(re)Search my Trash

<body> <div align="left"> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="800" cellpadding="0" height="100%"> <tr> <td width="100" rowspan="3" background="../stylepix/square.gif" valign="top">  </td> <td width="4" rowspan="3"></td> <td width="592" height="1%" valign="top"> <p align="center"> <a href="../research/resultdirlinks.shtml?Rafal Zlak">Films directed by <b>Rafal Zlak</b> on (re)Search my Trash</a> <p align="center">   </td> <td width="4" rowspan="3"></td> <td width="100" rowspan="3" background="../stylepix/squareright.gif" valign="top">  </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="592" valign="top" height="99%">  <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="255" align="right"> <tr> <td width="100%"> <p align="right"><img border="0" src="../stills/rentaman-poster.jpg" width="250" height="370"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>Your new movie <i><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></i> - in a few words, what's it about?</b> <p>  <p><b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b>, in short, appears to be about two strangers hiking the desert, but as we delve deeper we'll discover neither of these men fit a normal mold and instead there's more than meets the eye in terms of deception, cunning, visual symbolism -- a mystery in need of piecing together.</p> <p>  </p> <p>Its logline: <i>A gangster hires a mysterious rent-a-man for a subtle game of cat-and-mouse in the desert until an ultimate future-changing twist!</i> <p>  </p> <p><b>Since <a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml"><i>Rent-a-Man</i></a> is at its heart a crime thriller (however abstracted) - is this a genre at all dear to you, and some of your genre favourites?</b></p> <p> </p> <p>I love crime-thrillers, thriller-mysteries, thrillers of all types as I find them filled with much more psychology than other genres, except for perhaps sci-fi. They usually teach me something new or show me something from a different perspective than I would be able to experience first hand through living a mundane life - resulting in excitement and a form of human competition. If a film forces the viewer to say, "whoa, what is going on?" -- then usually, there's something special, unique or original about it.</p> <p> <p><b>(Other) sources of inspiration when writing <i><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></i>?</b><p> <p>Two main inspirations for <b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a> </b>were a video & article about a rent-a-man ad out of Japan via <i> China Morning Sun</i> about a man who listens to lonely women while sharing a beverage. The second were patents that I list in my credits. Off the record, and unlisted in the credits beyond the articles & scientific journals mentioned about brain-on-a-chip developments for decades, was a live news story I watched several years ago that frightened me to my core. It was surveillance footage of a person carrying a weapon inside a building in DC and then being apprehended by police in a deadly shootout. Prior to the so-called criminal's demise, he shouted, "don't shoot, don't shoot" and tried to warn the authorities that something was wrong. The weapon recovered plus the surveillance footage showed that the man scratched 'help me' or something to that effect onto the weapon using his hands. It appeared, as if he didn't have control of any other parts of his body beyond his fingers and tongue. Even the way he walked, his gait, was that of a computer game character hunched over in a soldier-like pose as he creeped along the corridor moments before his end. This news story didn't need to tell me that this was the original rent-a-man, and the footage seemed to be perhaps a public test to demonstrate the remote abilities of brain-on-a-chip technology. Observing this struck me as very shocking to say the least. As a result, the documented scientific literature and all of the talk now on AI from shore to shore should give the public warning that this isn't a fairy tale any longer. My film is entertainment, but it's also a cautionary warning for those who think while it's still legal.<p> <p><b>Among many other job, you were also responsible for <a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml"><i>Rent-a-Man</i></a>'s very avantgarde camerawork and editing - so do talk about your approach to these aspects of your movie for a bit!</b><p>  <p>The camera style is purposeful, as it is symbolic of the rent-a-man's true identity, unearthed by those that delve deep.</p> <p> </p> <p>I always tell people believe it or not, when I was editing the film, I felt that something was helping me to do so, either God, the universe, angels, ghosts, or merely the powers of the unconscious. In an other-worldly way, I'm really fortunate that -- however crazy this may sound -- whatever decided to help me -- actually did, and for reasons I may never understand. I myself never feel like I can take full credit for the editing even though I like to joke that <b><i><a href="../research/resultserieslinks.shtml?Jesus Christ"> Jesus</a></i></b> from the Bible wandered 40 days and nights in the desert, and so did I while editing <b> <a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b>, because it took me 8 to 12 hours of editing per day for forty consecutive days to complete the final edit (in comparison, late director Terrence Malick's editors took six months or more). I knew that if I stopped for even one day, I'd quit. That's how hard this was for me. That's also why I credit some invisible force for helping me. I just couldn't have done it on my own.</p> <p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="285" align="left"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/rentaman-1.jpg" width="280" height="365"></td> </tr> </table> <p>I only had previous editing experience creating simple YouTube videos, so when it came to editing a feature film, I was totally unequipped. My budget was too lean to pay for the professional quote that I had received for a complete edit, which included sound and color add-ons. Therefore my actor, Jomri D., would call me everyday to talk me into doing the edit myself -- which I thought at the time was beyond ludicrous, even impossible. I started researching anything online that I could about editing, which scared me that much more when I found out I'd need to purchase a custom built computer to create a rendered feature film file that would be professionally acceptable. I called up owners and employees of computer shops to pick their brains about graphics cards, memory, ram and, most importantly, prices. I'd compare the answers I received with different experts and vice versa, as I couldn't afford to make a mistake like buying the wrong equipment. Once I summoned the courage to make the purchase, I realized I had blindly leapt into the role of editor without any training. This was a very overwhelmingly rude awakening, and I believed that I'd made the wrong decision, because owning the equipment didn't mean I knew how to operate the additional software that I needed to utilize, nor did I know anything about sound or color. All of these hard realities were accompanied by a tsunami of emotions, but I battled through. Jomri kept calling me daily, sometimes more than once per day, encouraging me, telling me not to worry, that I'd be able to figure it out, asking for updates when there were none! I had to learn the basics of the software, and I knew that if I let one day slip by without working toward this feature goal, I'd give up under the sheer magnitude of stressful weight I had naively taken on. Before any of this transpired, I called a casting agency owner to pick her brain and ask for advice. She was considerate enough to speak with me, a stranger, and offered her knowledge about the industry, only to finish by telling me that I couldn't do it alone and that I shouldn't. I answered her, "believe me, I don't want to do it alone, but I don't have any other choice." I didn't have any funds to hire anyone to help me who knew what they were doing. I forced myself over three days to learn editing software by trial & error and through explanatory YouTube videos, which I would've been stuck without. I list these people in my credits. The feature film credits thank a few people who were instrumental in my education of technical art. I felt like I had achieved a bachelor's degree in film from a university after the entire process -- from writing to producing to directing to editing to post-production and all of the other roles that I'd blindly jumped into. Truly, this was an insane endeavor of which there's only one quote to encapsulate it, "where there's a will, there's a way." Also, another quote comes to mind, "hell on earth." A part of me says never again, while my imagination can't wait to get started once more.</p> <p> <p><b>A few words about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand?</b><p>  <p>I watched numerous YouTube videos on directing, directorial styles and really was impressed by Terence Malick's flare for his abstract visions while directing landscape cinematography in his catalog of films. I even found a director who offered to do the camera work, direct and edit one of my other features for a small amount more than what my custom editing computer cost. At the time, I jumped on the opportunity, and we agreed to it and his fee. I created a Kickstarter and promoted it to my friends. Yet, after waiting for his schedule to open up, he basically vanished without communicating with me and started on another project as an editor. I didn't understand what had happened, but after a short time I realized he couldn't direct in the way that I had asked him to. I had him consider through a pitch deck a Terence Malick style or something similar to that of what an abstract visionary could create, and therefore, he vanished, I believe, out of fear -- as his girlfriend-a potential actress in the this proposed film project had once mentioned in her message to me that he didn't know how to film certain scenes.</p> <p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="455" align="right"> <tr> <td width="100%"> <p align="right"><img border="0" src="../stills/rentaman-2.jpg" width="450" height="284"></td> </tr> </table> <p>This was a blessing in disguise for me as an artist, as it forced me to consider directing on my own and fulfilling a childhood dream that I had eliminated decades earlier from my mind. I didn't believe that I could do it and never had a budget for learning it nor trying it professionally until this parting of ways with the director opened my eyes to its possibility. So when a negative situation arrives, it can have positive ramifications by showing alternative avenues of progress, even if you have to pull yourself up by your own boot straps. Additionally, David Lynch was a huge inspiration in my education of how-to-think like a director. His approach of using ideas from the subconscious and chasing them to where they lead helped me develop my own abstractions and visual layers that communicate symbolism for the story and add clues to the true identity and functionality of the rent-a-man. Sometimes, I had to film specific visuals first and then later see the big picture, the larger pattern taking place and understand what it was saying and how it perfectly fit into the story. These were marvelous moments for me as both a director and editor. Moments like these are when I believe something else is at work. I think this crosses David Lynch's mind as well. Although he credits the subconscious, and I do too, I still believe there's room for unexplained phenomena here.</p> <p> <p><b>What can you tell us about <i><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></i>'s key cast, and why exactly these people?</b><p> <p>The moment I finished writing <b> <a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b>, which took record time -- as I was inspired to write a no-budget idea in the parking lot of a seafood grocery store after shopping there -- I thought, who could I ask to play the gangster character of Jackie? Not five minutes later, Jomri, the actor in <b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b>, called me out of the blue to invite me to a mutual friend's birthday party, as he couldn't make it. I thought, what a coincidence and pitched him the role. He replied it was great timing, as he contemplated becoming a commercial actor after watching a dad sell laundry detergent on TV and figured he could do the same. He made a split second decision and agreed to try the role of Jackie. Jomri and I were competitors in the Las Vegas nightlife industry. We were both promoters, hosts and marketers working at the <i>Bellagio</i>. I made all of my competitors my colleagues in order for a smoother working relationship with everyone within the industry. This way there would be positive word of mouth in cultivating working relationships. Jakub Baranski, who plays the rent-a-man Dillon, was a childhood friend of mine. He was my first real-lasting friend from age seven as he and his family immigrated to the United States like my family did and ended up living in the same apartment complex. He and I were only friends for about five years before he moved away to Chicago with his family, yet we remained connected through other family friends over the years. We hadn't seen one another nor spoken to one another as adults for a very long time, but we managed to revisit twice, years prior to coming together and filming <b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b>. Jakub always wanted to do something within the film industry as he read books about it throughout the years as a hobby, and once this opportunity crossed his path, he immediately said he was in.<p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="455" align="left"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/rentaman-3.jpg" width="450" height="228"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>You of course also have to talk about the film's desert locations for a bit, and what was it like filming there?</b><p> <p>There was someone in my circle that loved to travel, explore all of the local areas each weekend and post about them. I inquired about one of the posted images, its location and had a few follow up questions. This person inspired me to look further into <i> Valley of Fire State Park</i> as an option, so I listed an abbreviated credit in the special thanks section. Another person accompanied me as an unofficial scout to the park, so I also listed an abbreviated credit in the special thanks section. The vast park was gorgeous with many areas ending up off limits to professional filming, I found out after meeting with the park rangers. They allowed filming in certain populated areas and other back areas - out of tourists' view. These back areas took over a mile hike in each direction, and my actors weren't the outdoorsy type. The rangers even asked if the actors were hikers and when I told them they weren't, but that I was experienced, they laughed about it. Jomri and Jakub wore suits in the desert. The temperature forecasted was supposed to be around 72 degrees Fahrenheit, yet surprisingly it reached 86. They were good sports about it and insisted on carrying their own suits, backpacks, and water. I brought them food, but Jomri even insisted on his own. Hiking over two miles round trip from a restroom presented some time difficulties as I had to break filming to hike back to use the facilities. Jomri didn't even make it to set the first day due to his uncle passing, so Jakub had to pretend to interact on his own, which he was not too pleased with as this was his first acting gig. He didn't get the direct feedback from playing off of another-opposing actor that he needed, and this made for a challenging time, especially for me, to come up with ways to motivate him toward particular directions.<p> <p><b>Do talk about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere!</b><p> <p>This production tested how creative I could be as a director and how much perseverance I had. Luckily, I pieced everything together into an edit that worked despite physical tourist interruptions, tourists asking for pictures, tourists starting conversations about their own related film projects, bus tours, noise, distant talking, wind whistling, sand blowing, the beating down of the hot sun, my arms cramping, Jakub's shoes falling apart, Jomri being reminded of lines, flies buzzing, the uneven path of sand and rock, having to improvise on the fly due to terrain, body positioning, lack of shadows, brightness, batteries overheating, all of our frustrations, staying focused while the actors socialized and improvised, novice acting mixed with novice directing, positioning a tripod while operating a camera and holding sound as I read the script off my phone through a glare, time constraints leading to limited single or double takes at the most, using the landscape as my cinematography palette, brainstorming persuasive ideas to direct the actors and trying not to hear the voice in my head asking what have I gotten myself into. But somehow, someway, with the help of another dimension, it actually worked. We shared some laughs and were proud of our work despite not having time to review dailies on location, but we led by faith.<p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="285" align="left"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/rentaman-4.jpg" width="280" height="259"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>The $64-question of course, where can <i><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></i> be seen?</b><p>  <p>Links: <a href="http://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/rent-a-man" target="_blank"><b>www.justwatch.com/us/movie/rent-a-man</b></a></p> <p>Stream FREE on <i>Tubi</i>: <a href="https://tubitv.com/movies/100001347/rent-a-man" target="_blank"><b>tubitv.com/movies/100001347/rent-a-man</b></a></p> <p>Stream with multiple subtitles on <i>Reveel</i>: <a href="https://reveel.net/search?query=rent-a-man" target="_blank"><b>reveel.net/search?query=rent-a-man</b></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.mysterianfilms.com/" target="_blank"><b>www.mysterianfilms.com</b></a> </p> <p>  </p> <p><b>Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of <i><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></i>?</b><p>  <p>The film festival theater premiere was in Ely, Nevada, spring of 2023, where a good friend lived and worked part time. He had invited me to join him as an audience member the year prior, but I had a scheduling conflict.   The premiere experience was a mixed bag of emotions, and when I returned home, I learned of the death of one of the audience members that I had met while dancing at the film gala. It was a fantastic, peculiar, and uniquely strange premiere until the shocking conclusion. I networked with many locals in hopes that I could film my second feature in their town if a budget came together. Unforeseen circumstances delayed a producer of mine from helping with this goal.</p> <p> </p> <p><b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b> won an Audience Award at the <i> Amsterdam Lift-Off Global Film Festival</i> and a Best Director Award from <i> Vesuvius International Film Fest</i> out of Campania, Italy. The film received a semi-finalist nod for cinematography from the <i> European Cinematography Awards</i>.</p> <p> </p> <p><i>Film Threat</i> wrote an outstanding review of <b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b>: <a href="https://filmthreat.com/features/rent-a-man-a-high-stakes-game-of-cat-and-mouse-in-the-age-of-cyborgs/" target="_blank"><b>filmthreat.com/features/rent-a-man-a-high-stakes-game-of-cat-and-mouse-in-the-age-of-cyborgs/</b></a></p> <p> </p> <p>My friends, expecting the film to be a pure gangster drama, admired its social commentary. Others were surprised or impressed by its unique dialogue. Unanimously, the scenery enthralled viewers. Some went as far as falling in love with the cinematography. The few who dove deep to understand the layers, symbolism and message said it was "very heavy, profound, compelling, grounded in actual science."</p> <p> </p> <p>"<b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b><em> </em>delves into the concept of pitting imagination against technology and challenging the boundaries of human potential." --<i>FilmThreat</i></p> <p> </p> <p>"As <b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b> takes audiences through a world where man and machine dance perilously close to one another, the movie contemplates the consequences of technological innovation and humanity’s perpetual quest for freedom." --<i>FilmThreat</i></p> <p> </p> <p>"As the narrative unfolds, it underscores society’s disdain for the winners, who defy the rules of the game." --<i>FilmThreat</i></p> <p> </p> <p>"The lead performances are great and keep the audience engaged with their conversations. This ends up being an interesting story that keeps you on tender hooks about what is really going on." --<a href="http://Moviesreview101.com/" target="_blank"><b>Moviesreview101.com</b></a></p> <p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="455" align="right"> <tr> <td width="100%"> <p align="right"><img border="0" src="../stills/rentaman-5.jpg" width="450" height="249"></td> </tr> </table> <p>This is an interesting thriller that keeps us guessing as to what the meeting is truly about. It has a feeling similar to the Matt Damon and Casey Affleck movie <b>Gerry</b>. --<a href="http://Moviesreview101.com/" target="_blank"><b>Moviesreview101.com</b></a> </p> <p> <p><b>Any future projects you'd like to share?</b><p> <p>My website <a href="http://www.mysterianfilms.com/" target="_blank"><b>mysterianfilms.com</b></a> showcases feature scripts ready for production once initial investments roll in. A few low-budget projects, each under $20k, that would be great to produce & direct are <b>Synthetic Kale</b>,<b> Adam & Eve Go Hiking</b> and <b>The Drink</b>. I also have a project that producer Keli Price is finding cast & equity for called <b>The Executioner</b>. Another project, <b>Ballet of Baboons</b>, is founded on the bio of one of the world's renowned chefs and is open for initial donations to get it to its next stage.</p> <p> <p><b>What got you into filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?</b><p> <p>I began as a dreamer, writing screenplays as <i> CoverageInk</i> gave me a 'Strong Consider for writer', <i> Universal Distribution Executive</i> (November 30, 2020) verbally gave me a 'Recommend for writer.' I had written several feature length screenplays on spec in the mid 'OOs and late '1Os, <b> <a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b> was my first standalone feature-length film. I was about to give up the thought of participating in film in 2021 before my friend, who turned himself into an talent agent, who I met in LA as a fellow writer at a writer's conference in 2015, told me to produce and direct my film myself. He persuaded me that I'd have a better chance to sell a finished feature than to sell a screenplay in today's marketplace. That kickstarted my film career. I have a Publications Design M.A., Dutch foreign exchange, and a stint at UCLA's advanced screenwriting under Richard Walter that evolved my perspective to own <i><a href="../research/resultprodlinks.shtml?Mysterian Film Group"> Mysterian Film Group</a></i>. I'm now turning stories into produced content through executive producing.<p> <p><b>What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to <a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml"><i>Rent-a-Man</i></a>?</b><p> <p><b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b> was my first standalone feature-length film. Prior to that, I was an aspiring screenwriter who received feedback from industry players, a few of them highly noteworthy.<p> <p><b>How would you describe yourself as a director?</b><p> <p>My actor, Jomri, describes me as a blend between Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez because of the one-man-army and verbal 90s styles that I employ. I think of myself as a technical blend of those, but deeper in, I look to Lynch, Malick and Hitchcock for their psychological influences.<p> </p> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="455" align="left"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img border="0" src="../stills/rentaman-6.jpg" width="450" height="249"></td> </tr> </table> <p><b>Filmmakers who inspire you?</b><p>  <p>All kinds, all types, even the not-so-worthy, obscure ones who help me learn details along the way. J. Horton is a director whose YouTube channel helped indirectly mentor me in preparation for producing. I thank him in my credits, because without him, I wouldn't have had the film education I needed to create a film in today's environment. David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Quenton Tarantino mainly inspired my directing style on <b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b>. Robert Rodriguez, whose films remind Jomri of <b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b>'s style. Darren Aronofsky, whose film <b>Pi</b> I watched at <i> Sundance</i> in 98 when <i> Sundance</i> was on its tail end of being about independent film and showcased Darren doing a Q & A after the viewing. Tom Tykwer, who directed <b> Run Lola Run</b>, <b> Cloud Atlas</b>, <b> The International</b>. Eric Roth, who wrote screenplays for <b> Forrest Gump</b>, <b> The Insider</b>, <b>Munich</b>, <b> A Star is Born</b>, and series episodes for <b><i> Berlin Station</i></b> & <b><i> House of Cards</i></b>. Rod Serling, the man behind <b><i><a href="../research/resultserieslinks.shtml?Twilight Zone"> The Twilight Zone</a></i></b>. Obviously, Coppola & Scorsese, the gangster experts. Michael Mann with <b>The Last of the Mohicans</b>, <b>Heat</b>, <b>Collateral</b>, <b>The Insider</b>. Many more such as Roger Avary, Robert Altman, Hitchcock, Spielberg, Daniel Attias... I listened to a Hitchcock interview that a friend of mine sent me in preparation for my directorial debut to try to alleviate nerves.</p> <p> <p><b>Your favourite movies?</b><p>  <p>In no particular order:<b> Forrest Gump</b>, <b> Shawshank Redemption</b>, <b> Matrix Reloaded</b>, <b> La Femme Nikita</b>, <b> Day of the Jackal</b> (original & modern), <b>Rope</b>, <b> The Manchurian Candidate </b> (original & modern), <b> Triple Frontier</b>, <b> Snow White and the Seven Dwarves</b>, <b> The Gold Rush</b>, <b> Wedding Crashers</b>, <b> Silver Linings Playbook</b>, <b> Top Gun: Maverick</b>, <b>Inception</b>, <b> The Grand Budapest Hotel</b>, <b> Born in East LA</b>, <b><a href="../movies/ottoemezzo(1963).shtml"> 8 1/2</a></b>, <b> American Psycho</b>, <b> The Wolves of Wall Street</b>, <b> Midnight in Paris</b>, <b>Casino</b>, <b><a href="../movies/rentaman(2023).shtml">Rent-a-Man</a></b>, <b> 13 Tzameti</b>, <b>Diner</b>, <b> The Power of One</b>, <b> Brighton Beach Memoirs</b>, <b> Made in Heaven</b>.</p> <p> <p><b>... and of course, films you really deplore?</b><p> <p>If I was 10 years old again, I'd be in heaven with <i><a href="../research/resultprodlinks.shtml?Marvel Comics">Marvel</a></i>'s dominance. My tastes have changed since then...<p> <p><b>Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?</b><p> <p><a href="http://www.mysterianfilms.com/" target="_blank"><b>www.mysterianfilms.com</b></a><p> <p><b>Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?</b> <p>   <p>If you're an artist, then you'll always have a personal way of seeing things, a unique perspective, a different viewpoint, a curiosity about life that others may not relate to or have come across or even understand. Your vision will always be there inside you, you just need to decide if as an artist you want to share these points of view with your family, friends, or the greater world and if so, the journey merely takes one step at a time and it's always in a state of flux, influx. I believe artists are blessed with vision and the pursuit to make them realities. I think artists are lucky that they have abstract goals. I also have a great gratitude for the actualization of art and understand not everyone is able to have the same options in their lives as artists. Because of this I think it's important that people know that there are ways to support not only artists, but others in need of help. Here are two links for charities:</p> <p> </p> <p>I hope that you can contribute toward opening a window of help and foster joy for an ill child's life at the link: <a href="https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html" target="_blank"><b>https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html</b></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Help give life-changing educational opportunities and other necessities to impoverished children and families. Together, we can bring love and hope to the world’s neediest among us: <a href="https://salesianmissions.org/act-now/give/give-now/" target="_blank"><b>https://salesianmissions.org/act-now/give/give-now/</b></a></p> <p> <p><b>Thanks for the interview!</b> <p>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="592" valign="top" height="1%">  <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"> currentyear = "2010"; </SCRIPT> <SCRIPT language="JavaScript" src="../scripts/endcreditsart.js"></SCRIPT> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"> dosworsdonn(); </SCRIPT> </td> </tr> </table> </div> </body>