Hello all!

Sorry about another delay in blogs but some huge stuff went down. As the title states, we just got back from Los Angeles yesterday so we've been recouping from the travel. Anyways, what went down while we were there?

We landed in LA 10am this past Tuesday after having to get up at 3am to get to the airport. That killlleeed us but the rush of going overcame that!

After we landed, we went to the hotel, ate, etc. The first big event of the trip was a hang out with Nathan Barnatt. For those of you that are unfamiliar with him, he is a comedian/actor mainly know for his character, "Keith Apicary". I HIGHLY recommend watching his stuff. REALLY funny and talented. He's going to be huge, I guarantee it! He'll be having a cameo in the film which is to be shot next month. We played arcade games and hung out for a bit in our hotel. He is simply awesome.

Due to jet lag, we fell asleep really early that Tuesday. Then Wednesday came around. Wednesday...THE day we've been waiting for. The day we record with Jaleel.

We arrive to the recording studio early; Studio Center in Santa Monica. Wow...such a awesome place! The people were friendly and welcoming and the studio was like a place from Skywalker Ranch. No wonder Jaleel's agent recommended it....it's fantastic!

So David, Dan, and myself hung around for a bit and talked a bit about what specifics we should run by Jaleel. After a few minutes the door opens and....it's his manager! His manager was great to talk to. Very professional and easy to chat with. Essentially, the ideal manager. Cool guy who truly cares about who he represents. A few minutes later, HE walks in...Jaleel. A wind came over us. He greeted us and we remained cool and relaxed but inside...for someone into film and Sonic, I was floored to meet the man. A legend!

We chatted about the character, what we wanted to do with the project, and various other little things. Jaleel is a true professional and just an AMAZING guy overall. Funny, focused, welcoming, and smart. He believes in what we are doing and wants us to stick to our guns as film makers. He provided us with so much wisdom and insight!

We recorded "Sonic" two ways: a bit older with more maturity and younger with the classic tone (as portrayed in SatAM).



To no one's surprise, he still has it. "Sonic" comes so naturally to him that he was able to do it both classically and fresh. He knew how to deal with the character in both senses. Overall, an amazing experience and during breaks, we chatted and had a few laughs. Such wonderful pleasure to work with him and I extend my biggest gratitude to those that represent him and Jaleel himself. Wonderful people!

After the session, we met up with Nathan again and played some games! And, of course, I wanted to bookend the trip. I was walking down the street where our hotel was and I saw an image in the window of a small deli....and I knew what had to be done. Thus, the bookend:



Eating a chili dog ^_^. By the way, it's was actually pretty good! I also didn't get "the runs" from eating it so the bookend remained perfectly :D.

I'll be spending the next few days getting some shots done and reschedule certain shooting dates. I also have to reach out to a few people (vfx artist, our storyboard artist, etc). The trip bogged me down so badly that I haven't been able to answer my e-mails as well as I could! Stay tuned for some awesome updates!

Eddie