Here it is, May already.

And my oldest son's birthday.  Happy Birthday Shaun!  I also think of this day as the 32nd anniversary of me becoming a Mom.

Laura and Shaun on Mother's Day.

Laura and one of the beautiful children of Alto Trujillo

As usual, things have been hopping at the Picanteria.  But the biggest news of late was our successful adventure in Peru.  My daughter Shea had invented a charitable project in which she solicited gently used shoes from school kids, took their photo and we travelled to Trujillo, Peru with the shoes to deliver them to children in poverty there.  It truly was a life changing experience and we can't wait to do it again.  It is quite addicting.

On the work front we are busy preparing for our new Winnipeg Police Commercial shoot which will be occurring in mid-July.  Once again, I must tribute the Winnipeg Police Service for caring so much about keeping us all safe.

We're getting close to going to print on our new materials for the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

On a tougher note, we're said to be saying goodbye to John and Jamie from Grant Park Shopping Centre who are leaving our fair city to go west.  We'll certainly miss our collaboration.  However, we're looking forward to working up all the new creative to manage the exciting  Grant Park renovations with new GM Sandra Haganaars. 

Enjoyed a magnificent Winnipeg Wine Festival Gala Dinner with our good friends Sue and Ron and the next day I taught a class on Advertising Fundamentals for Kathryne's University of Winnipeg class.  Good thing I didn't overdo it on the wine! 

Hope everyone is having a nice spring....don't worry - the warm weather will soon arrive!

Holy Dinah. What a Spring!

We've certainly be keeping busy these last few weeks. There's no question, I LOVE it like this.

Put the finishing touches on a Spring newsletter for Sunrise Credit Union. Now we'll concentrate on the Annual Report and a couple of new spring promotions. Enjoyed a lovely visit with Kaydee last evening and took in Derek Edwards at the Burton Cummings Theatre. What a fun group we had assembled including the fab John Rooke from Grant Park Shopping Centre and the effervescent Jamie Heiser.

Speaking of Grant Park, we have a stylish new campaign launching for them on March 21. Will post the new creative after introduce it to the retailers in the mall. Lori Dyck from Wildfire Online will deliver her presentation Get Naked! Marketing in 2011, Social Media. What it means to be in independent business - to the Grant Park merchants next Friday. Lori is the featured speaker at the Advertising Association Luncheon on the 25th and the Grant Park Merchants will get a private sneek peek!

On April 4th our new campaign for the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Manitoba will hit the streets. I love the creative for this one and really enjoy working with Executive Director Adam Chrobak.

We had the privilege of creating new packaging for building supply company McMunn & Yates. I foresee some very exciting new projects with them in upcoming months. A big shout out to Jayna who just has so many ideas and so much enthusiasm.

Kept very busy working on a new creative concept for Bothwell Cheese. Tons of fun coming up with the new Light Cheddar label. LOVE working with this client.

Created a new brand for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba. Just awaiting final word on their video although the printed material is in the final stages and we'll be starting on the new website very soon.

We developed the McNaught Cadillac GMC Trick up Your Truck Event. Deanna Chura is the hardest working gal in the car biz.

Created new logos for the Communication Media Network and the Health Media Network. Great job Char!

A couple of new business proposals are keeping me pretty busy. I need to get everything taken care of before we head to Peru for Fuze thru Shoes. Fuze is the charitable project my daughter Shea invented. With a goal of getting 150 pairs of shoes donated Shea began the project in November.

Now the trip to Peru is two weeks away and we are taking 450!!!! pairs of shoes.
www.fuzethrushoes.com

Of course we're thrilled with the reponse to the new Just Slow Down spots. We have over 25,000 youtube hits. I've presented a new script for the next phase and have received a general approval. Hold on to your hats folks! This one will be a great follow up to the last one.

Not a bad few weeks at the Picanteria. A big shout out to our graphic designer Char who enthusiastically attacks every job with gusto.

Just Slow Down feedback

We've had some amazing feedback on the new Just Slow Down campaign. I think I'm particularly pleased when people say that it is part of their watercooler discussion and I've heard that from more than one source. I think with this campaign we've really started getting people talking and absorbing the message.

I'm going to copy some of the best comments from the Tell us Your Thoughts section of the Just Slow Down website. Negative comments have focussed on it being too graphic. I was expecting that sort of feedback so I'm not surprised. But overall, the vast majority of people are very generous with their compliments.


"All I can say is "Oh my god!" What a powerful message. I hope these videos are being shown to all new drivers. I wish there was a way to ensure that every driver sees them. Kudos to WPS for the message they are giving us all and the chance to maybe prevent the next death on our roads! Thank you!!!"

"I just saw your commercial on TV. It was extremely powerful. People have been talking about it at work and I wondered what the fuss was about but after seeing it I now know. I have to believe that this will have a big impact and make people think twice about speeding."

"I think every school should show these videos. They are incredibly heartbreaking but real. They send a powerful message that needs to be addressed. If I person makes the choice to slow down after watching this video it has been a success. I am also proud of the two men that cooperated with the Winnipeg Police Service in creating this video as it must have been very hard for them."

"Definitely gets the point across. My sympathy goes out to those affected. I would like to see this become a national campaign."

"These video segments/vignettes are difficult to watch and tug at a person's heartstrings. This type of message should be presented in every driver training class in this country and should be broadcast as free-of-charge PSA's across the country. As heart-wrenching and difficult as it is to watch there is no more powerful way to make an impression than through raw, human emotion. Congratulations to the WPS for their efforts in putting together this website. "

"Very powerful and heartbreakingly sad. The video with the young men should be mandatory viewing in all Drivers Education classes."

"Excellent all round. I think the more true stories with images and videos the better chance we have of breaking through to the people who stil don't care and/or think it can't happen to them."

"This message is especially poignant to those in the small town of Swan River. We have watched these young men grow up and feel both pride in their accomplishments and heartbreak at their loss."


"Thanks. Thank you for getting this message out there."

This campaign is excellent. I think it is proof that the Police are really out there for other people. Thank you for doing this.

"I would like to see both these videos aired on TV. I know the internet reaches a lot of people but I think having it on television will have more of an impact and reach out to even more people. The video with the little girl in it affected me... I'm just starting my family and I can't even imagine."

I hope these videos are not limited to the internet. I hope they are run as tv commercials. They are very touching and hopefully people can relate to them and be as deeply affected as I was. I don't think any parent can watch the one with the little girl in it and not cry."

"I feel this is an extremely important campaign. Thank you for all who have shared and the work that everyone has put into this website and the commercials."

"What an extremely important campaign. Thank you to all those who are making this possible. "
Fred Hollands, Paramedic Firefighter

And thank you all for your comments and for appreciating the sincere desire of the Winnipeg Police Service to protect Winnipeg citizens.

A very successful launch.

I couldn't be more pleased with the launch of Just Slow Down. In addition to the introduction of the Phase 3 webisode we shot last summer, we unveiled the new true-life story of Tyler Burnside and Michael Johnston, survivors of a horrible speed-related crash on Bishop Grandin...a crash that claimed the lives of their two friends Adam and Tyler.

As of today, we've had 4,215 youtube hits on the webisode and 5,763 hits on the true-life story.

This is really exciting. Add to that some very positive comments on the Tell us Your Thoughts page on the website and I feel we can be very proud of a job well done.

Extreme thanks to the production crew for the webisode including the amazing Adam Sliwinski, kind and generous buddy Robin Lindala, Joao Holowka, Ben Wytinck, Shaun Gray, Alana Pona, Jen Santoro, Allan Hawkins and the rest of the crew....the incredible cast, (thanks Kari Casting) Trevor Mirosh, Gary Shaw, John Webster and Anet Ducharme in Vancouver and the clients who allow us to do our best work.

Special thanks to Tyler Burnside and Michael Johnston for courageously telling their story, K.B. and the production crew at Midcan, Tony Wytinck, my knight in shining armor and Gord Higham who puts up with my last minute begging calls.

I am so privileged to work with the Winnipeg Police Service and to do what I get to do.

If you haven't seen them yet....please check out the two videos at www.justslowdown.ca and if you feel so inclined, share them with family and friends. I do believe we are saving lives here.

Seriously, Just Slow Down

Yesterday, we shot video interviews with Tyler Burnside and Michael Johnston, two young men from Swan River who were involved in a horrible crash exactly one year ago today.

Michael and Tyler were in the back seat. Their good friends Adam and another Tyler were in the front....Adam was driving.

Tyler acknowledges that he felt Adam was driving too fast - perhaps showing off a bit for his friends in his new car.

It was a bitterly cold, snowy night and the guys were travelling on Bishop Grandin. When passing another car, the car slid towards the ditch colliding with a light standard. The car was completely cut in half and the roof was torn off. Adam was thrown from the vehicle. Michael was able to get out of the car. Both Tylers were trapped for quite awhile intertwined together and amongst the twisted metal, shattered glass and electronics of the former vehicle.

Michael suffered a severe cut to his leg and was treated in hospital for cuts and bruises. Tyler broke one leg, his hip and his spine. Adam was pronounced dead on the scene and the other Tyler shortly after arriving in hospital.

Through the interviews, Michael and Tyler take us through what it was like on that night, and how it has affected their lives since.

Michael is attending university in North Carolina taking chemistry on a full scholarship. Tyler had his interview to enter Med School at U of M while still confined to his wheelchair.

They were somewhat concerned that people would misunderstand and think the collision was the result of 4 young crazy party guys misbehaving which wasn't the case at all. These were 4 real people who had families, and lives and hopes and dreams for the future.

It was clear they missed Adam and Tyler every day and think about that night every day. It was especially poignant with today being the 1 year anniversary of the tragedy.

The Winnipeg Police Service and Picante certainly want to thank Michael and Tyler for taking the time to participate in the Just Slow Down campaign. We are certain that their message will help people, especially young people, take the message more seriously. We also sincerely send our condolences out to the families of Adam and Tyler. We're sure today must be a very difficult day for them.

The new Just Slow Down campaign will launch on January 31 - so stay tuned.

A fresh, new year.

So many exciting things on the horizon.

We're keeping busy with Sunrise Credit Union. Sunrise is looking for good people so fab Human Resources Manager Kaydee Deremiens is working hard on recruitment. Sunrise is also hosting a number of one-day seminars on the Current and Future Agricultural Outlook. Admission is free - a great service from the folks at Sunrise.

Tomorrow I'll be interviewing and videotaping two young men who lived through a horrifying experience. Nearly two years ago they were in the back seat of a vehicle involved in a terrible collision. Their two friends in the front seat didn't survive. They are anxious to participate in the Just Slow Down campaign. It will be difficult but I'm sure their message will be very impactful.

We will launch the new JSD campaign on January 31. Staff Sergeant Mark Hodgson will be on Richard Cloutier Reports on CJOB that morning. I love the Just Slow Down campaign as I believe we are engaging the public and making a difference.

We're looking forward to getting started on a project for the College of Physicians and Surgeons. And soon we'll have a final design for the Medical Laboratory Technologists of Manitoba campaign.

Other than that....getting started on the Grant Park Shopping Centre spring campaign, working up some exciting new labels for Bothwell Cheese, finishing off a project for Lansard Roofing and getting into a whole new area with a multi-faceted security company.

My prediction for 2011? Companies and organizations will gain confidence in a growing economy. We will continue to consult on how to leverage online for cost-effective results. My hope is that great creative will make a comeback as advertisers recognize the value of investment spending on this aspect of their marketing plan.

Picante will continue to deliver experienced, honest and sincere service to our valued clients. And 2011 will be an exciting one full of surprises and prosperity.

Happy New Year to you All!

Oh My!

Here it is December already. I'd say it's about time for an update.

Sunrise Credit Union continues to keep us busy with lots of interesting projects. We've redone all their informational brochures, created hats, golf towels, calendars, newsletter, another special newsletter, recruitment ads, Mobile Services support material etc etc. The fall Gold Rush campaign was a big success and the branches had great fun decorating and getting behind the promotion. Picante provided some spicy hospitality at the recent annual meeting held at the Inn at the Forks in Winnipeg. Each of the guest rooms received chips and salsa along with some fiesta candies.

We'll get working on a new RRSP campaign right away.

Grant Park Christmas is in full swing. The campaign is largely Facebook ads and special Bells & Whistles event nights. We'll be monitoring this closely to gauge the response. The GP budget is modest and we wanted to stretch available dollars as much as possible. We developed beautiful new winter-themed banners for inside the mall. I love the graphics on this whole campaign.

Nice job Char!

Picante recently was successful in winning the confidence of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba. We will be developing a brand identity, a video, website and support materials for MPAR - the Manitoba Physician Achievement Review. Right now they are reviewing a number of new logos that we've developed...then we'll move forward on producing the rest of the project. Such lovely people over there. We're delighted to be working with them.

Wouldn't be right to not mention MOVEMBER. Picante embraced his incredible program to help raise awareness of Prostate Cancer. We coerced my better half Allan along with City of Wpg Communications Manager Steve West, John Doherty from Cotton Candy, friends Pablo Szajt, Perry Stovel, Jorge Salazar, Tony Wytinck and others to the Picante Man-Friends Movember team. Together we raised over $1,000. Thanks so much guys for joining in.

We're in process of development of a new reality-based fitness television show. It's called

Total Meltdown and will feature 6 teams of 4 competitors, vying to win competitions and points, while losing fat. Plans are to go to air in Spring, 2011.

Lastly, my daughter Shea has developed a new concept to help kids in poverty. It's called

Fuze thru Shoes. Students from her high school and surrounding schools will be encouraged to donate a pair of their own gently used shoes. Shea will photograph each student with their shoes and then we'll be taking them to a small village in northern Peru. The kids there will be photographed with the shoes and the photos will be brought back to the original donors here in Winnipeg. The idea is to create the connection for the local kids - so they can see that they really are making a difference. McNaught Cadillac has agreed to sponsor the program and I must say, I'm darn proud of her.