music events are just that events or shows, but this added element of mentorship really added an "uplifting" element to the event. 

Mistah F.A.B. spoke, inspired and performed at San Diego Hip Hop 5K.
Mistah F.A.B.  is a multi-platinum songwriter and record producer, who has collaborated with major acts such as Snoop Dogg, Too $hort, E-40, B.o.B, Chris Brown, and Eric Bellinger. (according to Wikipedia)

David Kamatoy - juggler & producer, Anthony Dent - Multi-Grammy Winning Producer, Carleton Overstreet Jr. - Producer, Drummer, Event Entertainment Director  and Host Jonnae Larell Thompson.

We look forward to networking with some of the acts and producers we met at the event and will keep you updated on some of this great up and coming talent. 

More updates coming soon on Facebook and KamatoyPhotography.com