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2017 is OOOVVAAAA, baby!

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I just wrote AND recorded the most comprehensive round up of 2017 EVER. You can read it and watch the videos associated with each section, OR you can listen to it in “seamless” ::snicker:: audio here:

MY ENTIRE Creative 2017 Round Up, THE PODCAST VERSION

ONWARD & UPWARD!!

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Welcome, and thanks for tuning into the round up and wrap of my epic, fantastical, creative journey for 2017!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Did I Achieve My Original 2017 Goals?
• Reader Relationships for 2017
• Author Relationships 2017
• Influencer Relationships 2017
• Marketing & Platform-building 2017
• Writing, Research, and Shadow-development 2017
• Directing-Dramaturgy 2017
• Professional Development for 2017, I: My Personal Creative Uni
• Professional Development for 2017, II: Graduate School
• My Media F’empire: Rebel Ragdoll
  • Rebel Ragdoll 
  • New Adult Noir(e)
  • Rebel Ragdoll Press
  • Rebel Ragdoll Productions
  • The Bohemian Badass
  • Subsidiaries in Development for 2018: The Blackheart Boulange & The Dollhouse
  • Subsidiaries in Development for Future: ChickRogue Studios, Subterranime, Doll Theatre, Miscellany! at Rebel Ragdoll
• Personal Achievements!

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Creative Achievements for 2017:
DID I ACHIEVE MY original GOALS?

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We’re going to start off by evaluating whether or not I even hit the goals that I originally set for myself at the beginning of the year.

SUMMARY POINTS:

MY ORIGINAL GOALS FOR 2017
1. Develop a daily writing habit of 500 words a day. — NOT ACHIEVED
2. Update daily writing habit to 2,000 words a day by October 1, 2017.  — NOT ACHIEVED
3. Publish more books! (At least 5 books.) — PARTIALLY ACHIEVED
4. Continue to upgrade and rebrand my author website! — ACHIEVED!!
5. Connect more with my community and grow it, too… readers and authors alike. — ACHIEVED!!
6. Shoot and release my first full feature horror film, SANDMAN. — PARTIALLY ACHIEVED
7. Shoot and release a second full feature horror film, OJOS. — NOT ACHIEVED!!
8. Focus on worldbuilding for my fiction franchises. — ACHIEVED!!

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reader relationships 2017

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My relationship with my readers has grown EXPONENTIALLY, and I have SO much to talk about in this video! From the size of my readership to the quality of our rapport, I’ve seen improvements on all fronts. It’s one of my greatest achievements of 2017.

SUMMARY POINTS:

• grew my reader mailing list from 300 readers to over 21,000 readers (it grew by over 7,000%!!)
• sent out a very consistent weekly to bi-weekly newsletter to my readers and developed a better relationship with them (prior to that, I NEVER emailed my readers, and I didn’t even have a unified mailing list!)

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AUTHOR relationships 2017

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2017 was a knock-out year for author relationships, and I loved it! I have finally found an internet home amongst other authors, and I’ve even been creating my own “online author home” of my own. 🙂

SUMMARY POINTS:

• participated in several cross-author promotions and genre-specific newsletter swaps
• participated in 5 multi-author box sets: Magik (fantasy), Mayhem (fantasy), OtherWorlds (YA sci-fi/fantasy), No Hope Left (dystopian “25 Days”), Epic (epic fantasy, “25 Days)
• grew more author relationships by hosting my own cross promos and mega giveaways through New Adult Noir(e)
• developed author relationships further by staying in touch with my NA Noir(e) author FB group

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INFLUENCER relationships 2017

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Strangely, “influencer relationships” wasn’t a topic I planned on discussing in my 2017 round up, but it IS an area that has seen considerable expansion, so let’s talk about it!

SUMMARY POINTS:

• formed a sponsorship partnership with Instafreebie via our Instafreebie exclusive “25 Days of Box Sets” giveaway, with middling success due to lack of communication
• formed a development partnership with Instafreebie to be one of the beta testers for their new giveaway author collaboration system

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MARKETING & PLATFORM-BUILDING 2017

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So marketing this year, unbeknownst to me, was pretty much on FLEEK. I worked on marketing a lot, and in many different ways: online, offline, setting up passive initiatives as well as active initiatives, and I’m here to report on it ALL!

SUMMARY POINTS:

Development of Websites, Blogs, and Groups

• established, developed, and continued building out New Adult Noir(e) website & blog
• continued developing and building out Colby R. Rice website & blog
• started a re-haul of my “OFFWORLD” group and brand
• started developing and building out Rebel Ragdoll website & blog
• started developing and building out Rebel Ragdoll Press website & blog
• started developing and building out Rebel Ragdoll Productions website & blog
• started developing and building out The Blackheart Bakery website & blog
• started developing and building out The Blackheart Boudoir website & blog
• tried three different mailing systems before I settled on MailerLite (MailChimp, ConvertKit, and then MailerLite)

Podcasts

• LAUNCHED The Epic, Fantastical Journey of a Black Female Sci-fi Writer podcast and also recorded / posted 52 episodes and vlogs (Colby R. Rice brand)
• continued The B-Badass Podcast and also recorded / posted 2 episodes (The Bohemian Badass brand)

Radio, Podcast, and Convention Appearances!

• did my FIRST live radio interview for my “iNKliNG” co-directing project
• appeared on the “Fantasy Fiends” podcast
• appeared as a speaker for the Space & Sci-fi online convention

Book Marketing

• THE GIVEN spent nearly the entire YEAR on Amazon’s top 100 Free List for New Adult & College Fiction!
• launched 2 successful review pushes within my email list
• grew my Hollow Point launch team to over 400 ARC readers within my own email list
• worked on the Hollow Point launch sequence
• worked on The Iron Maiden launch sequence
• submitted an inquiry and application for selling my books’ foreign rights at IPRlicense.com

OTHER MARKETING ENDEAVORS

• started looking into affiliate marketing & other outlets for passive income

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WRITING, RESEARCH, & SHADOW-DEVELOPMENT 2017

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So, I didn’t hit my writing speed goals NOR did I hit my book production goals this year. Still, though, I wrote a hell of a lot, worked on lots of outlines, did TONS of research, and world-built the fuck out of my franchises, lol. Hear more in the video!

SUMMARY POINTS:

• wrote 120,783 words for my novel series & non-fiction
• wrote a shitty, disjointed script for AT HIS RIGHT HAND (as a play)
• writing The Books of Ezekiel series, The Hitmen of Happily Ever After series, the ASYLUM trilogy, the FORGOTTEN trilogy, and “Plot like a Badass” non-fiction book
• developing the SANDMAN outline
• developing IMMORTAL TV series
• continued developing, plotting, and worldbuilding for The Books of Ezekiel saga, The Hitmen of Happily Ever After series, the ASYLUM trilogy, the FORGOTTEN trilogy, the Godsman series, and the ForNever Files

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DIRECTING-DRAMATURGY 2017

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I have had QUITE the education in directing and dramaturgy this year… LOL. That’s all I’ll say. Let’s get into it in the video.

SUMMARY POINTS:

• co-wrote, co-directed, and dramaturg’d “iNKliNG” MLK Day performance
• presented “iNKliNG” at Student Showcase
• wrote and directed “At His Right Hand” reading in “Voices: A Staged Reading” performance (for TAR 596B)
• wrote, dramaturg’d, directed, and acted in the “Dahl” presentation (for TAR 696A)
• started work on co-directing and dramaturging “Dream” spoken word piece for MLK Day performance
• started work on writing, directing, and dramaturging “Morien” piece for Spring 2018 Studio Series
• dramaturg’d CREEPS, a studio production at the University of Arizona’s Studio Series
• dramaturg’d THE ADDAMS FAMILY MUSICAL, a main stage musical at the University of Arizona’s Arizona Repertory Theatre

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT for 2017, I:
MY PERSONAL CREATIVE UNIVERSITY

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This section details the creative training I finished, impactful experiences, and my professional development that sharpen my skills and acumen as a creative entrepreneur.

Summary Points + SKILLS I DEVELOPED THROUGH PERSONAL CREATIVE UNI:

• 21 creative uni masterclasses completed
• 17 major creative signature courses completed
• 5 full-length books read
• developed my own personal Summer Film & TV Institute
• Directing & Filmmaking: learned more about directing, devising, blocking, staging, developing actor performances, and developing actor relationships; learned to start using the Canon T6i, learned to use the lens, and learned to DP; shot our first short film, “Home”!
• Marketing: learned more about and worked on launch sequences and automations
• Professional Opportunities: got recruited for a reality show casting!! (they recruited me in February); won a filmmaking scholarship; applied for more creative and professional opportunities
• Film Editing: edited 6 short films / scenes this year (Creeps pre-show, Destiny short scene, Sucker Punch short film, Precious Knowledge montage, Lolo short film, Film Editing Pro Action scene); learned about narrative editing, documentary editing, montage editing, action editing, coloring, effects, and sound/foley editing
• Novel Writing: learned about outlining and worldbuilding (on my terms)
• Screenwriting: learned a hell of a lot about Horror Script writing; made some discoveries about how to do better research from Sorkin and Rhimes; analyzing pilots and scripts through pilot and script breakdowns
• Tech & Virtual Reality: learned some cool stuff about programming and technology for virtual reality; did loads of research for ChickRogue Studios on starting a tech company
• Musical Theatre/Theatre: learned a lot from The Addams Family book, lyrics, score, stage management reports, and from dramaturging the show itself; learned about rights acquisition (producing); learned about multicultural theatre traditions; developing more stage play concepts
• Marketing: learned about Facebook Business accounts; tested more FB ads; explored Instagram a bit; learned more about pixels and re-tracking and set up pixels at my websites; learning more about foreign rights

MASTERCLASS & SIGNATURE COURSES TAKEN FOR 2017

PRODUCTIVITY COURSES

• Plan to Achieve Your Creative Goals in 2017 (Joanna Penn)
• The 2017 Author Pep Talk (Bryan Cohen)
• Happy Black Woman Pep Talk (Rosetta Thurman)
• Life Mapping Workshop (Rosetta Thurman)

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT COURSES

• Black Money 102: How to Invest in Stocks
• Black Money 103: How to Start a Strong Black Brand

CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP COURSES

• Going Full Time as an Indie Author Masterclass (Joanna Penn & CJ Lyons)
• Intelligent Boss Moves Course (Dr. Boyce Watkins & Damon Dash)
• 4 Critical Keys to Make a Living Writing (Jeff Goins)
• The 5 Secrets to Starting a Nonprofit Corporation or Foundation Masterclass
• Become a Transformational Speaker Masterclass

WRITING COURSES

• Story Engines (Nick Stephenson and Joe Nassise)
• James Patterson Teaches Writing (Masterclass)
• Advanced Playwriting: New Plays (TAR 596A)**
• Write Your Brilliant Book Mini Course (Arynetta Floyzelle)

FILMMAKING COURSES

• D4Darius Filmmaking Videos
• Master Course in High End Blocking & Staging, Vol I: Stationary Blocking (Hollywood Camera Work)
• Master Course in High-End Blocking and Staging, Vol II: Stationary Blocking (Hollywood Camera Work)
• Shot Designer Software Tutorial (Hollywood Camera Work)
• Editing Fundamentals (Jacob Bricca)**
• The Art of Action Editing (Film Editing Pro)
• Hollywood Film & Television Directing Masterclass (Gil Bettman)

SELLING COURSES

• Selling to Hollywood for Big Bucks Masterclass (Ken Atchity)
• How to Monetize a Small List in 12 Weeks (Joseph Michael)
• 18 Secrets to an Author Platform that Converts Visitors into Buyers Masterclass (Alinka Rutkowska)
• How to Create a High Converting Webinar (Casey Zeman)

MARKETING COURSES

• ConvertKit Video Toolkit Training
• Crowdfunding to Build Independence (Seed & Spark)
• Reach: Increasing It with Ad Stacking, Box Sets, and More (Joanna Penn)
• Serial Magic: The Power of Doing a Book Series (Honoree Corder)
• Virtual Book Tours: Platform Building & Long Term Sales (Laura Fabiani)
• How to Skyrocket Your Email List (Melissa Griffin)
• How to Become an Authority and Grow Your Tribe (David DiPiazza)
• Dream Team Marketing (Nick Stephenson)
• Instagram Masterclass (Founder)
• Viral Hacking for List-building (UpViral)

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT for 2017, II:
GRADUATE SCHOOL TRAINING

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This section details the creative training and professional development that I received in graduate school via my MFA in Theatre Arts, Dramaturgy program coursework, my TA training, and my growing production experience.

SUMMARY POINTS:

• 25 plays read / listened to
• 6 big grad courses completed
• 2 stage plays / productions attended
• 2 stage productions acted in
• 2 semesters of grad school completed – made it to the halfway point!
• 2 productions dramaturg’d (1 studio production & 1 musical)
• 1 TA-ship dominated; 1 new horror TA-ship acquired!
• started studying Russian
• Shaping the Program: gave lots of graduate school feedback and helped to shape the direction of the MFA program
• TA-ship Lessons & Decisions: worked my ass off as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Popular Entertainment 160D; sharpened my time management & grading skills, but also learned to set boundaries as a TA
• Decisions I Made: finally introduced the committee to Rebel Ragdoll and who I am as an artist (Fall 2017 portfolio review); clarified my artistic vision and goals as a theatre maker and dramaturg; took a step back from academic artistry
• Growth as a Theatre Artist: started adding important concepts to my theatre production slate; got more into musical theatre; emphasized the importance of developing and growing a Black theatre tradition; influenced my dedication to Doll Theatre (another subsidiary of the Rebel Ragdoll media f’empire)

DRAMATURGY & THEATRE COURSES

• Theatre & Culture I (TAR 602)
• Race, Class, Gender and Representation in Film (FTV 599)
• The Dramaturg & The Classic Play (TAR 661)
• Contemporary Trends (TAR 696A)
• Dramaturging the Musical (The Addams Family Musical)
• Dramaturging the Studio Production (Creeps)
• Advanced Playwriting: New Plays (TAR 596B)**
• Editing Fundamentals / Independent Study (TAR 318 / FTV 599)**
• Teaching Popular Culture 160D

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MY MEDIA f’EmpirE: Rebel ragdoll

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This section keeps track of the growth of my creative f”Empire, Rebel Ragdoll, LLC, along with all its subsidiaries (Rebel Ragdoll Press, Rebel Ragdoll Productions, ChickRogue Studios, The Bohemian Badass, and Miscellany!). Here, you’ll get to see how I’m growing my creative legacy!

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REBEL RAGDOLL

My entire dream as a novelist, director, entrepreneur and living creative is to finish building my independent, multimedia f’empire from the ground up. In that spirit…

WELCOME TO REBEL RAGDOLL!

Rebel Ragdoll is my contribution back to the world that has forged me. It is where I, in the form of TEN other creative, f’empreneurial enterprises, push forward the mission of empowering women to create. Rebel Ragdoll, LLC is an independent, female-identified, multimedia production brand and holding company dedicated to increasing the presence and impact of female creatives in the creative industries, genres, and mediums in which they are underrepresented.

Our subsidiaries include (4 open AND running, 2 READY to launch in 2018, and 4 in shadow-development):

• Rebel Ragdoll Press (publishing),
• Rebel Ragdoll Productions (film & TV),
• ChickRogue Studios (games, software, and animation),
• Subterranime (comics, manga, animation),
• The Bohemian Badass (creative education & training),
• New Adult Noir(e) (content promotion services),
• The Blackheart Boulange (specialty & artisanal products),
• The Dollhouse Foundation (philanthropy & community-building),
• Miscellany! by Rebel Ragdoll (fashion, accessories, beauty), and,
• Doll Theatre (theatre arts and stage production).

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WHAT WE GOT DONE AT REBEL RAGDOLL (as a whole) IN 2017

1. Grew (and then slimmed down) the Rebel Ragdoll DEVELOPMENT slate to 133 creative projects:

• 56 Novel Series Projects (30 Novel Series, 2 Novella Series, 13 Trilogies, 8 Serialized Novel Series, 3 Short Story Collection Projects)
• 55 Film Script & Film Production Projects (12 Feature Film Adaptations, 13 Original Feature Films, 10 Original Film Shorts, 7 Feature Scripts, 9 TV Pilot Scripts, 3 Original TV Series, and 1 Web Series)
• 8 Stageplays
• 10 Tech Projects (7 Video Game Projects, 2 mobile games/apps, 1 hard tech project)
• 4 Summits / Live Events (these are events, both live and online, that are live that will be put on for the creative community)

MIND, the Rebel Ragdoll development slate contains all my projects TO BE DEVELOPED / IDEAS IN DEVELOPMENT. These are not the projects that I’ve finished. Obviously, the brain never stops. But my production DOES need to go waaay faster, so I’ll be working on that for 2018!

2. *officially* Branded & re-branded 5 of rebel ragdoll’s subsidiaries!

Rebel Ragdoll needed a SERIOUS facelift. Especially The Bohemian Badass! Like LITERALLY. Not only did I want custom logos, but I also really wanted to brand these operating companies with #blackgirlmagic and #blackgirlcreativity and just straight up woman-of-color badassery. Check out our new brands and re-brands below!

People just needed to know that Rebel Ragdoll is a company developed by a woman of color to help other women, disenfranchised communities, and people of color embrace their creativity, improve their craft, and build their own independent, creative, and financially-sustainable brands, careers, and companies.

We are publicly owning our Blackness, our womanliness, our beauty, our badassery, our femininity, and our fierce dedication to communities and groups that do not have ready access to resources that will allow them to build sustainable careers as artists. So here we are, and we’re ready AF to kick ass in 2018!

3. Moved 2 other operating companies into their “active development” stages for a 2018 launch!

Yes, you heard me right! Both The Blackheart Boulange AND The Dollhouse Foundation are in development for opening in 2018!

4. CLAIMED AND CONTINUED PLANNING the 4 other “SHADOW” subsidiaries of Rebel Ragdoll

As always, I can only take on so much, and I DO really want to focus on building up my novel backlist + author brand (and thus Rebel Ragdoll), growing New Adult Noir(e), and developing my artist-entrepreneur blog, The Bohemian Badass, for 2018. BUT! In those moments of rest and reflection, where I need a break from writing, marketing, blogging, podcasting, and being a lady boss, I do continue to slowly develop my other subsidiaries behind the scenes.

If you’re wondering which companies those are, they include:

• The Doll Theatre (theatre arts),
• Subterranime (manga, comics, 2D animation),
• ChickRogue Studios (3D game development, 3D animation, tech, software, personal/business solutions), and,
• Miscellany! by Rebel Ragdoll (fashion and accessories).

I believe in building, researching, and slow growth, so I have no problem with watering these four seeds a little at a time. One step, one day at a time will my f’empire grow into its badassery.

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New Adult Noir(e)

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FOR READERS: NA Noire hooks readers into THE darkest, grittiest, heart-pounding-est sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance to ever exist. Currently we offer our readers free monthly giveaways, TONS of free books, series discovery promos, free swag, reviews, and much more!

FOR AUTHORS: On the author side, we are a collection of authors who write dark and gritty science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, horror, dark romance, paranormal romance, sci-fi romance, fantasy romance, and dark SFF/H erotica. We engage in cross-promos, joint giveaways, free book promos, series discovery promos, and other reader discovery projects so that we can build rabid readerships with hearts of darkness who love our work!

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WHAT WE GOT DONE AT NEW ADULT NOIR(E) IN 2017

In May of this year, I organized a MASSIVE author summer promotion that resulted in the recruitment of over 10,000 readers. For free. After I realized that I was pretty darned good at what I did, I decided to create a book blog / author promotion services company for writers of my genre: *dark and gritty* sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and SFF/H romance.

The GROWTH of NEW ADULT NOIR(E) HAS been INCREDIBLE:

• Our company’s revenue hit four figures in just the first three months of opening!
• We have been able to recruit over 21,200 new readers for our authors and their books, and that number continues to grow every day.
• We’ve successfully hosted 3 Free Book promos, 3 Series Discovery promos, and 4 Mega Giveaways for our authors and readers, and, most awesomely,
• Our current and most recent giveaway, the “25 Days of Box Sets” giveaway, has garnered over 82,400 book claims and downloads across ALL levels of the promo!

And our year isn’t even over yet!

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REBEL RAGDOLL PRESS

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We are an independent female-identified publishing house dedicated to increasing the presence of female creatives in the fiction genres and mediums where we are underrepresented.

Our genres of interest include sci-fi, fantasy, action-adventure, true crime, noir, and thriller. Our mediums of interest include novels, comics (web & print), manga, and graphic novels.

We support female, female-identified, and transgendered authors AND / OR works with these representations.

Currently, RRPress’ two flagship brand authors are Colby R. Rice & Vanessa M. Bain (in progress), but far in the future we hope to have more!

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WHAT WE GOT DONE AT REBEL RAGDOLL PRESS IN 2017

I didn’t hit NEARLY as many goals for my publishing press as I wanted for this year, but I’m still proud of my accomplishments!

SUMMARY POINTS:

• commissioned 5 more covers for The Hitmen of Happily Ever After series
• commissioned 3 covers for The Books of Ezekiel series
• wrote 120,783 words for my novel series
• conceptualized the “Saga Store”

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REBEL RAGDOLL PRODUCTIONS

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We are an independent, female-identified, multimedia production house dedicated to increasing the presence and prominence of female creatives in front of and behind the camera.

We produce films, TV, web series, and film shorts in the genres of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, thriller, action-adventure, true crime, and noire that is written by women or that feature women as central figures. We also use all-female crews to shoot, produce, edit, and market the films.

Rebel Ragdoll Productions is OPEN and we are currently in development on our first full feature horror film, SANDMAN. 

Principal photography will begin in summer of 2019!

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WHAT WE GOT DONE AT REBEL RAGDOLL PRODUCTIONS IN 2017

I really enjoyed establishing the production house this year. Fell IN LOVE with the logo, worked on SANDMAN, and shadow-developed two TV series. I’m still working towards the SANDMAN feature film, and I’m excited to see where it goes!

• purchased all my starter filmmaking equipment and filmmaking software
• commissioned logo and banners
• LAUNCHED and OPENED Rebel Ragdoll Productions
• writing and developing the SANDMAN outline: finished ACT 1 outline
• writing and developing IMMORTAL TV series
• developed a director’s process and roadmap
• developed a filmmaking protocol for Rebel Ragdoll Productions

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THE BOHEMIAN BADASS

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The Bohemian Badass is a community of indie female creators dedicated to one cause:

WE OFFER CRAFT COURSES, MENTORSHIP, AND TRAIN YOU TO BECOME THE SCRIBING, FILMMAKING, AND GAMING BADASS YOU’RE MEANT TO BE.

(And mostly for free!)

TO HELP OUR MEMBERS, WE OFFER:

1. The Bohemian Badass School for Creatives: where you can take craft courses in writing, screenwriting, filmmaking, game writing / game design, marketing, branding, and creative entrepreneurship
2. The B-Badass Podcast: our eargasmic, info-packed, free podcast for writing, filmmaking, game writing and design, and creative entrepreneurship, geared towards helping women to make a living with their creativity
3. Books for Bohos: several non-fiction DIY book series to help our community create and make a living with their work, in their own innovative ways, from the bottom up
4. The Bohemian Badass Blog: where you can get epic articles, tutorials, workbooks, editable downloads, and much more to help you along on your creative journey
5. The Co-Creator’s Commune: where creators from all walks of life and disciplines gather together to network, support, critique, rally, and work together on badass creative projects.
6. The Beatnik Boutique: coming soon, our Beatnik Boutique will be the place to get some of our sweet digs and badass merch so you can let the whole world know just how creatively badass you are!

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WHAT WE GOT DONE AT THE BOHEMIAN BADASS IN 2017

I’m not going to lie: The Bohemian Badass, for whatever reason, is simultaneously my most exciting subsidiary, but also the one that has eluded me the most, probably because I simply have not made adequate time for it. Many things get done for it, but many things also do NOT get done for it. I’m determined to reign it in for 2018 and kick some ass.

Summary Points:

• • wrote and published 1 blog posts
  • recorded and published 2 podcasts
  • worked on and finished “Horror Screenplay” template
  • worked on and finished “Survival Horror Novel” template 
  • worked on “Writing a Badass TV Series” template
  • worked on “Metaphor Maven” brand
    • worked on “Metaphor Maven” signature course
    • worked on “Metaphor Maven” masterclass
    • worked on “Metaphor Maven” workbook
  • worked on “Plot like a Badass” brand
    • worked on “Plot like a Badass” signature course
    • worked on “Plot like a Badass” non-fiction book rough draft
    • worked on “Plot like a Badass” Scrivener template
    • worked on “Plot like a Badass” 7-day email course
  • worked on Writers UnBlocked: Pre-writing Course
  • outlined and developed “Creating Badass Characters” course
  • created an “Epic Giveaway Guide” (for NA Noir(e) but can be used for TBBA)
  • commissioned an AMAZING brand new logo & brand for The Bohemian Badass

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OTHER SUBSIDIARIES DEVELOPED IN 2017:
THE BLACKHEART BOULANGE & THE DOLLHOUSE

**scheduled for launch in 2018!**

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THE BLACKHEART BOULANGE: this is a *really* special (and limited) arm of the Rebel Ragdoll brand. The Blackheart Boulange specializes in artisanal, limited-time goods, merch, and promotional products based specifically off the novel series brands of Colby R. Rice and Vanessa M. Bain.

The Boulange has four planned product brands: The Blackheart Bakery, The Blackheart Boudoir, The Blackheart Boutique, and Blackheart Books. And we’re opening the Bakery and the Boudoir brands on October 1, 2018! Only open during the holiday season, Bakery & Boudoir swoop in to feed your sweet tooth AND fulfill your holiday gift-giving needs.

THE DOLLHOUSE FOUNDATION: This foundation is dedicated specifically to providing educational, social, financial, and emotional support and resources to single mother artists who wish to build creative businesses and make a living with their art!

First, I will open The Dollhouse’s inspirational blog, vlog, podcast, website, and online community. We will see if I can get 401(c)3  status for The Dollhouse so I can start giving small scholarships, but if not, I’ll push this goal to 2019.

SUMMARY POINTS:

SUMMARY POINTS FOR THE BLACKHEART BOULANGE

• • • commissioned logos for both the Bakery itself and its umbrella brand, The Blackheart Boulange
    • started developing branding and positioning for the Bakery and the Boudoir
    • started developing product lines / flavor lines for the Bakery and the Boudoir
    • started doing the legal and administrative research for running the Bakery from home

SUMMARY POINTS FOR THE DOLLHOUSE 2017

• • • commissioned a logo for The Dollhouse
    • began developing the “Single Mom Creatives” vlog & podcast

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OTHER SUBSIDIARIES CONSIDERED IN 2017:
CHICKROGUE STUDIOS, SUBTERRANIME, DOLL THEATRE, AND MISCELLANY!

** scheduled for launch sometime in the far-off future **

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CHICKROGUE STUDIOS: We are an independent, female-identified, game development and animation studio dedicated to increasing the presence and prominence of female creatives in game design, console design, animation, and software development.

We produce educational software, apps, mobile games, freeware, animation, 3D games, and game consoles. We specialize in the genres of sci-fi, fantasy, survival horror, action-adventure, stealth-thriller, true crime, and noir(e) that is written and/or designed by women.

We use all-female crews to design and ship our games and products. ChickRogue Studios will open in January 2020!

CHICKROGUE, SUBTERRANIME, DOLL THEATRE, and MISCELLANY! are four subsidiaries currently under what I call “shadow development” at Rebel Ragdoll. Subterranime will deal in manga, comics, and 2D animation; Doll Theatre will deal in theatrical productions, arts education in the community, and new play development; and Miscellany! will deal in fashion and accessories.

Lofty goals, I know, but my motto is that this is the only life I live, and I’m going to go hard or go home! 🙂 More research, development, business modeling, and fundraising is required for these subsidiaries, and until these requirements are met, these three operating companies will remain on the Rebel Ragdoll slate.

SUMMARY POINTS:

• • • commissioned a logo for ChickRogue Studios
    • the business goals of ChickRogue Studios into not just gaming and apps, but into software and technology
    • got over my fear of criticism and publicly claimed the three remaining subsidiaries of Rebel Ragdoll (Subterranime, Doll Theatre, and Miscellany!)

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Personal Achievements

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This section details the more personal (and not always pretty) side of my creative life, including what’s up with my family, motherhood, health, hobbies, challenges, and resilience. Keeping track of these things helps me to see where I’m doing well and where I need to improve.

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So that’s me, y’all! A pretty insane round up, yeah? It took forever to make, but I’m glad I did! So what about you? What’s YOUR creative round up for 2017? What are you most proud of for this year? Post your thoughts, comments, and experiences below, HAPPY NEW YEAR, and as always…

Keep it indie,
<3 Colby