Creator and Executive Editor of "The Entertainment Corner" MireilleMiskulin

Mireille Miskulin is the Creator and Executive Editor of The Entertainment Corner (www.theentertainmentcorner.com), a website dedicated to providing film buffs the inside scoop on all things Entertainment. The Entertainment Corner features reviews, news, and interviews with various established, as well as up and coming talents within the entertainment industry. Those featured include Actors, Directors, Producers, Writers and many more. Miskulin uses social media tools such as Twitter (@EntertainCorner) and Facebook as platforms to network with industry professionals that are interested in having their projects promoted on The Entertainment Corner, and to interact with those who share her passion for entertainment.

What is the current project you are working on?

Other than The Entertainment Corner you mean? Sorry, but I learned early on that it’s best to keep projects “close to the vest”. If something doesn’t come to fruition, it’s not always possible to share why it did not pan out. Once a project is reality then I am always more than happy to discuss it with people.

How do you define success?

Simply put … accomplishing what I set out to do.

How do you handle rejection?

Depends on the situation. I base everything on levels of priority. The higher on my priority list the more self re-evaluation will take place. Everything in life happens or does not happen for a reason. The most important thing is that we learn from both our successes and failures.

How you always been interested in the entertainment industry?

Yes, most aspects of it.

What inspired you to create "The Entertainment Corner"?

The desire to help people I care about combined with my love for certain aspects of the entertainment industry. Plus, I love creating something that is truly all my own.

What is the best thing about having your website?

The opportunity it gives me to connect with people from all over the globe. To be constantly reminded that people are people everywhere and we share more in common than not. It is a wonderful learning experience!

What is the worst thing about having one?

The bad comes with the good. Even though having a website is a wonderful chance to learn and grow as a person, being connected globally also serves as a reminder that some people are capable of being cruel and truly inconsiderate of others.

Who is your favorite filmmaker?

Unable to pick just one, there are many talented filmmakers. I will choose to say the ones that are good storytellers.

How has your life changed since you started your site?

New worlds and new opportunities have opened up to me. I get to do something I love to do and meet wonderful people along the way.

What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to start their own site?

Do everything with passion, do not give-up, and believe in your self!

What do you like to do when you’re not working on your site?

In no particular order: spending time with the people I love, watching movies, listening to music, reading, cooking, traveling, day dreaming, laughing.

Have you had any other jobs before you decided to become creator of "The Entertainment Corner"?

Yes of course, I actually still have a full-time day job.

What are some of your favorite American films? Foreign films? Television shows?

It’s only within the past few years that I’ve gotten into watching foreign films, so it’s still new territory for me to explore.

Foreign: Amalie; Life is Beautiful; Cinema Paradiso; Slumdog Millionaire; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Just some of the American films I like: Some Like It Hot; the first three Indiana Jones movies; Powder; the original Star Wars trilogy; North By North West; The Method, To Catch A Thief; The Sound of Music; Saving Private Ryan; Suicide Kings, Forrest Gump; Shakespeare in Love; Planes, Trains & Automobiles; Sixteen Candles; Mr. Smith Goes To Washington; The King’s Speech; Meet Me In St. Louis; Run The Wild Fields; The Artist; Schindler’s List; The Good, The Bad and The Ugly; Into The Fire; Space Balls; Princess Bride; The Apartment; Bringing Up Baby; To Kill A Mocking Bird; Back To The Future; Disney’s Beauty and the Beast … I could go on, and on.

As for Television, I watch the History Channel, various movie channels, and occasionally the Food Network.

How would you describe your entertainment education?

I would describe my entertainment education as a mix of “the school of real life” with a healthy dose of I am still in the learning process.

How do you choose what guests to have on your site?

Either I contact people and request an interview, or people/their representatives contact me for an interview.

How would you describe the creative "scene" where you live?

Despite the fact that there has been at least 100-feature films shot in and around this area, it’s very much a “cultural wasteland”. Public arts funding is low compared to similar sized cities. What creative and cultural events do occur here gets little to no mention by the local media. Things are changing very slowly and it is one of the reasons why I am happy to have social media outlets where I can connect with places that have a thriving creative “scene”.

How has social media helped "The Entertainment Corner"?

Social Media enables more people to discover “The Entertainment Corner”, and in turn gives me the opportunity to reach a larger audience. There is also the benefit of meeting more potential interviewees, arranging reviews, and generally just connecting with other people.

How has social media hindered your site?

The saying, “It’s a jungle out there!” applies. Social Media users are constantly bombarded by vast amounts of information, ways to spend/waste time, etc. Every social media outlet and website is competing for the attention of an audience. It’s not enough to establish a loyal following, the true challenge is to remain interesting and dynamic enough to maintain and build that following.

What's your opinion on crowdfunding?

First, as long as the project is worthy of making, then crowdfunding is a good way to get started. This would be one of the first mistakes I feel some people make, the inability to recognize that their project will likely not appeal to a large enough audience to be successful.

Also, a well-planned marketing strategy must be developed, and implemented. Poor marketing of their project is the second mistake I see being made by some. They potentially have a good project; yet they do not know how to effectively reach out to people.

Promotion of the funding goal should be intermixed with interacting and engaging people. Some of the most successful campaigns do this, whether it’s by making videos for their audience, to making an interactive imaginary town map based on their film.

Creativity should not stop once the director calls “that’s a wrap”, it must continue on until the movie is in front of the audience. Two examples of successful crowdfunding campaigns I recommend people study are: Director Gary King’s “How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song” Kickstarter campaign, and Phil Holbroook/Kings A Fink “Tilt The Movie” campaign.

How does independent film differ from the mainstream?

Independent films, for the most part, have considerably lower film budgets. They are screened at film festivals before distribution, which usually means in the retail market.

Often the independent filmmakers must undertake many jobs in order for their film to reach audiences. It’s not uncommon to have the writer be the director and the producer, and the editor, etc.

Mainstream, or major studio, pictures have the financial resources to hire entire departments devoted to do everything from accounting, dialect coaches, to hair and make-up.

Independent filmmakers get to have more control over their projects; where as filmmakers who are backed by major studios have red tape and corporate medaling to deal with.

You could go back in time and see any film being made. Which film would it be and why?

It would have to be the first “motion picture” ever made. Eadweard Muybridge is credited with creating the first “motion picture”, The Horse In Motion (1878); if anyone before him made a “moving picture” there is no record of it. Why would I want to go back and see that you may ask, because it would be fascinating to see people’s reactions and to witness the humble birth of motion pictures!

What's your favorite quote and why?

There are many quotes that inspire and hold meaning for me, picking only one was not easy…

“The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” ~ Eden Ahbez

Love is universal; it is something every living creature needs and desires. Learning to love and accept love in return is not always easy, but it is worth it.

What is your opinion on movie remakes and sequels?

Movie remakes can be good if the following conditions are met: enough time has passed since the original version has been made, the story is still relevant to today’s audiences, the acting and directing is good quality.

Sequels rarely turn out as good as the first film, there are a few rare exceptions to this rule. Audiences have certain expectations built up, if the story, quality, etc. do not meet the standards set by the first film, the succeeding films will not be well received. Most sequels are done for money and not the love of filmmaking and good storytelling.

What is your opinion on book to movie adaptations?

When I read a book, a good book anyway, I make my own movie in my mind. No movie on the real screen could ever be exactly like the imagination. Having said that, I believe that if done properly a book to movie adaptation can turn out well. No matter how good a movie adaptation is, there will always be those who are not satisfied with the results. Just two examples of book to movie adaptations that I feel turned out well are: To Kill A Mocking Bird (1962), and Schindler’s List (1993); there certainly are more examples out there.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for the opportunity to chat with you. I wish you continued success.

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Thank you Mireille for doing the interview.  Thank you for all you do to support film. I'll be doing what I can to spread the word about "The Entertainment Corner".  I wish you all the best. It's been  a pleasure chatting with a fellow entertainment fan.