Being Emme » social media

Ron Sexsmith Love Shines Movie Shown in the UK

Rob Jones — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:17:06 +0000

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (March 4-6) the Douglas Arrowsmith film about singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith Love Shines was broadcast on BBC4. The broadcast reached the big audience that Sexsmith has built up over years of releasing records and touring there. But, it also reached a new audience in those quarters, too, in part because of word-of-mouth efforts by many of the fans who already know and love his music.

Ron Sexsmith image courtesy of the2scoops

Reaching new eyes and new ears where Sexsmith’s music is concerned is perhaps the main aim of Love Shines director Douglas Arrowsmith. The documentary was shot during the time Sexsmith was working up material for the Long Player Late Bloomer album, Sexsmith’s latest record, produced by Bob Rock.

The core of the drama in the film is that of unique songwriting and performing talent Ron Sexsmith, celebrated by a cult audience, striving to get his music heard by more people. During the course of the film, he confronts his own identity as an artist, and is challenged to determine his own definition of what success actually looks like. All the while, the idea of fans championing his cause is pretty central to the soul of the movie.

Some high profile artists count themselves as Sexsmith admirers. Rod Stewart, Michael Buble, k.d lang, and Coldplay’s Chris Martin have all recorded Sexsmith’s material. Feist is another, and she also appears in the film. Elvis Costello, an early Ron Sexsmith champion, continues to sing his praises in an interview section in Love Shines. Steve Earle, who appears in the film as well, was the producer of the excellent 2001 Blue Boy album, and remarks on Sexsmith’s deep musical well. The list goes on.

Where many are familiar with those famous names mentioned, Sexsmith is not exactly a household name himself. Regardless, he’s something of a veteran anyway, with a twenty-year, twelve album recording career behind him, and with dues paid before that time as a struggling musician by night, holding down a courier job by day. Long player, late bloomer, indeed. But, partially thanks to Twitter, Facebook, the Ron Sexsmith online forum community, and a new album and documentary for them all to talk about, the perception that Sexsmith is an untested newcomer is changing.

For instance, the broadcast of Love Shines on BBC4 trended on Twitter in the UK during each airing, and internationally too, indicating great viewer numbers and a significant achievement for fans, who were instrumental in spreading the word. Significantly, this helped to sell records, too. The Amazon charts went from 6-2 in the rankings immediately after Friday’s broadcast and the parallel chat on social platforms, with a number of Sexsmith’s albums showing in the top twenty.

Not bad for a”cult” artist.

Ron Sexsmith image courtesy of spaceameoba

It is a compelling idea that Sexsmith is something of a throwback singer-songwriter that would have been very welcome on ’70s AM radio, had he been born twenty years earlier. His work certainly would have fit in with that of artists like Harry Nilsson, Carole King, Elton John (yet another documented Sexsmith fan), Jackson Browne, Bill Withers, Joni Mitchell, and Todd Rundgren.

Yet, in other ways, Sexsmith being championed by so many voices all at once online can’t be easily dismissed. It has been these online communities championing Arrowsmith’s film, and Sexsmith’s music by association, that has really pushed Sexsmith’s exposure to that wider audience so far. It’s important to note that Love Shines director Douglas Arrowsmith is a fan himself, with the same goal shared with the very active community of fans on social platforms: to get Ron Sexsmith’s story told, and to get his material heard, bought, and celebrated. This concerted effort between artist, filmmaker, and fans is a very 21st Century phenomenon.

This is another layer to be found at the heart of the film; that the artist’s struggle to be heard by more people is actually also the very welcome and joyous struggle of those who already appreciate his work. This core of the drama goes beyond the interest of TV broadcast numbers, licensing, and international boundaries. It becomes something that great art was always intended to be; a shared and transformative experience.

Read more about the upcoming premier of Love Shines at SXSW in Austin on March 15, 2011 at 6:15 PM, where an even larger potential audience will be reached.

Also, be sure to become a fan of the Love Shines Facebook page for frequent news and updates that pertain to the film.

And thanks to Emme for allowing me to publish this piece on her site!

Caroling My Way to a New Years Resolution

Emme — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:30:42 +0000

Clearly Jon Jennings intent in sending me this is to help solidify the New Years Resolution of keeping my dating in 2011 in an offline world:

For the love of Richard Yearwood (aka my fantasy hunka hunka burning love)

Emme — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:21:17 +0000

Who’s Richard Yearwood? Aside from a one time Linus in a Grade School Production of a Charlie Brown Christmas Special and the voice of Donkey Kong, he’s one of my best friends and a man I absolutely love and adore. Oh and he occasionally directs my silly street videos. When Richard’s behind the camera, everyone wants to share their stories with us.

How can you not love this man?

It is his in front of the camera work that I want to highlight just now though, as this gorgeous beast is just about to be a leading man (Benjamin N’udu) in the CBC Series InSecurity that is coming out in January. Here’s a little teaser:

… and *umph* seeing Richard in HD is a tease indeed!

At any rate, if you, like me, are dying for more (or just want to stalk him), not to worry as I have been teaching Richard to use social media. You can find him on:

his blog
his new facebook fan page (which I built, as the unofficial President of his fan club)
twitter
flickr (which he needs to use more)

I just now need to teach him that ‘u’ and ‘r’ are not real words. RICHARD!!! Next thing you know, he’ll be saying he’s ‘good’, rather than ‘well’.

Oh and InSecurity just sprouted up online too with a fan page of their own.

Kisses,

Emme xoxo

Past ‘Chick Who Clicks’ on YouTube

Emme — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:51:09 +0000

Just found this video from a past ‘Chick Who Click’s’ participant, Ellen Marden aka @zaellen & @todaysellen:

Looks like shes making the trek up from Washington for the first Canadian Chicks Who Click this coming weekend! Looking forward to meeting her!

Van Sexy Digirati Darlings are at it Again

Emme — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:19:47 +0000

I’ve been a little remiss in mentioning that a few of my favourite Digirati Darlings in town are at it again and busy presenting at Chicks Who Click this coming Saturday! I am happy to say though that it is not too late to register and come out to absorb, share ideas, and meet some other creatively inspired Van City gals.

Here are the details:

Friday, June 26, 2009

2:30-4:30
101 Track-”We are Living in a Digital World and I’m Just an Analog Girl”-Doyle Albee

5:00 p.m.
Chicks who Mix: Tweet-up at the Alibi Room

Saturday, June 27, 2009

8:00-8:30
Breakfast and Networking 8:30-9:30
Via Livecast from Seattle-Monica Guzman, from the Seattle Post Intelligencer

9:45-10:45
“Twitter: Tweeting, Following & Finding” -Monica Hamburg

11:00-12:00
“Breaking the Glass Ceiling-Women in Tech Start-ups”-Megan Cole, Victoria Revay, Alexandra Samuel, moderated by Boris Mann

12:15-1:15
Lunch
Carrie McCarthy-Marketing your image-online and off.

1:30-2:30
“Connecting Communities-Traditional Media and New Media”-Erica Hargreave

3:45-5:00
“Privacy vs Transparency-Where do you draw the line?”- Gillian Shaw, Rebecca Bolwitt, Erica Hargreave, Moderated by Doyle Albee 5:30-?
Chicks who Mix Cocktail Party and Networking

Yorkton Film Festival Social Media Stalker

Emme — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:59:22 +0000

Well, it looks like Tris and Erica did their job as a whole tonne of people from the Yorkton Film Festival are cropping up on various social media platforms. So, if like me, you care to stalk any of them (or as Erica put it in her PC terms, ‘connect with them’), here’s a list of those I’ve found so far. Oh and if you know of others, drop a comment with them and I’ll add them to the list.

On Twitter:

@JoanneMcDonald - She's A Real Deer

@stephenhuszar (courtesy of Tris Hussey)

Past Delegates / Honourary Tweeters:

On flickr:

Richard in Regina (courtesy of Tris Hussey)

Yorkton Film Festival Group (upload your festival photos to & tag with #yff09)
dknason
Richard in Regina
tris
erica.hargreave
emmerogers (i.e. moi)

On blip.fm:

On Friend Feed (a social media aggregator i.e. one stop shop stalking):

rockin' blip.fm (courtesy of Lola May)

Richard Gustin
Tris Hussey
Erica Hargreave
Emme Rogers (you guessed it, me again!)

Erica will also be posting tips on using the above social media devices on Bridging Media soon.