My involvement with OTC companies

I wrote in my last entry that we got our Notice of Effectiveness from the SEC a couple of weeks ago, making Platinum Studios a publicly-trading company on the OTC Bulletin Board.  Platinum represents the 9th company I have been involved with since 2003 to go out to the public market via the OTCBB, although it's really the first company where I have taken a senior management position actively involved in the day-to-day operations.  I was interim CEO for the very first company, XsunX, Inc., back in 2003, until we brought in a full-time CEO and I moved up to the Board Chairman position.

I have taken Board seats for three public companies prior to Platinum: XsunX (XSNX), MachineTalker, Inc. (MTKN), and Cereplast, Inc. (CERP). I resigned from the Boards of Xsunx and Machine Talker in 2006, when I took on the role of President for Platinum and I resigned from the Board of Cereplast this past week, just after getting our notification from the SEC. I have heard mixed reactions to those resignations, although mostly the comments have been negative. My reasons for resigning are obviously personal. Mostly, though, Board positions, especially for early-stage companies, can be time-consuming. At least they are for me. I don't take those positions lightly and I tend to get somewhat immersed in the responsibilities. As my workload has increased at Platinum, my ability to serve these other companies (at least at the level I demand of myself) has diminished proportionately. I am still a major shareholder in all three of the aforementioned companies, holding over 1,000,000 shares in each, so obviously I am a supporter of their efforts. You could say I'm "long" on them all - meaning I'm interested in the long-term stock performance.

All companies go through the same life-cycle: birth, growth, expansion, maturation, recession, and either rebirth or death. Boards often bring in CEOs who have an expertise in managing companies through these various stages. Back in the late 1990's, George Fisher was hired by Kodak to turn around that struggling behemoth after performing miracles at Motorola. He spent a few years spearheading cutbacks, layoffs and a corporate restructuring - because that was what he was an expert at. Most companies who can recognize that different leaders need to emerge during different stages of their company's life-cycle give themselves a better chance of adapting and surviving. Boards of Directors are no different. I consider myself to be well-versed in the early-stage efforts and I consider myself to be an entrepreneur.  I also have an investor base of several hundred people who have seen tremendous returns with almost every company I have been involved in.  

I feel I can add tremendous value to companies as they emerge from their early stages and launch themselves on the open market - and it almost doesn't matter what business the company is in because the needs at this time are basically the same. Once the companies start to hit their stride and begin to execute on their business plans, they need Board members who are experts in the field of interest and/or can bring specific growth strategies. At that point for the companies mentioned above, it was a good time for me to step down and put my efforts where they can best be utilized.

The exception with Platinum Studios is I have enough experience in the entertainment industry to want to stay around for quite some time to help drive the company forward. I want to see us produce feature films, television programs, bestselling graphic novels, establish an unprecedented online experience and basically become the next Disney. Do I need to mention that Disney has a $58 Billion market cap? That's Billion with a "B"!! Even if we're 1% of Disney, that puts us at a $580 Million market cap. I'll take that any day. Now that I've reduced my Board activities from all other companies, I am going to focus my efforts on making that happen. I think our investors will be pleased with that focus and that kind of return.

In a blink of an eye

Is it almost the end of January already? of 2008?  I was just writing about how fleeting time is and 6 months have passed by.  What a wild stretch of road its been over this time.  Our son, Blake Harrison Altounian, was born on July 20 and is growing like a weed.  Sitting up on his own, rolling over, teething - what an incredible run it's been already.  If only he'd sleep!  Up until a few days ago, he didn't sleep more than 2 hours at any given time. UGH!  Actually, although I complain, my wife has taken the brunt of the sleepless nights.

In addition to a newborn in the house, we filed our registration statement with the SEC for Platinum Studios in September and we became a public company by Notice of Effectiveness back on January 10.  It has been a whirlwind 4 months.  The process of going back and forth with the SEC, is exhausting at times - OK, it's thoroughly exhausting.  At the end of the day, going out to the public market will be rewarding for our investors and employees alike so the headaches will all be worth it.  In the meantime, between the birth of my son and the birth of this public company, I've been a little busy.  Maybe now I can start returning some phone calls.  Let me see, I have to go back to July 23, 2007.

On to the market!!!  

Time Passes Quickly

I used to hate it when I was a kid and my parents used to say "enjoy the time you have now because it goes by way too fast." I never knew what they meant. When I was told as a kid that I would have to wait a month for something, it felt like a few years. Today, a month seems to go by in just a few days. I have also had the weird experience of looking back and having things seem like they occurred lifetimes ago.

My youngest daughter turned 8 this past weekend and when I think back to when she was born, I can't believe that was 8 years ago. At the same time, I have been through so many ups and downs over these past 8 years that some elements of our life seem like ancient history. I have had success, lost everything in the dot com bubble burst, got divorced, found new success, got remarried and now have a new baby on the way. And lots of craziness in between. Yeah, I guess it does feel like a couple of lifetimes.

Actually, I have learned that it is possible to completely reformulate your life. It's not easy. It takes a bit of internal fortitude, a lot of faith in yourself and in the universe, and it helps to surround yourself with people who love you unconditionally. For some, that's family. For others, it can be friends, partners, mentors or children. Whatever the source, the unconditional love, support and faith is often the difference between homelessness and tremendous success. I've tasted both and I like success much better - but if I ever found myself in the other position, I feel confident that I could remake myself again.

Lost and Found in America has as one of its basic tenets that all it takes to change the world is the simple extension of one's hand to another in need. It's my "Pay it Forward" mission in life. And something to teach my children so they can pass it down to their children. The world looks a little brighter already today. Have a great week. -Brian

-B

The LAFIA site launches

Not quite the full-blown site we've been envisioning, but the Lost and Found in America website has a home page: www.lafia.org. We've even included a "Donate" button to start the fundraising process. I have set a goal of $500,000 by September 26, 2007. Gotta start somewhere. Hoping to launch the complete site by mid-July, along with a launch of the new trailer and a full DVD with bonus features available for sale.

I do have a day job, too, and lots of exciting things are happening at Platinum Studios this year. We just agreed on deal terms with Dreamworks for one of our projects, Cowboys & Aliens, and we are looking to go into production on anywhere between 1 and 4 films in our slate deals before the end of the year.

Oh yeah, and a baby on the way, also making his debut sometime around mid-July! It's going to be an exciting 2nd half of the year. Who needs sleep? Have a great holiday weekend. -B

It's not MY win, it's OUR win

From my friend Pat Finn: A while back at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100 yard dash.

At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a determination to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy. They slowed down and looked back. They all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl with Down's syndrome bent down and kissed him and said," This will make it better." All nine linked arms and walked across the finish line together. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why?
Because deep down we know one thing:
What matters most in this life is more than winning for
ourselves. What truly matters in this life is helping others win.

I was going to comment on this, but it stands by itself. Have a great day! -B

PS. Look for a miracle today