First Solar Video Shoot Part 2

Part two of our First Solar Video shoot took us to San Luis Obispo, CA.

We flew into LA and worked out of our LA office then drove the three hours up to SLO. The town is cute and old.

There are a bunch of shops and restaurants. Kim and I stopped in a place called the Sock Drawer that only sells socks. We went a bit crazy. I bought Ana three pairs of socks for covering my work load while I was out of the office. Kim bought her assistant bacon socks, which I heard he immediately put on when he opened them.

The next morning we were picked up by our guide. The great thing about this second portion of our journey was we got to see all of the construction. Kim and I had to put on all of the OSHA required gear and we thought we looked rather good.

While I can't share anything about what we did on the construction site, I can share some of the things Kim and I experienced. Or things that Kim did that kept me entertained.

1. I saw Kim fall out of a truck. Like fall backwards on her bum, no face plant but it was funny none the less. 
2. Kim was trying to walk out of the trailer and her dress like safety vest got caught on a push pin and she almost fell down. It was more like a dog that ran out of leash and got pulled backward. 
3. I used her ability to persuade men to do almost anything to get who and what I wanted on film. 
4. Our gas light came on an hour outside of civilization. Luckily we got filled up before being completely stranded in BFE. 
5. On our drive back to LA, ants started crawling out of our air vents and biting us. Apparently they liked our cool moist Chevy Sonic and crawled on in. It was gross.  

We are still continuing to complete the First Solar promo video but once we finish it I will share it.

Read Part 1.

First Solar Video Shoot Part 1

Part 1 of this journey begins in Detroit, Michigan. Kim and I flew in on Sunday and drove down to Perrysburg, OH the next morning. We spent two days in the First Solar Manufacturing Plant taking video for their corporate promotional video.

I can't share anything about what we saw in the plant, but will share the video once it's finished. I can however share some of the entertaining things that happened during the time Kim and I spent together.

Kim and I work together and before this trip we weren't friends, just colleagues. Though this trip had us spending 140 straight hours together. You get to know someone really quick that way.

Sunday our plane got delayed and we weren't going to get into Detroit until midnight. Kim used her skills making a joke about two girls in Detroit at midnight. That got us on an earlier flight.

This is my AE, Kim. She's working away on her phone and always had to sit next to the window. 

We made a pit stop in St. Louis

15 hours on a plane and this is all we had to eat. 

We got to our hotel and went into the restaurant where United stranded a bunch of people. We met a lovely couple who had just dropped their daughter off at ASU and were trying to get home.

We had to share a hotel room on this trip and Kim debuted hot pink/black plaid pajamas. I didn't know how to react. 

On our way to Perrysburg, Kim almost got us lost . . . twice. 

Notice we aren't on the part of the road we are supposed to be on.

We were in Downtown Detroit and had the chance to go to a Tigers/Twins game where we met four new friends.

I spot a typo!

We were on ESPN. Wheeee!

This is Adam. He got us on TV.

Read Part 2.

Friday Night Party

While you were out drinking at the bar, Ana and I had a party with AAA. The ladybug's battery died and we had to have Garry come and replace the battery. He got allllll up in her junk. Thank you Garry!

Thank goodness we were still at the office and could hangout in the air conditioning. Time we finally got to leave the office: 11:14 PM.

Fashion Friday: Office Pride

We decided to keep out Ad2Phoenix Best Dressed AdBowl Award going this Friday. Check out these awesome people I work with! From left to right: Capt. Jack Spare-O, Capt. Hook, Capt. Crunch, Napoleon and Peggy Leg. Not Pictured: Capt. Morgan.

Jr. Creative Advice: Love your Job

When I came to R&R Partners, I immediately knew that I would love the culture. I finally went to my new hire orientation . . . a year later. Only reason being I was crazy busy with photo/video shoots. It was definitely a good thing though. After working here for a while you start to know so many people in  all the offices, so it was nice to go and meet people I had been working with on the phone and over IM for so long.

Also, being part of the new hire orientation after a year really re excited me as to why I love working at this company. Yes, things get crazy and there are times we work ridiculous hours but I am truly surrounded by amazing people that get along and care about each other.

That's what you should look for in a company you want to spend time with. A place that treats you well and allows you to have a work life balance. As I get older, I realize how important it is to have that balance. It not only keeps you sane, it makes you more creative.

Find a place you love that loves you back.

She's Crafty: Hurricanes and Candles

This week's craftiness comes from candle sizes and hurricanes not playing nice together. You saw my friend's wedding this week, well I'm going to show you how to pull off one of the tricks we did for one of her center pieces. 

Gently slide your unopened can of tuna into the bottom of the hurricane. You want to make to not use an opened can because no matter how many times you wash the cans, your centerpieces are going to smell like fish. If you are working with different sized candles you can utilize different heights of the cans as well. 

Next, pour in your filler. The great thing about the can is that you use A LOT less filler. Saving money and getting some tips all at the same time. 

Thirdly, slide your candle down into the filler. This should give you that desired height you are looking for while not allowing your candle to sink any father into the sand. You can add shells or whatever else your heart desires. 

Weekend Recap: Working and More Working

Yes, I spent the weekend working. A necessary evil at times in the advertising industry, though it might not be what you think. I spent the weekend drawing storyboards. Besides being on a weekend, it's nice to get back to the simplicity of drawing. There's no relying on Illustrator or Photoshop to generate a perfect finished product.

There's something beautiful about a hand drawn line. The simple wavers of ink caused by human movement. You must be confident in your plan before beginning because error means you must start completely over.

There's a documentary called Beautiful Losers that I absolutely recommend. It's about just that. The beauty of imperfection and how the industrialized world sometimes craves or needs organic type work to feel human again.

Fashion Friday: Hawaiian

Check out these amazing folks. And honestly . . . who has this much Hawaiian shit in their office?! Apparently we are dreaming of some nice surf and sand here in Phoenix!

Finally Instagram Video for Android

Long after iPhone users had video those of us with Android phones can finally use Instagram Video function to create gems like this created by my friend Lydia (she probably has an iPhone).

Fashion Friday: Fancy

I know! I know! I've been slacking on my blog posts lately, the wedding (not mine, I'm single boys!) really slowed me down. I promise next week to get everything up and running again. I know you miss my random Leroy posts!

So, here's a toast to getting back into blogging and my beautiful co-workers!