Agent M Productions

I am launching Agent M Productions this summer and below is a little information on the project.
In typical "Maya fashion" I will throw an official launch party later this summer to celebrate the venture; but first, there is much work to do! Beso- M

Agent M Productions is a unique production house here in NYC that is made for you and me. Agent M exists to help make your projects come to fruition on a creative exchange basis only.

How will that happen?

It happens through service and talent exchange based within the New York community.

Call it “hippie philosophy” if you will, but we at Agent M did not want to hear “If only I had money, I could make this great project happen” from very talented people over and over again.

A couple of examples of how this will work:
· You‘re a graphic artist by day, but a screenwriter by night. You have written a script and have someone to shoot it, but need additional equipment or locations to shoot the script. Agent M will pair you up with people who have said equipment or location. From that exchange you would help those folks or one of our other artists design their website.
· Perhaps you have recently graduated from film school and are looking to build your reel? We have a brilliant wealth of talented New York actors and writers who have worked on and off Broadway that have short screenplays ready to go into production. This will help build your reel with solid credentials, while helping these actors get their work into production.

We are currently seeking submissions for projects to produce. We are also seeking board members willing to meet at least once a month to track the projects' process and who are also looking to get their own projects off the ground on a regular basis.

Let us know what you need to make your project happen, and let us know what services you could offer to another project. We will do our best to make sure the exchange is fair and works well for both parties.

If we pick up your project and work with you, we will advertise you on our website, along with putting the appropriate links to your page.

Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

Thank you- Maya
maya@agentmbooking.com

Agent M will seek and select several projects to work on each year.

Art Salon (part 1)

Tonight Virginie is hosting the first official Art Salon at the Canal Street Loft (although, every time Virginie holds a party, it pretty much is an art salon!)

She asked us all to write a little something on what we expect from Art. Kind of a complicated question (especial to answer in one page and under) but below is what I wrote:

What do I expect from Art?
I was sitting at a sidewalk café in the West Village on the first warm day of this spring. A man that I was seeing at the time and a group of his friends joined me at the café. As we sipped our Pilsner beers and Bloody Mary’s we ended up on the topic of art shows and galleries in New York City. There were four of us talking, “Big K”, “B” and “Blue Eyes” (as I like to call him) and me. Blue Eyes is a blue-collar worker, who works very hard for his father’s construction business. He seems very at ease with himself.
He leans back in his chair, pulls out and lights a cigarette from his pack. He inhales it deeply and says, “I never really got anything out of Art.”
Usually when someone says something like that to me I wince thinking- that’s like saying you never really got into music, or you really don’t like to eat food.
But even thought I have just met him, I like Blue Eyes; he seems to be a genuine person, not one to make a frivolous generalized statement. Blue Eyes continued, “But I saw this show the other day downtown…and it was really cool. If all Art was like that, I would like it.”
I asked him, “Why did Art never really appeal to you?”
He mentioned that the people he met in the Art world seemed pretentious; that they made it intimidating- is if Art only belonged to a certain class of people, mostly those with money. Sometimes it was simply that he did not understand the work, or he just did not understand what the big deal was about.
I absolutely understood why he would think that, especially if he didn’t know what went into some creative work.
I come from a family of artists, of people creating with their hands. I saw the work in that creation, the thought process, the end result. I watched, as people would interpret my grandfather’s wall size metal structures, or his religious theme paintings. I sat for him impatiently while he would paint me in sombreros all the while me whining, “How long is this going to take Abuelo?”
I asked Blue Eyes what he liked about the installation that he had just seen.
He said he liked the way it made him feel. He liked what he saw, he understood it, and he felt connected to it.
These are some of the things I expect from art: connection, a feeling, and that most importantly that it inspires me, that it saves me.
After a dark day- that fact that I know, someone has taken a chance to put themselves out there, nakedly, only because they wanted to connect with others, to show another way of communicating with one another, this to me is very holy, sacred, because it frightening to put your voice out there and hope that another human being with say, “Yes, I feel that same!” or more importantly “I never looked at it that way.” To receive a new perspective on something as adults, at a time when society had told us to stop growing, to settle- is thrilling. To be given by the artist another side of an issue, a turn of phrase, to see something like this can be transcendent.
I of course don’t just feel that just paintings or music is art. I believe that a human being can be art: messy, or fluid, with a strong amount of content, a constant fascination, with high pitches, or low registers. Sir Lawrence Oliver is one of those people to me that was pure art. The way he would take a beat, deliver a line, his body language. Charlie Chaplin, without words, but two fork and two dinner rolls created a magical world. Freddie Mercury could command the entire attention of Wembley stadium, with his vocal power, his overwhelming stage presences, making the audience lose themselves in his performance. Which brings me to this- I expect that art can also make me for a moment, forgot about myself and give myself over entirely to something or someone else, like falling in love.

Direction

After a late night of meetings and an awkward good-bye with my crush, I walked down 23rd street feeling a little lost, and really hungry. Nothing good looked open, so I went with the old reliable, a slice of hot greasy cheese pizza.

I got onto the N train in the Flatiron District to get back to Chinatown. As I sat on the train, a couple close to the age of retirement sat across from me- holding hands. They smiled at me, and I smiled back, that's when they started talked to me.

"Excuse me ma'am. Do you know the name of the stop we get off on to get to Staten Island?" The wife said, with a southern accent.

"Hmmm, I'm not sure, but I will look on the map for you."
As I stood up, bags and pizza in hand I try to balance myself as the train rolled on. I walk back over to them and tell them the stop.

"We sure do appreciate it ma'am." The husband said, he continued with, "We are from Montgomery Alabama and we have just found New Yorkers to be some of the friendliest people in the world. I am retired from the Navy, and I am staying in Navy housing on Staten Island. We sure are having a nice time here." I of course knew they were from the South, I know my people. We will tell you our whole story (whether you asked for it or not) and we definitely want to hear stories about you.

They told me this is the first time they had been to New York. I asked them how they have been handling the subways and if they have gotten lost.

"Oh, we're not worried about getting lost. Half the fun is finding your way." Said the wife to the husband's laughter and approval.

As I got off the train at Canal Street, in typical southern fashion, the wife said to me, "Thanks honey, see you around!"

Walking out of the subway station a women approached me. She looked distraught, she was lost.

"Do you know Wooster street is?" She said gripping her purse tightly. I could tell she wasn't from the area.

"Uh, I don't...sorry...um, I know it's close. If you know the cross street I would just jump in the cab." I said, trying to get home before my pizza got cold. The women didn't know the cross streets, and she had one of those pre-paid phone, and couldn't call 411. So I broke out my blackberry and helped her find her way. I didn't have a choice- she was practically following me home.

"Thank you, thank you. God, I felt so helpless being lost." She said, jumping into a cab to get to her destination.

I walked upstairs to my loft looked out the window at all the beautiful buildings lit up. Sometimes, I forget to look around and realize how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful city. I thought about my direction and how, I have never really planned anything...and if I have tried to plan, life somehow made it's own plans for me- like coming to NYC. I never knew I would have the good fortune to have moved here.
Right now, I am focused on my direction, I had to look back a little these past few months to look forward. Last night I stood on top of my roof and recited monologues from "Hamlet", "Twelfth Night", and "Richard III". Then went downstairs and danced for two hours. I don't know exactly where anything will lead, and I am o.k. with this. I do know I would rather have the retired couples vision about my life (and love) right now. "Half the fun is finding your way."

tagged...

(Me, drumming a CBGB's last year...I miss drumming...something I will fix very soon)


Kelly roberts threw down the gautlet in the form a challenge. She asked me and a few other girlfriends to list 7 quirky things about ourselves. I of course believe there to be more then seven quirky things about me (ehem...more like a few thousand)...but before I do that- I would actually like to list top ten list of things I love about a few of my friends and family. (For those I didn't list, I will of course do a part deux soon!)


Tonya Abernathy

I love me some abernathy!!!!
top 10 moments with abernathy:

10. Driving my car in ATL, spanking our cups of coffee from Aurora, because it was sooo good that is was naughty! (and yes I almost got into an accident...)

9. Her rollerskating herself into me in Little 5 points saying "Hi, I'm Tonya Abernathy!" She had knee hi rainbow socks and mass of curly hair...I knew we would be good friends from that first moment.

8. Almost peeing my pants watching her on stage sing "I heard it through the Grapevine" bout as good as Marvin Gaye.

7. Watching her jump over the table in a leopard bikini at a park event I threw, with a knife in hand to cut open a soccer ball that keep hitting girls in the head. Then throwing the ripped open soccor ball at the heads of the idiots that were kicking it...with looks of fear on their face.

6. Watching tonya laugh, it's the loudest amazing sonic laugh in the world.

5. When she threw a glass at my face (accidently) during a drinking game...seriously, this still makes me laugh.

4. When she bought me an N'Sync album (as a joke) and we made up a routine to "Bye Bye Bye" got drunk, and went to the coffee shop in ATL were our friends worked, hijacked the stereo, put the album in and proceeded to show everyone in the coffee shop our dance moves (to dropped jaws, and thunderous applause)

3. Going to a party in williamsburg, where there was karoke in the back. Tonya got on stage, sang "Purple Rain" and I watched people freak the fuck out! they were hi-fiving her, broke out their lighters, seriously, I saw tears...but then no one wanted to go after her...

2. She has a remedy for everything in a little bag, it's magical, you got a headache, she's got the cure, your stressed, she'll make you tea, you just want to chill and take a hot bath, she'll hand you a bar of soap..that she made...what?!?!

1. When Abernathy met my brother, he was sitting in the back of a van, she opened the door, and because she's so hot, he said "heelllllooooo...." she batted her very long eyelases and said " "hello there..." I yelled "ABSOLUTLY NOT, UH, NO!!!" And closed the van door on Mondrian.

Ama Reynolds

Part guru, part kitty cat.

10. Watching her walk across Landis green at FSU with her headsets on...she seriously didn't (and doesn't) know how hot she is. Our girlfriends would watch the boys bite their lips and look at her sideways checking her out and we would mouth "bitch" under our breath (out of love, out of love!!!)

9. Her collages. I used to love to watch her sit, cut, glue, these beautiful pieces of artwork together. She would do this to her journals, her desk, birthday cards...beautiful.

8. Watching her read her poetry at differnent venues in college. I don't know how she does it, but the way she puts words together...it's amazing, but that's one of her gifts...she is a gifted writer.

7. She can be both a mature focused brilliant women in one moment, then meow like a cat, and start giggling to herself 30seconds later, totally amazing.

6. She never judges anybody, even when she feels someone is a complete lunatic, she still, in her heart finds a way to forgive them and have compassion toward them.

5. Watching Ama dance at Einstines in Jacksonville FL. Her hair in he face and her hands in the air, fucking awesome. Also when she gets really excited she kicks out her legs on both sides- looking like a little windmill.

4. Talking about food with Ama. Seriously is a passion, we love food and even if we are in a bad mood, if we start talking about food we start hyperventalting with all the good food that there is in the world (omigod, Ama, when we are in ATL watching Abernathy sing, it is soooo ON! El Myr, Bluebird cafe, Flying Biscuit! Holy Sh*T!!!)

3. When I came home from the Doctors in college. I was going through a really rough time, and I got all my blood tests back, and I went to Ama's house and told her: "Well, the doctor say I'm normal, I am totally chemically balenced..." she said, "Oh god, that's too bad." and made me a cup of tea!

2. Ama total gets me. How many people can you say that about in this world? She's my sista from anotha mister.

1. Watching Ama cry everytime one of her term papers was due. She was like "I'm never going to get it done. I don't know what I'm doing!!! this is sooo horrible! I can't write!." And she got a f*cking "A" on every single paper. I started calling it her "rain dance" that she would only cry like that to make sure she got the A. Seriously it always worked.


Kelly Roberts

A force to be reckoned with!!!!


10. She had 20 pairs of brown shoes in college. I asked her why, she said, "I don't know, it's just a shade that make sense." What? I loved that.

9. Kelly also never judges anybody...but you know when she says your name like this "MAAAAYYYAAA...." you know that you have done something wrong, and that perhaps you should re-think what you have just done!

8. Kelly makes time to write letters. Really ones. The ones on paper, envelopes, she'll even buy stamps and sends them...how does she do this...I really want to know!?!

7. The fact that she changed her life direction at 30. She said, "I want to be an artist." AND DID IT!!! OH MY GOD. Seriously one of my biggest inspirations right now is Kelly "mofo" Roberts.

6. That she got married and didn't lose her identity (not that I though for a second that she would mind you!!! unforturnatly l have seen a few women do this), her sense of self has only grown stronger over the years, I admire that.

5. Her community of friends keeps growing at a rapid pace. At a time in our life where most people try and keep the comfort zone of those friends they they have had over the years, Kelly does that AND embraces multitudes of new friendships, new creative outlets, and new adventures (marathons! new artshows! road warrior!) what!?!

4.That something as simple as getting a new pair of (yellow...yes she has branched out) shoes or having her back tickled is enough to put a smile on kelly's face.

3. Kelly's philosophy, "Feel the fear, but do it anyway!" she never lets me slip, "Maya, don't you think your just afraid to be close to someone, and that is perhaps why you are pushing him away?" It always makes me go...."Ohhhh..godddd...you're right Kelly...."She is going to be such a great mom.

2. Kellys laugh. It's also HUGE. And she had many different types. There is the one where she screams before she laughs (that is my favorite one), the "HA!" then turns into a rolling laugh, and the small giggle that turns into a HUGH laugh....

1. She has the biggest romance for her life....this inspires me always.

Mondrian Contreras

I don't want to get to detailed on Mondrian, because he is my baby brother, and I will get all sentimental, so quick kooky things.

10. The fact that he says "Beef cake juice" when refering to his weight gain shakes that he drinks.

9. That he married the love of his life.

8. He looks like he can kill you, but his laugh, is well, kind of like a girls.

7. That made everyone "Soul train dance" at his wedding.

6. That when he was up for "Mr. Riverview" (his highschools version a beauty pagent) he dropped (on purpose) his name tag on the stage floor, so he could show all the girls in the audience his ass....I can believe he only won first runner up. He should have won that sh*t!

5. That he learned to ice skate and learn a song on the guitar...to impress his wife. WHAT MAN DOES THIS!?! Seriously....

4. That he sent me a riddle for me to learn that he and his wife were having twins. Causing me to scream at the top of my lungs- scaring the shit out of everyone at work.

3. That he and Matisse don't agree on...uh...ANYTHING yet they still debate each other on a weekly basis....

2. That he had every single Michael Jorden poster ever made. That's loyality.

1. That even though he was a full scholarship football playing in college, he still became an art major, graduated, and decided to go to vet school, got in, bought a house, etc. Really, seriously, impressive...if he wants to do it...he will. Dreamer and doer.

Matisse Contreras

Same thing goes with this brother...can't...get sentimental...will cry...tears~!

10. He's is completely unapologitic about his beliefs (ones that I don't agree with) but I love that even though he came from a liberally family he forged his own identity, and you can't hate on a brotha for doing that.

9. AMAZING DAD

8. AMAZING HUSBAND

7. Self made. Got his dream job, dream house, dream family...badass.

6. When he calls you "STUPID" it actually makes you feel kind of stupid.

5. That him and mondrian got into a HUGE fight over thanksgiving because mondrian forgot to buy whip cream...Matisse's wife Holly and I just watched in amazement...seriously the fight lasted for like an hour.

4. Matisse is one of the most sincere people I know.

3. That instead of buying new windshild wippers in highschool, he just put a sock on one the blades...yeah...this did not work.

2. That he once turned to me and said, "Sis, do you think I look like I'm getting fat?" I feel out of my chair laughing. IT was so vulnerable and sweet....and yeah, he was getting a little fat...(he's all steel know though!)

1. The first time I heard Justin say to him "Dad." It occured to me then. My brother is a man.

Kevin Scully

He's a new friend, but, dammit, why not.

10. He dances and sings while he is driving.

9. He is the ultimate pep talker. Seriously, if you ever need a pep talk call 1800 Kev Scully, cuz he will get you motivated to get some shit done.

8. He will crack jokes all day, but don't mess with him in business, he can email, text you from his sidekick, AIM, and talk to you on his cell phone all at the same time...muthaf*cker is bring some serious bat speed man.

7. He looks like he asleep (or drunk) in every picture I have ever seen him in; it's not his fault he was born with naturally "high" looking eyes!

6. I have never met ANYONE that talks (or networks) more then me EVER...thank god I have roll over min. on my cell phone.

5. He will call you on your bullshit. You can not change up the script with him, he will role back the transcipts on you. He might want to consider being a lawyer...

4. He has stories that involves "Dwayne Wayne glasses" and "Bad boy lunch table"...just one of the reasons he is my homeboy. He also has some sort of accent I can't quite figure out: part Jersey, part L.I., part hip hop, and yeah, just a little dirty south....

3. One of the first nights we hung out, while he was driving we sang "Cupid's Chokehold" together while his friend called us "lame!" and told us to "please shut up" this only made Kev sing louder and turn the stereo up.

2. He's never tried to impress me, or be something he's not. (which of course impresses me).

1. That he knows the different tones of my voice....scary....but really f*cking cool.


Matt Botos

10. The best cook I have ever met, he has cooked for Oprah...seriously.

9. The worse dancer I have ever met. While we were dating it made me cringe, now that we are best friends, I cheer him on!!! yeah! Go f*ck up the dance floor Matty!!!!

8. Badass musician, artist, sculpter, chef, writer, tour manager. He is the modern day Leonardo DaVinci, if Leonardo like to smoke out....

7. Matt can always calm me down in under two seconds. Usually saying, "Just take a little puff of this and a little drink of this..o.k. breath in and out maya....There you go...." Even when I have really freaked out before (um stress makes me a mess) he justs waits until I am finished and says..."You done? Cool." I fucking love that.

6. When I met him he was the worse dresser ever (braided belts and all his tee-shirts had holes in them), now he wears skinny suits out with a tie and girls are freakin' on that...he is getting more tail then a toliet seat at the Lilith Fair...

5. He speaks three languages fluently...Hungarian, English, and Spanish....he speaks more Spanish then I do...this make me jealous...

4. He loves his family and his friends. He is one of the most loyal people I have ever met.

3. He has THE MOST hilarious laugh. His laugh makes other people start laughing- and Matt makes everyone laugh...not because he is a clown (um...only sometimes) but because he is f*cking hilarious.

2. He is laid back about everything EXCEPT traveling. He takes road trips very, very seriously. Don't talked to him when he is mapquesting sh*t he might bite your head off.

1. Matt has four stages of drunkeness: stage 1. he's all smiles patting you on the back. At this stage you can still understand everthing he is saying. stage 2. he starts saying "i love you man." and other declarations...like "you are the coolest person I have ever met" and he means it. stage 3. he starts dancing randomly even if there is not music, he might start kissing strange girls at this point. stage 4. wakes up next day "um..so, did I make a jackass out of myself last night?" the answer usually is..."yes."

Ralph Cutler

10. Badass DJ. He will bring the muthaf*ckin dance party.

9. Best business partner ever. In the year we ran Agent M Booking together, we crushed it. Musicians and Managers across the US were saying to us "Rep us! Rep us!" We could not keep up with the demand. Word. Throwing parties with him is also a pure joy. As Melanie Griffith said in "Working Girls"...Ralph has "A head for business and a body for sin!" yay!!!

8. Ralph is the most soft spoken person I know until someone is about to start messing with him. As we sat on the beach in Miami- stressing over a party and dealing with one in particular EGOtistical artist- I watched Ralph go from cool as a cucumber to throwing his cell phone in the sand yelling "Go F*CK YOURSELF" as loud as anyone I know...yeah, don't fuck with Ralph.

7. I met Ralph in a coffee shop a few years ago. He was reading Burrows (or it might have been Bukowski). I asked him, "Are you a torched musician, or a writer?" He said "Both" and then we became soul friends.

6. He is the best person to have in a car with you on a roadtrip....and I should know. Together we have driven to Cleveland, Austin TX, New Orleans, Miami, ATL, Washington DC...I mean DANG. That was a serious road trip...he brings good music, great snacks, and enough good conversation to last coast to coast.

5. Ralph is also multi talented: DJ, Sound engineer, web designer, film maker, party planner, booking agent, label manager...he's bringing some serious music business heat!

4. Don't EVER let Ralph go hungry!!! Ever, he will start to go a little pale and then it's all over, he is either going to faint on you or have the worst mood swing you have ever seen...

3. Ralph is also a bad ass cook. He make me the best beet smoothie I have ever had. before Ralph, I thought I hated beets.

2. Besides Kev, Ralph is the blackest white man I know...brother's got soul for days! He's even been to Africa....

1. Ralph stresses out just as much as I do...except he doesn't take it out on anyone...he is like a quiet storm!


Maya Contreras

o.k. as promised kelly, 7 kooky things about me...

7. If I have a crush on guy...I'm about as smooth as chunky peanut butter, and lord help me if I actually really start to like them...it's the emotional equivalent me to falling down a flight of stairs screaming "Lord help me jesus!" I am also the clumsiest person I know (besides Ama). It is nearly impossible for me to look cool, because a second later, I will spill something on me, fall down, or run into a wall.

6. I also don't like tunnels (e.g. Holland tunnel, etc), I hate them...EXCEPT I love riding the subway and I live in a room that is 3 feet tall...which I also love...go figure.

5. I love my hair played with...maybe that's why I go to the hair dress all the time! but seriously...i lllooovvveeee it...

4. I like to sing and dance in front of the bathroom mirror (always have, always will)

3. I love to talk about making out just about as much as I like making out.

2. I'm loud. really loud. I was talking about a personal experiance at work in which i thought was a normal tone of voice. Apperently is was about as subtle as a stage whisper and someone from the COMPLETE OPPOSITE side of the office walked past my desk, smiled and said, "Well at least someone is getting some around here...." EMBARRASSING!!!!!!! but ooohhh sooo Maya.

1. I like to set my friends up...because I think that everyone should be in love (or at least getting some).