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Telling video stories and preserving memories is a big part of what we do at Sunny Wonder Media.  We are currently planning a video story for a family recognition of their beloved mom’s 80th birthday.  We recently finished a touching tribute to a teenagers Bat Mitzvah.  We’ve told stories about a summer camp for kids learning to love science and another summer camp for kids learning what they say and do matters even when they are told they are different.  We’ve edited a segment showing the value of a career in law enforcement and produced a story of an immigrant family member learning to live in America.  Each time we start working on a new project we enjoy the opportunity to learn something new and share it with others.  We have spent time in the country of Antigua in the West Indies telling stories of students from thousands of miles away in America, installing computers in schools and we started a story about a woman bringing community and pride in sewing classes to Antigua, called Common Threads.  Here is a rough first look at that story.

We hope to continue to tell these stories through time and distance with all that we have learned in helping people share their stories with each other.

Video production has changed through the decades in so many ways.  It continues to change today.  If you plan a career in this industry, it is good to prepare to frequently familiarize with many different brands and formats of camera, editing equipment, storage systems, lighting, audio equipment and other necessary tools of the trade.  Currently Sunny Wonder Media is using Avid Editing 5.5 Media Composer and Sony HD cameras that record to SD Cards to tell stories in various communities.  The road to this equipment has been long and windy and is rapidly changing with various formats and upgrades.  To become more mobile and keep up with changes in technology, we are looking toward 4k cameras and Adobe Premiere mobile editing.  Fortunately, once you learn how to produce effectively, creatively and conveying qualities and emotion, as the tools of the trade change, the work you produce only gets better.

As a member of the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, I was offered an opportunity to travel to Antigua West Indies and document an experience of giving and exchange. This is a compilation of some of my favorite moments during this experience.

Such an active and event-filled few days in a beautiful area with gracious and spirit-filled people I had no idea existed before this experience.

As St. Patrick’s Day 2013 is just a few days away, here is a segment from the 2012 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Seattle. There is a little bit from, I think, every group in the parade.

It has been a family event for us since I was very young and my Dad and my son have played the Irish Anthem and the Stars and Stripes at the start of the parade for a number of years together. This segment showcases a little bit of their trumpet work as well as the diverse variety and fun of the parade. Thanks to the Irish Heritage Club and so many other groups for their hard work putting this event together every year.

I produced a short video for the 2013 Verity Cartwheels for a Cause Contest to benefit Kiwanis Camp Casey.  Voting ends today at 5pm.  There are some very worthwhile causes in the competition.  Here is my entry:

Vote for #9 Cartwheels for a Cause.

My segment features the SLC Lacrosse Team doing cartwheels and a great cartwheel line from the Newport High School Gymnastics team.  I hope it does well and will share any results I find out.

Participating in youth talent shows is in my opinion one of the bravest things a teenager can do these days.  Putting it all on the line on stage in front of everyone, when most youth that age are working on where they fit in and are accepted.  That takes courage.  Yet, the end result from such an event is just an amazing array of beauty and skill and creativity.  Here is this year’s Newport High School Follies clip:

The winning act has been getting great reviews in the You Tube clip.  They are called Copenhagen Interpretation and they performed an Of Monsters and Men title called  Little Talks.

Great acts and inspirational moments.  It’s why I am an advocate for the arts and contribute so much of my time and talent to making sure they have a place in our world.