making a career change

This past weekend I found a homemade cassette tape from 1987. My mom and I were playing “school” and while I was the only physical child in the classroom (our kitchen table), I insisted that she call on my imaginary classmates Johnny and Susie before I was called on with the right answer. The tape ends with me singing songs from The Sound of Music, a film that would become the bedrock of my childhood.

purchased from iStock Photo

Upon the foundation of inventiveness, music and imagination, a love for the arts and filmmaking was built. I could recite any song by Rogers & Hammerstein and I knew the script to Newsies backwards and forwards. I wanted so much to be part of these great films. I was fascinated by the behind-the-scenes segments and the how’d-they-do-that shows on TV. Any chance I got, I wanted to see what was going on behind the camera.

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drop it like it’s hot

Over the next few weeks I’ll be on a street team for the new Sun Drop campaign. Those of us from the South know that this isn’t anything new; that Tennessee is “Sun Drop Country.” But people here (Metro DC area) have never heard of such a thing.

So I’m helping get the word out by handing out free cans of Sun Drop to college and music festivals. It’s actually a pretty cool gig. Plus, who does like free stuff?

paramore welcome video

Paramore got their start at The People’s Church down in Franklin, TN. In 2006, I was able to catch them between tours for a quick interview and welcome video for Sunday morning:

Welcome videos are a great way to open the service and showcase either a group or an individual in your church. There are so many great stories out there and this is a good way to tell them. Bonus points if you get the story to match with the teaching of that morning.

starbucks welcome video

Well the hits just keep coming this week. Below is a welcome video from Starbucks that I produced and directed at The People’s Church back in 2006.

We did this in one take and didn’t tell the barista we were filming. We purposefully chose a high maintenance drink to try and get him off his game. After a little explaining, we were able to get him to say the official welcome. Good times.

hard times

This is another video I directed and produced in 2006 while at The People’s Church. As I remember, this was one of the best services I was ever a part of. The message was on brokenness and we opened the morning with this video:

We ended the service with some very powerful “cardboard testimonies” (which I couldn’t find on YouTube) and we used a still from the video as our PowerPoint background. It was probably the most well-branded services I’ve seen. “Branded” here meaning, consistent concept in every aspect from start to finish. Ah, those were the good ole days.

fix you

I’m so excited that I finally found this video file! I thought it was gone forever when the external hard drive it was on literally caught on fire. (What is it with me and things catching on fire?)

Back in 2005, I was on staff at The People’s Church in Franklin TN and this was my first video that I produced and directed. I will never forget the moment it created in church the morning we showed it. I was amazed to see how quickly & heavily people could be impacted by film.

I’m so glad that I found this video and wanted to share it!! Pass it along to anyone you think would enjoy it.

Miracle Maker by Delirious?

There’s something very mystical and almost magical about this song. Very appropriate for Good Friday:

insidious is… amazing

Good scary movies are hard to come by these days. I’m not talking about slashers that hack people up into tiny bits (although Sweeny Todd is different. I guess because it’s also a musical) I’m talking about edge-of-your-seat, this-could-actually-happen kind of scary. Insidious is just that and more.

What I loved about it was they didn’t give everything away in the trailer. Yes, there are some scary parts in the previews, but man oh man… once you’re in the theater they don’t hold anything back. It really is one of the best-made thrillers I’ve seen in a long time. Consider it today’s Poltergeist. The family moves into a new home and quickly discovers that it might be haunted. Their son falls into an unexplained coma. Strange things happen that can’t be explained and some really thrilling moments happen in the first house. The family moves into a new home hoping to leave it all behind them and focus on getting their son well. It isn’t long that their troubles follow them. Sightings and happenings are still, well, being seen and happening. A medium is called in and states the film’s tag line, “It’s not the house that’s haunted… it’s your son.” Dun, dun, dun.
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relationship advice from a happy bachelor

I love being a bachelor. Absolutely love it. Having been married at age 23 and divorced by age 25, I’m in no rush to hear my wedding bells again anytime soon. That said, I’m also a romantic so being single isn’t always a pleasure. But then I hear my (platonic) girlfriends talk about the guys they’re casually dating and I’m back to loving bachelorhood.
At this (st)age dating is a dress rehearsal for marriage. Why are you going to date someone in your late 20s that you have no intention of settling down with? Casual dating allows you to audition for the opposite role in the other’s life. And from what I’m observing, both parties could use some coaching.

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madeon, my new favorite

Madeon is a producer that you should know about. He’s sixteen years old (16!!), from France, and makes ridiculously good-looking, tasteful nu-disco. That’s just about all I know of him.

I can’t really decide if he is a master sampler of 70′s synth/bass sounds or if he uses some sort of bass module/awesome synthesis to get his sounds. He’s definitely rocking the french swag – but don’t group him in to any sort of cliche because his tracks are fresh and tasty.

Here’s the MP3 of a remix he did of “DJ” by Alphabeat.