Inquiry Alterna Rush the movie, Small Scale Films, Dan Krull

[sobehr]

Hey, I'm not quite sure what the issue is here with Dan Krull and you especially Gregg Madden; but I have had nothing but positive experiences with Dan. In fact, from Kansas he even came to my house to personally deliver four western hognose's even though I was only expecting two. Very friendly and has spent hours on the phone with me explaining in-depth information on his Ruth Line and more. He has sent me pictures of the parents and given me all legitimate information. I have in total purchased six hognose from him and will come back for more.

 

[MikeCurtin]

It seems as though Dan answered the best he could, providing proof when was able. I'm not sure all the fluff and self aggrandizing was necessary, but that's really neither here, nor there......just leads me to question character a little. Be aware, though, that this is perhaps because I know Gregg, and not Dan.

As for the personal attack, Dan. Are you known for being humorous? Are you small in stature with a beard? If true, you have no case.....haha. Had to make light of something!

If nothing more, recent comments have certainly brought some issues to light with regard to the Facebook group and its management. Any comments about numbers on this, Chris?

 

[GillianErinCC]

Here is my two cents on the subject....both Justin Mitcham and Dav Kaufman are very good friends of mine and I have done business multiple times with both before and after becoming friends...I have gotten nothing but quality animals and outstanding customer service from both individuals....I have only met Dan once at a recent NARBC show but his animals all looked healthy and he was a very easy to talk to and get along with and anyone who purchased from him at the show was very pleased with their transaction....it seems this thread has gone far from the original post into trying to trash the reputations of some people for no true reason I can see

 

[MOpiggys46]

I met Dan several yeas ago and know him to be an upstanding person and consider him a true friend. I met Dan a couple of years ago while searching for a good education snake to use for programs with kids. He sold me a gorgeous hognose, but I could not get her to eat. He listened to my concerns and was happy to exchange the snake. The new snake was a good eater and has been an awesome educational animal. Just recently he donated a hognose to our office for education, so we now have a male and female to use and the kids love them. He also donated a hognose to a local home for incarcerated teenagers to use as a teaching tool. He is always available to answer questions and shows a real passion for this hobby. He has shared his knowledge and time with our local herp society, he has assisted me with a snake program for the state meeting for the Missouri Master Naturalists, he has given presentations to the public for a local Herping event that my department hosts each year. We are all human and make mistakes, but he has never misrepresented himself or the origin of his snakes to me. Further more he has always been very forthcoming in the problems associated with the video debacle. Not every non for profit venture turns out the way we may intend. I believe he has done his best to make this right with the initial investors. I hate to see the character assassination of a person I personally know to be top notch.

 

[Lucille]

it seems this thread has gone far from the original post

It certainly has strayed far afield from the original issue. There have been accusations made (which, if true, are substantial). But there also seem to be longstanding animosities clouding the field here; possibly the clouding is deliberate.

I think readers should read all of what is presented here with a grain of salt because of the obvious animosities; but I also think that readers should think everything through and come to their own conclusions, giving the weight they think is appropriate to reputations and presentation.

 

[leftycrane]

Interesting that the last two people to post before Lucille both joined in December and this post showing their support of Dan is their first post on Fauna...and made one minute apart from each other...

 

[Gregg M]

I think the one poster troop rallies are a bit overkill and suspect. I am sure you have all seen that deflection a million times. I do not really see where Dan answered much of anything. I see a a lot of him trying to build his character up and a lot of self promotion. Not to mention him obviously calling upon his personal friends to distract from this thread even more.

This has now turned into a popularity contest. It may have looked like questions were answered but we are still at square one because specifics and proof have not been provided.

Questions still remain like...

1-Was small scale films really a 5013c organization. I know Dan said the papers were filed but was it certified and classified as such

2-Why is it that with such outstanding debt to other members of the community because of his failures and dishonesty, is he offering to buy thousands of dollars worth of hognose snakes from other breeder for him to flip at shows?

3-Why has Dan lied about selling other breeders snakes to other members of the community?

4-If Dan really produced 300 hogs this season, why would you need to buy $10,000 in lower end hognose snakes to pedal at shows? Of course while owing other members of the community money.

 

[Lucille]

I think the one poster troop rallies are a bit overkill and suspect. I am sure you have all seen that deflection a million times. I do not really see where Dan answered much of anything. I see a a lot of him trying to build his character up and a lot of self promotion. Not to mention him obviously calling upon his personal friends to distract from this thread even more.

This has now turned into a popularity contest. It may have looked like questions were answered but we are still at square one because specifics and proof have not been provided.

Questions still remain like...

1-Was small scale films really a 5013c organization. I know Dan said the papers were filed but was it certified and classified as such

2-Why is it that with such outstanding debt to other members of the community because of his failures and dishonesty, is he offering to buy thousands of dollars worth of hognose snakes from other breeder for him to flip at shows?

3-Why has Dan lied about selling other breeders snakes to other members of the community?

4-If Dan really produced 300 hogs this season, why would you need to buy $10,000 in lower end hognose snakes to pedal at shows? Of course while owing other members of the community money.

I see that Dan (after some delay) is trying to answer the questions asked of him. I don't think we are back at square one (but see no harm in asking further questions or asking for additional information and specifics).

I think Dan mentioned that the sale of snakes amount to quite a bit of his income. You have asked why he would need to sell additional snakes when he produced 300 of his own. Why would he not? He is trying to make money and there is nothing wrong with that. If he does have debts (I don't know) selling snakes could help him make a living and pay any alleged debts.

 

[Rextiles]

Dan,

Would you kindly prove that you were in fact approved and recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization? It's one thing to file the paperwork, it's another thing to actually be approved. On 12-14-2014 you stated "I will dig up some Small Scale mail or other paperwork, and post it later.", do you know when we might be expecting to see this paperwork that proves you were actually 501(c)(3) approved and recognized?

In Post #67 Gregg asks if Small Scale Films is even a real non-profit.
Yes, it was. I have let it lapse now, but it was a fully incorporated 501c3. I filed the paperwork through Legalzoom, and paid the legal fees out of my own pocket. In order to prove our right to have a 501c3, I conducted two summer research projects (Dubbed Small Scale Research) with local highschool students. ... I will dig up some Small Scale mail or other paperwork, and post it later.

Also, could you please explain the discrepancies in this web site that says that Small Scale Films employed 3 people and had an estimated revenue of $130,000?

 

[Dan Krull]

I will repost the screen grabs as per the rules of the forum. I will have a friend post the last letter I received from the IRS when I let my charitable status lapse,which I just dug out and cell phone photo'd. My phone seems to not be compatible with this site. Beyond that, I do not feel compelled to answer you or gregg's inquiries as you are not customers, friends, or anyone of consequence in my life.

Dan Krull

 

[Rextiles]

Beyond that, I do not feel compelled to answer you or gregg's inquiries as you are not customers, friends, or anyone of consequence in my life.

Dan, you have made numerous claims about being a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit organization, therefore you need to provide proof that you are, otherwise your word amounts to nothing. Why are you being so evasive? Is there something that you'd rather cover up than simply answer?

And it's quite obvious that despite me being polite and professional with you here and asking legitimate questions, that you harbor resentment towards me and feel that you can obviously hide behind that resentment by not providing proof simply because I asked for it. Sadly, that kind of behavior doesn't fly here and people will wonder why you are so defiant and evasive when faced with certain allegations, which is what you are doing.

 

[Snake-Queen]

I do not know either party ...
It is my opinion that there is some very bad blood between the parties, the whole thing is confusing.

Dan did a excellent job of answering all the questions, even ones that were rude & unwarranted.

Gregg seems to have an obsession with destroying Dan's reputation and business. It borders on stalker behavior, at the very least it is bully tactics and not becoming of an adult.

Out of everything that Dan posted, Gregg is intent on only one sentence, a self-effacing sentence. Why do you ignore his answers?

I am attaching all the screenshots that Dan posted ... so that they will continue to be here.

 

[Snake-Queen]

2 remaining screenshots

 

[Rextiles]

Melissa,

To what extent does your re-posting of these screen shots have anything to do with Dan taking people's money under the false premise of having a movie to sell which he ultimately never did? What does any of the back and forth bickering between Gregg and Dan have to do with Dan claiming he was a 501(c)(3) organization while not yet producing the evidence that he was in fact established as a recognized IRS tax exempt non-profit organization?

Perhaps I'm being overly cynical here, but it would seem to me that your sole intent on re-posting all of these screenshots is more about obfuscating the questions being asked of Dan than having any more relevance to this thread than what was already stated earlier.

Do you actually have anything useful or helpful to post or ask here relating to the original OP's concerns about Dan taking people's money for the selling of a movie he's yet to produce 2-3 years later?

 

[Snake-Queen]

Melissa,

To what extent does your re-posting of these screen shots have anything to do with Dan taking people's money under the false premise of having a movie to sell which he ultimately never did? What does any of the back and forth bickering between Gregg and Dan have to do with Dan claiming he was a 501(c)(3) organization while not yet producing the evidence that he was in fact established as a recognized IRS tax exempt non-profit organization?

Perhaps I'm being overly cynical here, but it would seem to me that your sole intent on re-posting all of these screenshots is more about obfuscating the questions being asked of Dan than having any more relevance to this thread than what was already stated earlier.

Do you actually have anything useful or helpful to post or ask here relating to the original OP's concerns about Dan taking people's money for the selling of a movie he's yet to produce 2-3 years later?

Wow ... perhaps you should read the rules about posting attachments ... they have to be uploaded to fauna servers ... with Dan's issues with internet access I felt it was prudent and proactive to post them before the links died.

So if you are done persecuting for something which you have no clue ...

You have not contributed anything other than mention something that happened on Facebook, with is rife with drama.

 

[Rextiles]

My apologies for not understanding your intention Melissa. I was unaware that Dan did not upload his pictures correctly as per the BOI's requirements, not sure how I was to know that Dan failed to do that exactly but you were not clear as to your intention in your post. Like I even said, that perhaps I was being overly cynical. But why wouldn't I be after Dan's little pep rally squad that came here to boost him up which had nothing to do with any of the concerns here on the BOI about Dan's questionable business practices with his Alterna Rush movie sales and claiming that he's a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Dan has tried to make this a popularity contest which takes away the focus of his questionable business practices. Even you went so far as to make digs at Gregg and address only those issues which seemed very one-sided. So it was not without undue prejudice that I assumed that your overall intent was solely on the basis of continuing in the same fashion that Dan has been trying to derail this thread.

As far as my post about the Facebook issues, it was definitely relevant because Chris Ivins, in an weak attempt to further attack Gregg's character and derail this thread, lied about what transpired on his Facebook group. He lied when he said that it was Gregg and several other people who instigated the problems that resulted in a mass banning and blocking of people. It was my obligation, because I was privy to the entire thing, to address it simply because it was posted here to set things right.

If you have a problem with my post addressing that particular lie about what happened on Facebook, then you also should have a problem with Chris Ivins lying about it in the first place and all of the other people who came here, some of which just signed up that day, to make this more of a popularity contest than about the actual concerns being addressed here.

Other than that, I've been trying to stay on topic by trying to determine whether or not Dan was actually 501(c)(3) approved while he was taking in money for his supposed non-profit organization. If he wasn't 501(c)(3) approved while doing this, then I think that brings up issues about what he keeps claiming were "donations" (which were actually sales) and whether or not this was ethical or even legal. From the sound of it, a lot of people paid for an item under false pretenses and even years later have been stating their concerns over this which Dan continues to gloss over.

 

[Emerald Exotics]

Dan, unfortunately, doesn't have the ability to access a computer in order to upload documents on a regular basis, so I'm helping for the moment. The file here not only demonstrates that he had the business registered as non-for-profit for Small Scales Films, but it also shows that he stopped using it. He also has it posted publicly on his hog blog.

 

[Snake-Queen]

My apologies for not understanding your intention Melissa. I was unaware that Dan did not upload his pictures correctly as per the BOI's requirements, not sure how I was to know that Dan failed to do that exactly but you were not clear as to your intention in your post. Like I even said, that perhaps I was being overly cynical. But why wouldn't I be after Dan's little pep rally squad that came here to boost him up which had nothing to do with any of the concerns here on the BOI about Dan's questionable business practices with his Alterna Rush movie sales and claiming that he's a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

If you were a regular on the boards ... or even read post #110 by Webslave, you would know my intent.

Warning: Please note that the correct method of providing evidence in the form of photographs and/or screen shots in the Board of Inquiry is via attaching them as files to the post you are typing. Simply linking them via a provided URL is NOT acceptable as it is a source that is tenuous and subject to being deleted or edited at any time by the author. Attaching photographs as files makes them a PERMANENT record here that cannot be deleted nor edited by the authors. Any such violations will result in infractions along with the possibility that such "evidence" will be deleted because of this tenuous and unprotected against alteration nature.

Dan has tried to make this a popularity contest which takes away the focus of his questionable business practices. Even you went so far as to make digs at Gregg and address only those issues which seemed very one-sided. So it was not without undue prejudice that I assumed that your overall intent was solely on the basis of continuing in the same fashion that Dan has been trying to derail this thread.

As far as my post about the Facebook issues, it was definitely relevant because Chris Ivins, in an weak attempt to further attack Gregg's character and derail this thread, lied about what transpired on his Facebook group. He lied when he said that it was Gregg and several other people who instigated the problems that resulted in a mass banning and blocking of people. It was my obligation, because I was privy to the entire thing, to address it simply because it was posted here to set things right.

If you have a problem with my post addressing that particular lie about what happened on Facebook, then you also should have a problem with Chris Ivins lying about it in the first place and all of the other people who came here, some of which just signed up that day, to make this more of a popularity contest than about the actual concerns being addressed here.

Other than that, I've been trying to stay on topic by trying to determine whether or not Dan was actually 501(c)(3) approved while he was taking in money for his supposed non-profit organization. If he wasn't 501(c)(3) approved while doing this, then I think that brings up issues about what he keeps claiming were "donations" (which were actually sales) and whether or not this was ethical or even legal. From the sound of it, a lot of people paid for an item under false pretenses and even years later have been stating their concerns over this which Dan continues to gloss over.

I do not know either Gregg or Dan, this whole post is reminiscent of the witch hunts of yore.

Dan has answered about the 501c(3), but he has not posted "proof" per say, but neither has Gregg posted proof that he was not. When asked of proof of his accusations, Gregg always deflects and never procures the proof he says he has.

I don't care for popularity contests ... but if I did, Gregg would not get a vote from me, as his posts are confrontational with out substance.

Seems to me, Dan is guilty of mismanagement ... who is perfect in that aspect? I do not see the intent on scamming people out of money. I have read many BOI threads, Dan doesn't come off as someone who would intentionally scam people. Neither does Gregg, but his vindictiveness is bothersome.

 

[Rextiles]

Thank you for posting that Alejandro.

Is there any way to get a better shot of that as it does not show the date that the exemption was revoked nor even possibly when it started, which I think is relevant in regards to when he was operating as a non-profit organization while selling the Alterna Rush movies. At this point, we don't have an actual timeline other than we do now know that at some time Dan was actually registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

And thanks Dan for taking the time to share this with us as best you could.

 

[Snake-Queen]

Thank you for posting that Alejandro.

Is there any way to get a better shot of that as it does not show the date that the exemption was revoked nor even possibly when it started, which I think is relevant in regards to when he was operating as a non-profit organization while selling the Alterna Rush movies. At this point, we don't have an actual timeline other than we do now know that at some time Dan was actually registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

And thanks Dan for taking the time to share this with us as best you could.

If he received the letter this summer, 3 years would make 2011 when it was last active. Which is the time when Small Scale Films was active.