Podcamp Newbie

I spent most of my Saturday at PodCamp Western Mass 6 at the Kittredge Center at Holyoke Community College.

That's me in the lower right, in a session led by Adrian Dahlin.

Great first session with Jon Reed on creating content for social media—lots of great tips shared around the room.  Next, Val Nelson led a session on finding your social media sweet spot.  After lunch, Steve Sherlock led a session on how to write a blog post (using his photo below).  Adrian Dahlin of the Conway School facilitated a session on social media challenges for non-profits.  Finally, Paul Bogush led a session on body language and interpreting non-verbal communication.

I learned a lot in every session and would enthusiastically encourage anyone who wants to improve and/or share their experience with social media to attend a podcamp.

Here's more info on PodCamps.

Maya Lin Lecture at Smith College

I was lucky to be able to film the Maya Lin lecture at Smith College last night.  I only knew of her work designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall while she was still a college student.  I didn't know the rest of the story about what a busy and remarkable career she has had as an artist and architect.

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Look Park

Took a walk around Look Park in Northampton today after dropping off my kids' carpool at school. I haven't been there for a while, and didn't realize the the Willow Lake dredging project had already been completed. The lake now looks to be in great shape. The bandshell by the lake makes a great location for weddings, if you're looking for a beautiful spot outdoors. And if you don't want to travel to another location on your big day, the Look Park Garden House is a great place to have a reception.

Rudy Wilson Galdonik

I was in Greenland, NH, yesterday, taping Rudy Wilson Galdonik. Rudy is a humorist, speaker and author—in her words, a nearly bionic "menopausal mom with an attitude". She addressed an audience of women at Bethany Church and will use the footage on her website.

Compassionate Conditioning

In an effort to help you out with your New Year's resolutions, I recommend Lynne Marie Wanamaker. If you're looking for a personal fitness trainer, she's the best, especially if you feel guilty about last year's resolutions. She totally gets it, she's non-judgmental, and she really knows how to tailor a program to fit your needs.

Check out her website, Compassionate Conditioning, and contact her before you lose the nerve!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and best wishes to all of our clients. More great videos to come in 2012!

Schneider Plumbing & Heating

I have to recommend Schneider Plumbing & Heating of Haydenville. Bob Schneider came out and fixed our non-working boiler the day before Thanksgiving, with just a day's notice. He was prompt, explained everything, and fixed the problem in about half an hour. We were able to tidy the house and prepare our feast in comfort. And we were relieved that our guests wouldn't have to keep their coats on!

You can find his contact info on Angie's List.

Bat Mitzvah Video

On Saturday, I was in Florence, MA taping Olivia's Bat Mitzvah. The service was at Beit Ahavah (they use the Florence Congregational Church), and the reception was at Mill 1 at Open Square in Holyoke.

It's always nice to return to Beit Ahavah. Rabbi Riqi Kosovske leads an inspiring service. It was my first time at Mill 1 in Holyoke, and I enjoyed videotaping in the space, which is a large, open, brick-walled room in an old factory building. Klezamir provided great music, there were games for the kids, and there was a photo corner where the kids could get pictures taken while dressed up in crazy accessories.

Amazing Designer

Just finished up a quick video for an amazing Northampton designer, Jon Schluenz. Jon does fantastic interior design and artwork, and needed a video to apply for a reality design show.

Check out his website if you need interior design work and to see some of his artwork. He also recently curated an art show at Whoo Space in Northampton.

Smith College Panel

I was at Smith College last night, videotaping the panel discussion Beyond the Smith Bubble:
True Stories of Life After Smith. It's part of an ongoing series under the Women's Narratives Project, and it's been very interesting.

Tapestry Health

Spent the last two days videotaping interviews and other footage for a promotional video for Tapestry Health. The focus was their programs for the homeless and reentry populations in the Springfield, Massachusetts area. On Tuesday, we interviewed some counselors, participants, and Tapestry Health founder, Leslie Laurie.

I rode along with a counselor around Springfield on Wednesday, getting shots of damage from the June tornado, shooting galleries (for drugs) in the woods and by the railroad tracks, and some economically depressed neighborhoods where their clients live. It was eye-opening to see that side of the city. I was in awe of the task facing Tapestry employees, and impressed by their passion.

From their website: "Tapestry Health is a locally grown community-based provider in Western Massachusetts that offers affordable, high quality care. Our services include family planning, reproductive health exams, STI screenings, HIV counseling and testing, insurance enrollment, needle exchange, community education and outreach, medical case management, a family nutrition program, legislative advocacy, and much more."

Wedding in Longmeadow, MA

I was in Longmeadow Saturday for the wedding of Brooke and Brendan. They were married at St. Mary's Church and had their reception at the Longmeadow Country Club.

It's unusual for a church to feel so cool on a hot day, but St. Mary's was very comfortable. The Country Club staff was efficient and well-organized as usual. I worked with a new (to me) photographer, Stacie Kirkwood, who is based in Framingham. Stacie has a lot of energy, great people skills, and a good eye for interesting shots. Playing at the reception was the band Moonglow, which did some nice versions of Motown songs, and Van Morrison, too.

Wedding in Brookline & Wellesley

This Saturday, I had the pleasure of taping Maureen and Matt's wedding. They were married at St. Mary's Church in Brookline with a reception at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It was my first time working with the photographers from AMW Studios. Ariel and Matt were great to work with, and I could see that they were efficient and fun in working with the bridal couple and their family and guests. Brendan Howard of Murray Hill Talent was their DJ, and he kept the party moving along effortlessly. Overall coordination was handled beautifully by Erica Jones of Events by Sharon's Daughter.

Linden Hill School Commencement

Spent part of Thursday and Friday n in Northfield, MA, taping the end of year ceremonies at Linden Hill School. I believe this is my seventh year taping there. Thursday night is their awards night, where they hand out sports and academic awards. Friday morning is Prize Day, graduation for their 9th graders who are moving on to high school. This year marked their 50th anniversary. The ride up I-91 was unnerving, with a lot of lightning, heavy downpours, and two trees down on the highway.

From their website: Linden Hill School serves boys ages 9-16 of average to above average intelligence who have learning differences. The School addresses the specific needs of each boy’s learning difference in a setting that is structured and predictable, and also nurturing and family-like. The lessons of Linden Hill are intended to prepare our boys for secondary school and to facilitate their pursuit of leading productive and fulfilling adult lives.

QR Codes

You've probably seen these funny looking black and white squares while out shopping or reading the newspaper. QR codes, short for Quick Response codes, are often used to give consumers more information about a product or business. Use can use a mobile device with a camera to view the code, which then links you to the information, which could be a website, video, PDF, etc.

Here's the QR code that will take you to the Klituscope Pictures website:

A client recently used QR codes to link to videos that we produced to explain how to use one of their products.

Academy of Music Concert

Spent Sunday afternoon helping a colleague tape Living Along the River: A Concert of River Songs at the Academy of Music in downtown Northampton. The concert was to benefit the Connecticut River Watershed Council.

New Thank You

Got a sweet note from Shay and Juliana. They were married last August at Harrington Farm in Princeton, MA. Here's the note:
"Thank you for all your hard work! The wedding video is absolutely phenomenal! It is so wonderful to be able to relive those unforgettable moments!"

New Ad for Film & Video Transfers

We're trying out one of those ads on a restaurant placement advertising our work transferring home movies—films and videos—to DVD. It will appear at Adamo's pizzeria/restaurant in Easthampton.

Here's the ad:

Corporate Video—Great Review!

Just received a great review for my work on a series of enrollment videos for the Hartsbrook School!