These publicity images were shot for the Black Hills Estate Winery Vinos Film Festival Preview Party and are featured in today’s issue of 24hrs. From the left are: President of Black Hills Winery Glen Fawcett, Marketing Director of Black Hills Wine Festival Crystal Carson, Director of Mile’s End Motors David C. Bentil and artist Jason Gogo.

Below are members of Hey Bombshell, singer Myles Rivoire and band mate Jay McDonald.

Money is a very personal subject and banking is a boring subject. But the ethics of banking has been front and centre in our social consciousness as phrases like “too big to fail” and “the ninety nine percent” fill headlines and conversations around the world.

It seemed like perfect timing, when I was approached to work on Gil Yaron’s election video campaign and make my own contribution to this conversation.

Working in tandem with writer and strategist Hilary Henegar, we wanted a message that spoke to these frustrations but educated and empowered viewers. This required a campaign that avoided chanted dogma, pointed to real solutions and provided content in easily digested and sharable chunks.

We came up with this series of short videos that emphasized success and the value of social investing. Interviewing community and business leaders, we condensed their story with relevant visuals and tied that into the values that Gil holds himself.

These videos were shared through each organization’s network to maximize exposure and relevance to the conversations in which their own brands participate.

If these video’s speak to you, I hope you’ll consider moving your money to a credit union and participate in social investment within your own community.

Gil Yaron 2012!

Vancity Powers United We Can

United We Can is a mainstay of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, providing employment opportunities to marginalized individuals. General Manager Gerry Martin comments on the role Vancity has played in United We Can’s success, in support of Gil Yaron’s bid for Vancity Board of Directors.

Vancity Powers Lunapads

Suzanne Siemens and Madeleine Shaw, co-founders and owners of Lunapads, share how Vancity contributed to the success of their small business and the importance that Lunapads plays in local economic development. Lunapads endorses Gil Yaron for Vancity Board of Directors.

Vancity Powers Climate Smart

Climate Smart offers local businesses education and support in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Executive director Elizabeth Sheehan reflects on Vancity’s role in supporting their work and expanding their reach as she endorses Gil Yaron for Vancity Board.

This is Paul Anthony, actor and funny man from the East Van standard Talent Time. We were working on actor headshots but then he busted out this Kuala sweater and glasses! Whether this ends up being used as a promo shot or a fun out-take, it’s one of my favourites from a memorable session. Looking at the rest of the images, I think we nailed some great character shots, ranging in qualities from Steve Martin to Malcolm McDowell.

Gil Yaron is running for Vancity’s Board of Directors. As a Vancity member, your vote is important. Vancity manages $18.5 billion dollars on our behalf. Gil wants to ensure that Vancity’s mandate continues to use our collective assets to enrich the social and environmental fabric of our community. Please visit his election site at gilyaron.ca and vote! Thank you.

This video is my first collaboration with Hilary Henegar. More in the wings.

Melissa and I met at a photo shoot for MishaEssentials. This outtake is from a break we had in shooting and I corralled some of the team into some fun grab shots. I remember she was little camera shy but doesn’t she look just great? Melissa creates online experiences with Fresh Spark Strategies. Her studio recently had an opening party, which I sadly missed. Here is too her continued success with clients as diverse as software developers, pet supply distributors and environmental management groups.

Here’s a sneak peek at a project I am working on with Hilary Henegar on banking values and credit unions. As much as that sounds like a snore, it is anything but. Through this project I have met some really motivated and innovative people working on amazing projects guided by their ideals and principles. This shot is of Hilary with one of our interviewees, Kevin Millsip. Kevin is a co-founder and director of Next Up, a leadership program for young people  committed to social & environmental justice. The sound bite that stuck in my head after his interview was this, “After paying off my student loan to the Royal Bank I took my money to an institution that reflected my own values.” It’s almost too easy to think of banks as storage units for our money but the truth is that banks are using our savings and loans – in some cases, driving like it was stolen.

Shot for an editorial in the WestEnder. Check out the mouth-watering menu at Baru Latino.

Coming out from hearing Sergio Toporek speak at Creative Mornings, I found Joseph Homsy greeting people as they left. Joe gets top marks for creativity and, more importantly, the courage to put himself out there. His friendly smile and fun sign made him easy to approach and he had already gotten a few business cards. Sending out faceless applications is often an empty exercise these days. It’s about humility, communication and the people you meet.