In this blog post, we’re going to be looking at something BIG.

This year, Newtown Productions has stepped into the world of book publishing, with my own short novel—The Quest for Helga.

The Quest for Helga is a fantasy novel that answers a simple question: what would you do to protect the ones you love?

It’s the first book in the Free World series, and for comparison, it’s somewhere between The Hobbit and The Witcher.

Released on the 4th of September 2026, it is an Amazon exclusive, available in eBook and Paperback.

Put simply, I wrote the fantasy book that I wanted to read, with all the swords, drama, and quests that one could wish for. It took over a year to plan, write, and edit it together. Long time! The first draft was about twice as long as the final one, which was mainly due to me learning how to write properly! You know—pacing, formatting, readability, etc.

There was tons of learning to do outside of writing also. The covers took a lot of research and different drafts before I landed on the final cover for eBook (below), and Paperback. In the end, I focused on making a minimal cover with good contrast between the text and the background.

Formatting was another huge learning curve. In the end, I went with a 5.06 by 7.81 inches sized Paperback, with room for a Hardback in the future. The smaller size works because it’s a shorter novel. Quick note: I ordered an author proof copy of my book, and I decided to change the cover from matte to glossy, to help the text pop.

This year, I will be releasing a fiction book. Naturally, I want it to perform well and accumulate a strong readership.

This brings me to the topic of this post—marketing.

How does one market a book, or any product at all?

I’ve researched it, added a few ideas of my own, and have compiled all the ways one can market a book/product in this post.

A few may surprise you…

In this post, we’re looking at a classic from 1997. It features huge names by today’s standards—Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. However, it’s not a superhero movie, or a political thriller, or even a comedy; it’s a slow-paced drama—remember those?

The film has a 90’s look: soft grainy, noisy film, with minimal lighting. There’s plenty of movement too in the scenes, often on dollys.

Here are the tech specs:

Cinematography by Jean-Yves Escoffier

Shot on film using Panavision Cameras and Panavision Lenses, 35mm Print

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Shooting Regions: Canada, Massachusetts

Let’s talk Spider-Man—the original one.

A lot of people have strong feelings about this classic, especially when they compare it to the polished new films from Marvel Studios. Whatever your preference, it’s clear that this film has heart—a lot of it. It’s shot on film, and definitely has an aged look. Some might call it nostalgic…

Here are the tech specs:

Shot on film using Beaumont Vista Vision Camera, Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL Camera, Panavision Panaflex Platinum Camera and Panavision Primo Primes Spherical Lenses

Don Burgess - Cinematographer

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

In this post, we’re going over the Marvel film Deadpool and Wolverine—two of the biggest comic-book stars in modern film.

The film has a challenge: merging two different styles together. The Deadpool films tend to be undersaturated, low-contrast movies; while the Wolverine films are dark, gritty movies.

The movie does this successfully, merging the styles together in a unique “Marvel“ way. It’s a pretty, modern looking film, with a lot of action and vast landscapes.

I’m going to go over the top 5 cinematography techniques used in the film. Some are obvious, some not.

Looking for inspiration? A fresh take on the simple?

You’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll be taking a look at lighting your next shot. I’m going to share 5 ways you can setup your lighting setup in order to help you improve your lighting, or just give you new ideas. These are inspired from films—giving you a cinematic quality to your next setup. Some will feel old, while others will feel innovative and fresh; I guarantee you’ll take something new from it.

Why do we fall?

So we can pick ourselves up.

Each mistake is a chance to grow and learn something new. Without the mistake, one can’t improve.

A year in to starting the business, it’s fair to say mistakes were made. In this post, we’re going to be taking a critical look at the steps I should’ve taken, and ones I shouldn’t have taken at all. You can take away your own knowledge from this post, to make sure you don’t repeat my errors.

Let’s reflect on those errors and find solutions to the problems.

From the day this is published, it will be one year exactly since Newtown Productions was born.

Starting a business was a challenge, but one I’m glad I undertook. It has been rewarding in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

In this post, we’re going to focus on the success stories—decisions I made that paid dividends. Celebrating the wins is an important policy for any business operator, a policy that gets lost sometimes in the never-ending search for success. So let’s celebrate the 5 things I did right in my first year.

How to get more likes/shares/followers on social media: consistency.

The truth is in, folks—consistent posting on social media is the key to better engagement.

Are you consistent?

Let’s look at the data first (found here: https://buffer.com/resources/consistent-posting-study/):

“We arrived at three groups of users ranging from inconsistent posting habits to consistent posting habits:

• Inconsistent users posted 4 weeks or less out of the last 26 weeks

• Consistent users posted 5-19 weeks out of the last 26 weeks

• Highly consistent users posted 20+ weeks out of the last 26 weeks“

Here’s a fact that people often forget: A.I. is not always correct.

Gasp.

It’s true, sometimes you ask Chat GPT a question and you give it an answer it knows not to be true.

So you tell it, and…it says: “Yes, you’re correct.“

Then you ask again, providing new information, and once more it gives you the wrong answer.

At this point, you feel like you’ve wasted your own time and find the answer yourself. So you do that, but in the back of your mind, you think: There’s something not quite right here.

That’s how I felt recently. I was doing some research on a possible video topic—The biggest shows you’ve never heard of! In the video, I was going to put together a list of shows—mostly from Asia—that people would not have heard of before. That’s when the problems began…

You see, when you search the Internet for “the world“, it doesn’t search the world. It searches through one country—the U.S. You read that correctly. When you search the world, search results come back with results from one country only. How is that not a huge problem?

Cinema is dying, according to some, which begs the question: what/who will replace it?

First, a statistic: “Cinema ticket sales decreased by 8.8 percent globally in 2024 compared to the previous year, marking the first annual decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) in Cannes on May 15.“ (seen here: https://www.torontofilmmagazine.com/post/global-cinema-attendance)

You’re reading this in 2026 or later, which means the number is going to have fallen further, given the latest trends.

Time to panic?

If you are the owner of a cinematic theatre…more than most.

Show, don’t tell.

What does that mean?

In this week’s lesson/ramble, I want to share the importance of showing, as opposed to telling.

Hear me out.

When people say “show, don’t tell“, they are outlining the best ways to tell a story. When storytelling, one has two options:

1. Tell - “I love my family,“ Sophie said.

   or

2. Show - Sophie gave her family a big hug.

See the difference?

One is showing, the other is telling. Why is showing better? There are a few factors to consider, which I’ll give next.