4WALL

Last night I attended my first West Michigan Film and Video Alliance (WMFVA) 4WALL event. 4WALL screenings take place at the Wealthy Theater in Grand Rapids, MI, and show off the best member work and provide networking inside the production community. This month was dedicated to the best commercial and corporate work in Grand Rapids. Presenters were Kerry Rasikas and Lisa Steele of Rasikas Films, and Ken Schmidt of Ken Schmidt Productions. Once again I was blown away with the creativity and top notch work that is being done right here in West Michigan! A very fun and informative evening.

Promotional Trailer for Rob Stam

Rob Stam, who I wrote a post about last month, has started appearing as a guest speaker in support of his book "Almost Our Time". In need of a promotional trailer (and needing it "yesterday"), Karl Koelling of Kairos Productions and I whipped up this short promo that Rob has started putting to good use. The soundtrack is actually a piano piece that Rob has had floating around his head for a long time now. Glad we could record it and put it to good use!

Keystone Coaching

I wrapped up some voice-over work today for Mark de Roo, president of Keystone Coaching & Consulting. Keystone is "in the business of transforming performance for corporate professionals and organizations. (Their) objective is to facilitate your growth by helping to define your vision through goal-oriented coaching." Mark wanted to add some short educational audio clips to the site, but lacked the proper equipment to produce a professional audio sample. It was my pleasure to help him achieve his goal. Check out his "Emotional Intelligence?" audio clip by following the link below.


Keystone Coaching & Consulting

Almost Our Time

Just want to give a shout out to my friend Rob Stam on the release of his new book "Almost Our Time: Generation X Takes On America's Challenges".

Rob shares how "Generation X grew up with Star Wars, prepared to deal with the problems of a fantasy universe... but that it is assuming leadership of a very different country than the one they grew up in. Even so, if the Star Wars generation will learn and apply classic American principles they can defeat the "Debt Star" and other real world problems and pass on a better nation to their children". It is a great read and challenges us to live realistically and within our means.

Session work for Othello Productions

I laid down some electric guitar parts this weekend for Othello Productions in New Jersey. Used my Eleven Rack for it and can't say enough good things about the unit. Finally, a virtual guitar amp that feels like a real amp, and instant recall of all my settings! Love the fact that I can collaborate with people around the globe too.

Michigan Film Office's 2009 Annual Report

"Michigan's film tax incentive created more than 4,000 Michigan jobs for crew work, and another 4,000 jobs for Michigander actors and extras, according to the 2009 Michigan Film Office report made public today. The bulk of the crew jobs average $30 or more an hour..... " by Jackie Headapohl

For full story: Click here.

Startup Weekend

This past weekend I was part of what is called a "Startup Weekend". Here's how the website describes it....

"Startup Weekend recruits a highly motivated group of developers, business managers, startup enthusiasts, marketing gurus, graphic artists and more to a 54 hour event that builds communities, companies and projects. It is known for its quick decisions, inventive problem solving, unique facilitation technique and letting the founders show what they can do. The program has already met with success in over 52 cities and 12 countries and growing! The participants that attend a Startup Weekend decide what they want to tackle over the weekend and come out at the end with several developed companies or projects. Startup Weekend provides an unprecedented level of networking, team building, learning, and life changes for its attendees and their communities."

It was a great experience to be around such smart, highly motivated and skillful individuals and watch them do their stuff! One more reason I'm glad that I live in West Michigan. To find out more about the event, follow the link below.


Startup Weekend