Ciao everyone. I just found an awesome new platform called Substack that allows me to feature my writing, photography, and drum corps memories in a much better way. I’m now in the process of moving content, and creating new content, for the Substack site, which will become the primary place to access all of my […]
NEW Amazon Kindle Edition, Now Availablehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3BTP3DP
My vampire novel just went live today on Amazon. You can find the Paperback here. The Kindle version is here. Backstory: I originally wrote and published the first draft novel 13 years ago. When I lost my mother in January 2023, I was grief-stricken, frankly. I needed something to pour that grief into, and I […]
Entertainment attorney Lee Rudnicki serves as the EVP of Business Affairs for the Hollywood animation studio Lex and Otis Studios. Lee also represents television and film clientele all over the world. Before law school, Lee was the #3 snare drummer in the world, as ranked by Drum Corps International in 1987. In 1994, Lee became […]
Rule 1: Network + Indifference. Meet as many people in the industry as possible, with total indifference for who they are or what they can do for your career. Yes, you read that correctly. Rule 2: Never Ask. Never ask anyone for anything unless absolutely necessary. If you are meant to work with someone, let […]
Hello. Welcome to what has become one of the most widely read articles on film financing on the planet. I wrote this in Plain English to help producers and filmmakers navigate a difficult area of film production. First, a legal disclaimer: DISCLAIMER. This is a simple guide to a complicated topic, and it involves state […]
All photos (c) Lee Rudnicki 2013-2018
As streaming entertainment continues to evolve, so does the quest for content to keep users engaged, and monthly subscriptions active. One issue with streaming is that any given movie is a ‘one-off’ viewing experience. No one takes two weeks to watch a movie. This issue was more or less solved with the advent and growth […]
I just had to de-friend somebody, and it seems like an appropriate time to explain something. You may have noticed the lack of political content on my FB page. For example, you don’t see me advocating for or against gun control, for or against the right to an abortion, immigration and paths to citizenship, trans […]
All photos (c) Lee Rudnicki 2007
With the so-called ‘town-hall meeting’ with Donald Trump last night, CNN did a “great” job enabling hate, violence, racism, sexual abuse, a murderous Russian dictator, and generally speaking, a non-stop stream of lies and cruelty. There was absolutely no value to that town hall event whatsoever to the United States of America. Donald Trump is […]
CHAPTER 17 – EVA Wolf peered through his binoculars at the grass area that surrounded the cathedral; it was clear of everything but decomposing bodies and his wrecked Panther tank. The Lustgarten gave the defenders of Berlin Cathedral a clear field of fire and enabled them to hold off repeated assaults. However, the holy building that served so […]
Michael “Zig” Zigmund was nervous. He’d been an NSA intelligence analyst for only a few weeks. And so far, the job wasn’t what he expected. In hindsight, it had been a mistake to go into the intelligence field expecting to drive a bulletproof sportscar around Europe on exciting covert missions. Instead of a life resembling a […]
When my mom passed in January, I immediately flew to Pennsylvania to take care of things. When the dust settled, my mom’s cat had Pinky nowhere to go, then plan was to take her to the SPCA or something. Which sounds horrible, but my mom had just died, and “cat” was far down the list […]
This is a quick article about what the Santa Clara Vanguard organization should do right now — as Step #1 — to get a DCI corps back on the field as soon as possible. Which can be done. And please know, right off the bat — that is my primary goal in sharing my opinion. […]
I spoke with a friend yesterday and got the inside scoop on what’s going on in the Santa Clara Vanguard organization, for the first time in many years. Which was interesting. My .07 about the Director issue — The organization needs to stop looking for “a” corps director, the job is too complicated and large […]
After my mother passed in January, I needed an activity, something to pour my grief, frustration and sadness into, to give me some time to ‘check out’ of reality, so to speak. And in a random moment in a Pennsylvania hotel, I chose My Immortal, the vampire novel I published almost 15 years ago. I’m […]
After 13 years, I finally updated my novel, My Immortal: The Vampires of Berlin, this will be the 3rd and final edition. I poured myself into the writing over the last 4 months, and the story came to life, turned into the novel I always wanted to write – to my surprise, by word count […]
I once read somewhere that the Capital of France is Lionel Richie. The capital of France is not Lionel Richie. The capital of France is actually Paris. Lionel Richie is a famous American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is known for many hit songs such as “All Night Long,” “Hello,” and “Dancing on the […]
Negotiating a contract involves the process of reaching agreement between two or more parties on the terms and conditions of a deal. Here are the steps to follow when negotiating a contract:
I respectfully suggest the following approach. Step 1. Chill Out. Relax. The common denominator of every SCV instructor, alumni, volunteer or board member since Gail Royer put on a hat is they love the Vanguard. They dreamed of being with the corps, probably since they were a kid. There is no bad guy, no one […]
Wow. 2022 turned out to be one of the most fun years of my life, equal to any year of college or drum corps. In a sense, these are the “good ole days.” Besides being grateful, I have a message for you. Enjoy your life. No matter how old you are, no matter how much […]
Once upon a time at UCLA, I wrote a screenplay set in Berlin on the last day of WW II. I loved my screenplay so much, and it won some awards, that I decided to write the novel. Then, on the advice of my then-publisher, I added a modern day component to the book, set […]
I had dinner the other night at Circolo Vittorio in Roma with my super-talented friend Manuela. It was the first time I’ve been in a prolonged one-on-one situation with someone who speaks only Italian. Our “no English” dinner was awesome, and my ability to keep a conversation going pleasantly surprised me. Our amazing dinner morphed […]
Dear Santa Clara Vanguard, My friends — you are making a huge and catastrophic mistake for the longevity of the SCV organization by folding the SCV Cadet Corps. It is far better to have a local corps that does not tour, with a small unpaid staff — then to thrown in the towel on 200 […]
My colleagues and I formed The Roma Hollywood Cinema Club, Inc., a new international venture to finance and produce Hollywood movies and television series in Italy. We’ve been in stealth mode so far, but A-list talent from both countries have been joining the mission, and we’re just starting to make our presence known. When the […]
May 17, 3:30 AM. What a night. On my way walking home, I heard a crash. Then I heard a guy scream, in English, “Wake up!! Wake up!!” I ran across the street, and came upon a very bad scene. Long story short, a car hit two guys from Los Angeles, who were riding scooters […]
After his outburst in court, Jussie Smollett’s lawyers are now trying to secure the actor’s release from jail pending appeal. And this is officially getting silly. Smollett is not a victim – he’s the perp. Look, if this crybaby acted with even 50% of the drama he exhibited throughout his trial, he would be the […]
Seven Thoughts 