B Movie Nation bigwig MR LOBO along with filmmaker ERNIE FOSSELIUS (Hardware Wars and publisher/musician/collector SCOTT MOON are proposing an ambitious new B Movie workspace honoring their late mentor, Bay Area Creature Features host BOB WILKINS. They are open to ideas and feedback. Contact info is below.
THE WILKINS BUILDING PROJECT:
The Wilkins Building Project: A creative think tank and art collective with a focus on community education.
This live/work space would be managed by three active artists with long and varied careers whose careers were cultivated by Bob Wilkins:
Senior Director–Ernie Fosselius
Writer, director, editor, performer, designer, puppeteer, etc. on many short films including Plan 9.1 from Outer Space, Porklips Now, and the award winning classic,Hardware Wars, the most popular independent short of all time, author of the Hardware Wars trading card series.
Experienced in most aspects of filmmaking. Sound editor for several Hollywood and independent features including, Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, Spaceballs, Amadeus, and John Waters’ Serial Mom. Voice actor for Lucasfilm, including Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones, and other films, like Ernest: Scared Stupid.
Contributing musical arranger for Return Of the Jedi. Writer, director, actor for Mother’s Little network, WGBH-PBS which included Grandpa Floyd’s Workshop, a character from his syndicated comic strip. Writer, animator for the first three seasons of Sesame Street .
Expert caricature woodcarver and puppeteer. Created The Mechalodian ( Bay Area Back Roads), a traveling exhibit of hand carved human powered automata, and a pedal car version called the Crankabout Mechanical Theater (Maker Faire).
He is obsessed with showing people how to make their own fun.
Executive Director–Scott Moon
World class musician and composer who performed with Bourgois Tagge, Todd Rundgren, and former Mayor Joe Serna’s favorite band Papa’s Culture—touring the world and even appearing on The Tonight Show, making music for feature films, TV Shows, DVDs, and commercials.
Publisher of Planet-X magazine a critically hailed bible to retro pop culture, graphic artist and painter who designed art for nationally syndicated TV show Cinema Insomnia and Castro Theatre in San Francisco, producer of Rondo nominated Adventures In Space DVD, Cinema Insomnia, and Bob Wilkins: the Sacramento Years.
Web designer for BobWilkins.net and the award winning “Sac history Online”, archivist with an expansive film and memrobillia collection, producer for many live events including Psychotronic film festivals in the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years and several Creature Features/Bob Wilkins tributes over the last 10 years including two multimedia events at Harlow’s that presented films, handmade art, archival film memorabilia, and employed the on stage talents of Bob Wilkins, Ernie Fosselius and Mr. Lobo.
He is an artist and musician who honors the past by taking it into the future.
Project Director–Erik Lobo AKA “Mr. Lobo”
Creator, host and producer of nationally syndicated award winning TV show Cinema Insomnia, director of various short films and commercials, host of the Sacramento International Film Festival, The B-Movie Celebration, The Sacramento Horror Film Festival, and many other film shows.
Published writer and illustrator over 80 children’s books for First Focus Publishing, writer and Graphic Designer for Scott Moon’ s Planet X magazine and many other publications, editorial cartoonist published 4 times in the Sacramento Bee, Produced comic books and trading cards that were distributed internationally by Tower, instructor for Careers in Cartooning Class for two year at The Learning Exchange.
Produced stage plays and radio dramas “Radio is Dead” and “The Last Thanksgiving”, head comedy writer for The Moe Better Man show a weekly live comedy variety show at Old Ironsides for 7 years, a character actor commended by Governor Pete Wilson, and organizer for many Bob Wilkins Live Tributes and Alzheimer’s fundraisers at The Crest theater and other venues, collaborating many times with Scott Moon and Ernie Fossellius.
He is a cult celebrity and humorist who understands and respects his audience and encourages them to participate.
Bob Wilkins was a Sacramento/San Francisco area television presenter, producer, and creative marketing and advertising genius who greatly affected this community.
He put the spotlight on talented people from all over Northern California, was deeply involved with his community, and tried to encourage everyone to pursue their dreams, going as far as to open doors for inexperienced yet talented individuals.
He pushed the three of us in our creative fields. Before his death and before Alzheimer’s destroyed his mind he not only encouraged us separately but also encouraged us to work together. He even proposed the idea of the three of us working under one roof as a creative think tank…This is why this art collective is called “The Wilkins Building” project.
He had encouraged Mr. Lobo as a writer and performer. Sending postcards and cassette tapes and making phone calls to employers. He appeared on Mr. Lobo’s Cinema Insomnia show in 2002, was a consultant for the series, and they made many appearances together.
Bob invited Ernie Fosselius on to his show Creature Features in 1978. Ernies films were a reoccurring staple of Bob’s TV show in San Francisco and Sacramento, and Bob continued to encourage Ernie to pursue humor and art through the years with phone calls, postcards, etc.
Scott Moon did the first interview with Bob since his retirement in a magazine he published called planet X. Bob commissioned Scott Moon to do his official Website and hosted two live events produced by Scott.
Bob died in January due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. For a man who traded on his creativity and wit to succumb to this mind destroying disease is tragic. We would like this collaborative project to carry on Bob’s Principles:
Mentoring
Helping new talent get a foot in the door
Encouraging people to Pursue dreams
Integrity and Work Ethics
Creative Freedom
Respect for your Audience
Excellence
Respect for all things
Waste Nothing
Cooperative spirit
Positive Attitude
Humor
Activism
Involvement in the Community
The Wilkins Building Project would be a full time community center for creative production, exhibition and education. In residence programs for Ernie Fosselius, Scott Moon, and Mr. Lobo insures a full time commitment to making this a prosperous venture.
Our ambition for The Wilkins Building is to encourage Sacramento artists, media professionals, companies, and patrons to stay in region and to provide activities and events that enrich the community, generate funds, as well as raise money for worthy causes like Alzheimer’s research, Literacy, Children’s Hospitals and Suicide Prevention.
We would like to arrange informal meetings with interested parties to see if there are any existing grants, programs, or partnerships that will make this happen.
Erik Lobo
916-608-0997
mrlobo@cinemainsomnia.com
Scott Moon
916-453-8612
scottmoon@scottmoon.net
Ernie Fosselius
707-823-0452
erniefossel@juno.com
Our statement – The Wilkins Building is a creative think tank. Our mission is to promote, engender, and develop next generation creative talent, in direct response to societal pressure to become consumers, rather than creators; to develop mentors who will encourage artistic responses to life and pass this message on to our community.
Artists Biography and Resumes –Our core is a group of experienced artists—but it is not our experience that validates this proposal but the fact that we are extremely active in the community now and have bold plans for the future.
Ernie Fosselius(SHORT BIO andRESUME)
Mr. Lobo-(SHORT BIO and RESUME)
Scott Moon(SHORT BIO and RESUME)
Educational Workshops will include
• Filmmaker Boot Camp
• Careers In Cartooning
• Audio Production
• Video Production
• Screenwriting
• Content Licensing
• Handmade Crafts
Exhibitions will include
• Hard carved wooden toys, puppets, sculptures and human powered devices.
• Paintings with themes in popular culture
• Archival displays of vintage memorabilia
• Cartoon art shows
• Film Props
• Comic Book Art
• Experimental art
Shows will include
• 16mm film shows
• Live Radio Theater
• Live video productions
• Stage plays and comedy
• Judged Film Festivals
• Experimental and eclectic music
• Classic and Silent Films
• Puppet Shows
Events will include
• A Halloween event for Children each year
• An open house
• Interactive game nights
• Meetings and Mini-conventions
• Charity Drives
We hope to engage the people who live, work or study in Sacramento, by including interns and volunteers in multiple aspects of the “Wilkins Building” project and by asking the public at large to participate by looking, touching, thinking, asking questions, clapping, laughing, screaming, and playing along.
We would like to have shows and exhibits coincide with Second Saturday. This would help give the throngs of people who clog the streets for Second Saturday each month more to do and hopefully encourage them to come to midtown (or wherever nearby area the building is ultimately located) more often to take part in our weekly schedule of shows, workshops and exhibits.
Most workshops would be in the summer to take advantage of work and school vacations but would continue throughout the year. The judged film festival would be on a yearly basis with regular film shows once a month. The exhibitions would be heavy in the fall leading up to Christmas but would be scheduled year round as well. The three of us and any volunteers will install the exhibits.
Budget –
Ideally we need a live/work space with 3 or 4 individual rooms and a large common area/studio/exhibit area. With the dropping price of commercial space may cost from 1200 to 1800 per month depending on location. Artists food and expenses will be covered by their creative endeavors.
The Wilkins Building may need security and alarms. There may need to be a bathroom that is accessible to the general public.
Equiptment:
We need a 2 digital video cameras,
an editing suite,
a sound stage,
microphones,
paints and materials
wood and contruction materials
4 computer terminals.
Refrigerator
Promotion and Marketing:
We will need to put out 1000 flyers each month
We can do our own marketing and signage
Marketing materials would include flyers, a fully interactive and comprehensive web page, Blogs and bulletins though Myspace page and FaceBook, clips for youtube, a newsletter, ads, e-mails, postcards, branded merch…giveaways, posters, radio spots, announcements at other shows, press releases to be manufactured and distributed by our in-house team and volunteers.
All exhibitions will adhere to health and safety concerns. No harmful chemicals will be used in the creation of works. The only health and safety issues which need to be considered will be dictated by how popular the exhibitions and shows are and keeping attendance under fire code limitations and that attendees respect each others personal space and property. We’ve dealt with troublemakers at shows and hired security for certain events. No alcohol will be served and no food will be prepared on the premises.
Our work will be evaluated by the people who benefit from the services we provide…the attendees, volunteers, interns, patrons, students, will be given a sheet to evaluate our operation. Critics, Teachers, Employees of the Arts Commission, and Donors, will have free access to all events so that they may evaluate our operation.
This would be a worthwhile investment with fast returns as we would be immediately be opening our doors—with proven projects, exhibits, and shows. Nearby shops and eateries would also greatly benefit by our activities.
We’ve done shows and conventions all over Northern California to tremendous community response—We believe we could bring that audience to a consistent hub and be able to widen the base that is already there.
There will be immediate outreach to other organizations, artists, and youth groups and the community at large to participate and collaborate.
With all of the boarded up commercial buildings, residences, and churches in Sacramento and surrounding areas…putting in this kind of center would definitely bring up community pride and moral.
