Whether you like it or “get it” or not, from the PR business perspective you have to ask yourself, “Why are all these people paying good money to see this in the United States? What is this thing?” You've got to give it something of a chance. And I was just stunned that they didn't.
Herald – Well that’s one thing about The BLEEP. It brings out strong reactions in people - both positive and negative!
Richard - Eventually the film did find its audience - people who understood and responded to it. And then other people, who initially passed on it, had colleagues in their offices when they got back to their home country who knew about the film; or who wrote on the Internet, or they got it from friends who basically said, “What? Are you crazy? Everybody's talking about this film! What do you mean you didn’t buy it? Get me a copy. I want to see it!” Ultimately some of those companies wound up licensing rights.
Herald – What do you think the main block has been internationally?
Richard - I think a big part of it is that people just don't get it. And I think the reason they don't get it is it takes some thinking, and they just don't want to think. You’ve got to concentrate; you've got to focus. I don't get it all to be honest. And I don't agree with everything from the movie. But there is certainly more than enough for me to respond to.
Herald - Have there been any surprises in the other sense - where the movie was just enthusiastically grabbed and run off with?
Richard - This German company that is handling the film, they got it from day one. They really understood it. And the Benelux distributors ( Benelux is an acronym for Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg.) responded immediately to it. The distributors in Mexico responded very well to it. But most other places, it's been a much more cautious attitude of wait and see - that kind of thing.
Herald - Has BLEEP affected your life?
Richard - I'd say it's grounded me a bit more. It's made me more aware of something I've always acknowledged. But the business I’m in, the film business … at the end of the day we're selling primarily entertainment. Sure, some things we do educate and can enlighten. But at the end of the day, it’s entertainment.
I realize that I have a responsibility. And it gives me greater personal and emotional satisfaction to be representing something that does provide something more than entertainment, that does get people thinking, that does get people focusing on issues that are bigger than them. And I'd like to be able to find more films that do so. By being the person who is representing What the BLEEP!? I'm finding that a lot of producers of films that seek to do more than just entertain are coming to me with their films. page 1 2 3
