Movies, Screenwriting & Independent Film
Header

The-Athletic-Nerd-Movies-Screenwriting-Indie-Film

EXCITING NEWS, BIG CHANGES & MORE

It’s hard to believe The Athletic Nerd is nearly 3 years old now.  Year 3 has been by far the biggest and best year yet.  I’m quickly approaching post #1000 and my 1 millionth page hit.  Pretty big milestones for a little movie site run by one person.  Year 3 was also home to a complete redesign, a new logo/rebrand and enhanced features like The Post.  Still, there is a ton of room for improvement.

Since it’s inception, The Athletic Nerd has been about the movies that inspire the aspiring filmmaker.  Movies, screenwriting & independent film.  It’s about creativity, passion and doing what you love.  I love working on this website.

So today, I’d like to make a couple of big announcements on what’s in store for my blog.  But first, a few personal updates.

I’m getting married this summer!  Just after my fiance and I celebrate 3 incredible years together, we will be tying the knot and I couldn’t be happier.  She is an amazing person who supports the nerd I am and the nerd I hope to be someday.

For readers who are unaware, I’m actually a professional editor and I’ve been working in television for a major sports network for over 6 years.  This summer, we are gearing up for another Olympic games and I can’t wait to be a part of history once again.  I’m obsessed with sports and consider myself lucky to be a part of such a wonderful network.  It’s a dream job that I adore.

This year, I “retired” from directing for a wonderful reason.

It’s a strange statement to make considering I’ve only directed 2 short films but I wanted to focus on screenwriting again.  I don’t want to direct.  I want to write.  So my production company has been on a much needed break while we recharge and figure out our next project.  I’ve taken the time to return to screenwriting full time…  During my spare time.

I’ve spent the last 6 months developing a couple feature length screenplays I hope to complete by the end of the year.  I feel like it’s time to finally find out what I’m made of and put myself out there.

On a really personal note, I feel like the clouds have finally lifted on a situation that caused overwhelming amounts of stress in my life throughout the last two years.  It sounds like an obvious lesson to learn but life is just too short to be angry about things I can’t control.  And so I’ve tried to put it behind me and this summer is a big part of that moving forward.

So wedding, Olympics and screenplays… You can probably guess where I’m going with this.

As of June 1, I’ll be taking the summer off from blogging in order to get myself married, finish my latest screenplay and deal with a busy work schedule.  Not too mention taking some time to enjoy myself.

Note: I’ll be posting regularly until then.

September 15, 2012 will mark the start of Year 4 of my blog and I can’t think of a better time to relaunch better than ever.  It’s a lengthy break but it doesn’t mean I’ll be putting the site on the shelf completely.

Throughout the next few months, I’ll be updating and re-posting some of my favorite articles.  I’ll also continue writing new reviews for movies I catch in theaters.  Behind the scenes, I’ve been working on a plan to enhance the content of this blog while giving myself more time to focus on some projects I’ve put off for far too long.

Essentially, during my time away, I’ll be reassessing what works and what doesn’t on this blog.  I’ll be brainstorming new features and eliminating others.  I’ll also be working on some new graphics and creating content when time permits.  All in all, I’ll be creating a better site.

Needless to say, it’s going to be a busy summer!

Until then, keep checking back for new reviews and newly updated content from the past.  It saddens me to put the blog aside but there are so many exciting events on the way in my life!  My future wife and I have a wedding to plan, my career is as fun as ever and I’ve got a couple screenplays to finish.

… I’m probably going to write the odd post here and there.  I can’t quit cold turkey!  I love movies too much.

Thanks for reading!

Jason.

Share This:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Digg
  • Google Bookmarks
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • email
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS

The Athletic Nerd Independent Film Blog

Everyone who starts a blog feels a great sense of pride when someone links to them or mentions their site in any way.  They are tiny victories and for me, they are the fuel that keeps me writing each and every week.

Today, The Athletic Nerd was mentioned in Total Film’s weekly newsletter as a cool film blog to visit.  I’m also a part of their extensive ‘600 Movie Blogs You Might Have Missed.’

If you haven’t seen Total Film’s website or the extremely popular magazine be sure to check them out here.

Thanks to Total Film for the mention and to @WatchALotMovies for the heads up.

Share This:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Digg
  • Google Bookmarks
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • email
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS

The Athletic Nerd

JAYMCKINNON.COM has always been the home page of The Athletic Nerd with tons of links to 17 West Productions and my second blog People Tales.  To me the old design felt cluttered considering it was only meant to get people to this blog or to 17W.

Phase one of the transformation was The Athletic Nerd’s new logo.  It was accompanied by new graphics, ads and animations on this site and now it’s made it’s way home.

The new page is extremely simple but achieves everything it needs to achieve.  It points people to both my main sites and incorporates various social network pages from around the web.  From a design stand point, I’m really proud of the simple minimalist look.

Check out the new look here.

Now…  What’s next…

Share This:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Digg
  • Google Bookmarks
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • email
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS

Amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Fan Art...  Amazing!

TALENTED ARTISTS…  I ENVY YOU ALL

It’s no secret that I’m slightly pumped for the new Ninja Turtles movie currently in development.  Over the last few weeks, I think I’ve covered the Ninja Turtles more than any other franchise in the history of this blog.

XTRA | Why The New Ninja Turtles Movie Is Off To A Great Start

XTRA | Top 10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Quotes

As I scoured the web for information on the new live action film, I came across hundreds of incredible fan art.  Dammit I wish I could draw!  I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to some extremely talented artists out there.

When searching for Ninja Turtles fan art, you have to start with David Rapoza.

Amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Fan Art...  Amazing!

His collection of Ninja Turtles fan art has been featured on hundreds of sites around the world.  I’m actually extremely late to the show but holy crap it’s impressive.

Amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Fan Art...  Amazing!

Another frequent image I came across in my travels was created by Nebezial and hosted at DeviantArt.

Amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Fan Art...  Amazing!

Further investigation revealed this piece featuring featuring Shredder & Krang by Nebezial.  Wow.

Amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Art

Here is a brilliant image by srmraider189:

Amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Fan Art...  Amazing!

How cool is this image of Super Shredder by Vassago?

Amazing Ninja Turtle Fan Art...  Amazing!

This could easily go on forever but I just wanted to share a few.  So many other sites out there have featured Ninja Turtles fan art in the past.  I’ve included a couple great collections for your viewing pleasure.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – A Selection of 20 Awesome Fan Art

Amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Fan Art

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Awesome Fan Art

Epic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Art

Dawn of the Ninja Fan Art

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Art

FAN VIDEOS!

Is this the world’s biggest Ninja Turtles Fan?

MORE FROM THE ATHLETIC NERD

XTRA | Storyboarding When You Can’t Draw

XTRA | Confessions of a Wannabe Animator

XTRA | The Non-Artists Guide To Photoshop Addiction

Share This:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Digg
  • Google Bookmarks
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • email
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS