Exciting times!

March 1st is going to be a huge day for Picante. We'll be launching the new Winnipeg Police commercials for the Just Slow Down campaign. We start with an hour long interview with Richard Cloutier at CJOB and then head over to the Public Safety Building for the official news conference.

Yesterday morning I made a final presentation to a large group including Chief McCaskill and the response was so very gratifying. They are thrilled and excited about the project and are proud of the commercials we created. We definitely expect to get some BUZZ on this on Monday. Hopefully, most of it will be positive. We expect a little bit of controversy because they are more graphic than are traditionally seen on Canadian television - at least in terms of commercial content. I maintain that in a comparison with shows like CSI and Bones etc. our spots are quite tame - hopefully very effective though.

Had a fantastic meeting on Wednesday with Jamie at Grant Park Shopping Centre and I think the new spring campaign is going to be so much fun! Can't wait for Amanda to get started.

The next few weeks are going to be exceptionally busy getting ready for all the new television production. But we're definitely ready to rock and roll on that.

I think winter is over...

At least in our world. There is so much going on it seems like the cold winter blanket that was slowing the beginning of new projects has definitely lifted.

Gearing up for the launch of the new Winnipeg Police spots. Everyone is so pleased with them it makes me quite proud.

We've been watching a lot of Olympic coverage - glad to see the Massage Therapy Association getting all that airtime.

We'll be shooting new television spots in March. One campaign will be for a group of credit unions who are joining together to ensure credit unions continue to build their brand as a viable and preferable choice over banks. The other campaign is to promote Dental Hygienists and the relationship between good oral health and overall wellness.

There's another "health-related" project in the works but I can't talk about that one yet.

Our proposal to Tourism Dauphin is in. Thanks Martijn for the comment on my last blog post. I certainly hope our proposal captured our enthusiasm for the project.

Amanda has been hard at work developing new graphics for Sunrise Credit Union. Just about the nicest people you could ever meet.

I just have to mention Glenn Hildebrand from the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba and George Fraser from the Massage Therapists of Manitoba. Both of these fine gentlemen do us proud by recommending Picante to others and believing what we do. I have such respect for them and their sincere dedication to their organizations. I'm proud to call them my clients and my friends.

Is it because I'm getting older?

My life is flashing around like an episode of Lost. One minute it's January and the next it's February.

The last few weeks I've been fighting a murderous cold. But other than that I can't complain.

Enjoyed a fantastic trip to beautiful Dauphin and am really looking forward to digging into some important projects there. Amanda is hard at it - prettying up our submission to Tourism Dauphin. The surreal meeting between myself and the CEO of Dauphin Credit Union in a pool bar in Cabo San Lucas is leading to some very interesting discussions. Ron Hedley truly enjoys torturing me with his macabre sense of humour. My intention is to get him back one of these days. I'm very impressed with all the economic development in Dauphin. Great community with some forward-thinking leadership.

Completed a new television spot for the Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba to air in the Winter Olympics. Thanks to Adam and all at Elemental for the great job of animating. a la Alfred Hitchcock - see if you can spot who modelled for the "curler".

Will be getting busy on Grant Park Shopping Centre's spring campaign in the next few weeks. Spring.....ahhhhh....yes!

New television production news on the horizon and the exciting launch of the latest Winnipeg police spots March 1st so watch for them.

What happened to December?

Well, this is rather embarassing. Imagine it being a month and a half since I updated my blog. Shame on me.

Since shooting the new Winnipeg Police Service commercials in late November, we've been keeping pretty busy. The amazing Tony Wytinck from Midcan has lent his magic to the edit and together we created something really special, I'd say. The Chief and Senior Executive from the WPS have given us an enthusiastic thumbs up and we've had a great response from our direct clients, Mark, Steve and Randy. Tony will now be doing the final colour correction and sweetening the audio for the final stage. The new spots will launch on March 1 so get ready....I think we'll be getting some public feedback, pretty quickly.

Still working on post-production of Urban Harmony. The music video has been completed and Jamie (Midcan) and I are working hard on the performer profiles. You'll see a terrific story about our own Amanda Buhse's talented singing group Antiphony, who has recently been invited to perform at New York City's Carnegie Hall. We're sure excited for her.

Just before Christmas we were short-listed for the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce "Selling Winnipeg to the World" campaign. Kath and I made an in-person presentation earlier this week. We'd love to be involved in this important project. Even if we are not chosen, it's nice to be in the finals!!

Grant Park Christmas went very well and Amanda, her husband Jeff, me and my husband Allan pitched in as Santa and Mrs. Claus on a number of occasions. How fun was THAT??!! This year, customers could bring their own camera down for photos with Santa for FREE. And if they didn't happen to have a camera with them, Grant Park provided them with a disposable camera - also at no charge. It was a huge hit. The customers we spoke with were so impressed with the generosity of the gang at Grant Park Shopping Centre. They honestly showed true Christmas spirit.
Gotta say I love working with John and Jamie at Grant Park. Winnipeg scored big when they came to town.

Amanda has been busy working up new brand identities for Accent Credit Union, Lansard Roofing and the Ag Guru.

And we've really enjoyed getting to know Darren Matthews, the new Marketing Director at Bothwell Cheese. We've been updating all the Bothwell Cheese labels....some are out in the stores already. So get out and buy some - Bothwell is an exciting Manitoba company and their cheese is to die for......can't decide which I love more....Madagascar Green Peppercorn or Horseradish Cheddar.

Talented Kids

The kids used in the spots were incredible. They put up with a lot of hardship, patiently waiting...and spending an enormous time squished into the little red car they nicknamed Herberta in the cold and wet. It was really very cold. And they never complained. Kudos to them and to their performances.

Big thanks to Staff Sergeant Mark Hodgson for being so great about everything and braving the challenging conditions with me every step of the way.

A shout out to the West Coast crew who created an exceptional crash scene and gave me everything I need to create some fantastic commercials. Looking forward to getting them to post real soon.

Special thanks to Robin, Al, Trudie, Geoff, Cameron, Anita, Brittany, Sean, Gabe, Jonas, Shea, Corryn and the rest of you.

CRASH!

Just returned from Vancouver where we shot new Winnipeg Police commercials. These ones will be decidely more graphic than the earlier versions. We chose Vancouver due to the timing primarily. We didn't want to shoot with the snow on the ground in Winnipeg. Who knew we wouldn't have snow yet here at the end of November? We also were able to arrange some amazing participation by the Director and crews in Vancouver who were very interested in the spot and recognized it's importance as a public service announcement.

Time for an Update

Exciting stuff. We'll be heading out to Vancouver next week to shoot new commercials for the Winnipeg Police Service Just Slow Down campaign. Not wanting to give away any secrets but the reason we're headed out there is partly weather related and partly stunt professional-related. Working with a strong team on the coast and then will post back here at Midcan. Looking forward to the final result.

Just putting the finishing touches on the Grant Park Shopping Centre Christmas campaign featuring General Manager John Rooke as Jolly Ol' John Rooke. We had a lot of fun at the photo shoot. Thanks David Lewis from Tripwire and Marnie Stewart for helping us put it all together. John was a good sport about it all.

The Victoria General Hospital Foundation calendar is nearly ready to head to the press. Amanda designed another gorgeous calendar for this important and deserving group.



Keep an eye out for new Bothwell Cheese labels. Amanda redesigned labels for their line of cheddars as well as Edam and Gouda.





















New brand identities created in the past month include John Harrison Law Office and Women for Women Law Office and Accent Credit Union.

And we're about to get going on a new identity and design for Lansard Bros. Roofing.

In the meantime, getting close to posting Urban Harmony. We'll make a BIG noise when that is completed. Very, very exciting project for MTS Video on Demand.

Olaf continues to recover from his chemo and radiation therapy and the prognosis is very optimistic. He really had a tough time and we are so very glad his life is starting to return to normal. It's terribly hard when one you care so much about is going through such a tremendously difficult time.

Things are definitely not slowing down in the near future....other than those drivers out there who have been appropriately paying attention.