I suppose it starts with the fact that Cosimo De Tommaso’s sister is named Francesca…

Which definitely inspired the character Francesca Rossi and perhaps subconsciously Francis Peters.

Then we cast actors named Francesca Fanti and Francesco Martino completely by coincidence… as well as Caitriona Balfe who has a brother named Francis (which is particularly serendipitous if you’ve really studied this series well).

A few members of the H+ crew have the name (ie, Francisca Torres, Matthew Francis Wilson) which certainly wasn’t lost on us during the shoot itself.

So what’s up with this?

It’s a very Catholic name, that’s for sure… and H+ certainly has its fair share of Catholic themes. Clearly, we wanted to tell a story that looked at the two most prominent ways humans have been trying to understand their universe… science and religion. But we weren’t specifically looking to infuse it with these types of strange symbolic coincidences.

Most people who know me, know that I’m not religious. Not at all. But I was raised Roman Catholic and so I do remember a great deal from my youth. I’m sure there was plenty that ended up in this story that was an unconscious flashback to my upbringing in the Catholic Church. How could it not. Over the past 25 years, however, I’ve grown into a very analytic thinker… very skeptical of anything that can’t hold up to scientific inquiry.

And yet with the first Pope in history just now taking the name Francesco, a serendipity seems to persist surrounding our work on H+… a piece of predictive futurist fiction, after all. And it’s one that’s hard to ignore or explain other than saying, “it’s just coincidence, move on”.

But I don’t want to move on. I want there to be a significance.

That doesn’t have anything to do with the scientific method, though, does it?

The post H+ and the Name Francis appeared first on who's John Cabrera?.

Yeah… I guess a lot has happened since my last post in July. And well… it’s clearly pulled me away from blogging in a major way.

I launched a series online this year that’s been going pretty well. Some of you may have heard of it. It’s called H+ (H+: The Digital Series if you dig on formalities). And it’s been a wild ride, to say the least. I’ve even picked up a few other projects along the way. I’ll talk about those in the coming week and months, I’m sure.

But yeah… busy year. Not a lot of time to just write for the hell of it.

And yet, I’ve really missed the blogging… writing for no other reason than to hear the clicking of my keyboard. It’s something I’ve been eager to start back up again for a while now.

So I’ve decided to hell with it, I’m coming back. And it feels right. I actually began blogging for the first time in 2008 as we started working on the script for H+ at Warner brothers. Now that we’ve begun work on H+ Season 2, what better time than now to return?

Some of you may also remember that this blog was really jump-started by a passion I had for writing about the TV shows I was watching at the time… and the occasional cartography that went with it. In fact, I’m sure many of you who have seen H+ can detect several of its influences.

I also talked a lot about social media back in those early blogging days, and that’s changed a lot since 2008, huh?

I told funny stories. Rants. Sometimes just straight-up blogging the depressing funks I was in (cause I like to keep it real). I shared stuff about the projects I was working on. Stuff you could see me in (I used to be an actor).

So yeah. You can probably expect more of the same. I’m just gonna stick with what I know. I even went back and reread my first post ever in order to get some inspiration for this one. So I’m really serious here.

Let’s see… I’m watching Breaking Bad right now and trying to catch up before Season 5-Part 2 starts (I’m on Season 3). I’ll likely blog the hell out of that show when it starts back up again. Game of Thrones for sure. Homeland. These are currently my jams.

My life has lots of weird things happening right now. A big turning point, I feel. So I imagine I’ll have some fun stories about my journey out here in La La Land.

And of course, I’ll also have a bit of sci-fi geekery for any interested parties… the kind of geeking some of you have seen here in the past. Only this particular sci-fi I know very well…

An H+ Community

You see, I’d also like to use this blog as a place for H+ fans to engage me directly about all things concerning the series. Many already do on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+… but I’d love to form a discreet little community for the series here. I think it’ll inspire us as we work on H+ Season 2. And in exchange, fans can expect insight into the series on a whole, our development process for H+ Season 2, and any other breaking news.

Now, for those of you who are happy to hear about the blogging return but not particularly interested in H+ Season 2 (or 1 for that matter), fear not. Any post dealing strictly with H+ will be labeled as such. And I’ll do my best to keep some variety.

So that’s about it.

Oh! Wait, no! I have to mention our great news! H+ won a Streamy this past weekend! Best Sci-Fi series on the web! Check out our acceptance speech below.

Talk to you soon.

The post H+ Season 2 & Blogging… Starting up the engine appeared first on who's John Cabrera?.

Some of you may remember my post from last year (hell, some of you may even remember seeing me AT the Con last year). Well this one was very different for me.

This year, I was there promoting the series. I know there were instagrams of me downing a few cocktails, and yes, I did party pretty hardy. But mostly I was there on a mission: to get this show on the radar. Not just teasing it like last year. We’re talking, on the floor shillin it, taking photos with random people (who somehow saw Brian Fuller under the hat and sunglasses… which, by the way, are prescription), signing frigging posters, panels, press junkets, you name it. I was this close to selling Sean Gunn to a group of teenage girls in exchange for helping me pass out fliers… but I was worried Warner Legal might have a problem with it… not selling Sean so much as the fact that the girls kept calling it HP.

H+ at Comic Con REDUX

Last year we were in the Indigo Ballroom talking to a room of like 2000. And let’s be honest, not really talking much about it. Just sort of talking around it.

This year, however, we were a part of the YouTube Fan Lounge, which probably saw about 5000 peeps over the course of the three days. We had a booth set up that was meant to be a testing facility for one of the important corporations in the series. Not sure how many people picked up on that. And I’m not really sure how many people actually subscribed to the channel after visiting the booth, but anyone who did got one of these naughty boys.

This is a one of a kind H+ collectible. This right here is gonna be mad worth one day, yo. It’s a USB bracelet, and it is awesome. I know you want one. Especially because there is a video on it we made especially for Comic Con. We shot it a couple weeks before the Con. And what was most exciting about that was knowing we can create more stuff like this for you guys throughout the run. Want to see that video? Okay… check it out:

Are you wondering if this video contains any clues? Have you seen the NYC style subway map I made of the island of Lost?

I have to say, aside from all the promotion, though, there were some serious highlights during the weekend.

Okay, so I’m gonna paint a picture here for you. Close your eyes.

Oh shit. Open them, you have to read this.

Oh shit, you can’t hear me. Okay, I’ll just wait.

So we walk into the IGN party on Thursday night, the first night of Comic Con (it was me, Jason Taylor, Sean Gunn, and David Rogers), I look up at the stage which is, like, about 30 meters away, and who to my wondering eyes should be freestyling? The RZA. I’m like, “is that the friggin RZA? That’s the RZA!” And it was the RZA. It was the friggin RZA.

Comic Con, man.

After that, I feel like something magical happened… cause it was just nonstop bumping into people I knew the rest of the night. The rest of the Con really. Including folks who I had no idea were even at Comic Con. It was as though the RZA had this magical power to bring people together. It was beautiful. I was expecting my mom to suddenly appear. How crazy would it have been if my mom had appeared onstage with the RZA. Close your eyes and imagine that. Oh shit, sorry open them.

The Good Stuff

The Wired Cafe was of course another highlight of the Con this year. Although, last year the theme was True Blood and they had blood inspired drinks. I didn’t go near the bar because of it. This year, however… Game of THRIZIES!! Three specialty drinks: White Walkers, Wildfires, and Ice & Fires (lazy name that last one). White Walkers were basically just vodka, so they were a good palate cleanser. The Wildfires, though, became my drink throughout the weekend, and they were delicioso… oh-so-good.

Anyone who has been to the Wired Cafe will tell you, it’s hands down the best party at Comic Con. For several reasons.

1) It’s every day.
2) It’s all day.
3) It’s free drinks all day.
4) If you’re staying at the Omni (which we were, both this year and last) it’s in your hotel. That means you can wake up and just go down there in your pajamas.

But best of all, it’s loads of free stuff… and like good stuff.

Last year I got a wooden back for my iPhone. Not a wooden case. I had the back of my iPhone removed and replaced with a beautiful piece of hard wood. I love it still, to this day, and hope Apple doesn’t change the iPhone design too much that I can’t put it on a future phone.

This year it was Nanodots and Bodymedia.

I am officially addicted to Nanodots. I play with the 64 dots I was given, like, every day… even though 64 dots is NOT ENOUGH. I can’t even begin to list all the unfinished masterpieces I’ve had to abandon. I need more dots. I was considering taking a hole puncher to a couple of refrigerator magnets just to finish this cobra I was working on. I should be getting a new set soon.

Bodymedia is a system designed to give you an understanding of your daily physical activity… so that you can adjust it if you notice something’s a little off. The armbands normally cost $200. But not at the Wired Cafe! I started wearing mine within minutes of arriving on my first day there. And boy is it accurate. I was wearing it for about 4 hours on that first day before checking the data. Sure enough. It told me that I had been standing around drinking for the past 4 hours.

I really dig it though. I’ve been wearing it a bit since returning. I’m especially fascinated (read: disturbed) by the feature that tells you how well you sleep. I don’t sleep very well apparently. Not quite sure how to adjust that, though.

We did a signing for H+. That was fun… but also a little odd, since I’m sure no one there knew what the show even was. Seriously, I think we could have signed left over snickers wrappers and people would have lined up to get them. The truth is, most folks were there to say hello this this guy:

But one of my favorite things about the Con this year was getting to hang out with and meet some of you for the first friggin time! Again, thank you RZA. I met a bunch of folks this time… some of whom have been johncabrera.COMing it for years.

Jules “Gitterbubbles” Fishwick, you are awesome. You nearly broke a rib when you hugged me, but man was it long overdue. I also got to meet Jennifer Felder, Courtney Klems, and although we’ve already met, it was nice to see Amrie Cunningham again. By the way, those are the sinister eyes of Sean Gunn peeping over our shoulders in the picture above.

It was great. Just all around great. I must have talked to a good 1000 people while shilling H+, and in the process I made some awesome new friendships.

New York Screening

After Comic Con, though, we flew directly to NYC for more H+ promoting. We did another screening of the series which was equally as exciting and very well received. I was, however, exhausted. I have no idea how movie stars do promotional tours that are more than just one city. How the hell do they survive that?

Anyway, this was our panel after the screening. I really wish we could have shown it in more cities before launch. I’m just so jonezing for you guys to see this thing.

I also got to spend some quality time with my family. Cousins on both sides of the tree attended the show. The coolest part about that was how amazing both those dudes are despite how different. They’re also grown men now, and most of my memory of them was from when they were just little guys.

My sister also lives in New York, and some of you know from past posts that she and I are really close… and that we have been cut off from each other for years while she was living in Greece. We actually got to hang out all three days that I was there, which was so good for me. So needed.

And hopefully for H+ too, because I gave her a bunch of flyers to hand out at Times Square over the coming weeks.

What?! That is a totally acceptable request of a family member.

By the way… um… can you please click on one of the links below thanks?

The post POST Comic Con POST appeared first on who's John Cabrera?.

You can also:

Subscribe to the H+ channel

Follow H+ on twitter

Follow H+ on Facebook

The post H+ Screening on Monday evening in NYC appeared first on who's John Cabrera?.

I was told by the good folks are Warner Premiere that by now they will have released info on our series to “The Wires”. I’m still not totally clear on what that means except people in the media are supposed to have access to it. All I can think of is the show “The Wire”, which I haven’t gotten around to watching yet, but I know it’s supposed to be good.

Anyway, bottom line… the info should be out by now. I say “should” because, who knows… maybe it’s not. I can’t be sure, because as I said, I’m sleeping right now. shhhhh.

What I do know is that I was given permission to schedule the following post with all of the same information that will appear in that press release. So at this point, there’s no turning back.

Here we go:

H+ Premiere Date and Series Rollout

We will be premiering H+, a series many of you know has been in my life for six long years, on…

August 8th, 2012

Actually now looking at that date, I’m realizing it’s been a little over six years. Wow.

It will be premiering on a premium YouTube channel designed solely around the series… and its URL will go by the name of: http://youtube.com/HPlusDigitalSeries. At the time I was writing this post, that channel was not yet live… but I was told it would be live when the press release went out. Is it live now? Don’t know. I’m sleeping.

That channel will be releasing episodes of the series every Wednesday. The episodes are short, so we’ll be releasing multiple at a time. We’ll also be filling the channel with lots of other forms of content relevant to the series. That stuff will go live Mondays and Fridays and include things like interviews with cast and creators, behind the scenes, recaps, teasers, clues, breakdowns, and extra story content to enrich the experience and help piece together the series mystery.

In fact, the moment that channel goes live, you could say we are unofficially launched, because over the next month we will be releasing a bunch of exclusive content that’ll get viewers prepped for the story. I’ll have my hand in all of it, so it’ll definitely be a part of the larger mythos. So what are you waiting for?! Subscribe to the channel now!!

… oh, it’s not live yet? Um… okay well, then wait a few more hours… then subscribe!

We’ve got a bunch of incredible talent in the series. Here are some faces you might know well:

David Rogers (Jane by Design)
Alexis Denisof (Buffy, Angel)
Hannah Simone (The New Girl)
Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls)
Amir Arison (Homeland, American Horror Story)
Samuli Vauramo (Beauty and the Bastard)
Hannah Herzsprung (Vier Minuten, Der Baader Meinhof Komplex)
Caitriona Balfe (Super 8)
Lela Loren (Lost)… I don’t think she knows this, but I geeked out pretty hard when we cast her… she played Jacob and Smokey’s biological mom.

And me! You know me, right? John Cabrera (johncabrera.com)

H+ at Comic Con 2012

And we’re gonna be at Comic Con again this year. This time, we’ll be part of a special 3 day Google/YouTube event featuring several (I think it was like 5 or 6) premium YouTube channels in the geeky Sci Fi realm… channels like Machinima, Geek & Sundry, Stan Lee’s World of Heroes… and us! The venue is slightly off site, not far, at 315 7th Avenue, San Diego.

I won’t lie, I’m excited to meet Felicia.

What? I get star struck too.

We’ll have a panel on Friday, July 13th (Yes, I threw July in there for a reason dammit… I’m superstitious as hell!) at 7pm. Our panel will consist of actors David Rogers, Alexis Denisof, Sean Gunn, director Stewart Hendler, producer Jason Taylor and lil’ole me. It’ll be moderated by Matt Atchity, Editor-in-Chief of Rotten Tomatoes. I know, all dudes. It’s just how it went down PR wise and schedule wise.

The panel will last a little over an hour and since the capacity of the space is small, if you’re at Comic Con this year and want to check it out, you should come early. Our booth should be interesting, so I hope you guys do stop by if you’re there. We’ll be looping some series content on a TV at the booth itself, and during the panel we’ll be showing some of the episodes. We’ll also be giving out some swag. Something very special actually… relevant to the larger story that we recently created especially for Comic Con. Have I piqued your interest? I hope so.

H+ Press and Public Screenings in LA and NY

Last call to get on the list for one of the two exclusive screenings of the series. We have one coming up in LA next Monday, July 9th and a second in New York City on July 16th. They both start at 7pm. People have asked me whether these are fancy events. No they are not. These are screenings, not red carpet premieres. So if you’re interested in getting a sneak peek, email me at john@johncabrera.com. I’m going to be turning in my last RSVP list at noon on Friday, so if you haven’t gotten in by then, you’ll have to wait until August when the series finally premieres online.

And I think that’s it.

If there’s something I didn’t address here, ask me in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook and I’ll answer if I can.

And please please please, click one or more of the links below. Oh go on, click’em all! I know there is absolutely no reason why the Pinterest community would ever be interested in an apocalyptic Sci Fi series, but man, I so look forward to someone finally clicking that particular button. Just so I can say it happened.

The post All you need to know about H+ … For now appeared first on who's John Cabrera?.

Well, first things first, Monday is a big day for the project. Because we will be announcing ALLLLLLL the info you’ve been wondering about. When you have people at Warner Brothers saying that they’re gonna go into the office on Sunday in prep, you know it’s a big deal. So keep your eyes peeled on Monday because answers to questions about screenings, Comic Con, and of course the premiere of the series itself should be online for all to see. Where? Not sure yet. But I’ll definitely know on Monday… and I’ll definitely shout it loudly from here and other Cabrera sites.

Screenings

So here’s the current status on the screenings. We are now only going to be in NY and LA. We looked at our numbers in San Francisco and realized that it would be better to focus people towards the LA screening. So Warner reserved a larger screening room on the lot on July 9th. If you have not RSVPed and you would like to get in there, do it now.

The way it is working is like this: Everyone on our team is allowed to invite people. I asked whether I could invite visitors of my blog as I consider all of you supporters of my work, and therefore friends. But eventually, I’ll have to cut off my list so that I don’t infringe on others lists and most importantly on the space being reserved for press.

So if you will be in LA on July 9th and would like to see a sneak peek of this, hit me up at my email address john AT johncabrera DOT com (even though I’m spelling it out, I’m still getting spam… see what I suffer for you guys?)

H+ Trailer from John Cabrera on Vimeo.

Make sure your email says SCREENINGS in the subject, and that the body of the email includes the full names of everyone you would like to RSVP for as well as WHICH screening: NYC or LA. Yes, as of right now, you can bring a plus one (or two if you ask nicely). I just need their names since everyone will have gate passes to get on the lot. If you’re not on the list, you can’t get in. Warner Brothers is really strict about that shit. I was once turned away while I was working there on Gilmore Girls cause I didn’t have my ID. Thankfully I live close.

All of this RSVP info also applies if you’re going to be in New York City on the 16th. Hit me up. That screening is still wide open, so let me know. I’d love to have you there.

Here is the date time and location info:
July 9th in Los Angeles, 7pm @ Warner Bros. 4000 Warner Blvd., Screening Room 5 (entering through Gate 4).
July 16th in New York, 7pm @ Time Warner Center (entering on 58th street between 8th and 9th Ave.)

Also, we have made a change in terms of what we will be showing. We will not be showing the entire series. Like I said in my last post, it’s way too long for a screening. But we would like to give audiences a taste of what the series will feel like in its online form. So we’re putting together something special. Expect to be there for about an hour and a half. Our hope is to have everyone leave eager for more. Fingers crossed that our idea works.

Comic Con

We will be there. I can’t say anymore until Monday, but after we’ve officially announced, it will be clear how we’re going to be represented there. And for those of you wondering if I’m going to be there, the answer is a resounding YESIREE. As will some others from the team. I’m really excited. I know a few of you have mentioned that you’re planning to be at Comic Con this year. If that’s the case, I better see your lovely faces.

In fact… should we try to do an official meet up??!! Holy crap, that could be historic!

Social Media

I was a part of a really exciting social media meeting today. Our social media agency is gonna rock this out. And now it’s clear why the Facebook page has been so silent. The truth is, I have been just as frustrated about that as all of you. But it looks like they’ve been hard at work this entire time and are about to bring the series to life across the web. Once that happens, H+ will essentially be launched since so much of the experience begins with all of that fun social/web stuff. And once the ball starts rolling there, it will be a constant source for info and community.

Just to give you an idea for how much we’re doing in prep for this series… this past weekend, we created more. A new small story piece that we shot and produced. It’ll be getting in front of your eyes very soon. Particularly you Comic Con attendees.

And we’re going to be making more. We want this to be your “new big thing” you love to devour… and so we want to make sure you have enough of it on your plate.

Okay, I’m going to sleep now, cause I’ve been up for 36 hours. Actually, you know what… scratch that… shower first. Cause I stink. And for being so honest about that fact, I think this post deserves a little love. Look at all those social media links just begging you to click them.

“John reeks cause he’s been up for almost two days, click us!”

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“Okay, so what is H+? I’ve still never heard of it.”

H+ is, quite simply, the globally recognized symbol for transhumanism.

“Okay, helpful. So what is transhumanism?”

I’m glad you asked. Well, let’s break it down like Crazy Legs, why don’t we: That’s trans (i.e. “in transit” somewhere) and humanism (i.e. the state/study/system of being human). So the symbol is basically “Human Plus”… which I guess suggests that transhumanism is always humanism in forward transit. And I think that has lead many to believe that transhumanism is basically humanism, only better… more premium features.

Not exactly.

Let’s take a closer look. First of all, it’s important to note that H+ is actually a philosophical movement, not a scientific field of study; however, several sciences, technologies and working methods do serve as the basis of transhumanist theory. That’s to say, there’s a lot of research happening (in fact, has been happening for decades) and new breakthroughs in science that are also a part of transhumanism… even if the biologists and engineers responsible for those breakthroughs view them as advances solely within their individual fields.

So like, let’s imagine that back in 2004 a team of researchers at Brown University implanted a device into a paralyzed man’s head that allowed him to move a computer mouse cursor with his thoughs… they would have probably called that an advance in computer engineering… or a breakthrough in neuroscience, medical tech, etc. But it also fits into the larger story of transhumanism because that one technology is likely to grow into many others which will eventually find their way into everyone’s lives… if not their brains.

But transhumanism also suggests that we are in transit somewhere, right? Where exactly? Well that’s when we use the world posthuman.

Currently we are human. Right? We can all agree on that. And unless you believe in creationism, we were at one time pre-human (well, I guess even if you believe in creationism). And one day, what is human to us now will have become posthuman. What that’ll look like, we can only speculate. But it’s the basis of many transhumanist discussions.

Transhumanism is simply the path along all of that. In fact, we are technically transhumans already. Always have been. From an evolutionary standpoint, our humanity is constantly in transit. We were in transit long before we were human by our current standards. The difference now is that we control that progress and especially its pace. All of these breakthroughs in science are causing a rapid biological evolution. That evolution is transhumanism. That is H+. The human body, mind, and condition moving forward at a rapid rate of change. In fact, that last one, the human condition, is probably the most relevant to our series.

The aging process being slowed down. Lives extended.
Computer and network technology woven seamlessly into our own bodies and minds.
A collective world consciousness that doesn’t just rely on that technology anymore, but is defined by it.

How does all of that affect the quality of our lives. Our relationships. Our dreams.

H+

Last year we had a panel at Comic Con and one of the members speaking with us was Phil Bowermaster. He is a pretty well known transhumanist thinker and writer. He runs a fun blog about the subject called The Speculist. You gotta check it out, because it’s super geeky and full of interesting facts about where he thinks we’re headed.

I remember, before we all went down to San Diego to speak, a bunch of our creative team got on the phone with Phil to go over what we were planing to discuss. At one point, we asked him how plausible he thought some of our predictions in H+ The Digital Series were. I’ll never forget his response.

“If you’re asking me how plausible is a world where we’re implanting tiny medical devices into people’s bodies to save their lives… where humans are living decades longer than they were before… a world where nearly every person is connected wirelessly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at home and abroad, to a massive global network that allows them to instantly communicate their thoughts to almost anyone anywhere… without even opening their mouths? Well then I’d say take a look at the world we live in today. Because all of that is here. The only leap you’re asking your audience to accept is the idea that these small devices that we currently carry in our pockets will one day be inside our own bodies. And if that still sounds too much like science fiction, then consider this: 20 years ago, if you had told the average person that one day they would be having full spoken conversations with robots in their daily lives, they’d have assumed you were watching too much Star Trek. But that’s exactly what we do whenever we call Bank of America or United Airlines or pretty much any large company. We have conversations with software.”

[Note this little chat happened months before the release of the iPhone 4S and commercials depicting Zooey Deschanel talking to Siri.]

I’ll have more fun stuff to share with you about transhumanism and posthumanism, but for now I’ll leave it here; let you do some of your own exploring, in the interim. Trust me, it’s way more than just brain implants.

“Hold on, there’s a bit more in that title than just H+, Cabrera.”

Okay, so let’s turn our attention to the second part, shall we? H+ The Digital Series. Rae Hanson once asked what a “digital series” was exactly. I told her it was a series made specifically for digital platforms… whereas the word “web” limits the series to the web or web browser. Was I being totally straight with, Rae? Of course not. She knew that. I knew that. We both knew that and decided we’d let it lie.

Truth be told, this is a web series. Meaning that at this point, it’ll primarily be viewed on the web. The thing is, the word “web”, particularly when it comes to media, is starting to get a little confusing. Sure, if you watch it at a website, in a browser, that’s a web series. No one can argue that. Even if you watch it on Facebook, it’s a web series, just being shared socially. Maybe you want to call it a social series. Go ahead, I won’t mind.

But what if it plays in an app on your tablet or phone? Is it a web series then? Or a mobile series? How about on your XBox or PS3 or Wii? A… console series? And that new smart TV you’re considering getting this Christmas; the one that has YouTube, Hulu, Netflix all at the touch of your remote? What then? Oh I know, I know! A smart TV series! Ooo, I like that.

The bottom line here is that our H+ is a series. So we figured the added descriptor “The Digital Series” would be a nice way to express that while simultaneously speaking to the digital themes of the story itself.

So there you have it… H+ The Digital Series… sometimes written as H+: The Digital Series… usually called H+ by me for short. Please, spread the word.

The post H+ The Digital Series? Please explain that title appeared first on who's John Cabrera?.

I’ve never heard of the band, but my buddy Tim Nordwind of OKGO just posted the video on Facebook, and if there’s anyone who knows about good music videos, it’s that guy. I just checked out Eytan and the Embassy’s site, and it turns out they actually opened for OKGO back in 2010. Which isn’t surprising. If you like OKGO’s sound, you’ll dig this stuff. It’s definitely cut from the same cloth.

In fact, the music video itself is clearly inspired by the best of OKGO’s viral vids. It’s a pretty rad video that features the artist quick changing into a variety of music legends. And I guess it sort of reminded me that I used to use this blog for more than just promoting my own work. So now that I’m getting back into the swing of things, I figured it would make for a great interim post.

Check it out.

Eytan and the Embassy – Everything Changes

What did I tell you? Pretty fantastic, huh? Can you name all the artists they’re paying homage to in the video?

Also, what’s the deal with this band photo? Is it a requirement that at least one photo in a session has to include the band crammed together looking up and directly into the camera? That’s not sarcasm. It’s an honest question to all my musician friends.

Okay, maybe a touch of sarcasm.

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Okay.

Long day.

I have some good news and bad news. Bad news is… a little more waiting. Not on the launch of the series. Don’t worry, our (yet to be announced) date is still “soon as hell”. But we’ve collectively decided to move these screenings back a few weeks. Here are some of the reasons why this is VERY GOOD NEWS:

1) It think a realization sort of hit the collective team that you don’t begin pushing a big publicity screening one week before.
2) We have Comic Con coming up, and H+ should have a presence there this year.
3) We have a big holiday right around the corner.

So now the dates are:

July 9th in Los Angeles, 7pm @ Warner Bros. 4000 Warner Blvd., Screening Room 5 (entering through Gate 4).
July 16th in New York, 7pm @ Time Warner Center (entering on 58th street between 8th and 9th Ave.)
July 17th in San Francisco, 7pm (TBA… I’ll probably know that tomorrow.)

If you are interested in attending any of these screenings, you’re going to need to RSVP by emailing me at:
john AT johncabrera DOT com

“Oh no! I have to actually contact you directly? But I like to just read your blog in anonymity.” Sorry, not this time. You want to see this screening, you gotta engage with me. Don’t worry, I don’t bite. I’m a lover not a biter.

Make sure the subject says “Screenings” and that in the body of the email you tell me the screening you want to attend and your full name as it appears on your ID. They’re gonna be checking IDs at the gates, so you’ll need to bring it with you to the event. (Please read my comment below.)

EDIT: This is the only way to RSVP. I will be sending people confirmations as well as emails letting them know if they have been placed on the waiting list by no later than July 1st.

These venues have limited seating, so please don’t RSVP just to save a spot. I realize things can come up last minute, but do have some sense that you can make it. I will likely have to cut it off eventually, since much of the seating has already been reserved for press. At that point, I’ll be placing people on a waiting list. Don’t hate me if that happens to you… or because I’m beautiful (see below).

Comic Con will be the 13th-15th and as I said, we should be there representing H+ with some sneak peeks as well. That’s currently the plan… but things can always change. This post is a testament to that. I’ll have more details coming up within the week.

And as promised, this blog is gonna see a lot of activity over the next month regarding this series. It has found its purpose again. Anyone interested in the series should consider this the main source of info for now. So please spread the word.

Peas…

… & carrots

(I eat this carrot for you so that you will click on one or more of the social networking links below.)

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I am flying to New York City on Sunday the 24th (that’s exactly one week from today). On Monday the 25th there will be a public screening (meaning anyone should be able to go) of my series H+… somewhere in NYC… at some point in the evening. [EDIT: These dates have been moved.]

For those wondering, I wrote this bad boy.

I also know that on Tuesday morning the 26th I’ll be flying to San Francisco. Later that evening, the same deal. A screening somewhere at some time.

Then the next morning I’ll do it again. Only, this one is back to LA for a final screening sometime in the evening and somewhere around town.

I wish I had a bit more information for you, but I don’t. And I realize a week is not always enough notice for people to clear their schedules, so I’m hoping we have some sort of a turn out.

In addition to myself, a couple others from our creative team will be there. That includes our director, Stewart Hendler. We’ll talk a bit about our process and what people should expect from the full experience. And we’ll generally hang out and have fun. In fact, this could serve as a meetup of sorts for any of you in those cities who I’ve been chumming online with over the years.

I say could because I’m unclear on the theater’s capacity and on Warner Brothers target audience. It’s possible that it’s only opened to the public after a certain number of seats have been filled by press. I should have answers to all of this by tomorrow morning. So please, if this interests you, pay attention to my social sphere (Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Google+) in the coming days.

Lots of updates are gonna start pouring out in the next week. I’m trying to strategize it in a way that I don’t exhaust any of you but keep you well informed.

I’ll say it right now: I’m gonna be shameless in promoting this series. And I’m hoping that all of you will join me in some shamelessness… as much as you can stand.

This series has been in my life for six years. And it will likely affect my future in this industry. We’ve had obstacles every step of the way, and there will be more. Frankly, I need your help in promoting it. Talking about it. Sharing it with your network through tweets, updates, posts, reblogs, etc. Because our marketing budget is tiny and so we need a grass roots base.

Can you help us spread those seeds? You could start by clicking any or all of the buttons below and sharing this post with your network.

I know this has been a long wait for everyone… but we’re finally closing in!

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Sometimes I write in my living room using my computer/TV hookup, sometimes at my kitchen table, sometimes in my office. Sometimes I find it helpful to be looking down at my iPad or netbook as I work, and sometimes up at a computer monitor.

That’s not to say that these locations are only good once. If I’ve been away from a familiar environment for long enough, it becomes new again. But the prolonged use of an environment does seem to stifle my creativity a bit.

Cosimo and I wrote H+ in various location stages. We wrote the bulk of it in my living room, sitting on the same couch staring at the big computer screen on my wall. It was very cozy, and seemed to encourage casual dialog as we worked. I do think that found its way into the writing.

Later, Cosimo had to work on another project in Ireland for a few months, so we were forced to write over Skype. I was also left house sitting his apartment while he was gone (and dog sitting as some of you may remember). That shift in writing location and perspective also shook things up a bit for the better.

And finally when we got to Chile we found ourselves once again writing from the couch of our temporary apartment, staring at a computer screen on the wall.

The Homes was written in my living room as well, but I was turned sideways on my couch and looking down at my old netbook.

I wrote a TV spec last year from my computer in my office. So that one left me with very upright memories.

Sean Gunn and I recently developed a TV pitch that we also did in my office, but we worked 100% off of my iPad hooked to a small monitor on the coffee table. He was staring at that monitor from the couch, while I was sitting across from him in my desk chair.

Whatever location/perspective I choose, I typically commit to it for the duration of the script or design work. But if I notice a creative block developing, I can usually dislodge it a bit simply by picking a new location in which to work.

So next time you’re having a block, give it a try. Pick up and go to another spot in your house. If you work in an office, ask a colleague if you can trades desks. Go to a coffee shop.

It may sound ridiculous that these little differences matter, but for whatever reason they do for me… and may for you too. In fact, some of you may notice some new design changes to this blog. In some ways, this redesign represents the change in perspective I’ve needed to see this blog in a new light again.

Are you someone who works best from a singular location/comfort zone? Or does any of this sound familiar? Let me know in the comments. Or on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+

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People from a variety of different tech, marketing, and business backgrounds literally just pull ideas out of their head and try to put together a full pitch and business plan IN THREE DAYS!

As I said, I was asked to speak at the keynote, in which I mostly just talked about my background in tech and the arts, and a little bit about how Hollywood is being rattled by all this new Internet technology.

But then later in the evening, they began the process of actual rapid fire pitching. I was given a space in the robotics track. Meaning that I was only surrounded by people interested in starting companies that leverage robotics in some way. About 30 people got up on stage and had 60 seconds to pitch an idea (many they’d come up with minutes before). It was almost like a rumba line of pitching. It looked fun, but also really stressful.

For a while I thought I was just going to observe. And then at the last minute I had an idea for a product that used robotics in a way that was sort of relevant to my keynote speech.

So on a total whim, I hopped into the line, I rapid fire pitched my idea, and to make a long story short…. I am now officially participating in this weekend.

A few others there were interested in my idea, and I soon formed a little team made up of me (an actor, writer, director), a couple of software programmers, a businesswoman (from Guatamala! Awesome!), and a businessman. And by Sunday night we need to have a friggin business model, business plan, and A WORKING FRIGGIN DEMO using a robot here at the event called the Turtle (Google it… it’s late and I’m too tired to find the link.)

I’ll fill you in more on what our company is and the product as the weekend continues. And I’ll be tweeting and blogging all weekend.

I’m really excited, I have to say. My own robot company?! Even if we totally crash and burn, this is super cool.

Oh and by the way, hi. I haven’t been online in a while. Well, I’m back… for now.

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Bottom line, I’ve been away for a while. No surprise there.

And now I’m back. Also no real surprise. At least I hope not.

But reading my last post, wow… I sure did leave you all with a pretty intense cliffhanger at the end of my month of blogging. “John Cabrera, Lost, Contemplative, Fearing the Worst.”

Well, good thing my life is not a Lars Von Trier film… or a Sean Penn film for that matter… cause as things tend to do in actual “real life”, the events of my little movie here have gotten a bit brighter since then.

One of the main reasons I’ve been so quiet lately is because I’ve been working a lot, or more specifically writing a lot. Aside from the work I’m doing on the finishing touches to H+ (drumroll please), I am currently writing my first big feature. And, well, the last few months leading up to it have been a lot of holding my breath about whether it would actually happen. I’d be disingenuous if I didn’t admit that there’s still a bit of breath holding going on these days (I actually just exhaled for the first time since starting this post). But that’s what you sign up for when you get into show business…

Anyway, I feel safe enough to share this much. And all that nonsense in my last post about whether I’d actually “have more to give” another project just turned out to be some much needed self deprecation. What do you know?!

“So what’s the feature, what’s the feature?”

Do you think if I was allowed to tell you that, I wouldn’t have just started this post with a link to the Hollywood Reporter or something? Come on now. Many of you know that it took a few Larks and half the run of Lost before I was ready to share deets on H+. The same with this project, I imagine.

And H+………….. Oh H+……….. What the hell is happening with you? We announced you in July? Where the hell are you?

Yes, these are all questions floating around these days. I’ve heard them, don’t chu worry. And if I could tell you anymore than “soon”, I would. Although “soon” is a pretty vague word, I’ll admit. So perhaps I should just give you my definition.

soon (su:n) adj. a. Not a year from now or later. “When’s H+ coming out?” “Soon!”
b. Hopefully not a year from now or later. “When’s H+ coming out?” “Umm….. soon?!”
c. But not before the end of this calendar year, sadly. “When’s H+ coming out? Oh no, wait, let me guess. Soon.”

But that’s not to say that we won’t be leaking more details and perhaps even early bits of the full experience. And hey, they’ve been showing trailers for Spiderman since Comic Con, and that’s not coming out until next friggin summer! So for all of you eager to see the series, thank you thank you for your continued patience. And perhaps be comforted knowing that we’re trying to get it in the absolute best possible shape before we unveil it. For example, we just shot some extra goodies for the series the other day.

So stay with us!

In other news from the day to day, I was recently in London (in connection to the feature project I mentioned above) and it was the second time ever I had visited the city. And unlike my first experience a decade ago, this trip was pretty amazing.

I’ve written a post which I’ll be publishing on Monday talking about my experience with the city (both this time and last).

I’m also looking forward to the holidays for whatever reason. I don’t typically get into the holiday spirit. And it’s mostly because I find it such a stressful time. But maybe it’s because of how crazy stressful this year has been with H+ and The Homes and all my traveling for work. The thought of some caroling is actually kind of nice.

Anyway, gotta get back to the writing. I’ve miss you all.

…

………

Oh come on! Tell me you’ve missed me too!

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The Green Dragon

If you like your sweet juices to have some bite, this is for you.

2 Celery Stalks
2 Green Apples
1/2 Lime
1/2 inch slice of ginger (1/2 inch diameter)
1 Hot Hatch Green Chile (New Mexican variety)
1/2 Cucumer (aprox 6 inches)
1 Leaf of Kale

Push the stick the ginger and lime in the kale bunched up and juice together with the apples. Then celery. Then chile. Then cucumber.

Ogre’s Blood

This is a serious drink for the serious warrior. Do not attempt this drink unless you are at least level 32.

1 Red Beet w/attached Greens
3 Roma Tomatoes
Bunch of Cilantro
1 Clove of Garlic
3 Celery Stalks
1/2 Green Pepper

First juice the red beet with it’s greens. Put the garlic clove in the bunch of Cilantro and push through feeder with Tomatoes. Then Celery. Then Green Pepper.

Arithluea’s Amulet

This golden drink was thought to exist only in legend. And then I made one the other day and was like, “What do you know? This drink is for real.”

2 Small Yellow Beets (no greens)
1 inch slice of Pineapple
2 Green Apples
2 Celery Stalks
1/4 slice of Ginger

Start with the Yellow Beets. Then the pineapple and ginger together. Then the celery. Then the apples.

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I got my Playstation 3 delivered yesterday.
I went to the game store and picked up Fallout 3.
I also picked up Dragon Age.
I also picked up Heavy Rain.

And I have not slept a wink except in the the games themselves.

This is not an actual post (Let’s be honest, very few of them have been this month). This is just a little postcard from The Wasteland, letting everyone know that I’ve cleared out the Super-Duper Mart, Disarmed the Bomb, and now I’m on my way into that mine field.

I also have to cut this one real short so that I can get back to business.

I’m gonna try to catch up in the next few days so that I actually end the month on the 31st.

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But I thought it would be cool to share with you some of the digital gifts I got from some of you lovely people.

Well first of all, I just want to thank all of you on FB, Twitter, and Tumblr who wished me a happy birthday… even the ones who came belated. It really is true that wall postings, tweets, and tumbles have become great gifts in the digital age. Way better than the wireless headphones I got for my birthday back in 2002. Those things seriously sucked.

Anyway, here are a few sweet things that people posted in my honor today.

Jess Gutierrez gave me this photo:

and this video:

Janina Rossmannek gave me this video of my German doppleganger… my 20s German doppleganger… remember, I just turned 36:

Got this cake from Bunny Dunn… in her eyes I will always be a 5 year old.

This DOG-MONKEY was given to me by my friend Nicolette. She really knows how to shop for me.

And sticking in the theme of dogs… here is an awesome DOG-Cake given to me by my friend Beth.

These two vids were given to me by two of my friends in Chile who worked on H+. I’m not sure if they collaborated on this gift… or if this is just a Chilean tradition… but they aren’t exactly the same.

And I have to say, I really love the gifts I get on Tumblr, cause to be honest, with absolutely no good system for searching posts, it really is a sort of scavenger hunt trying to find any. If I missed your gift, please let me know.

The first is from Astrid… a robot is always a pretty safe present with me.

And last but not least, probably my crowning gift, Jennifer Felder’s epic robot masterpiece… a variation on last years similar themed work:

Thank you everyone, for thinking of me on my birthday.

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Luckily my favorite bar Harvard & Stone was having a private party in celebration (or mourning) of the cancelation of The Sunset Junction street fair… so it must have attracted all of the really hardcore unicycle riding hipsters. Cause tonight The Bigfoot was sublime. I’m home now after about 7 or 8 Tom Collins (what can I say I’m a cocktail guy on my birthday) and it was just a terrific evening.

I got to see a bunch of the H+ gang… most of whom I haven’t hung out with since February. I got to let loose a bit after a few weeks of intensive work.

And now I’m hitting the old sackeroo.

Thanks to all of you who are sending the sweet Facebook and twitter birthday wishes. You all are awesome.

Oh and how old am I?

36! Officially on my way to 40 y’all! Woot!

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Tonight though, I was working on a spec pilot I’m really excited about. We’re about to share it with the town, so I’m both nervous and dying to get it out there. So far, it’s gotten really good feedback from my close friends and colleagues… but perhaps they’re bias.

Anyway, tonight I finished a very critical rewrite, and I can go into the weekend with that weight off my shoulders. And this is a pretty special weekend for me actually… because in about 24 hours, I turn 36 years old (oh that wasn’t a reminder to wish me a happy birthday. Of course it wasn’t.)

Anyway, it’s 5:30am.. oh wait actually 5:40am… so I’m off to dreamy land… where everything is made of puppies and kittens. Literally everything.

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Um… I mean, sons.

Wow, there really are a lot of similarities between Myst and Lost. Aside from the fact that they’re both about islands and have 4 letter titles that end in “st”…. There’s a very similar magical setting in both games. Mix between ancient and technological… Science and Mysticism.

Any Lost fans who have never played Myst, I highly recommend you download it for the iPhone/iPad. You really won’t be sorry.

In other news, think I may have overdone it on the juicing on my first day. Cause I’m pretty sure I drank several pounds of liquifed produce today. From beets to spinach to grapes to celery… Honestly, at one point I almost tried to juice a piece of frozen salmon. It’s just too fun.

I mean, there has to be a name for what happened to me today (besides batshit crazy). I’m sure others have experienced it. The thrill of putting in that first fruit or veggie. Hearing it hit those blades… getting liquified. There’s just something so awesome about reducing a piece of celery to a beverage. I can’t imagine anything more awesome. Except perhaps a machine that could vaporize that produce.

Actually, I guess I do own one of those… and it’s not really that awesome. :S

So yeah, liquifying produce… totally addictive… totally awesome… but dangerously filling.

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