Dec 16th, 2017 Update
Hello, everyone!
Welcome to my very first blog post on this site and the first ever update on my projects.
First off, I would like to thank those who have already visited and subscribed to ATMarousas.com. It is much appreciated! For those of you who haven't done so yet, feel free to take a look around.
I kicked off this website around late August, so there is some news to be shared!
Professional Wrestling
The Perfect Strangers lost their match at Warriors of Wrestling earlier this month against Hostile Collective under the stipulation that the losing team disbands. After the match ended, Andros attacked Marcus. What was his reasoning? What does this mean for both competitors and their futures with WOW?
Change can be scary. For the past two years I have been competing only as a member of The Perfect Strangers. The angle at this past WOW show marks a new page for the character of Andros. I am still brainstorming what sort of dimensions and traits I want to give to this new, villainous version of Andros. New ring gear and entrance jacket are in development and should be ready for WOW's January 13th show!
TPS fans, all hope is not lost! The Perfect Strangers will actually be main eventing Capitol Wrestling's December 29th show, World War IV. The match will take elements of War Games and feature two teams: Team Capitol (which includes TPS) and Team Bastards. Not only will this be the first time a match like this has been showcased, but it is also the first time The Perfect Strangers have been in a main event!
In case you are a bit confused as to the status of TPS, allow me to clear it up for you! Despite the storyline at WOW, TPS will remain a brand at any other promotion that will have us. While this new status quo may complicate things for us a bit in terms of social media and promoting ourselves at different events, we are looking forward to exploring different character work.
I had some fun last weekend and created a vignette for Andros "The Greek" entitles "Warrior Through The Ages". It is an attempt to show the warrior spirit and lineage of Andros. Check it out and let me know what you think!
Finally, I am working on creating a special Christmas video with a few other professional wrestlers. We were supposed to film it this week, but had some last minute scheduling issues. We should be able to film it this coming Tuesday. My goal is to have it ready before Christmas. I'm very excited about this as it is something I have never seen before from professional wrestlers.
Greek Talk
Back in October, I filmed a few new episodes of Greek Talk to be released over the following few weeks. These included Ep09: The Great Gyro Debate, Ep10: Ten for Tzatziki, Ep11: Baklava, and Ep12: Oxi Day. I also introduced a new character, O.P.A. News Correspondent Jimmy Papadopoulos.
While filming the vignette above this past weekend, I also filmed two new holiday themed episodes of Greek Talk. The first showcases the top 5 Greek Christmas traditions while the second discussed the top New Years traditions and takes a look back at the first year of Greek Talk. I will be releasing the New Years episode after Christmas but have already published the Christmas episode on YouTube. Get into the holiday spirit and watch now!
I have a list of topics for Greek Talk. The next step for me is to fine tune the show and make it as entertaining as possible. Expect to continue to see some minor changes in upcoming episodes, as well as more emphasis on show characters Papou, Jimmy, and more!
ME Productions
Nothing new to share on ME Productions just yet. There are a few skits in the works, as well as a potential comedy series. I'd also love to get back into the documentary series, Experience, but haven't been able to identify subjects and set time aside.
Writing
I have not written as much as I would like, but have been able to produce the following pieces through my Medium account and The Motley Experience blog.
Short Story "My Dear Sister" is a mystery/suspense/horror short fiction story that I wanted to publish in time for Halloween. I even publicly announced I would do it just to make sure I held myself accountable! I was able to do it in one writing session lasting several hours. It is my longest work as well as what I consider to be my best so far. Let me know what you think!
As part of a Coursera class I am taking on social media marketing, I had to write a post for a blog I was trying to promote. I selected a wrestling blog that would combine my views as both a fan and independent professional wrestler. The article describes how to keep up with the explosion of content from across the globe. Read it here.
This last article I have written was actually published yesterday! It is an analysis on the acquisition of Fox assets by Disney and how this purchase will impact the film and film distribution industries. It was one of those situations where I read some headlines and articles and was suddenly inspired to jot down my own take. Check out the article here and let me know your own thoughts on the matter!
I learned the other week that Amazon not only allows you to self-publish an ebook, but also gives you an option to use their services to create paperback books! This is very exciting news for me as I am in the beginning stages of planning a historical fiction styled novel. The working title is "My Uncle Nick" and is based on the adventures of my real life uncle (and other family members) in making it to the United States from Greece to start a new, more prosperous life for himself and his family. His many stories, often told to make us laugh, inspired this idea.
I'm debating whether to write another few short stories first as a sort of practice, then perhaps attempt to publish those on Amazon to learn how the process works, or to dive straight into "My Uncle Nick". This would be my very first try at writing anything more than a short story and would involve a level of dedication I have not put into any of my writings so far. It is honestly intimidating. I do feel confident, however, that I will eventually write this book. My impatience simply fuels my anxiety!
This was a long update, but it is only because it was my first ever post and had to cover the last couple of months. I am undecided on the regularity of these posts, but be sure there are more to come!
BTW! I also created a new Facebook page that links to this site and acts as an aggregation of my other Facebook sites. Like and follow!
I am on a journey to explore my creative interests and eventually create a career and livelihood off of as many of them as possible. Strap in because it is going to be a bumpy ride!
Respectfully,
Aristidis Marousas
Instagram and Twitter: @ATMarousas