Last week saw the brand launch event for Somatic HVAC Solutions! I don’t want to spill the beans before the case-study video but here is the company President, Gilbert Ghezesan.

The brand launch of Iridia Medical was a real milestone for the company. In this case study we hear from president Vern Biccum and founder Alan Holmes on the value gained through an intensive and introspective process to rebrand as a world-class company.

WHAT

The roll out for TEDxStanleyPark needed a team lead to collaborate with the branding and social media teams and take ownership of the visuals – still and motion images. The organizing and strategy teams were small and independent and the creative latitude I was offered was wide open. How could I refuse?

HOW

Collaborating with seasoned broadcast journalist Mychaylo Prystupa, we planned this series of video teasers to be accompanied by an article as the conference approached. The aim was to introduce the speakers without giving away their talks. So we set out to create an inspiring series of digital shorts, supported by stills from the conference rehearsal stages and the speakers’ lives.

WHY

The results of working with highly motivated and independant teams were a sold out conference and a digital footprint that will set the standard for future events.

I’ve never seen a renowned education expert do a little dance and shout ‘whoo!’ on stage, imitating a wild child, but Natacha Biem‘s experience with kids as an early development educator totally sold it. Her talk last week at Creative Mornings wasn’t just funny but pointed with optimism towards a better way to motivate and educate our children to become the problem solvers of tomorrow.

It was also the first talk to be given in the new home of this speaker series, the Dodson House Conference Centre. Standing outside in one of the dodgy parts of Hastings Street, you would never guess at such a large space with polished concrete floors and exposed wood in the walls. I hope Creative Mornings is able to continue supporting this venue and culture in the Downtown Eastside well into the future.

In creating compelling images for engineers on-site, the balance between aesthetics, capturing scope and straight up documentation can be fun and challenging. Here is the final stage of assembly for three giant mixers that will agitate anything from asphalt to cosmetics in three-story tall containers.

There is something about a media wall at a party that makes everyone a rock star. Here a fun moment with Miles End Motors Director, David Bentil, with one of his hard working associates. Below is just one of the hot wheels on display just outside the event.

This video lookbook for B.B revised vintage clothing comes just in time for the line’s debut at the Beggars Banquet this Friday. There is a lot more lined up for this fresh fashion line and I look forward to their next project.

There is always a certain satisfaction when I get to see how my work fits into the completed whole of a project. The Sterling Cooper website has gone live and I am really pleased with their final image choices. The challenge was to capture the human element of an industry that is typically represented by the faces of buildings. These smiling faces against a cityscape are some of my favourite environmental portraits yet.

A personal endorsement video from Bob Lindsay, owner of Lift Bar & Grill

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of mentoring, which has forced me to examine and step outside of my process. If you think you know something, try explaining it to someone else. They will question it or take it and do something completely unexpected. It’s good to have answers but not necessarily all of them because everyone’s style and process is personal. It’s a journey of discovery.

Which brings me to the importance of personal work – the opportunity to experiment and learn shouldn’t vanish after leaving a formal learning environment. Schools really only teach you how to learn and hold you accountable. The information is out there and everything you do beyond school depends entirely on you. Try something new like a piece of gear or software, a different space or genre entirely.

While working on an interview with Treanna Peake of the Obakki Foundation, she shared an amazing story with me. Recently she was contacted by a young wedding videographer who wanted to try shooting a fashion show. So she figured, “Why not?”, put him in a corner chair and told him to keep out of the way. After the show he followed up to show what he produced and they were very impressed with his footage and the way he had edited it together. They were so impressed that they ditched the footage by the camera crew they had hired and used his. Then Treanna invited him to document her next needs assessment trip in South Sudan for the Obakki Foundation.

By changing one thing and a bit of strategic follow up, this videographer found an opportunity in a new direction. Admittedly, he hit the jackpot but much of success is based on persistence and timing.