Meeting update and Ramon Sloan & Carlo ‘Vinnie’ Besasie shared movie making gems!

Our Wed September 16 meeting is a project meeting. Bring your projects and your needs and let’s discuss and work together to get them made. We did it last year and everyone had a good time and we ended up helping produce a short film. Others found cast and crew members to work with. SO come on out and join in. 

October Wed Oct 14 will be a project meeting also because we have a couple Mission 1 Billion film projects we are doing this autumn and we will be planning and discussing cast and crew up too.
Neither meeting is a speaker meeting but planning projects and networking meetings for those projects.
SO come on out prepared to share your projects and your needs and perhaps work with others on yours and theirs.
Filmmakers and actors show up – cast and crew… DPs, Assist Directors, Producers, Makeup, Gaffers, Sound, Props, Prod Design, Writers, Grips, Krafty, Stunts, SFX, Editors, Animators, Photogs, etc show up so we can get to know you and perhaps work together. ###

 

Our August speaker was Ramon Sloan who is an award-winning Producer, Director, and Writer, and the founder of Swift Motion Pictures delivered the goods! Since 2016, he has created 15+ original film and TV productions — including the Circumstances saga, All About a Check, Family Code, Untangled, and more — streaming on platforms like Tubi, Prime Video, Apple TV, and Comcast Xfinity.

PLUS we had another fantastic SURPRISE guest Cinematographer Carlo ‘Vinnie’ Besasie!!

He added so much value to this conversation. He and Ramon have worked together on at least one of Ramon’s feature. Carlo seems to have done it all. Operate camera, DP, grip, gaff, operate crane, produce and much more. SO glad he was able to join us and discuss filmmaking with Ramon and our members.

I thought it was a wonderful meeting and Ramon and Carlos delivered lots of producing and distributing gems. Both gentleman are professionals, successful and generous sharing their expertise with others.

 

I am going to repost Dan Brezgel’s comments from what he wrote in our FB groups below.

“Something from last night’s Mission: One Billion Creator Network meeting has stuck with me, especially after reading some of the comments on my last post.

A few people mentioned marketing, finding the right audience, and actually getting people to discover the work we create.
That connects directly to a great question an actor asked last night about the “preferred” or recognizable actors that distributors and streaming platforms sometimes look for:
If you’re not already one of those actors, how do you get there?
We talked afterward, and I think there’s a much bigger lesson in that question that applies to actors, directors, cinematographers, producers, crew members and creators in general.
Talent matters. Experience matters. Taking direction matters. Being prepared matters. And being someone people genuinely want to work with again matters enormously.
But there’s another piece I think creators sometimes underestimate:
Helping the project succeed after your job on set is finished.
If you work on a film, you become part of that film’s team. When the production releases an approved trailer, poster, screening announcement, streaming link or social post, share it. Talk about it. Help people discover it.
That isn’t just social media activity. It supports marketing, distribution and audience building.
Ramon made a great point during his talk about reaching back out to the people involved with his film when it became available on Tubi and getting everyone behind it. That collective push helped people actually find and watch the movie.
Think about the math.
20 people make a film. All 20 help promote it.
Now imagine 50.
Every actor has a network. Every crew member has a network. Every filmmaker has a network. Those circles overlap, but they aren’t identical. When everyone participates, a small independent production suddenly has a much larger microphone.
And here’s something I think is especially important for anyone trying to build a career:
Make yourself someone a filmmaker wants to call again.
Be talented.
Be prepared.
Take direction.
Help solve problems.
Treat people well.
Don’t bring unnecessary drama to the production.
And when the film is ready for an audience, help it find one.
You may not be on someone’s preferred list today.
But you can become the person they remember for the next project.
That’s one of the cultures I’d love for us to continue building inside the Mission: One Billion Creator Network.
We don’t simply help each other make things.
We help each other get those things seen.

CREATE • SUPPORT • SHARE • AMPLIFY”

Thanks Dan! AND I think that is great food for thought and hope you embrace some of these valuable points and principles.

 

 

See you at the next meeting! Invite your filmmaker and actors and other creative friends to join us at a live meeting AND become a member in our exclusive FB group.

PLUS, thanks to all who attended, spread the word to others through various means AND contributed to the conversation. It was a great night for us all.

MISSION 1 BILLION is here to help you!

MISSION 1 BILLION IS A PRIVATE GROUP. Use this link to request an invite to join us. https://www.facebook.com/groups/mission1billionofficial We open many meetings to the public and they are free. You can also invite and bring along your filmmaker and actor friends.

IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE! When applying for membership (it’s free to join) BUT you must answer the questions and agree to follow the rules. You will not be accepted to join until you do.

 

Please help spread the word. Share this with your friends and colleagues.

We’ll have more Mission 1 Billion (official website > https://www.missiononebillion.org) project discussions, film events, speakers and class sessions coming up live and in person and will report on it here.

People connecting and collaborating on projects helping each other out IS what we’re all about! We can be a useful resource to you.

Join us in Mission 1 Billion on Facebook & SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS?

LINK TO ARTICLE on us by the Los Angeles Tribune (https://rexsikesmoviebeat.me/2025/08/02/how-heartspire-and-mission-1-billion-are-turning-creative-media-into-real-world-miracles-for-families-in-crisis/) about Dan & Rex, Heartspire & Mission 1 Billion vision, mission and action. What will we do and what can you do to help!

PLUS PLUS PLUS

Subscribe free to Rex Sikes Movie’ Beat blog (https://rexsikesmoviebeat.me) and Rex Sikes’ Movie Beat spotify(https://open.spotify.com/show/2zoiOvG8US1aiu5efAxNv6) at spotify for free.

This Podcast has over 600 hours of professional filmmakers sharing their expertise with you. It’s an education – learn what to do AND what not to do to be more successful!

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Become a part of something wonderful and helpful to filmmakers and others.

See ya there AND in the next blog!

Rex