'Inventing the Movies,' last night in Portsmouth

Andy Beaupre, the Portsmouth-based PR entrepreneur, was at my book talk at the Portsmouth Public Library last night and was kind enough to post this blog write-up.

Thanks to everyone who helped organize the presentation (and fill the hall!): the eCoast Angel network, NH Film & Television Office, New Hampshire High Technology Council, the University of New Hampshire, Borealis Ventures, Catapult, the Whittemore School of Business & Economics at UNH, and the Portsmouth Public Library. That's a lot of organizers!

The next two presentations are January 15th in Concord and February 11th in Boston. Info here.

Fresh From My Tour of the Left Coast...

I've just spent a fascinating and fun week out in California, giving talks about my new book at Disney, Netflix, Google, Industrial Light & Magic, and the Hillside Club.

The book, Inventing the Movies, is a technological history of Hollywood, from Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs. It includes several stories about how Boston-area companies and people (such as Avid Technology and 'Tron' director Steven Lisberger) influenced the evolution of the movie industry.

I'm giving several talks locally, and if you're a cinephile, or you're interested in the ways that new ideas and new technologies are resisted by any established industry, I think you might appreciate the presentation. It includes lots of historical photos and movie clips. Here are the upcoming events:

- Thursday, October 23rd at the Chelmsford Public Library (free and open to anyone)... 7 PM

- Monday, November 3rd at MIT Sloan School (geared to MIT students)... High noon

- Wednesday, November 12th at the Boston Museum of Science (free and open to anyone)... 7 PM

- Update: Wednesday, December 10th at the Portsmouth Public Library in NH (free and open to anyone)... 5:30 PM

- Thursday, January 15th at the Concord Free Public Library (free and open to anyone)... 7:30 PM

- Wednesday, February 11th at the Boston Public Library in the Orientation Room (free and open to anyone)...6 PM.

Panel Video: Tech @ The Movies

Here's some video taken at an event in Cambridge, MA last month called "Tech @ The Movies." It focused on the role that Massachusetts companies are playing (and have played in the past) in the technological evolution of the movie industry. Organized by MassTLC and hosted by UK Trade & Investment; thanks to Dan Bricklin for shooting it. Description and cast of characters below.

Massachusetts companies have played a pivotal role in the evolution of Hollywood. Movies might still be in black-and-white -- and we might never have had "The Wizard of Oz" -- if not for Technicolor, founded by Massachusetts entrepreneurs. And Avid Technology won an Oscar in the 1990s for introducing computers to the movie editing process. You'll hear from a panel of technology innovators who're changing the way movies get made in the 21st century -- helping directors create special effects or helping movie fans buy their favorite pics in digital form. Journalist Scott Kirsner will introduce the panel with a short, illustrated overview of his new book Inventing the Movies, which tells the heretofore untold technological history of Hollywood -- including the stories of Avid and Technicolor.

Panelists:

- Jim Flynn, Founder & CEO, EZTakes and iArthouse

- Jeff Kleiser, CEO, Synthespian Studios; Visual Effects Artist on "Fantastic Four," "X-Men: The Last Stand," and "Tron"

- Patrick McLean, Senior Product Manager, Avid Technology

- Katherine Hays, CEO, GenArts

- Dave Waller, Founder, Brickyard VFX

Tomorrow Night's Event in Waltham, and Others...

Just some shameless self-promotion here for a second...

My new book Inventing the Movies came out in August, and I'm just starting to do some live events on the east and west coasts to promote it.

I have a 45-minute talk, illustrated with lots of photos and movie clips, and peppered with movie trivia, that focuses on the past, present, and future of Hollywood. The main theme: why does Hollywood (and all established, successful industries) tend to resist every innovation that comes along?

I'll be giving the talk this Wednesday evening at the Charles River Museum of Industry in Waltham...October 23rd at the Chelmsford Public Library...November 12th at the Museum of Science...and then in January and February at the Concord Free Library and the Boston Public Library.

The full schedule is here. The book's official Web site is here. Hope I'll see you at one of these events...