Mike McGinn Interview

It was a really exciting and optimistic time when Mike McGinn was elected as the Mayor of Seattle in 2009, with his election following shortly after Obama's swearing in (remember how excited we were about that one?!).

His urbanist positions on density, bike improvements and transit are exactly what we need in Seattle and are what a majority of Seattleites say they support.  So I have never understood why, even in liberal Seattle, so many people become anti-density, anti-bike and anti-transit when it comes time for real-world implementation.  I thought that McGinn's take on this would be interesting to hear, as someone who more than anyone else right now, personifies urbanism in Seattle.

So, yesterday I asked Dominic Holden, the smart and telegenic (a rare combo for journalists in Seattle) News Editor at The Stranger, to interview him on this topic at my studio.  It's still up for debate what form this project will take, because it all came together really quickly (I didn't think he'd say yes when I asked for an interview!).  So stay tuned for updates and let me know if you have any suggestions for relevant articles, interviews, people, ideas, etc that I should be aware of.

Below is a behind the scenes look at the shoot, in the form of a pop-up video.

New Year, New Look

Happy 2014 everyone!  I finally decided that it was time to put some energy into my branding.  Rather than designing everything myself as I've done in the past, I hired my friend Tony Tran to design this logo for me.

The triangle is a play on the "play" button (a little expected, I know), but I really like how it feels both structured and organic, with the geometric lines countered with the shades of blue.  I think it's a great representation of my style.   

Matching website, and reel (my first one!) coming soon...

"Drawn to Seattle" at MOHAI

A few years ago I produced a video for the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog on Gabriel Campanario AKA Seattle Sketcher, whose sketches appear in his column for the Seattle Times. Then, a few months ago I got a call from the Museum of History and Industry, asking to use my video in an exhibit of Campanario's work. Of course I said yes. The exhibit, "Drawn to Seattle," opened on Dec 21 and runs through May 26.

The video is below, and to the left are some photos I took at the Member Reception for the exhibit. That's me shooting in the sketch on the left!

The new MOHAI is great by the way, I definitely recommend visiting if you haven't been yet (preferably before May 26!)

W Wear Wednesdays

My latest video for W Seattle is live!  This one is a promo for their Wear Wednesdays Fashion Social events that they hold monthly.  This month they featured designer Carole McClellan.

It was the perfect opportunity to try out my 360 degree panning timelapse camera  (AKA a GoPro stuck to an Ikea Kitchen Timer).  Here's a photo of it sitting by the fireplace (this shot is at 00:10 in the video), from Ilya's Photography. 

And here's Alex Berry (another talented Capitol Hill based videographer) guarding it for me in the other spot we had it set up, this shot is in there briefly, at 1:46.

Blue Chalk Website

I'm working on re-designing my website, so I've been looking at websites of other freelancers & video production companies for inspiration. 

Blue Chalk's website stood out to me. For one, because the way they describe themselves sounds more like how I would describe myself & my business (if I were better at describing myself) than any video company I've come across. 

I love this nugget:

Blue Chalk arrives at a complicated time in the evolution of the visual media industries. We embrace this moment of disruption and encourage blue sky thinking about the technologies and approaches needed to create and convey picture-led stories in a digital world.

...and I totally agree with it.  This part confused me a little though:

The world of visual communications, once a largely individual endeavor, is rapidly becoming a team sport. Blue Chalk specializes in building teams to accomplish the ambitious multimedia and video projects that clients now demand.

I think that in video production at least, things are moving in the opposite direction.  I frequently get the comment that I "came in WAY below the other bidders" on projects.  I have to assume that it's either because other freelancers are inflating their bids because they think they can, or (more likely) because I'm bidding against companies that default to hiring a full production team for everything.  They'll hire a director, camera operator, sound guy, grip, script writer, editor, etc... because "that's the way it's done," whereas I typically do all of those roles myself or with one or two assistants.

It looks like Blue Chalk offers a wider range of services than I do, so maybe that's where the difference lies.  I definitely make a point of sticking to what I know, video production, so I don't branch out into all the areas that Blue Chalk does. 

But anyways, keep up the good work over there in Brookyln, Blue Chalk!  And everyone else, stay tuned for a website redesign in the not too distant future.