Monday, June 22, 2009

New production starts next week!

The Agent E carousel never stops spinning, as we once again move into "production" mode and begin filming episodes 9 & 10 for the upcoming year.

The most exciting thing about these new episodes is that I will finally be introducing a new villain into the mix. I know, I know, Uncle Evil was new, but he is still part of the "Lo-Tov" family. This time I'm veering more into the super-villain category that you find in the comic books. All I can tell you is his name: "The Korruptor". But more I will not say.

The ninth episode will feature a lot more of yours truly, as Rabbi Abrams, as well as some nice stuff with Terri Naiditch as Ma Lo-Tov.

Still, all beginnings, as they say, are difficult, and I am always nervous when beginning a new production, especially when not all the elements are completely in place (like endings for both episodes, for instance).

Stay tuned. I hope to post pics from the shoot as we go forward.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Agent Emes 8 is reaching stores today!

In deference to the outcry from some stores that I make episode 8 available for them to sell, the new Agent Emes is being distributed to Judaica stores throughout greater New York today.

I am a bit concerned not to antagonize fans who responded to my ads that the episode is only available from our website. However, these ads have mostly come and gone, and now the situation has changed. "Agent Emes and the Shavuos Trial" is available in stores and from the official Agent Emes website.

Wanna hear a story to about just how far some stores were willing to go so that I would ship them the new episode? I'll use a fictional name to protect the guilty.

A man, Zev, emailed from Judaica Store X telling me that a secret consortium of Judaica stores was gathering together to boycott Agent Emes and return DVDs of previous episodes to my distributor. He wants to know why I wasn't shipping. This email made me quite nervous, naturally.

Now on the very same day, I received an email from Yehuda X, saying that he is a teacher at a Flatbush yeshiva, and wants to pay wholesale for 25 copies of the new AE that he can sell to his students. That sounded good, so I began to negotiate prices and terms with him.

Then I became suspicious.

I googled Yehuda X and found his name once, and only once on the whole internet. And guess what? He was soliciting business for the same Judaica Store X that wrote me about he secret boycott of Agent Emes!!!!

You understand what is going on over here?

Neither do I. But this man was obviously willing to go to great lengths to get Agent Emes onto his store shelves.

This, in part, is why I caved to pressure from stores to get it in to them sooner than I had originally expected.

Anyone out there seen the new episode yet? This is a great place to leave feedback.