Our relationship is happening all the time

[Ed. - I recently had to send a "see you later" email to a very special group of people. The sentiment is important enough that I wanted to share it here, too.]

 At the end of the 2002 movie Laurel Canyon, blithe spirit Jane asks her straightlaced son if they’re “ever going to have a real relationship.” He replies, “Here we are – having it.”

It’s tempting to believe that to build a relationship, you need to schedule quality time. Sneak out for coffee. Share a secret. Celebrate a birthday. Plan a goodbye toast.

But all the moments we spend together are meaningful in equal measure. Sitting in the conference room. Standing in the elevator. Shuffling in the kitchen. These aren’t hurdles to some other, better relationship. They are the relationship. And they are happening all the time.

I hope on Monday you pause to appreciate the divine nature of mundane moments. And instead of resenting or numbing them, imagine them all as part of the same single sprawling sea, immeasurable and immeasurably important.

This is your life. And here you are – having it. Together.

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park: Sign the Bridge

There are big projects and then there's this. For year two of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park's Come Across campaign, VJ has teamed up with Lumenati and Dave Hagan to burn thousands of real signatures into the bridge's wooden planks. If you didn't make it to one of our events, you can sign your name online.

Bestway Disposal: Hey, you looking for a ride?

Our client Bestway Disposal has the best trucks and friendliest drivers. And we wanted to prove it. So a few weeks ago, we offered several very important people luxury transportation to an event in Colorado Springs. Then we showed up in a big, red garbage truck.

Congrats to the team that pulled this off. The never-say-die creatives at Vladimir Jones. Our talented production partners at Bionic Giant. And most of all the people at Bestway Disposal. It was their hilarious, genuine, hard-working drivers who made this project a success.

There are a couple examples below. But please go check out the supercut and more videos on Bestway Disposal's website.

Royal Gorge Bridge: Come Across case study

So, VJ's been busy.

VJ launched a bunch of new work last week for Enstrom, Colorado Loves and CU South Denver. What impresses me most is the range. We're doing what's right for the client, whether it's long-form nostalgia, fast-and-fun documentary or inspiring motion graphics.

Bestway Disposal and the recycled band

More fun work from Bestway Disposal and the team at Vladimir Jones.

The Come Across Artist Series: New work for the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park

Here are three videos from a new series we created for the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park with singer-songwriter Covenhoven, fashion designer Mona Lucero, and artist Will Lee-Ashley. The films were shot and edited by the team at Boyte Creative.

If you want the behind-the-scenes scoop, I did a full writeup on the VJ site. You can also check out the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park's Come Across page. Covenhoven's song is for sale now on his website. And Mona's dress and Will's art will be on display at the Bridge all summer long.

Angry Goose: New work for Centura Health

Fun stuff from the VJ team and Mike Nelesen at Drive Thru.

Change The Current: New work for Colorado Springs Utilities

At Vladimir Jones, we're launching new work for Colorado Springs Utilities. The campaign includes a film series we created with Bas Berkhout. The whole thing is killer. I'm posting the video from USAFA purely because when we said we wanted to film there, certain people laughed, shook their heads, and told us we'd never get permission.

With the right team, you can do anything.

The Making of the Colorado Springs Utilities holiday light sign

So proud of the team at VJ, Carson Nyquist, Rebecca Stumpf, our clients at Colorado Springs Utilities and the artisans at Jodie Bliss Studios for pulling this together in time for the holidays. The sign itself is installed at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Check it out if you get a chance.

Giving Is All We Get: new work for Enstrom Candies

Serious.



Funny.



Serious.



Funny.



It goes on like this for the next three months, folks. Across nearly 100 videos. Because if Giving Is All We Get, well, there's a whole lot of stuff we don't get at all. Campaign hub is at Enstrom.com. You better like this stuff. I gave up my tendon for it.

The Club at Garden of the Gods: Science Behind the Senses

From VJ's new campaign for the beautiful Club at Garden of the Gods.

 

New site for Royal Gorge Bridge and Park

In the very popular category of "stuff we are making at VJ," here's a link to the brand new site we launched for Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. So proud of the team for getting this live.

Learn to Skate USA: Help Them See

Hot on the heels of Snowmass, here's another new campaign I worked on with Jen and our team at VJ. (Yeah, it's been kinda crazy here for the last month or so.)

The mission was to help US Figure Skating launch Learn To Skate USA, including their new site, collateral, and 30- and 60-second spots. Along the way we got to team up with Boyte Creative and Rocky Mountain Recorders to bring the vision to life.

The spot I'm sharing below is very special to me, and I'm so, so excited and grateful that it's finally real.



Update: And here's the 0:60 brand video that goes with it. Pretty much the same team. This was all existing footage, so we tried to push the script, edit and music to really create something we could be proud of.

Snowmass: Run Away With Me

Happy to work with my partner Jen, our team at VJ, Riposte, the talented Matt Hobbs, Rocky Mountain Recorders, the Talbott Brothers, and most of all the passionate folks at Snowmass to bring their summer campaign to life. We'll be doing a formal press release and such. But for the friends and family who read my blog, the 0:60 is posted below.

The Cardiac Crooners sing for Centura

This shoot was a blast. Thanks to Studio C3, Centura Health and most of all the team at Vladimir Jones for making it real!

Don't Let Smart Be Dumb: my talk at 99U

Here's a video of my speech at the Denver 99U Local event a couple months ago. We already had a lot of creatives on stage that night. So I spent my time talking about big data and how it can help you craft a better brief.

Thanks to Studio C3 for the video production, Chip Kalback for the headshot, and Jen for bringing 99u to the Mile High City.