Pre-production in full swing!

One week to go and lots of arranging to do. We have all our cast chosen now, the extras in place and the locations nailed. I must say Kevin and the staff at the City of Winnipeg have been fantastic in attending to all our street closure, permits and other needs. The crew is all set and schedule in place. It's a very exciting time - the goal is to have no unforeseen surprises and then hope that the one thing we can't control - the weather - cooperates.

The Winnipeg Paramedics are volunteering to appear in the commercials and the Winnipeg Police have a couple of volunteers too. Kari Casting did a great job of finding candidates to audition and I'm really pleased with our choices. Great acting makes a significant difference in something like this. Eric Olson did such an incredible job on the storyboards.

A debt of gratitude to Cinematographer Adam Sliwinski who is doing all he can to make this a huge success. I can't thank him enough.

Quite a lot goes into a production of this magnitude and each and every person who is involved is key to the final product. Will post lots of production photos after the fact.

In the meantime, great news from Sunrise Credit Union who have approved all the new plans and creative for the upcoming year. Thanks Dennis DeLeon and Lori Dyck for a job very well done. And thanks Kaydee, Tim and Harry for your continued trust in Picante.

And I'm now working on an exciting project that will bring Kevin Costner and his band to Portage la Prairie in August. More on that soon.

Congrats on your promotion Steve!

Was thinking I could use a pair of roller skates today. Began with a lovely send off for Steve West. Steve has been such an important part of the Just Slow Down campaign and he has moved on - over and up - to head all communications for the City of Winnipeg. Chief Keith McCaskill gave a wonderful tribute speech to Steve and it was just a perfect send off to a great guy. We know we're still going to be seeing lots of Steve but it was just terrific being in attendance at an event where he was so well recognized.

Then, it was off to Midcan where Ben Wytinck and Norm Foster worked hard to help me work on Urban Harmony. We're in the home stretch now.

Zipped over for a lovely lunch with the equally lovely Jamie Heiser - Marketing Director for Grant Park Shopping Centre. We really enjoyed our patio lunch at Hu's. Great food. Finally, as if I hadn't been treated enough for one day - we headed out to Red Lobster to celebrate my beautiful daughter Shea's 17th birthday.

Felt like a full day but there's no question....it's a WONDERFUL life!

Very exciting news!

We have liftoff on the new Winnipeg Police Service television spots. The new concept was presented to Chief McCaskill last week and we received an enthusiastic "thumbs up". We'll be shooting in Winnipeg in late June. Stay tuned for more updates.

On the road again.

I feel like I'm becoming one with the Trans Canada Highway. Last Friday it was off to Brandon to help launch the 13th Branch of Sunrise Credit Union. Had a fantastic time - food was awesome and it was great to talk to all the people who dropped by.

Then yesterday my buddy Dan and I had an early start and rolled on down the highway for a brief but highly productive and entertaining trip to Regina. Drove through a brief blizzard - lots of vehicles in the ditch - but we made it there and back safely.

Sunrise over Boissevain.

This was a great weekend. On Saturday my better half, Allan and I headed out to beautiful Boissevain Manitoba to launch the new brand identity for Sunrise Credit Union. In late 2008, five southwestern Manitoba credit unions amalgamated to form this progressive, new credit union. In March, we were asked to help Sunrise develop a new and distinct brand thanks to an introduction I received courtesy of Ron Hedley from Dauphin Plains Credit Union.

Kudos to Kaydee and her team who brought staff from all 13 branches to an uplifting and entertaining launch.

Following a brief presentation by yours truly in which the new logo and slogan were unveiled, we were treated to a terrific motivational speaker, Darci Lang, who acknowledged that sometimes change can be daunting but that when people focus on the 90% good in their life rather than the 10% that's not so good, that attitude will create a winning result in all aspects of their lives. . I think everyone took a lot of positive energy away from her presentation.

Everyone enjoyed a great dinner and then Picante hosted a rousing game of Name That Product - which pit the guy's team against the girl's team in an advertising game matching slogans to products. (Guys won 8 to 7) I really appreciated Allan for so capably handling all my IT needs....with a little help from the Sunrise guys.

We enjoyed meeting all the Sunrise staff and appreciated being a part of a special day. Thanks Harry, Tim, Yvette and of course, Kaydee for making us part of the Sunrise team. And a big shout out to Amanda who once again, created a dynamic new credit union brand.

Keep an eye out for the new Dental Hygienists spots that start airing tomorrow!

This business.

The last few days have been a whirlwind. And this morning I have a few moments to reflect.

How lucky am I that each day I get to do what I do.

I get the adrenaline rush of a new business pitch with the serene and oh-so-talented Kathryne. She is the Ying to my Yang. Kathryne is so like me in her sincerity and commitment to her work and our clients, but such a calm and determined force....steady and rock solid. We've been through a lot together over the past 16 years. I can't imagine doing what I do without her incredible talent and her complete trust in me. "You're the skip! Just go out and make the shot." she always confidently says. Whether we win that piece of business or not, I'm always proud of what we present.

Amanda never fails to amaze me. She juggles 27 jobs all at the same time with a cheerfulness that is so valuable. How many times do I say to her....."I don't know if you actually have time to do this....but I need.......whatever." And she always responds..."I'll try." And she ALWAYS gets it done. It must make her crazy - especially in the mornings trying to implement whatever ideas I came up with through the night. Those first discussions in the morning are the ones I truly value - because she never knows what I'm going to dump on her first thing. And her work is far, far more skilled than her years in the business would indicate. She is definitely an Advertising Art Director - and that's a high compliment from me.

Shaun is always there. Even though he's no longer here, he's always there. Thank goodness.

I have the greatest clients. I actually adore these people. So many of my clients become my friends. And I'm so grateful to them not only for trusting me with their advertising dollars, but in recognizing the value of the entire Picante team. They are unbelievably enjoyable to work with - good, honest, sincere people who truly care about their own organizations and goals.

I just want to mention a few here that we've been busy with lately - because I am in this reflective and grateful mood this morning....thanks to: Kellie, Mark, Steve, Randy, George, Jamie and John, Glenn, Kaydee, Tim, Tim and Tim, Ron, Harry, Stan, Ivan, Diane, Garry and Yvette.

Other people in the industry that keep the Picante engine chugging along - top of mind are Simon and Adam, Denise, Lori, Tony, Iain, Wally, Ric and Ben and of course, Ken. I pick up the phone, make impossible demands, and they always say "No problem." How wild is THAT?"

My professional support team, Bill, Bill, John, and Bonnie - again - sometimes quite urgent phone calls with odd questions, always patiently answered.

Certain friends who have weathered occasional and recent storms with me...Teresa and Alys, Pablo and Paula and Jorge...a very important and select few.

And the two most important members of Laura's keep on keeping on team are Allan and Shea. They are forced to review and critique endless creative concepts, rough cuts...answer continual research questions and occasionally are pressed into service in any number of ways. (Sorry about freezing you under that running water outside in October Shea.)

This post was triggered by a discussion late last eve with Adam from Elemental who is putting his all into the Dental Hygienists spots. His enthusiasm and commitment to a great product is so gratifying. And the quick note of thanks from Kellie (see earlier post) that she took the time to write. And the awesome meeting Kath and I attended yesterday. And Allan who believes in me and what I do no matter what.

I feel very, very lucky, proud and privileged.

A fresh approach to dental hygiene!

Today was a terrifically fun day. We had the privilege of creating two new commercials for the College of Dental Hygienists of Manitoba.

We wanted to do something out of the ordinary and I really believe we've achieved that with the help of the gang from Elemental Motion Media and our client Kellie Hildebrandt who put her trust in us.

We received a really nice email from her afterwards and I'm just so proud of our crew I want to share it here for everyone to see:

Laura

I just wanted to extend my sincere thanks on behalf of the CDHM for the work that has been done thus far on our PSA. Today was a blast and we are all so excited to see the final product. Your professionalism, understanding and flexibility with our project has not gone unnoticed. It seems rare these days to have a company that goes to the lengths that you have to make a client happy. You, your staff and crew have exceeded my expectations. Please pass on my thanks to them as well.

Kellie Hildebrandt
Registrar - Executive Director
CDHM


What can I say? Thanks so much Kellie. And thanks to Keith and Nathan Eides, Jen Santoro, Adam Duguay and Simon Burgess from Elemental Motion Media, Kelly and Kim from Midcan, Picante's Amanda, and last but definitely not least the stunning dental hygienists Jamie Lee and Lori. It really was a blast!