With 110 years of operation, the Milwaukee Mile is the oldest operating speedway on the planet.  This week it plays host to Milwaukee IndyFest.

This week, we are proud to be the official video partner of this IndyCar Series race.

5 reasons why we’re proud of IndyFest:

1) This is the Lambeau Field of racing

Yes, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is bigger and has a ton of history, but the Milwaukee Mile is older and the Packers actually played there.  In fact, the Milwaukee Mile hosted the NFL championship game in 1939.  The Packers beat the New York Giants.  With Lambeau Field and Camp Randall Field also in our state, it’s in good company.  Wisconsin loves its historical sports venues.

So do we.

2) IndyFest is a story of redemption

In addition to being the oldest operating speedway in the world.  Milwaukee was once the rematch after … Read More »

We’re heading to the “Range of Light” to master the art of time-lapse.  We’ll be spending more than a week at Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks in pursuit of beautiful imagery and new skills to bring back to our video productions.  Can’t wait to share photos and behind the scenes footage from our time there.  Make sure to subscribe for free.

Our goal is to be the best film/video production group in the world and this will be another step in that direction.

You can follow along using the #MKE2CA hashtag on Twitter and Instagram, as well as our Facebook page and this blog.

“Here ends my forever memorable first High Sierra excursion. I have crossed the Range of Light, surely the brightest and best of all the Lord has built; and rejoicing in its glory, I gladly, gratefully, hopefully pray I may see … Read More »

As we end another school year of filming and prepare for the next one, we proudly present our research and thoughts on using video marketing from behind the scenes.

__________________________________

Private liberal arts colleges are struggling right now as parents question the value of an expensive school and incoming students say they are more concerned about finding a job.

However, small colleges have an advantage in several areas:  sports, extra-curricular activities, small class sizes, and access to experiences that would be impossible for most students at a large university.

We think video marketing can be an effective way for colleges to connect with current and prospective students, as well as alumni.

Here are 7 reasons why:

1) Small colleges have amazing stories to tell

Small colleges and universities typically have a higher percentage of athletes, actors, musicians, artists, and other students achieving remarkable things on a weekly basis.  This is … Read More »

Recently, I was able to sit down with several New Zealanders and chat about social media in their country, the challenges they face, and the potential for collaboration.  I made my way over to Hobbiton, better known as the movie set for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit series.  This was a long day trip, but well worth it to see the remote set most Americans have only seen on the silver screen.

I wanted to share it with you.

Hobbiton is the movie set where the hobbit scenes in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were filmed.  The village took over 8 months to construct and is about two and a half hours outside of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.  It was a very scenic drive with countless sheep, beautiful mountains, and rolling hills.

Once I got there, it was … Read More »

One day.  Two mountains.  Three snowboarders.

We called it “Whistler Takes a Snow Day”

Enjoy!

(Don’t see the embedded video?  Click here)

Big thanks to our friends at Tourism Whistler for premiering this short snowboarding film on their website and sharing some of the back story.  We were quite honored.

Whistler, British Columbia is unlike any skiing village in the world.  They have the most snow in the world (it’s in a temperate rain forest) and we fully enjoyed shooting some of the best snowboarders in the world as well.

We were up there for the Whistler Film Festival and decided to hit the mountain for a day with the boys from Tunnicliffe Racing and JP Fok.  These guys are not only great snowboarders, but great people as well.

Pretty typical for Whistler.

It’s an amazing place and we hope we did them justice with our work. Thanks for … Read More »

If you’re a fan of film, fashion, or just wanna see your favorite movie win the big award, we want to chat.  This is the big event for our industry and we don’t want to feel like the only nerds in town.  Help us out!

Step 1) Check out yesterday’s video guide to the Oscar nominations.

Step 2) Join in the discussion.  Don’t be shy.

Aaron and Caleb will be hosting a live online discussion throughout the entire Academy Awards ceremony:

- On our Facebook page
- On Twitter using @AttentionEra and the #AEoscars hashtag
- Right here below in the comment section as we update winners

First topic for discussion?

The red carpet.

- Who was best and worst dressed at this year’s Academy Awards?
- Do you like or hate Ryan Seacrest’s new hair?

Here’s the livestream replay of it:

Watch live streaming video from theoscars at livestream.com

The 85th Academy Awards Ceremony

- Discussion about Argo winning … Read More »

Every year, the Academy Awards (known as the Oscars) are the largest celebration of achievements in our industry. While we don’t have any films that were nominated (someday maybe), we do take time out each year to celebrate and discuss the works of art that inspire, educate, and challenge us.

Director Aaron Biebert and I will be hosting a discussion on Sunday here on the blog and on our Facebook page if you’d like to join us.

Here are videos featuring the films and people that were nominated this year:

Best Picture

Django Unchained

The Wild West just got a whole lot crazier.  The lastest from writer/director Quentin Tarantino gives us a whole new take on the American Western. Adult Supervision is Required.

Life of Pi

Based on the novel by Yann Martel, Ang Lee’s Life of Pi takes us on a journey of visual mastery in 3D. … Read More »

Two important trends you shouldn’t miss in the marketing world right now:

1) Twitter

I was featured in today’s USA Today Money section in an article about using Twitter to hire people.  I hired a social media manager back in 2011 for a new series I was producing and we only talked via twitter during the screening and interviewing process.  Now it looks like a trend is starting to form.

Twitter is being used for more and more things every day (Forbes offers nine different ways).  Some firms are getting feedback on important decisions in real time (Maker’s Mark should try that).  Others are using it for tech support (Best Buy), customer service (Zappos, UPS, XBox), hanging out with their customers (Applebees), and now interviewing potential candidates for a job.

If you’re not on twitter for marketing (yourself or your brand), now is the time.

2) … Read More »

Would you buy a business suit at Wal-Mart?

If so, then hiring the local TV station or cable provider (Time Warner, Comcast, etc.) to produce your commercial would make sense.

How much do they cost?  For a limited time only, these guys will shoot and edit thousands of cheap commercials for only $750 each.

Here’s why that’s a bad idea:

1) Just like Wal-Mart, they don’t care as much

Their primary job is selling you ad space, not making effective commercials.

2) Producing commercials at Time Warner Cable isn’t a dream

Nobody likes cable companies.  The best and brightest directors, editors, and producers don’t want to work at Time Warner.  Nobody does.

3) You get what you pay for

Pure and simple.  They don’t charge enough.  When you only charge $750, you can’t deliver much.   They don’t charge enough to have good people working on your commercial.  Cheap price, … Read More »

We had a great time hosting real time discussion about the Super Bowl ads this year (here is the main discussion if you missed it).  According to our unscientific Facebook poll of 150+ people, here are the top 4 Super Bowl ads of 2013.

Definitely less humor at the top.  Check out the commercials, along with our thoughts below:

1) Ram Trucks – “So God Made a Farmer”

(Not seeing the embedded video? Here’s the link)

This commercial (narrated by Paul Harvey) received about half of the overall votes.  Surprisingly (or not), this one seems to be a fairly divisive one and received quite a few negative comments as well on our Facebook post about it.  Sounds like the political system right now.

What’s your take?

2) Budweiser – The Clydesdales:  ”Brotherhood”

(Not seeing the embedded video? Here’s the link)

With about 14% of the vote, this one was the second favorite.  Nobody seemed … Read More »