I recently updated the website with new work from a personal project about the Tri-Cities metro area of southeastern Washington state, which is a surprise candidate for most economically secure and successful community in the country right now. It’s a pretty fascinating and uplifting story amidst the doom and gloom around the U.S. currently, and around the world in general. Have a look by following this link or clicking the picture below.
Another recent project that I produced for the University of Washington Bothell was a short wrap-up of a big annual event held for all of the new freshmen that have been admitted for the fall. Not all of them have chosen to accept their admittance yet, so the event is a chance for the prospective students to learn more about the campus, meet each other, and decide if UW Bothell is the place for them. It was a beautiful day and a fun event so have a look at the video above.
Civic leaders and hundreds of citizens gathered for a panel discussion Monday evening at Seattle’s Town Hall to discuss the urgent issue of violence in the city. After many shootings in the first half of 2012, gun violence was already a top issue for the mayor and community leaders, who called it a crisis. And then Ian Stawicki went on a rampage May 30, shocking the city and the nation by shooting and killing five people before killing himself. Below are pictures of the Town Hall meeting, after which people visited the parking lot to pay respects to one of Stawicki’s victims, Gloria Leonidas, who was killed when Stawicki stole her car there.
Above: People pay respects at the site of the recent killing of Gloria Leonidas in the Town Hall parking lot.
Above: Mayor Mike McGinn, center, appears on the panel. The Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat is seen at left.
Above: The panel addresses the tough topics of the night.
Above: Concerned citizens attended the meeting to listen to the panel and provide questions.
Above: Mayor Mike McGinn addresses the Town Hall audience.
Above: People pay respects at the site of the recent killing of Gloria Leonidas in the Town Hall parking lot.
Have a look at the latest of my video work – a short film produced for the Burke Museum in Seattle. The museum wanted something that represented the institution as a whole but was geared enough toward the curators that it would be appropriate to screen at the museum’s main yearly fundraising event, the Curators’ Dinner. This was really a fascinating piece to produce and I was lucky to be able to explore the museum and meet so many talented individuals.
I recently produced a series of short videos about three outstanding graduating seniors at the University of Washington Bothell, each of whom was to receive a big award at the commencement ceremony. Jeb Pavleas and Chris McRae each won a Chancellor’s Medal and Chris Duong won the President’s Medal. They all have fascinating stories and are, of course, very very talented. For each student, after a short introduction on stage at the ceremony, my video was shown and the student was presented with their award. It was humbling to work with these three talented individuals and it was also cool to see my work on a big screen in front of thousands of people at the UW’s Alaska Airlines Arena on the Seattle campus. Have a look the the final pieces below:
I was digging through my archive and came across a nice photo from a recent shoot in the skies over Seattle.
I’ve added a new gallery to the website, “A City’s Emerald,” which is a story about Seattle’s dying urban forest and the restoration efforts that aim to keep it alive. It’s an ongoing project, so check back soon for updates. A short film is also in the works. Click on the picture to see more.
Research shows a multitude of benefits that come along with trees in an urban setting – decreased crime, fewer auto accidents, slower and safer drivers, increased property values, cooler city temperatures, cleaner air, natural storm water runoff management, more birds … the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, invasive species such as ivy and blackberries are slowly killing the forest. Development of new building projects is also an obvious constant threat to urban trees. The dimmest projections show that almost none of the forest will be left this century if no action is taken. The good news is that the City of Seattle is taking an innovative approach to restoring the urban forest through the Green Seattle Partnership, which is a collaborative effort of public, non-profit, and private groups.
On Wednesday a gunman opened fire at Cafe Racer in Seattle, killing four people before fleeing and later killing another person and himself. Wednesday evening brought much sadness but also a heartfelt community response to the violence. Thursday was an extension of that, with hundreds of people gathering at Cowen Park, near Cafe Racer, for a “Walk for Love” that ended at the cafe. Again, it was a sad but very moving scene of people collectively mourning yet playing music and coming together to support each other.
