EVOLUTION OF THE JIMMIE RODGERS TEXAS MUSIC & FILM FIESTA
The story on our past two date changes for the first annual Jimmy Rodgers Texas Film and Music Fiesta goes back to March 6, 2020. After we heard that South by Southwest was going to pull the plug, we went into action to pull our 2020 kickoff date for the Jr. Fiesta due to COVID-19 fears. During January 2022, we began laying the track to go back to the venues and talent to find a date. Even at that time, it was a slow process because many folks were just getting back in the mode to do shows, tour and book tours. Working with the great grandkids of Jimmie Rodgers, we started getting the train back on track.
As Willie Nelson says, “My dreams are dreaming me.” After a couple of months, the growth in interest from the city of San Antonio, State of Texas, music talent, filmmakers, authors, special guest, venues, and organizations was 110 percent positive responses. The date September 5 through 8, 2023 had been set and we were penciling in those jumping on the Jimmy Rogers Wild West Runaway train. Week by week the JR Fiesta grew and grew, thereby dreaming us. And some of the financial tracks we were riding on were indicating that more time was needed per the growth of the Fiesta. By the nature of the idea. Victor Hugo said there's nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
Central to the idea and plan of the Fiesta was to live and virtually live stream the four-day event. We knew that the way to bring in the advertising money and production money needed was to sell the production to a digital media company, also apply for city and state funds to put the show on track financially. Event producer director Benford Standley has a 28-year history in streaming events. With some amazing interest in talks that began with the digital streaming companies and advertising dollars we realized that more time was needed to make the deals. Most grants and city and state money have already been used for 2023. The media and sponsorship deals were also going to need more time to negotiate and close the deals to begin preproduction and production. Again, this new evolution of the idea came after we were beginning to set the who, where and when.
Being enough ahead of the curve booking the event we had not put anything in ink and saw that we must make the rational and financial move and slide the date to give more time to make the deals and further adapt the project to the direction that the new media companies were setting out to launch in 2024. In addition to prepare our various funding sources to meet the tremendous growth of the festival during these past months of preproduction of the music and film extravaganza.
In talks with one of our creative consultants we were reminded of the long and winding road in the beginning of what would become the Sundance Film Festival. Sometimes it takes some changes to keep the dream alive. Sundance had its beginnings summer of 1978 starting as the Utah Film Festival. Beginning with two years of financial struggle in 1980 the dream packed up and moved to Park City. After the move the money problems kept mounting as the festival grew for the next five years. You might say the dream was saved with Robert Redford and his Sundance Institute coming on board and the dream becoming the Sundance Film Festival in 1991 after several name changes.
The First Annual JIMMIE RODGERS TEXAS MUSIC AND FILM FIESTA is set is on track for 2024
in the San Antonio, Texas downtown historic “Theater District” of Houston Street including the Majestic Theater, the Gunter Hotel, the old location of the Sunset Railroad Station now known as The Espee, the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum and more to be announced through the months of 2023. Below you will find more on the DreamScape and plans that are on track...
CLICK FOR MORE ON FIESTA
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Musicians, Actors, Venues,
Filmmakers, Volunteers, Sponsors & Production
Staff, Street Musician
Jump on the Train
WHY THE JIMMIE RODGERS TEXAS MUSIC
AND FILM FIESTA IS IN SAN ANTONIO
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Jimmie Rodgers & Will Rogers
A DIGITAL META EXTRAVAGNAZA
The DreamScape & Storyboard
Producer/Director/Creator Benford Standley
Associate Producers James and Austin Court
the great grandsons of Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers Saga
As told by Buffalo Benford with Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, Tanya Tucker, Les Paul, Rosanne Cash,
Kris Kristofferson, Aaron Neville, Steve Earle, Buck Owens, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Bobby Bare, David Ball & More
Music, Books, Films, Taco
Cookoff, Margarita Mixoff,
Trains, Buskin' Musicians
A Fiesta of Live and Virtual Entertainment