MOVE OVER OPRAH, HERE COMES JDR

Spotlight on www.johnnydeppreads.com

By: Mandrake,
Chicagoactor.com Executive Staff

The Midwest will never be the same thanks to Johnny Depp.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s hard not to know that Johnny Depp fever has invaded  he states of Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois while he is here filming “Public Enemies.”

Depp has braved the cold and rainy weather to meet and greet his fans after almost every shoot day, in almost every location.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Johnny Depp is the most beloved actor of our time.

Why?

Could it be Depp is a master of his craft?  Could it be his unwavering loyalty and devotion towards  is fans? Could it be Depp’s humble reaction to being one of the world’s biggest stars?  It’s all those things and more.

Chicagoactor.com had the privilege to talk to the webmistress of one of the most innovative and certainly the most talked about Depp fan sites on the Internet today: www.johnnydeppreads.com (JDR).

This site is different than your average Internet fan site.  It’s a warm and cozy family atmosphere, mixed with cutting edge technology and the latest in Depp facts and news without the gossip.

How refreshing!

In fact, JDR has it’s finger on the pulse of everything Depp; from his latest movies, to his appearances, to the books he reads, to locations where he is shooting his latest film “Public Enemies” all without being intrusive into the private life of Depp.

In fact, the site began as a sort of  “book club” talking about books that Depp likes or books from which his movies are based on.  What makes this site unique is that they actually have interviews with many of the screenwriters and novelists.

The site boasts over 600 members from all over the globe.

Let us now introduce you to JDR’s webmistress Karen and the Internet world of JohnnyDeppReads…..

QUESTION: Let’s start at the beginning: with all the choices of performers in today’s world of entertainment, how did you decide on Johnny Depp?

ANSWER: During the summer of 2003 the first Pirates movie came out. At the time I was dealing with some family health issues and my ‘escape’ was this movie. I’d been a “fan” of Depp’s and had followed his career since 21 Jump Street and I was searching the Internet for a site or forum that wasn’t just “oh he’s so hot,”  one that had some substance about the actor and didn’t find any one special board or forum.

QUESTION: We understand that Johnnydeppreads.com stems from a small message board based on Depp’s choices of books and various books that some of his movies are based on. How did that board come about and why books?

ANSWER: By the fall of 2003 I’d located a couple of boards and sites and I learned that he was about to start on a film based on a Stephen King novella, “Secret Window, Secret Garden.”  I’d always had a love of books and the written word, as well as live theater and the movies.

One of the discussion threads was about how fun it would be to be able to discuss the book that the film would be based on. There was an online book club taking shape and I offered to help moderate it. I had no clue about how much time it would take or how a forum operated or how much prep work went into an online discussion that lasted for weeks. But I thought it would be fun.

Within about three or four months I was overwhelmed and overloaded, we had discussed a couple of books,  and a play. I realized that I just didn’t have the time and decided that I needed to step away. I had no desire to try this on my own. No knowledge of the internet and no time. But, I was soon contacted by several people asking me to please start something quite a bit smaller on my own. I asked around, and because of my total lack of html and since I possessed no computer skills or Internet literacy at all…a friend suggested a small yahoo group that wouldn’t be so overwhelming to me. We started with 14 members and by the time we had 34 members we had out grown the yahoo group.  Why books?  Because I love them and we know Johnny loves them and I thought that discussing books that he’d said that he’d liked or books that this films were based on, would allow us to show our respect for the human being that is the actor Johnny Depp.

QUESTION: What was the best thing about that board and how did you know when it was time to let it grow to the site that it is today?

ANSWER: The best thing about that first old Yahoo board? It was really small and really friendly  and took no time. I didn’t promote it, it just grew on its own. And it grew fast. All by word of mouth, or maybe word of “email.”

Pretty soon we had outgrown its capabilities and I decided I needed to build a website of my own. By contacting some other board owners I found one server that I liked and the price seemed reasonable. A friend of mine helped me build the website and we launched the board.  I had labeled it PG 13 from the start as I wanted even his younger fans to be able to participate.  I didn’t want the discussion to be about his various physical attributes,  but about the books, movies and his talent as an actor.

The board grew fast and then the cost became prohibitive. Like that old ad, one person tells another and so on and so on.  A friend who runs an Orlando Bloom forum suggested that I switch to the server she used as it was free (some ads do appear on the forum) and it also offered more options, controls and unlimited growth potential. So that’s where we are now, I pay for the domain and my webbie friend takes care of the nitty gritty of making sure people get to us using johnnydeppreads.com.  In just over a year on our present board we have grown to over 600 members!

QUESTION: You’ve interviewed various authors and screenwriters associated with Depp’s work including Stephen Jeffreys (”The Libertine”), Larry Karaszewski (”Ed Wood”),  Gregory David Roberts (”Shantaram”) and most recently Bryan Burrough (”Public Enemies”), just to name a few. How do you choose which author or screenwriter to interview-what is the selection process?

ANSWER: There’s no real process. Johnny tends to give us a lot of material to choose from as he’s optioned or been aligned with a ton of books, plays, graphic novels, etc. The first interview was with Larry Karaszewski and it was arranged with some help by a friend. After that? I just started emailing and phoning people on my own, contacting authors of plays and books that we would be discussing. Usually it is based on what project Johnny is currently doing or what his production company has purchased, optioned or somehow aligned themselves with. One of my favorite interviews was with the fabulous author and artist J.P. Donleavy, the author of The Ginger Man, I just adore this man and his works both written and on canvas, another fav is Public Enemies’ Bryan Burrough… he’s a Texan and so am I.

QUESTION: It also seems that these authors and screenwriters are most cooperative in being interviewed for your site..why do you think that is so?  What have you learned from these authors/screenwriters that surprised you?

ANSWER: I honestly don’t know why. I can only guess. Maybe they see that new readers have discovered them? Maybe they see we are a legit informational forum, not all gooey or gossipy?  What have I learned? Lots. Everyone appreciates respect for their work, even the most famous or “infamous” appreciate respect for their craft.  I was very moved by the humbleness and the respect that I was given in return by everyone I’ve interviewed.

Oh and never let “no” be a final answer. I am always polite, but I try keep a teeny window open if possible, sometimes they do find the time to speak with us, even if the initial answer was no.

QUESTION: This could be called the Depp version of the Oprah Book Club-do you know how influential this site is?   How rewarding is it to know that through your site, you are able to introduce your visitors to perhaps read one of the books?

I am humbled that you refer to JDR as ” the Depp version of the Oprah Book Club.”

I have heard from so many people who’ve said that they hadn’t read a book for fun in years. That they have found new authors and been able to share ideas and thoughts. That they’ve discovered that they love to read and didn’t know it! I’ve been told by people that his project choices (and therefore our book discussions) have encouraged the members to go outside of their normal reading genre and expand their knowledge.  But it’s not really JDR or me doing this, it’s Johnny Depp. I just provide a safe and hopefully friendly and respectful environment for people all over the world to chat about books and Depp and his works.

QUESTION: Your site is very professional and very impressive.  It looks very easy, but alas, we know that is not the case and it is a lot of hard work. You can tell us, just how hard is it to be the webmistress of a successful site?  What goes into the day to day operation? Do you have experience as a webmistress or was it ‘baptismal by fire” type of creation?

ANSWER: Thanks,  it really was a true baptism by fire. LOL!

I didn’t have a clue where to start or what to do.  I have friends and family who still can’t believe that I do this or understand that JDR is a somewhat popular place on the net. Thankfully I have a friend who’s very comp and Internet savvy who’s been very supportive and helpful in teaching me what to do after I “boot up” the comp and how not to panic when the server crashes.

Day to day?  I grab a cup of coffee early in the morning, scan the net, check emails for news,  then post like crazy. Then I enter the real world. I check in at lunch, make sure we are up to date and everyone is playing nice. I check in during the evening when I can. It’s like any other hobby,  I think that we find the time to do the things that interest us. AND I  have a great group of global moderators who help post news and keep the peace.

QUESTION: The site is known for being a site that is totally non-gossip based.  How do you keep it honest?    Do you review every single post?  How do you sift through the information that you receive?

ANSWER: That’s our goal at Johnny Depp Reads, to be as non-gossipy as possible. We try to stay away from anything that speculates about Johnny and his family as that can get a bit questionable.

I think we all want him to be happy and healthy, but speculating about his kids, personal life and family just doesn’t seem right so we try to steer clear of it all.

Yes, every post is read by either myself or one of our moderators. We have moderators in the US, the UK and also in Japan. Anything that makes us uncomfortable, is stalkerish or that’s pure speculation can be edited or deleted.

We do very little editing and even less deleting. Most everyone knows our “guidelines.”  Any info that comes my way is looked at pretty carefully, I know through trial and error whom I can trust for accurate info.

QUESTION: How many members did you begin with and how many members to you have today and where are they all from? What do you attribute the incredible growth of membership to?

ANSWER: We started with 14 members on our first try and as of right this minute we have 675 registered members. But we have more visitors who never register, people who read, and never post. We don’t have anything that’s in a members only area, so what you see as a guest is everything that we have. Most people join so they can post.

Gee, again, I just have to guess about the growth factor, and I have to rely on what I’ve been told and that is that we are news focused, respectful and a decent site. I was amazed when industry people, studio liaisons etc starting contacting me with information and opportunities for screenings, promotional giveaways, that sort of thing.

Where is everyone from? Last year our stat counter logged in over 125 countries, I just checked now and we are at 119 so far this year.  Majority are US based, then the UK and then Japan. IF our new stat counter is correct in its projection then we should have close to 2.4 million hits by the end of this year. We aren’t the largest Depp forum around but we sure have grown pretty fast.

QUESTION: Depp has said in interviews that he isn’t particularly fond of the word fans…he said it reminds him of the word fanatic and that is not how he sees all of you…he thought maybe admirers…but really didn’t arrive at a suitable word.  How would you categorize his legion of followers?

ANSWER: Yikes, that’s a toughie as I can’t find a word that I like either. I’m stuck with fans. He has called us his “bosses” for years now, but that doesn’t work either. Followers, admirers, not one really does it. Appreciates? nah  I hope that the word “fan” can stand on its own, separate from “fanatic” these days.

QUESTION: What makes you all different than say fans of….oh, I don’t know….Keanu Reeves maybe?  He has a strong fan base…or John Cusack…another strong fan base,  or I’ll go out on a limb here…Donny Osmond perhaps?……it’s sad, I’m running out of examples….but why are Johnny Depp fans so unique?

ANSWER: Good question!  I think Depp fans are unique because Johnny is so unique in the “celebrity world”. As I said, he’s called us his “bosses” for years now and repeatedly implies that he wouldn’t be where he is today without the people who have followed  his career for almost 20 years now. Johnny Depp is respectful of his “fans” and he’s always true to his word to us and goes above and beyond to give of himself to us whenever he can. That’s why we struggle on JDR to give him the basic respect and privacy he’s due in return.

QUESTION: It’s no secret that since Johnny Depp has been filming in IL, WI and IN, fans have been flocking to the locales and sets waiting to see him, and he has not disappointed, for the most part holding meet and greets after a long day of shooting. This is simply unheard of in the entertainment industry now-a-days. What is the special bond between Johnny and his fans?

ANSWER: Again, he gives and gives to us. He’s patient and kind, humble and thoughtful with people who stand for hours to get a glimpse of him or shake his hand. He goes the extra mile for us. And we try to return the courtesy. We’ve been there, we’ve “bought the ticket and taken the ride” with Johnny Depp for a long time and I think he knows that.

QUESTION: The site has a great reputation among fans, among Depp insiders, industry insiders, industry personnel and press among others, that’s a huge compliment. With that in mind, here’s the million dollar question: what does Depp think of the site?

ANSWER: I want to thank CHICAGOACTOR.COM for saying such nice things about our reputation, it means a lot to me and to the people who make JDR what it is. But I will give you the same answer an author once gave me, when I asked “why they thought Johnny Depp had optioned their book”….you’ll have to ask Mr. Depp that. I’d like to know myself.

QUESTION: In doing this website, what thing have you learned about Johnny that you didn’t know before?

ANSWER: How truly humble, genuine and kind he is.  It’s not just an act.

QUESTION: What would you like the “world” to know about Johnny Depp fans? What would you like the “world” to know about Johnny Depp?

ANSWER: About Depp fans? That we have a respect for Mr. Depp as a human, a multi faceted artist,  a father, a partner, a son, a brother and an uncle.

What I’d want the world to know about Johnny Depp?  I think I’d want them to know that he is a multi talented actor, painter, musician and artist.

QUESTION: What would you like the “world” to know about your site: www.johnnydeppreads.com

ANSWER: That we try to do our best to honor Mr. Depp. I hope JohnnyDeppReads does him proud.

Thanks CHICAGOACTOR.COM for this wonderful opportunity.

Here’s a little bit about JDR’S Karen in her own words… “I’m a Texan who loves books, movies, theater and painting. I’ve watched Johnny Depp’s career zoom off the charts since 21 Jump Street. One day I’d like to be able to attend the Academy Awards and to speak html. Just not at the same time.”

Chicagoactor.com invites you to become part of the community at JDR by visiting the site at: www.johnnydeppreads.com.