About
a.k.a. How This Whole Thing Got Started
Welcome to Shoom Zone Productions! Let me introduce myself. My name is Amanda Rogers and I’m a first-time independent producer. I’m also a fan of “The Invisible Man“ (Sci Fi Channel 2000 - 2002). I began watching the show on June 9, 2000, when the Pilot episode first aired on the Sci Fi Channel. While the trailers made the show look interesting, I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much. However, the Pilot was so well done that I decided to give the show a chance. I was anticipating that I-Man was going to be your basic run-of-the-mill formula show and that I would quickly get bored with it. But this show surprised me and by the third episode I was a fan.
In my wildest dreams, I could have never imagined back then that some day I would be developing a film that featured the entire original I-Man cast. And yet here I am, years later, doing exactly that.
It all started in February of 2005 when Mike McCafferty (Eberts), who knew the fans wanted to see the show continue, suggested to me that we make an I-Man fan film. Cool idea, I thought. But what did I know about filmmaking? Back then…virtually nothing.
I went home and mulled the idea over for a few days. In fact, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. This was a chance to possibly get the show back and the cast together again. How could I pass up this opportunity? I couldn’t.
I started making phone calls and looking into what was involved in developing a project of this sort. I quickly learned that there was a great deal of work and money involved in making a film…even a short film. Not to mention the hurdle of getting permission from the rights holder. It wasn’t until I got some preliminary interest from a financing source that I realized that we had a chance of getting what we really wanted…a full-length I-Man movie.
To make a long story short, back to Mike I went telling him about my findings and suggesting that we go for a feature film. He was supportive of the idea. Then, wanting to be sure that I wasn’t wasting my efforts and resources for naught, I contacted Vincent Ventresca (Darien Fawkes), Paul Ben-Victor (Bobby Hobbes), and Eddie Jones (The Official). They too were supportive of the idea and expressed the desire to work together again.
Man, I love this cast.
I wish I could say that we were successful in obtaining the feature film rights to “The Invisible Man,” but, alas, we were turned down. I had talked to enough people in the business to know that getting those rights was a long shot, so it wasn’t really a surprise. But I had to try. The cast, however, has not been easily deterred and they expressed to me the desire to get together and create our own film…something where rights weren’t an issue. So we decided to go for it.
During all this time a funny thing happened to me on the way to trying to get “The Invisible Man” back. I discovered the world of film production and became hooked. I’ve learned a lot and still have a lot to learn, but I find the idea of taking a project that you love and making it happen irresistible. And what better than a film with my favorite cast for my first project?
Please join me as I write about my adventures developing and producing a film featuring the entire I-Man cast. Whether you’re a fan, a colleague, or just an interested observer, you’ll be able to follow along with me on this blog as I navigate the world of film production. In addition, I’ll still do the fan thing and keep everyone up to date on cast and crew projects. And do keep your eyes peeled for posts from a special contributing blogger!