Hello and happy Wednesday! Zach is back with a new episode of Doing
Indy and this week we went out to the newly renovated and recently
reopened NCAA Hall of Champions. For those of you that have been there
before they closed over a year ago, you are in for a treat! All the
interactive exhibits they brought in turned this museum from a "look
but don't touch" to a museum you can EXPERIENCE! Everyone will be
surprised just how much fun you can have here while learning the true
message of the NCAA Hall of Champions.

Happy St. Patty's day! It has been a long road but Doing Indy is
finally making it's way back for a fourth season! This season the show
will have a different look, different feel and a different host. We
will still be covering all the fun, hip, unique and interesting things
happening in Indianapolis and we start off with a slam dunk... no pun
intended... well maybe it was. Indy played host to 38 games of
basketball in 31 days counting the Men's and Women's Big Ten
Tournament, Indiana Pacers, State High School playoffs, all leading up
to the NCAA Men's Regionals at the end of March.  As a special bonus for Myspace friends, the episode includes a special, extended intro.  Check it out!

Hosted By: Seth Hancock/Zach Rutledge
When: Saturday Nov 08, 2008
at 7:00 PM
Where The Ugly Monkey
50 W. South Street
Indianapolis, IN 46225
United States
Description:
DOING INDY Year-End Celebration - Hosted by Seth and Zach - Free music and fun from Indy's best Rockin' band... MARDELAY. While we cannot buy your drinks, we can provide fun, great music, great people and a chance to be on TV. This is an event YOU don't want to miss.
Seth Hancock/Zach Rutledge

Click Here To View Event

Hosted By: Seth Hancock
When: Saturday Nov 08, 2008
at 7:00 PM
Where The Ugly Monkey
50 W. South Street
Indianapolis, IN 46225
United States
Description:
Seth Hancock

Click Here To View Event

Hey all,

Since I don't have a way to communicate with everyone I need to, I thought I would use this forum to share some incredibly amazing news we received over the weekend. The music video that many of you worked on and were "Extras" in has just been awarded the SILVER TELLY AWARD (there are no gold awards and silver is the best they offer - don't ask me why...) in our category. We beat out 14,000 other entries to take home the prize.

If you have never heard of the Telly's then that's OK too. They are as popular and as sought after as an Emmy or Oscar. Many people like Disney World, Morgan Freeman, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Productions, etc. have won this prestigious award. It is the equivalent to the Emmy but on a smaller scale in that the voting is open to the smallest production company doing great work. They look at film, commercials, specialty videos, etc. and determine the best of the best. Companies from all over the world submit their work regardless of size of company or campaign to get recognized. We submitted our video in travel category and were declared the winner. This is truly amazing not only for me and the production work behind this effort but it is incredibly significant for Indianapolis.

There are so many people who made this possible from the lighting people to the extras to the post production and editing work to the people who helped get Jon from one place to another. This is also a nice feather in Zach and my cap in that we worked over a five month periods to make this happen. If you were able to be a part of this great video then please take a bow and pat yourself on the back (as I can't physically reach through this computer and do it myself) for being a part of this video. When I see you I will make it a point to personally thank you for your efforts!

If you can't tell... I am REALLY, REALLY excited. And, rightfully so DAMMIT!!! This was a lot of work and a damn good video! This is just another reason why Indianapolis deserves more recognition as a great city with great people.

Rock On,
Seth

Yep, you guessed it. It is me! Starting tomorrow (05.02.08) I, Seth Hancock, will be the newest addition/contributor to the FOX 59 Morning Team. Apparently they liked what they were seeing on Doing Indy and asked me if I would join their team. The best part is that I am joining their team as Seth Hancock from Doing Indy and not as some talking head. I actually get to be out in the field and do fun things while meeting great people.

This is really exciting in that Doing Indy was an idea I had more than 3 years ago and look how far it has come. FOX said that they are going to have links on their site directing people back to Doing Indy and starting in August Doing Indy will be a :30 minute show on CW4 (Channel 4). The most difficult part is to try to remain cool and collected during the process. I am going to be so excited and will want to cover everything. I just have to remember that they are in charge, they pursued me and at any time they can say it's not working out. So, it will behoove me to play ball as best as I can with them. That will be somewhat difficult since I have always done my own thing.

If you get the chance, check me out and let me know what you think of my appearance on 05/02 @ 8:50am and then on 05/05 @ 6:40am, 7:20am and 8:12am. Also, say a little prayer for me that I don't fall flat on my face. There is a massive difference between shooting to tape (which is what we always do for Doing Indy) and being live. I always enjoy the ability to "do it again" whenever we are out at a shoot. I don't have that luxury here. And, the worst part... I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON! So when you see me and I seem like I am bouncing off the walls then just think to yourself that I have had about 8 cups of coffee before going on camera. Just call me Cornholioi!!!

Wish me luck and make sure you watch to tell me how much I rock or how much I suck! :)

Seth

Most of you who know me know that I am a HUGE South Park fan. A couple of weeks ago there was an episode that featured Britney Spears. The premise of the show is that Britney is hounded so much by the paparazzi to the point where she shoots herself in the head with a shotgun. She subsequently blows off the top of her head including her brain, eyes and nose. She doesn’t die though. This clearly states that Trey and Matt were saying that she is a brainless person. And, as long as she can still move, dance and "try" to sing then people can make money off her. So, that got me thinking about music.

Later that night, I was channel-surfing and came across a series of Paul McCartney concerts on a great channel called Ovation TV. It’s channel 274 on DirecTV so check your local listings for this channel from your service provider. I ended up watching two full-length concerts from Macca (as his fans call him). I found myself smiling, singing along, tapping my feet and fingers and not wanting to change the channel. I thought how can anyone ever feel sad, depressed or down when listening to this. I also recently watched a DVD concert of Queen and found myself singing, tapping and interested the ENTIRE time. Again, that got me thinking more and more about the state of music.

As a classically-trained pianist and someone proficient in 11 different instruments, I openly admit that I am drawn to good musicians, good music, good and thoughtful songwriting and good live performances. So, yes, perhaps I am a music snob but I don’t think I am the only one who believes music being produced today leaves a lot to be desired. Where’s the emotion, passion and personality in the music being produced today? I have an EXTENSIVE iTunes collection that ranges from Alison Krauss to Public Enemy to Luciano Pavaratti to Prince to Gorillaz. I LOVE good music. So when I look on the iTunes top 10 songs and see a lot of groups I have never heard of I always like to listen to the previews to see if there is something I am missing. I tried to like Flo Rida’s "Low" but the more and more I tried to like it the more and more I wanted to have maple syrup poured all over my body and then thrown onto a Fire Ant pile. It’s a shame that this type of music exists when thousands and thousands of great musicians never get their songs recorded or heard.

I would like to think of myself as hip and progressive but I am having trouble finding great musicians that I want to listen to 30 years from now. So thank you Paul McCartney, The Beatles, John Lennon, The Doors, Neil Finn, Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Brothers, Prince, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Ani Defranco, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Guster, Vertical Horizon, Nirvana, Matt Nathanson, Mindy Smith, John Mellencamp, Iggy Pop, Sex Pistols, A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC, Public Enemy, Steely Dan, Metallica, Shawn Colvin, Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, Louis Armstrong, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Jackie Wilson and Johnny Cash! You make listening to music fun and exciting and remind me why I started playing piano and listening to music in the first place.

What's up y'all???

It's been something like two months since we have recorded and shot an episode of Doing Indy. Well, we are back and with a vengeance. Our most recent episode (81) kicks off the new season of Doing Indy and we got to go swimming with dolphins. WATCH IT HERE!!! Well, you don't actually swim with the dolphins you kinda get to wade in the pool. But you do get to touch and feel a dolphin, give it commands and learn about them in an up close and personal way that you WILL NOT find anywhere else outside of the two coasts. I mean, no other zoo or location in and around the Indy area offers this type of experience. This was just fun!

It's an amazing experience to see this 500lb. creature in front of you. They are truly beautiful mammals with personality to spare. One of them actually rested on my leg and you can see my reaction in the latest episode. But what is ultimately great about this or any other episode of Doing Indy is that you can do this too. If you are really into dolphins and want that personal experience then I recommend you contact the Indy Zoo and schedule your time with them. It is certainly something you will never forget and a life changing experience for other.

Lastly, as you know we stated in the last episode of Doing Indy 2.0 that this season will be about you "showing us your Indy." Well, that's exactly how this episode (Season Three Opener-81) came about. While I was on vacation, Lisa Oland from the Indy Zoo sent me an email asking if we could feature the Dolphin Encounter (BTW, that's the "official" name of the spending the time with dolphins in the water thingy). Since this is near and dear to her we asked her if we could feature her too and have her tell us why Indy is important to her. She agreed; we shot the show. My point is we want YOU to tell us what makes Indy unique to you and what we should be covering. If you have a story idea or think we need to cover something then please send me a not and we will get YOU on Doing Indy. Just send me a note here.

This is going to be a great season and I hope you are all along for the ride. Until next time...

Peace,
Seth

On Christmas Eve, Lisa and I went to see Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. We went to the 3:05 showing at United Artists Theater at Circle Centre Mall. We were two of a grand total of four people in the theater at the time (apparently this is a GREAT time and day to see a movie). I had my popcorn and Mr. Pibb and was ready to laugh. I had no idea how much I would laugh during the next 2 hours.

This is a tremendously funny movie!!! Sure there is a lot of parody, satire and slapstick but it is really well written and the story is interesting and compelling (even though there is a lot of spoofing of Walk the Line and Ray). John C. Reilly is fantastic as he always is, funny and a really nice singer (he sings the songs in this movie). Unlike a lot of other spoofs which are clumsily made, poorly shot and have no story, this movie is surprisingly good for a spoof. There are cameos from great comedic actors liks Harold Ramis, Jane Lynch (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind) and Paul Rudd. There are even appearances from Lyle Lovett and Eddie Vedder. This story parodies the opening on Walk the Line with LOTS and LOTS of purposeful foreshadowing throughout.

Basically, we follow the life of a musician and how he struggles to make it in the music industry. We see him get married and have a kid at 15, get famous, meet Elvis (played by Jack White by the way), get involved in drugs and explore the adulterous temptations of being on the road. The scene in his hotel room while he is talking on the phone with his wife is by far one of my personal favorites. We actually see him go through a number of periods in his life and I think the writers and director did a great job of keeping you entertained and interested in the story while making you laugh out loud over and over and over again.

Lisa and I were pointing out some of the great nuances and idiosyncrasies to each other while looking at all the different celebrities who make various appearances throughout. Frankie Muniz as Buddy Holly is kind of funny too. Rarely do you find a parody movie that not only makes you laugh but provides a great story that is interesting and captivating.

Lisa and I laughed out loud many, many times and I would strongly recommend that you see it when you have the chance this holiday season. Most of you know i don't write movie reviews on my blog here but after seeing this movie, I was so compelled and entertained and pleasantly surprised that I had to write something. If you are looking for a really entertaining and fun movie that does what movies are supposed to do by providing a temporary escape from the world in which we live then Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story gets my vote.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Seth

WHADDUP?

Wow! A lot has happened since I have last written something. I got married, went to Scotland, finished taping the last Doing Indy of the season and FINALLY completed the long-awaited Jon McLaughlin music video. Oh yeah, and on top of all that I finally quit using nicotine/tobacco. As you can imagine, the last month has been crazy, fun, exciting, drunken and complicated.

First things first, I got married to Lisa. Many of you know her and know how incredible she is. I am the fortunate one in this relationship. We had a great, small and quick wedding at Beck Chapel in Bloomington (pictures will be posted on my MySpace page as soon as they are sent to us) and had a ROCKIN' reception/party that went until 3 A.M. After that we were on a plane to Scotland. I have pictures of the trip but I have been lazy in getting them up. I have been preoccupied with a couple of other things so I think I can slide on this one.

When I returned I had three episodes to work on for the show. Fortunately Zach and I have been able to keep up with Doing Indy and the demands of a weekly show while working on the Jon video, getting married and heading off to Scotland. We didn't miss a beat. My goal was to get 40 episodes shot this year and we were able to accomplish that goal. The 80th episode (the 40th this season) airs tomorrow (December 5th) and it is a nice recap of the entire season of Doing Indy. You have to watch it solely for the intro from America's Next Top Model Jaslene Gonzalez and her stellar opening of the show. Who says models aren't smart?

Lastly, we finished the Jon McL music video. It airs officially on Thursday, December 6th. However, if you are a loyal viewer of Doing Indy (or you just go to www.DOINGINDY.com on Wednesday) you will be able to see it before anyone else does. We have been receiving nothing but great comments and remarks regarding this video. Everyone in Jon's camp is super-excited about the video as well as most people in Indy who have seen it thus far. I have yet to hear from Jon but expect to hear something from him this week about it.

We worked long and hard to make this video a reality. We first pitched this concept to Jon and his management back in June. We finally agreed on some shooting dates, flew Jon in for two days in September and started post producing in October. We are the only city in the country (that I am aware of) who are using a national recording artist to promote a city. This is just another item we are using to promote Indy. We are innovators, revolutionaries!

Make sure you check out the new video and season finale of Doing Indy. Both can be seen at DOING INDY. I will have more later as I just wanted to be able to write something since it has been a little over a month (a very busy month) since I had last posted something. I would love to hear what you think of the video so please drop me a note after you check it out.

Peace,
Seth