Getting first repsonsed to my press release about Mariska. Encouraging responses from Hungary, Austria, and the UK. The Budapest Sun editor tells me he will run a story next week and asked me for a quote. A contact at TV2 (also Hungary) said a colleague of hers who produces a “20/20-style program” produced a story on Mariska last year, and suggested this might make a good follow up. We’ll see. :0)

Channel 4/FourDocs received the news energetically and I have high hopes they’ll make mention of it on-line. No word yet from US contacts, though now that the news of Mickey Hargitay’s passing has gone public (I’d been instructed to keep my mouth shut about it until such time), I’ve made contact with some of the journalists who’ve been covering the news, sending them the press release about Mariska. (That’s not too despicable, is it? I avoided the tabloid writers.) I figured if they’re writing about one Hargitay they’d be interested in another. All right, all right! It’s a cheap shot to play up on the sad news.

Packaged Draw the Line and Camp Med to the New York Festivals. (I’ve found any win or nomination or acceptance into such prestigious festivals helpful when promoting something like Freedom Dance.) In the evening on the phone with John Bintz. Once again connected by phone and ocmputer … this time reviewing proofs of a promotional poster I’d asked him to design. (I’m familiar with his other print work, and it is really good.) He did a good job updating the homepage to reflect Mariska’s involvement. I’d ask for something that stood out but didn’t distract from the rest of the page … we finallysettled on a “Narrated by” line that is darker in color and surrounded by enough negative space to fulfill the goal. (That doesn’t sound right. Bad wording, but you get the idea. Sorry too tired to go back and fix.)

Moving on… tomorrow have been invited by Cultural Attache Zoltan Feher to a recpetion at the Embassy of Hungary in DC where Charles Gati will be speaking about his new book, Failed Illusions.

~S