If you don't believe in the rule book, just break the rules.

People's obsession with saying: "that's not how we did it in..." or "we don't do it like that in...". Who the bloody hell cares! This is a different place, different people, different landscape, different variables! Why do I give a damn how it's done anywhere else! this is how I want to do it here and now.

Motion. Friends. Brands that Breath.

So much has happened over the last couple months and no time to blog.

I do need to put down a post on a special day I was lucky to be part of though. On April 30th, which happened to be a Monday and our day off during the production of Captain Abu Raed, I spent the day at the Dead Sea for Aramex's 25th celebration under the theme: Unleashing Arab Innovation. During that day's program I also gave what I was told was an entertaining/tear-jerking talk on the movies and what lies ahead for Arab filmmakers with a presentation that included trailers of upcoming Jordanian films and behind the scenes material from Lawrence of Arabia no one in the room had ever seen before about casting the camels in Maan and other stories on the shoot in Jordan.


Fadi, a dear friend, invited me to join the program of the day to pitch the game of creativity and innovation with relation to the industry of filmmaking and as part of a creative economy talk we keep developing together.

As the crowd settled into the Dead Sea Convention Center, Ken Kokin (who was curious about the event and rode down with me) and I took our seats and I said hello to a couple of people I knew. Fadi Ghandour/Aramex Founder & CEO welcomed the room and his casual talk include small stories and anecdotes from friends and colleagues over time. What I didn't know is that one of the references he shared was something had sent him - a piece I had written about Aramex in my life over the past 25 years and related milestones. At first I was extremely embarrassed and starting to slip under the table as Fadi mentioned me and put up on the two large screens the very long email I had sent him a few weeks earlier. But then it suddenly dawned on me on how that is for him and how cool it is to be shared actually. Here was a testimonial by an Aramex user that was personal, genuine and had historical significance. What more could a brand ask for as it celebrates 25 years of accomplishment?!

My email to Fadi:

Earlier today, I asked you about trucks and the Captain Abu Raed shoot. Faraj later called me and we’re going to try out his suggestion. Today was a good day in the work progress of prepping for the film. But the talk with Faraj left me levitating. I thought that we are all extremely lucky to have the ability to continue exploring, to insist on constant experimentation.

It got me thinking about what ARAMEX has done to touch my own life......

You were only 3 years old when you carried my transcripts around the world.
You were only 5 when you carried home my first piece of art from DC.
You were only 10 when you helped our agency meet creative deadlines around 7 different cities.
You were only 14 when you helped me make up for lost time on my pitch.
You were 15 years old when you carried my ferrets from Florida to Jordan.
You were 17 when you moved my home in Dubai.
You were 18 when you gave me my special online credit card.
You were 22 when you got my boxes to LA on time.
You were 23 when you delivered my special pillow and I woke up without the pain in my neck.
At 24 you fed me exactly what I wanted, when I wanted - all year.
At 25, today you continue to explore new ground, while we all experiment in making our first film.

And for the confusion in between, well, we’re human, and inspired to take the next leap.

Thank you for the company ARAMEX.
Happy 25th... and counting.

I felt good. I was proud that I could give a dear friend this gift at such an important event. There was motion, a fulfilling breath of freshness, and it was a good feeling. What a beautiful world of infinite possibilities!

Totally unrelated photo.

Immersed in Amman. Trying hard to cross the line, but still a west Ammani!

Cups & Kilos:
Waiting for my iced drink from Cups & Kilos across from the Radisson SAS on a hot summer morning, the loud traffic is energizing. Sitting on the stool on the sidewalk, I’m not bothered by the rushing, honking cars. Funny how an iced caramel caffioca mocha makes it all OK.

Oraib’s Studio:
My summer of 07 hideaway. Tucked in Webdeh, Oraib’s Studio is the perfect place for contemplation and inspiration while being connected. Fast wireless ensures I can sit here and share my stories with the world, while I wonder about the tales of once upon a time at the Citadel across the hill.

Flower of Life:
The air is fresh and crisp and the gentle smell of incense makes you lose time, even in Abdoun. Flipping thru pages of what seems like hand-picked books, I always find one to walk away with, aching to get lost in someone else’s story. Latest: Frank Miller 300 comic – hardcover.

National Gallery of Fine Arts:
An escape for all my senses, I lose myself in the framed stories on the walls. My favorites are still the Mohammad Khalil and Ali Jabri. Upstairs, looking out across the terrace is a web of wires, spires, minarets, crosses and crescents hovering over Amman. A story for another day.

Frosti:
The best ice cream and frozen yogurt ever, anytime, anywhere, hands down! Two scoops on a sugar cone picks me up everytime. Lemon and Ganduia. Or Strawberry and Chocolate. And yes it does matter which scoop is on top, and it’s conditional to the temperament of the day.

Old View Café:
A za3tar manousheh, cup of tea, classic Arab crooners fill the evening air. Looking out over old Amman, my childhood memories are of hot summer days, skateboarding in the streets, playing ‘sabe3 hijar’ in the alleys, marbles in the garden, and telling late night stories of jinn that kept me wide-eyed.

Path notes of a first time feature producer. Why Captain Abu Raed is a new type of action film!

"Action film?!" Amin asked in shock. "Captain Abu Raed?" Amin asked again with eyebrows doing acrobatics. Thankfully a phone call interrupted his confused state and reminded us both of the need to prepare for the next day's shoot. That was around the first week of production.

"So what do you do?" I often got asked about the role of a producer and the need for multiple producers.

"What's the difference between a first feature film and the rest?" was the question that really echoed....

On Captain Abu Raed, there were 14 nationalities represented, 17 languages, and four religions. But collectively we are speaking one language - the language of cinema. Talent and skills from all over the world came together to make this film, and they all came here to Jordan to do this. If this isn’t true proof and endorsement of how multicultural synergy comes together to create something of impact for diverse audiences around the world to see in the universal language of film, then I don’t know what is!

Film is an effective change agent while being entertainment. One of our most promising people and economic hopes is the development of human creative capabilities. And from a cross cultural understanding perspective, films tell us the stories of other people and places which we may never see otherwise. I believe that Jordan and the Arab world is culturally and socially misunderstood because we do not own the telling of our own stories. Why did I grow up knowing so much about Cowboys and Indians while never living in the US? From the good Western movies I watched! If the world had access to well made movies from this part of the world about a host of diverse subjects in the medium of entertainment, they would know so much more about us than the negative stereotype projected thru news reports. A first-time visitor to the region is almost always pleasantly swept away by people, place, experience. A movie has that impact over an audience – for two hours you can immerse yourself and be swept away into a different world that connects with and moves you. Making movies and sharing them with audiences anywhere – what a beautiful way to change the world!

So going back to the action film.....

On Jokers

The curious thing about he who tries to emit a larger than life aura thru being the resident joker is that he believes it works! The seemingly outrageous things he does and says are entertaining for a fraction of a second, and not distracting for long enough. Eventually, one asks, but who is he really? And what has he truly done? And what value does he add? And is tolerating his joker presence worth it?

But then you somehow feel sorry, for the joker is the saddest person in the room!

Multimedia Entertainment Event - sans multimedia and sans creativity

So I wiggle some time out of an insane production schedule and spend half an hour at an 'entertainment industry' related event. I walked in 5 minutes before the mind-numbing, body twitching, hair pulling BORING speeches. People with no expression, body language, personal style and nothing to say, stood there regurgitating words out of their static websites and brochures. With words that included leaders, multimedia, cross cultural, innovation, there was nothing but the absolute lack of creativity in every aspect of the event. I fidgited, said hello to a couple people and said goodbye. "Oh, you're leaving?" he actually asked! "Yes, thanks to this ridiculously uncreative event that I consider an insult to the guests. The wrist-cutting boredom did it really!" "You're not staying for the movie?" he continued to ask. "How the bloody hell do you expect me to? Can't you see the flood of boredom gushing out of my every orifice, crack, pore and in so many forms?!"

A dear friend once said: "You invite me, you honor me. You don't invite me, you relieve me."

I'd like to be relieved, thank you very much!