Meet the filmmaker’s series - Apple store in SOHO hosts a bevy of filmmakers, actors, directors, musicians and artists alike. Oh yeah, they hold great classes too!
Since 2011 began, I’ve been attending events I’d never even thought I’d ever be invited to like NBA draft parties and red carpet premieres. I’ve rubbed elbows with celebs and artists alike, especially at one particular reoccurring event at the Apple store in SOHO, NYC. Most Apple store’s in New York City give daily classes on how to best use their computer programs and equipment. You can learn to use such programs as Garageband (which I love a lot) and Final Cut Pro.
The Apple store holds classes everyday from 10am to 8pm and each class runs about 1 – 1 ½ hours long. The classes are hosted by Apple employees who really know their stuff. If you reserve a spot for your class and miss it, you can easily go to the class at another time. The classes rotate between employees but when I went to three different Garageband classes, I learned something totally different each time, so it’s worth it to attend more than once. While looking for more classes to attend, I noticed Apple was hosting a ‘Meet the Filmmakers’ series’ event with Jason Statham for his then new film, ‘The Mechanic’.
Meet the Filmmakers’ is a video podcast you can find on I-tunes where different directors, filmmakers, artist, musicians, and actors come for a 1 to 1 ½ hour block in which they discuss and promote their current film, album, or works of art. It’s a very intimate setting that anyone can attend but you should arrive early as seats fill up fast. The best part is after the session is over, most of the guests, time and publicists willing, are more than happy to come and sign autographs or take pictures with fans.
When I met Jason Statham, there wasn’t a huge crowd and he had time to kill so I was fortunate enough to talk with him for a good 15 minutes! We took pictures together (I’m not a big fan of autographs, pictures tell a far better story than someone’s name on a piece of paper) and talked about pubs here in NYC versus Europe. A friend later told me that he noticed I was the only person Jason took pictures with and spoke with for that amount of time. I was absolutely flattered! This was a great experience for my first Meet the Filmmakers’ event.
In the six months since then I’ve met actors like Jake Gyllenhaal, Will Ferrel, Eric Bana, Eva Mendez, Aaron Eckhart and several musicians, producers, directors and more. On a side note, if you ever meet Aaron Eckhart, he’s thee absolute nicest guy I’ve ever met and he tells the best stories!
If Aaron’s met you more than once, chances are he’ll remember you. When I met him, he spent 20 minutes talking to an older African American woman who was an extra in one of his previous films and he kept telling her “Yes I remember you” and asked how she’s been doing. He must have then given her some inspirational advice as they both started crying and hugging like they were old friends. He’s an absolutely amazing man for being so sweet to her and the rest of us and I thank him greatly for being so kind.
My favorite quote that came from one of these events was when Eric Bana was discussing his latest role in the movie ‘Hanna’ and he told us that “last year (2010) was a bad year for actors”. What he meant was that 2010 was filled with so many sequels, there wasn’t much room for actors to stretch their acting abilities beyond what was already there. I was really interested in hearing more about this but he had to leave. Out of everyone I met I must say my favorite guest was Jake Gyllenhaal. After he was finished promoting “The Source Code”, for whatever reason, he came over and stood by me while I wasn’t paying attention. 
He wasn’t really doing anything, just standing next to me as there weren’t many people around us until someone noticed him and ran to get his autograph. Once I looked up, he looked at me and smiled and I asked him for a picture (hey I was single and hopeful so why not). Jake grabbed me and after we took the picture he turned to my friend and asked her “is it (the picture) alright? I want to make sure it’s alright for her”. We talked for a bit before he left and as he was leaving, he continued to make me laugh by popping his head from behind a wall and waving like a madman at me, all the while he was laughing too.
I’m grateful to Apple for creating all their classes and Meet the Filmmakers’ series as I learned so much and get to meet a lot of great people with interesting stories. If you’re into networking, Apple’s events are definitely not to be missed!
As of today, June 29th 2011, I wrote this article on my way to the Apple store for their latest ‘Meet the Filmmakers’’ series with the very talented and highly respected thespian, Tom Hanks. Can’t wait to meet him!
Author’s Note: To find out about Apple’s events or classes, please go to www.apple.com/soho
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