Thursday, October 29, 2015

Editor's Note October 29, 2015


Getting ready for the M3 Weekly hangout this Sunday at 2 pm eastern. I really appreciate everyone's patience with us as we took last week off.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Editor's Note 10 - 19-15


Just wanted to thank everyone who joined us for the M3 Weekly Hangout yesterday. If you missed the episode you can watch the archive here Also wanted to let everyone know we'll be taking next week off but we'll be back at our regular time Sunday Nov 1st at 2pm eastern

Saturday, October 03, 2015

Mind Droppings: On Social Justice

I’m starting this videos series because I have a lot of ideas on my mind that I’m want to share through M3, but sometimes as the role of the host and moderator I have to take a step back and allow our guests and contributors have a chance to speak their mind. So often I’m left wanting to say more than what I can on M3. Other times I just want to make sure that my position is clear. So this is the first video for my YouTube series I'm calling Mind Droppings.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Editor's Note September 28, 2015

Just wanted to thank everyone who joined us for the M3 Weekly Hangout Sunday. As always I appreciate your support of M3 and your contributions to our community. If you missed the live broadcast you can watch the link here: http://youtu.be/vwGmAcEs4Bk also thanks to Mark, Lonnie, Xavier, Jeff and Gerald for joining. Thanks to Breeze for promoting it. Thanks to our audience who asked questions and to the group members who commented.A also just mention some of the issues we've had getting the Empire Podcast listed on iTunes and other projects coming down the line.

Friday, September 18, 2015

The Last Word on Femininity and Masculinity

It seems that guys get really defensive about their masculine card getting checked. Yesterday I posed an M3 Bear Essentials video entitled “Where Have All The Real Tops Gone” and I was not surprised when outrage started to pour forth. I chose a provocative title because I wanted people to participate in the discussion thread on the post and possibly watch he video. I figured once they watched the video the meaning of the title would be understood.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Editor's Note for Spetember 14, 2015

In this video I thanked all of the M3 contributors who joined me for the M3 Weekly Hangout. I discussed some of the topics that we covered as well as the solo video that Lonnie made in response to one of the topics. We had a higher than normal turnout for the live recording. Special thanks to those who participated in the Q & A and for those who participate in the discussion threads on social media.

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Editor's Note September 9, 2015

In this video I discuss my visit to Atlanta for Labor Day weekend Black Pride. I have to say it was one of the best experiences of my life. Realizing that I have so many great friends has really energized my efforts with M3. So many people showed their support and give me some input into things that we could be doing. I was also able to make some new connections that I think will prove to be fruitful. Thank you to everyone who made this weekend so special. Know that your love and support is appreciated.

Friday, August 28, 2015

Editor's Note August 28, 2015

In this video I discuss the video I posed yesterday where the graphic that might be misinterpreted as some sort of accusation. It is not, and no one has said that it seemed like one, but I just thought if I went ahead and switched it out it could prevent anyone who might have such an interpretation. I can be clear about the fact that when I used the image it was just a random picture from a Google search. I also wanted to thank everyone who participated in the conference calls this week to prepare for the hangout. I think the hangout this week is going to be better for having done them.

Monday, August 24, 2015

Editor's Note August 24, 2015

In this video I talk about the hangout we had yesterday (View the Hangout Here). Special thanks to Breeze Vincinz, Gerald Hogan, Xavier Spann, Jeffery Roman, Ja'Won Blackmon, Jose Oquendo Mojica and Lonnie Richardson for joining in on the discussion. We had a lively Q and A the topics were on point. Everything went a little longer than planned but with the extra hour buffer we were able to cover all the topics. In the video I cover the discussions we had and talk a little bit about how we've been taking a few breaks here and there and how we'll still have plenty of videos to publish because of hangouts like this one.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Editor's Note August 22, 2015

Had a good time guest hosting the M3 Entertainment Hangout last night. (you can watch the video here) I'd like to thank Corey Drummond, Jose Oquendo Mojica, Lonnie Richardson, Breeze Vincinz, Ali Lopez, Ja'Won Blackmon and Mark Estes for joining in on the discussion. It was the first time I've hosted the Entertainment Hangout while Mark was away. The whole thing went smoothly. Mark was missed, but it was cool to see him drop in for a little while drunk off his ass and having fun at a friend's wedding. I really am looking forward to getting the M3 Gang together to talk about the things that interest us. I'm also making sure to have another conference call today to discuss the topics that will be brought up in tomorrow's hangout. We had conference Tuesday which cleared up a lot Hot Topics, but I need a better handle on the current events and make sure I'm caught up on the trending topics people are most interested in discussing.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

M3 Life Journal August 19, 2015

I just had a few thoughts about willpower. In this video I discuss finding an internal motivation to get in shape. I think doing this journal is a part of that discovery process. It seems to me that if you don't like what it is you're doing you're not going to be doing it for very long. And when it comes to health and fitness you have to think of the long game.


Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Editor's Note August 17, 2015

In this video I discuss my weekend off in Atlanta to see Fanatic Four, eat barbecue and go to hangout with friends at Lake Lanier. I felt inspired to write more than usual while in Atlanta. I found myself thinking about the topic of friendship in my journal. I'm looking forward to writing an article about that and some of the revelations I had over this past weekend. I also thanked Mark O Estes for carrying on the M3 Entertainment hangout without any help from me. I was really proud to see that he was able to host a great show introducing a new contributor to the broadcast and dealing with all the technical issues that can arise all by himself. Looking forward to having Corey Drummond as a part of M3 and the Entertainment hangouts each Friday.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Editor's Note August 12, 2015

In this video I talk about the hangout we had this past Sunday. It was one of our largest hangouts and we managed to quite a few topics discussed. The videos I've edited so far deal with issues ranging from skin tone to commitment in long term relationships. One of the things I've discovered during the editing process is that we often go outside the bounds of the topics and touch on other topics that we might want to discuss in detail in the future. As we've accumulated episodes it has become more and more difficult to find fresh martial, but this week we kept diversions to such a minimum that that we have a whole other hangout full of topics that we can discuss when we get back on the 23rd.

Monday, August 10, 2015

15,08-09 M3 Google Hangout Live

I haven't published the M3 Weekly hangouts on the M3 blog, but each week we put together a three hour program that I tend edit into shorter segments which I then publish as the M3 Bear Essentials. Those edited segments are published each Tuesday and Thursday. I felt like people wouldn't watch the M3 Hangouts all the way through after we finish the live broadcast, but I might have been wrong. It seems like a lot of people actually sit through the entire program. I still think publishing the shorter segments is a valuable service to prove those who don;t want to see the whole things, but at the same time I should provide a home for the video on my blog. Still I'm not sure it would be appropriate to publish the entire video on the main blog, but that's why I've been using my own blog to such an effect.

Saturday, August 08, 2015

M3 Life Journal August 8, 2015


In this video I talk about going to weight watchers for the first time in nine months. I talk about tracking and measuring success and how there is no finish line. Success is getting to the point where you enjoy what you're doing and it becomes part of your daily life. Tracking your progress is simply a way for you to adjust your program when necessary. 

Wednesday, August 05, 2015

M3 Life Journal August 4,2015

This is my first video for my M3 Life Journal. What I hope to do in these video is express my personal struggles with weight loss and to get a dialogue started round the area of health and fitness. I'm not exactly the thinnest guy and I don't have the best diet and exercise habits, so I think people should be able to relate to my struggles. I'm also doing this because getting in shape is important to me. Getting up and going to the gym in the morning is one of the hardest things I've done. I want make sure it sticks.

The reason for making the M3 Life community is asking people for their emotional support. Weight Watchers was such a success for me because I got a lot of people's stories in those classes. I didn't like the nutrition and exercise program, but the focus on mutual support and community was eye opening. I hope that I can get some feedback from others who are interested in being a part of larger community of supportive bears who are interested in fitness. I'd like to know what topics you'd be interested in discussing as it comes to physical and mental heath, self improvement, and spirituality. I want M3 life to grow much like many of the other areas of M3 life have grown, but I need your help.

Monday, August 03, 2015

Editor's Note August 2, 2015

In my latest video I review the topics that we discussed int today’s hangout. We kept it tight. Leaving each topic only 15. Starting with the trending topics, we moved into a discussion about friends and boyfriends, thruways, an article about Kevin Heart’s recent comments, the value of marriage in the gay and black communities, socialization, gay culture and the use of labels.

Friday, July 31, 2015

Editor's Note July 30, 2015

In this editor's not I talk about the four videos that I was able to edit and schedule from the the last hangout as well as my attempts to give the other editors of M3 enough autonomy to allow them to create their own content. 

Monday, July 27, 2015

Editor's Note July 26, 2015

In this video I discuss some of the topics we covered in today's hangout as well as which segments will be made into episodes for the the M3 Bear Essentials show. I'd really like to thank Mark and Jeff for helping me in a conference call the night before the hangout. It's something I've wanted to do for a while, but couldn't find the time. A little bit of planning goes a long way.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Editor's Note July 24, 2015

Tonight, before the entertainment hangout, I recorded a few thoughts about  what's going on with M3. It's been a few months since the last time I recorded an editor's note and I want to continue improving the quality and quantity of content we publish on our platforms. A lot of what does that is soliciting feedback from our audience and from our online communities to get a better understanding of what interests them most. These notes can be a part of that process. Feel free to inbox me on Facebook or to send me an e-mail with your questions or comments.  

Tuesday, July 07, 2015

Conviction



I rarely, if ever, feel guilty for the scum I put in prison. Maybe having prosecuted three hundred or more criminals has made me cynical, having heard every possible, yet implausible, defense. But I felt sorry for Ronald Williams. He was going to die Friday and I had good reason to believe there was nothing I could do about it. That was until Terri decided to recant her statement.

Two days ago, she arrived like a college girl wandering the dormitory, barefoot, wearing nothing but a very long T-shirt that grabbed her knees when she sat. She was at home in this place, the interview room at the county jail. Her hair, a mass of copper brown, a shinny new penny, loosely pulled behind her ears. Along her arms, her skin was tattooed with flowers and small daggers drawn in deep blue ink. Others, on her legs, right up to her mid-thigh, were harder for a polite person to look at. She pulled a cigarette, lit and dragged it, then began to talk.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

The full comment for M3 Bear Essentials: Relationship Status Resposibility



View the video here

After looking at the video from the M3 website, I was a little concerned about the entire conversation. It appeared the commentary attempted to downplay relationships as just a minor, insignificant occurrence that just happens in peoples lives every now then - no big deal, mixed with the ever popular “you’re not missing out on anything”. I found it especially troubling that some of the comments appeared to automatically place men in a category who strive to have a lasting relationship as deficient in self-esteem or are emotionally lacking in some areas. As someone who has never been in a relationship, I happen to find that this is just another example of blaming the victim. Often times those who yearn for a relationship have done nothing wong to hinder their chances - many happen to be a victim of circumstance. Instead of focusing on the individual(s) who are not as lucky in finding love, I wish the conversation would have explored some reasons as to WHY the black gay community finds itself having high numbers of long-term singled men and tips on how to find someone for those who do in fact struggle. I find that these conversations tend to place the burden of responsibility (or blame) on those who are single long term, rather than encouraging characteristics that would ultimately help them find the love the wish to have. Its not always the fault of the individual for the reason(s) they are single. At some point, we as black gay men will need to discuss the root cause of this matter.

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

M3 Writer's Workshop Month 2

We're going to make this month a lot simpler. There's only one exercise none to choose from, but we're going to add a twist. We're going to combine this exercise from one of the exercises from last month. We;re reading Paradise by Toni Morrison and the exercise will be the same length 2500 to 5000 words due by the end of the month. 

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Editor's Note 15,02-22

Thanks to everyone who has joined us Saturday for the M3 Weekly Hangout. I really appreciate the level of participation we've gotten from our contributors and viewers. It seems that a week passes by so quickly when it gets time to prepare for the hangouts. It can take up a large chunk of one's weekend, so I'm very much appreciative of the people who take time out of their day to help M3 grow as a community. I do it because I see it as a mission to spread unity and produce uplifting content. I'm sure many others do so just for the company, but for whatever reason people support us I'm glad that they are there. I'd especially like to thank Breeze, Ja'Won, Gerald and Mark for joining me this Saturday. We got quite a few segments that will be coming out of this hangout over the next few weeks and I'm glad that they could be a part of it. I talk a little bit more about this in the video, and I hope to see everyone next Sunday as we'll be moving the hangouts from Saturday.

Saturday, February 07, 2015

Editor's Note - February 6,2015

Just wanted to give a quick update on what's going on with M3. Just finished editing a video companion to Mark's article about boundaries within friendships. I think the video is one that I'm very proud of and could be relevant to almost anyone dealing with a similar friendship situation, and I'm glad he shared his story with us. I also finished editing the third episode of the M3 Bearcast and will be putting out a the next episode on Tuesday. I'm excited about the direction the podcast is going in, and I'm thinking that subsequent episodes will dig into the topics even more. I haven't had this much satisfaction from a creative endeavor since I started M3. Maybe I should have started a podcast a long time ago.

Sunday, February 01, 2015

M3 Writer's Workshop: Month 1


Starting the M3 Writer's Workshop this month. I'm hoping we get full participation from our writing contributors. The idea is one that I've been brewing for a while. I wanted to get some feedback and motivation from other writer's who wanted to work their writing muscles. Each month I'll introduce a series of writing exercises designed to stimulate different aspects of the writing craft. It's basically designed to be modular so that each exercise has a beginner level, intermediate and advanced option. It's very similar to a workout video where the instructor does one for of the exercise and then others in the back demonstrate the easy and hard variations of the same movement. We'll also be reading a book to discuss at the end of the month.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Editor's Note January 30, 2015

Thinking about tomorrow's hangout I discuss some of the things to expect over the next week. We have the second episode of the M3 Bearcast, another article by Mark Estes and my article about the meaning of life. We discussed starting a writer's workshop within the M3 writing contriutor's to M3. I also talk about starting a book club and explain the first title that we'll be reading. I hope to produce a podcast episode deciated to just the book and the writer's workshop.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Editor's Note January 23, 2015

Just finished the conference call with my new contributors and I'm very excited about the content that we'll be producing over the next week. I'm cooking diner now and will review the popular news stories of the past week in order to prepare for the hangout tomorrow.

Making the video in this post was really helpful in preparing for the conference call tonight and I plan on making it a regular practice in running M3. I think we had a productive meeting, even though many of us were busy and had to multitask. I think it went well because I put in a lot of extra time preparing for the meeting and I clear sense of purpose. I'm taking my role as editor seriously as I bring on new contributors.

Tuesday, January 06, 2015

Editor's Note for Jan 6, 2015

I’m not sure how much effort I want to put into writing this personal blog when I have so many other things I need to be doing for M3. At the heart of Male Media Mind was a commitment to writing and producing stellar content. I’m not writing in this blog as a form of vanity; it is a practice that will help me improve my writing and editing skills. Not to mention the clarity and focus I get from the daily practice of journaling. Publishing a few posts a week will only serve to take my private writing to the next level.