Goodbye To a Mentor.

Hey folks, Chris French here from Modern Midwest Entertainment.  I took today off sick from my day job at a mental health agency, because I wasn't feeling the greatest. I decided to get on Yahoo and check out some things, and I noticed one of my broadcasting instructors, Ron Smith, from my days learning the trade at American Broadcasting School. I talked with Ron for a brief time, and shared what I've been up to with him. As we ended our conversation, I asked Ron to say hello to Del Cockrell, ABS's founder and one of my mentors in the world of broadcasting. Ron informed me that Del is gone. He passed away on July 9th from a massive stroke. I'm at a loss for words. Del and all the folks at ABS had a profound influence on me, but Del was always the one that would call me up and say, "Chris, you're gonna go somewhere in this business, I know it". I'm going to post Del's obituary below, and a personal message to Del. . .Del, you were an inspiration to me, and to everyone who ever met him. You will be sorely missed.

Delton Cockrell
September 11, 1943 - July 9, 2011 OKLAHOMA CITY Del Cockrell passed away July 9, 2011. He was born on September 11, 1943 in Shawnee, OK. Del graduated from Tecumseh High School in 1961 and from the University of Oklahoma in 1965. Del was the owner and founder of American Broadcasting School. He opened ABS in March of 1970 and dedicated his professional life to training thousands of radio broadcasters over the past 41 years. Del was not only a highly successful businessman who was admired and respected by many but was also a loving and devoted family man. His family meant the world to him. Del enjoyed fishing, sports, and spending time playing with his grandkids. Del was preceded in death by his parents, Vernon and Lorene Cockrell; and his older brother, Gary Cockrell. Del is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Janice; his son, Shawn Cockrell; his daughter, Staci Cockrell; grandsons, Shea, Brendan, Carson, Chase; his twin brother, Mel Cockrell and wife Pat; his brother, Jerry Cockrell and wife Susan; sister-in-law, Pat Cockrell; and numerous nieces, nephews, great- nieces and nephews, cousins, and many friends and colleagues all of whom he loved dearly.

We will always carry you in our hearts Del.

Only YOU can prevent. . .movie theft?!!

Chris French here at Modern Midwest Entertainment! As I am currently working on production of a movie, I decided to take a look at the pubic awareness campaign held by the Motion Picture Association of America. Over the course of the last decade, with the advances in camera technology in cellphones and other devices, motion picture theft has become an increasing problem in Hollywood and all over the world. I took a closer look at the MPAA's website www.fightfilmtheft.org. The MPAA along with the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) have joined forces to tackle the problem of film thefts. 

According to fightfilmtheft.org, a standard procedure is in place to stop someone who is suspected of trying to bootleg a film in the theatre. Theatre employees are to be on the lookout for anyone trying to film the movie. They then will call the police, they will stop the recording of the movie before the movie ends, file a police report and contact the MPAA within 24 hours to report the incident to them.  Once done, the person who initially spotted the potential film theft can then request a 500 dollar reward from the MPAA. 

The MPAA, along with it's website fightfilmtheft.org, also had a creative ad campaign designed by them and New York Mayor Michael Bloomburg. This ad campaign was created to stem the tide in New York City of illegal DVD copies of movies that were pirated from movie theaters. In the advertisements, clips of different movies are shown (as they would be in a bootlegged copy) with people's heads in the way, crying babies, theatre doors opening and closing. These humorous advertisements are meant to show the public that, while you may pay a lesser price for a bootlegged DVD, you're getting what you paid for, a DVD that is of poor quality, sound, picture and overall crap. The other message this ad campaign sends out is that pirating films is illegal! 

I have personally seen what can happen when someone tries to pass off a pirated film as a legit version. I knew a man a few years ago that got beat up over a copy of a film he had pirated. The person that bought a copy from him was very unhappy when they tried to watch the film. When they went back to him and he wouldn't give them their money back, they beat him up and took his money. Film theft is NOT a good business to get into. Not only are you taking away the livelyhood of a good number of people in the industry, you run the risk of physical harm to yourself! My advise, leave the movie in the theatre where it belongs, and save yourself the beating!