We have tons of posters, stickers, and postcards.  If you live in the Michiana area (St. Joseph County, Elkhart County, Niles, etc), we’d like to send you these items for FREE through U.S. Mail to help spread the word about our awesome premiere event September 17-19.  Put them up at work, school, give them to friends – anywhere that can help get the word out about the premiere.

If you’d like to help us spread the word, send us an e-mail at with how many of each material you’d like along with your mailing address.

Again, these are totally FREE.  The only thing we ask is that you actually use these promo materials to tell others about the Fresh Fruit Pie premiere.  We’re pretty low budget and spent money to make these, so we’d rather not see them used to make paper airplanes or as bonfire fuel.  They’re promo items, so let’s promo up the town!

Got the itch to make some noise? Then drop us a line at with how many posters, stickers, and postcards you want – and where we should send them to.  Let’s make this premiere awesome!

If you want, you can format the e-mail like the following:

• X – Posters
• X – Pages of Stickers (12 stickers per page)
• X – Postcards
• Send to:  423 My Address
  South Bend, IN  46661

Related posts:

1. World Premiere: Sept. 17-19. DVD Release: Oct. 5.

Finally, after over a year of casting, script development, prop-building, production, and post-production, the first episode of Fresh Fruit Pie is complete – and boy, are we happy with it!  It’s been a long and hard road, filled with literal blood, sweat, and tears – but in the end, all of that toil is going to be worth it.  We’re very proud of all the actors, crew, and other partners that turned Fresh Fruit Pie from a dream into a reality.

This week we sent the DVD master and DVD cover art to Disc Makers, who gave us a generous discount for a rush job after hearing our vision.  We should receive our shipment of DVDs in just a few short weeks.

We’re really happy with how the DVD cover art came out.  Click the image on the left to see a larger version of it.  What you see here will be folded and inserted into a standard Amaray case.  The front cover is located towards the right of the image, the spine in the middle, and the back cover to the left.  We were looking for a design that could be re-themed for each episode but still maintain a sense of consistency.   Overall, we’re really happy with it and feel it was 100% worth the time and money spent to make the DVD cover art a reality!

Here’s also a glimpse of the artwork for the disc itself.  We love the kind of art that can placed in a circle, and a DVD or a CD creates a perfect canvas to make this unique kind of “circle” art.  Fun!

The Fresh Fruit Pie World Premiere is coming up in less than three weeks.  (Don’t forget to reserve some seats).  And also, the DVD release is only five weeks away!

Isn’t it crazy?  Maybe it is, but crazy suits us quite well.

Related posts:

1. Fresh Fruit Pie Website Up and Running
2. Two-Thirds of FFP In the Can

Step 1.

In the facebook search bar, search for “Fresh Fruit Pie World Premiere.”  An event page should pop up.

Step 2.

Click “I’m attending.”

Step 3.

Once you are attending the event, a little box appears below the Fresh Fruit Pie banner that says “Select Guests to Invite”.  Click it.

Step 4.

NOW THIS IS THE TRICKY PART.  IT LOOKS KIND OF WEIRD, BUT JUST DO IT EXACTLY AS WRITTEN, AND IT WILL WORK.

A guest invitation window pops up.
Copy and paste the following text into your browser bar:

javascript:elms=document.getElementById(‘friends’).getElementsByTagName(‘li’);for(var fid in elms){if(typeof elms[fid] === ‘object’){fs.click(elms[fid]);}}

If you don’t know how to do this, here’s how:
1) Highlight the text above with your mouse.  Make sure it’s one chunk.
2) Click the “Edit” menu of your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc) and click “Copy”
3) Click on the browser bar (not the guest list, but the bar where you type in http://www.facebook.com)
4) Click “Edit” Menu, then “Paste”.  The weird text should now fill your browser bar
5) Hit “Enter” on your keyboard.
6) Wait a few seconds, and all your friends will be selected!
7) Hit “Send Invitations.”

Step 5.

THIS PART’S IMPORTANT TOO. Facebook won’t invite all your friends in one chunk, so you may have to go through steps 3 & 4 multiple times until your entire friends list is invited.

TO CHECK IF ALL FRIENDS HAVE BEEN SELECTED:
a) Click the “refresh” button on your browser

b) Click again on “Select Guests to Invite”

c) Check to make sure ALL friends are greyed out.  If not, repeat step 4 & 5 again until all are greyed out.

You’re done!

Related posts:

1. World Premiere: Sept. 17-19. DVD Release: Oct. 5.

Yes, today we’re announcing the launch dates of “Party!”, the first episode of Fresh Fruit Pie.  It’s been a long time coming, but we’re all extremely excited and confident that it’s well worth the wait.

The World Premiere

If you live within driving distance of South Bend/Mishawaka, Indiana, be sure to come to the world premiere of Fresh Fruit Pie!  We’re taking over the Hyatt Place in Mishawaka for the entire weekend of September 17-19, and we’ll be showing non-stop, back-to-back events where you get to see the new show – for FREE.

That’s right – FREE!  Refreshments, too – all FREE.  Invite your friends!  Invite your family!  You can’t miss this – it’s going to be pure awesome.

The only problem? Seating is very limited.  We highly recommend that you make your reservations now so that you can get the time you want.  Of course, you can always come to the event and look for empty seats in case people who reserve are no-shows, but those will also be limited and filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

So again, make your reservations now.  It’s really easy and fast.

The DVD Launch

Let’s say you’re going camping the weekend of September 17-19.  Maybe you live 1000 miles away from Indiana (smart decision, considering our winters here).  That’s totally cool, too!  The DVD will release just a few short weeks after the premiere on October 5, 2010.   It will be available through this website and selected retailers.

Want to help us get Fresh Fruit Pie into MORE stores?

Then vote to get Fresh Fruit Pie widely distributed across the world!  Invite your friends to vote, too.  The more people who believe in our cause, the more stores will stock our show, and the more people will experience our vision of awesome family entertainment!

We’re really excited for the things that are coming.  Thank you all for being a part of it.

P.S. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, check it out at http://www.freshfruitpie.com/trailer.

Related posts:

1. How to Invite All Facebook Friends to the Premiere Event
2. Free Posters, Stickers, and Postcards
3. Pick Your Favorite Logo – Vote Now!

A little info about the first episode of Fresh Fruit Pie:  “Party!”

Everyone wants to be happy.  Or do they?

There’s a lot to be happy about in life, but instead of enjoying what we have, we worry and gripe about what we don’t have.  We tend to ignore all the good things in life and focus on the little inconveniences.

Filled with non-stop hilarious sketches and authentic scenarios, “Party!” jumps into the story of life to discover the secret of true happiness and joy.

The full episode of “Party!” releases DVD Fall 2010. Remember to vote to get Fresh Fruit Pie into stores!

Related posts:

1. World Premiere: Sept. 17-19. DVD Release: Oct. 5.
2. New Trailer Launches in May
3. Two-Thirds of FFP In the Can

Many of us at Fresh Fruit Pie are excited about what the Bible has to say about life.  There are a few particular inspirational Bible verses that stick out:  Galatians 5:22-23, what the Bible calls the “Fruits of the Spirit”:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

This concept is big.  Huge. Massive enough to create the foundation for an entire video series – and that’s exactly what we’re doing with Fresh Fruit Pie.

One of our visions is to teach kids about the Fruits of the Spirit in a way that’s relevant to their lives.  No boring lectures or diatribes – just hilarious scenarios they’ll crave to watch again and again – and continue to learn from.

Because we only write humor that both kids and us adult producers (aka big kids) find funny, older folks might learn as much if not more from Fresh Fruit Pie than children.

The first episode, which will be released Fall 2010, is based off the fruit of “joy.”  As we write each additional episode, we keep copies of these inspirational Bible verses handy:

JOY

What Joy means to kids:  Being satisfied with what you have, rather than getting jealous over what you don’t have.

I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.  (Eccl. 3:12)

Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.  (Psalm 97:11)

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh….Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.  (Luke 6:21-23)

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.  (Phil. 4:12-13)

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  (1 Tim. 6:6-9)

PEACE

What Peace means to kids:  Everyone doesn’t have to get along, but solving conflicts peacefully creates less hurt.  Fighting just creates more fighting.

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.  (Psalm 37:37)

If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. (Gal. 5:15)

When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.  (Proverbs 16:7)

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.  (Proverbs 25:21-22)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.  (Matthew 5:9)

LOVE

What Love means to kids:   A total lifestyle change of giving to others, especially family, no matter how others treat you actually makes others want to treat you better.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. (1 Cor. 13:4-8)

Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:10)

FAITHFULNESS

What Faithfulness means to kids:   If you stick to your goals and be loyal to your friends & family for the long haul, the rewards at the end can be huge.

Well done…You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  (Matthew 25:21)

The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full. (Psalm 31:23)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  (James 1:2-3)

Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.  (Rev. 2:10)

KINDNESS

What Kindness means to kids:  Reaching out and showing respect to people who are lower than you on the social ladder.

He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.  (Proverbs 19:17)

…God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. (Acts 10:28)

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.  (Romans 12:15-16)

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples.  When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ’sinners’?”  On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matthew 9:10-12)

GENTLENESS

What Gentleness means to kids:  People are different – they have different beliefs, boundaries, and body types.  You’ll make more friends if you can learn how to respect those differences.

Good understanding wins favor… (Proverbs 13:15)

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20)

GOODNESS

What Goodness means to kids:  Making the moral choice when the bad choice seems much more fun and rewarding.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Cor. 10:13)

A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.  (Proverbs 12:3)

Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

PATIENCE

What Patience means to kids:  If you wait for the right time to enjoy something, you’ll enjoy it much more than if you HAVE TO HAVE IT NOW.

A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly. (Proverbs 14:29)

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. (Psalm 40:1)

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:26)

Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. (Hebrews 6:15)

SELF-CONTROL

What Self-Control means to kids:  Too much focus on pleasure can turn you into a broke, sad, overweight oaf.

If you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it, and you will vomit.  (Proverbs 25:16)

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? (Luke 9:25)

For drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. (Prov. 23:21)

The grace of God…teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. (Titus 2:11-13)

(This one’s one of the trickier ones.  We definitely have our own stories of lack of self-control.)

I must warn you, it’ll be action-packed and not for the faint of heart.  In fact, we have so many gags in the full show that a lot of material has to be cut from the trailer, otherwise the trailer will be too long!

A few days ago, two boys, age 10 and 15, secretly stood behind me watching as I previewed a rough cut of the trailer on my laptop.  After a few minutes, I felt drool hit the top of my head – I turned around, and I caught the two boys staring googly-eyed at my monitor, hungry for more.  I think it was the 15-year-old that drooled.  That’s a good sign.

So, if you have it edited, why not release it now? Lots of music, sound editing, and special effects still need to be done.  Plus, we’ll be getting feedback from other industry professionals before making it live to the public.  This guarantees we launch the absolute best trailer for Fresh Fruit Pie!

All will be perfected and ready to shine to the world by early May.   Check back as often as possible, become a facebook fan, or follow us on twitter to be first in line to watch the upcoming trailer release.

For now – Vote to get Fresh Fruit Pie into stores.

Fresh Fruit Pie isn’t just a product, it’s a movement – to make the world of family entertainment awesome.   Our company is small, passionate, and uncontrolled by the big studios – which means we don’t have to report to uncreative “money people” and can focus completely on making amazing videos.  Revolutions by nature must start small before growing huge:  they challenge the established way of doing things.

The one key to making this revolution successful?  Getting Fresh Fruit Pie into big stores such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

However, there’s one problem.  The stores don’t respect small studios, only big ones like Fox or Warner Brothers.  They only stock titles that have tons of marketing dollars thrown at them or a huge grassroots following.

That’s where we come in.  If we can build a huge community behind a revolutionary kids video such as Fresh Fruit Pie, if we can build a list of 5,000…10,000…or even 100,000 people, the stores will have to listen, or they’ll feel like they’re missing out on the next big thing (which is correct).

You can be part of this movement by casting your vote right now. Type your e-mail into the box below and hit “Sign Me Up!” to join our ranks of world-changers. We’ll keep you updated on Fresh Fruit Pie’s latest happenings, including exclusive news and awesome offers. As always, we’ll never sell your e-mail address to anyone or spam you with useless garbage.

Every vote counts. Seriously. So join now to be part of something huge.

Related posts:

1. Trailer Released for First Episode: “Party!”
2. Logo Contest Launches Today – Prize $300
3. World Premiere: Sept. 17-19. DVD Release: Oct. 5.

In fact, it might end up too crazy and random.  To be safe, we’ve decided to balance the show by casting a “Host” (much like a game show host) to tie all the show’s nuttiness together into a neat little package.

Of course, we couldn’t just cast some guy in a suit.  That would be too predictable.  Even in a role that’s meant to balance out the craziness, we still want this character to knock us off our rockers.

So we began brainstorming – what kind of unique flavor could the Host portray?  How could we capture a look, personality, and flair that’s never been seen before?

Normally we’d keep these kinds of ideas secret, but in this special case, we’ll sneak you into our creative process.  At the end of our brainstorming sessions, we decided that the Host should have three traits:

• A “little person.”  Not a kid, but an adult who happens to be very short.
• A bubbly chap with a fake or real English accent (ala John Cleese)
• Can rip up da’ floor with his wicked dance moves

Since this character plays such a crucial role, the standards were high.  But then again, so are the standards for everything else we do on the show.

The big question..were they too high? Where in South Bend could we find a dancing John-Cleese-impersonator with dwarfism?  No way – not in this small ‘burg.

It was time to branch out. We posted messages all over actors’ networks and casting forums throughout the U.S..  To be honest, our hopes of finding anyone to match our strict criteria were slim.

But a couple weeks later, we received a Youtube audition from Michael Marius Massett, a guy in Chicago who performs a lot of roles related to his 4′1″ height.  I took one look at the special reel he made for us - my jaw hit the floor, and four words entered my mind.

Best.  Video.  Resume.  Ever.

Absolutely perfect.  His dancing, comedic timing, and (fake) British accent were amazing.  Clearly stumbling on a talented guy, I called him ASAP to get him on board.

He was instantly excited about playing the Host - and pretty thrilled that we weren’t asking him to play an Elf, Oompa-Loompa, or Leprechaun (which are most of his gigs).

Posted below is one of our favorite of his auditions.  Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Casting a Real-Life Homeless Man in a Video
2. Our Best Digital Video Camera Ever – aka The Ray Cannon

Looks like it would blast a hole in the wall as much as it would record video.

And lovin’ it.

The “Ray Cannon,” as we lovingly call it, gives the phrase “shoot your actors” a whole new meaning.  Cobbled together with some of the best equipment in the business, we’ve constructed a behemoth that’s capable of some truly knockout video – only the best for Fresh Fruit Pie.  Not only does this puppy pull some great images, it demands respect on set for its sheer presence.

With all the parts we slap on this baby, it’s pretty much the digital camera version of Frankenstein.  We like our gear big and mean.

What kind of images can you get from this camera?

The Ray Cannon’s performance is pretty impressive.  With this digital video camera setup, we have extreme control over lighting, color, mood, and background blurriness (also known as ”depth of field”) to bring out the most amazing images possible.  Once we release the trailer for Fresh Fruit Pie, you’ll see what we’re talking about.

How can I build my own Ray Cannon?

We’re not big on keeping secrets.  We’re big on spreading good news around the world and sharing our success with others.  That’s why we’re providing the exact recipe for our super-camera FOR FREE.  Just in case you have an itch to build one yourself.

The Base Unit

The Panasonic HVX200.  This camera swept the independent film world a few years ago with revolutionary, low-cost, high-definition 24p video.  It also features true slow motion!  After several years of being introduced, it’s still a leader in creating fantastic video.

Background Blurriness.

Standard video cameras don’t provide as much control over ”background bluriness” that super-expensive film cameras do.   The presence of that “background bluriness” is how most people tell whether a video is “professional/expensive” or “amateur/cheap.”

A few years ago, some genius actually invented a way to create that blurriness on a standard video camera.  Voila, we have the Cinevate Brevis.  It allows us to slap professional camera lenses (in our case, Canon FDs) onto a video camera, giving us a level of control that cameras thousands of dollars more would normally have.

The Sticks

What’s the point of a nice camera if the image shakes all over the place?  That’s where a solid tripod comes to save the day.  We use the Manfrotto 055XB Pro Tripod with 503HDV Fluid Video Head.  It’s pricey but very, very worth it.

The Ray Cannon is a beast, tough to lug around, and so top heavy that sometimes we get very close to accidentally knocking it to the floor.  But it’s the workhorse of our arsenal, and Fresh Fruit Pie wouldn’t exist without it.

Like this behind the scenes article?  Then leave some comment love below.

Related posts:

1. Casting a Real-Life Homeless Man in a Video

Like we mentioned in our last post, our internship program is not typical in any way, shape, or form.  We have no desire to belittle our interns with meaningless paper-shuffling or coffee brewing.  With the Fresh Fruit Pie internship program, our interns will earn real behind-the-scenes experience.  When finished with our program, interns will gain an edge needed to thrive in the brutally competitive entertainment business.

You’ve got my attention.  Give me details…

The first episode of Fresh Fruit Pie launches this fall, and there’s a huge amount of cool things that need to happen before then.  Interns will get ground-floor access to the workings behind this launch and build a portfolio of experience that can’t be purchased.

We will accept resumés and cover letters through April 9, 2010.  Internships start mid-May and last until mid-August.

Our internship positions are really exciting: titles like New Media Marketing, Public Relations, and Comedy Journalism.

Sure you’ve got cool job titles, but why work with a small film company instead of a big studio?

With a big studio, you’ll get lost in the hustle and bustle.  You’ll file papers in cabinets or get stuck making junky coffee all summer long.  Boring.  And think about it – would you really want something like the following on your resume?

Big Studio X. Paper Shuffler – Summer 2010
- Shuffled papers all day long while son of rich filmmaker from the 1970’s makes dumb movie off dumb script
- Got yelled at when I didn’t meet paper shuffling quota
- Took boss’s laundry to the cleaners in expedient and efficient fashion

We’re small and intimate, but we make as big a splash as we can.  With the Fresh Fruit Pie project, everything you do will directly make a difference.  Isn’t that what made you choose your major in the first place, to ultimately work on a team of talented people doing what you’re truly passionate about?

You got me… I’m sold.  So how do I sign up?

Check out our summer film internship position page to submit your resumé and cover letter.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Related posts:

1. Film Internships Coming Summer 2010
2. Best Logo Design Selected
3. Up Wins Best Animated Feature Film Oscar for 2010 … Duh