April 20th, 2010 by edit1media

A few weeks ago Seattle Bride Magazine asked us for some new headshots for an article about wedding videography. Chris and I had just come back from almost a month in Hawaii filming several weddings (more on that later!) so we were feeling beachy and refreshed…the perfect time to take some photos! At the same time nVidia, a large graphics card company, asked me to do an on-camera testimonial about one of their video cards and the newly announced Adobe CS5. So it was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and we had a glam/photo/video day.

Erica Madera recently moved to Seattle after being a makeup artist in the L.A. area and I asked her to do my hair and makeup. I was a little worried because I’m one of those people who can’t stand it when someone touches my eyes and I’ve never had someone else do my makeup. Erica did a great job making me feel comfortable and she did my eyes super fast so I didn’t get all teary…I was even able to tolerate some fake eyelashes!

Laurel McConnell took our photos and she was great! It was REALLY cold and windy out and we didn’t have much light left but we still managed to go to a few locations in a short period of time and she made us feel comfortable in front of the camera. Afterwards we had some Mexican food and Margaritas and chatted about wedding and business stuff. Then it was back to our home-studio where we shot the video for nVidia. I’m not sure where or when it will show up, but hopefully we were able to give them something useful!

I want to give both Erica and Laurel some public thanks and love! If you are a bride still looking for the perfect wedding makeup artist in Seattle, please consider Erica. And of course Laurel is an amazing photographer who has also become a good friend to us over the past few years.

Let me know which photos you like the best!

Images by Laurel McConnell Photography

Networking, News, photography

March 10th, 2010 by edit1media

I know I’ve said this over and over again, but we seriously have the BEST clients in the whole world! We are so lucky to work with couples who truly value our skills, vision and creativity. One of those couples is Jenn & Thuy Truong who were married last summer and you may remember seeing their Same Day Edit at the Bell Harbor Conference Center.

Well, Jenn decided she loves weddings so much and wanted to mesh that with her life long dream of being a fashion designer, so she started The Flower Girl Boutique! These little dresses are super cute and there are lots of color options if you need to coordinate to a specific color palette. You can order online and get fast delivery or if you want to see the dresses in person, Jenn will be at the Voila! Wedding Show at the Woodmark Hotel on March 28th. And in fact Thuy (her hubby!) will be at our booth that day to talk with couples about why they loved working with Edit 1 Media since we will be in Hawaii filming a wedding. So be sure to go online and get your tickets for Voila! NOW to see these flower girl dresses and meet many other incredible wedding vendors!

Business, Networking, News, Wedding Help, wedding pros, Wedding Show

October 21st, 2009 by edit1media

Another reason for a girls night on the town! Get Hitched Give Hope is coming up on Thursday October 29th from 5:30pm-9pm at the fabulous Arctic Club Hotel. Not only is it a great excuse to go out with your friends and plan your wedding at the same time, but you’ll help raise money for a wonderful breast cancer charity: Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation. Making Memories is a lot like Make-a-Wish, but for adults. Last year, Get Hitched Give Hope raised $30,000 and were able to:

• Send a family of 8 to Hawaii (aloha!)
• Send a family of 6 to hang out with Mickey and his buddies at Disney World
• Send a family of 4 to Hawaii (mahalo!)
• Grant the wish of a dream wedding in the lovely town of Port Orchard
• Send a mom and her son to Key West for one last fabulous vacation

The goal this year is to raise $50,000 which is about 12 wishes. All of the wonderful people who work really, really hard on this event volunteer 100% of their time, all while still running their own businesses. Are they crazy? No, they’re just helping people in need!

The auction has some pretty amazing items up for bid. Stuff like diamond wedding bands, spa treatments, wedding planning, wedding flowers, wedding photography, a trip to Mexico (sombrero not included), custom invitations and wedding stationary, transportation for the big day, and last but not least, a couture wedding gown (what the what?!? I am NOT kidding!).

As a lot of you know, cancer hits home with Edit 1 Media. Chris and Laura’s son Matthew battled cancer twice before the age of 3. Through the Make-a-Wish Foundation, their entire family was able to enjoy a trip to Disney World. It was a vacation they’ll never forget. It was supposed to be their last big trip together as a whole family since Matthew was so sick, but thankfully his cancer went into remission and he is now a healthy, happy (almost) 15 year old with an amazing personality.

Here is some info on the awesome, giving gals (and one dude!) who put tons of time and effort into this event:

Michelle Lorette of mmm…paper and Sage Wedding Pros

Eliza Truitt of Eliza Truitt Photography

Barbie Hull of Barbie Hull Photography

Laurel McConnell of Laurel McConnell Photography

Wendi Hroncich of Ethereal Events

Holly-Kate Foss of Sweet Pea Events

Shannon Lassen of Sublime Wedding and Event Planning

Kaycee Parker of Parker Events

Ryan Barr of Excel Coatings

Pictured here is the GHGH crew with Brenda from Making Memories

If you’re in the middle of planning your wedding, these vendors are all awesome AND they’re philanthropic…what’s better than that? Also, all of the auction items are donated out of the goodness of those vendor’s hearts.

So do like you did last Thursday for Urban Unveiled. Set your DVR for all those great Thursday night shows (especially Community, my new personal fave!) put on your best party shoes, enjoy some fabulous drinks, eat delish food, and open your heart (and wallet!) for a good cause. Buy your tickets here and we’ll see you on the 29th!

If you want to see what a great event it was last year, check this video out that we put together! (photos by Jeff LaPlante Photography)

–Julie, Edit 1 Media Studio Manager

Arctic Club Hotel, cancer, charity, Networking, News, Wedding Show, Weddings

October 13th, 2009 by edit1media

This Thursday, October 15th is going to be fab-u-lous! Urban Unveiled is Seattle’s ultra-swanky wedding show featuring the best of the best vendors. It’s not just a regular wedding show; it’s more of a cocktail party and celebration. On top of the delicious food by Herban Feast, Lisa Dupar, TASTE Events and Tom Douglas Catering, there will also be a fashion show by Seattle’s own couture designer, Luly Yang. A raffle includes vendors like Salon Maison, Trophy Cupcakes (YUMMMMMY!!!), Florarama, All About Weddings, Spa Scotta, John and Joseph Photography, and tons more! And these raffles are GOOD too…a bridal brunch cruise for up to 20 on the Destiny worth $1600 courtesy of Waterways Cruises? Come on! That is awesome!

Of course Edit 1 Media is raffling off a Love Story/Engagement Music Video. It can be romantic and lovey or hip, fun and funky. This is an awesome video to showcase your love for each other and the fun you have together. Chris and Laura are available to shoot 2 locations for up to 3 hours on a mutually agreed upon date. This package is worth $2000 and expires on October 15th, 2010.

Urban Unveiled is put on by Travis and Jesse of True Colors Events and Sharlane Chase of Sharlane Chase Photography. They work so hard to make this event one of the best in Seattle. They select each vendor on an invitation-only basis and are limited to no more than four per category. Urban Unveiled partners are the most talented, innovative, and passionate wedding vendors in the industry. That means that brides can show up, eat some delish food, sip some rockin’ cocktails AND plan your wedding all in one night.

What else are you doing on a Thursday? Set your DVR for Grey’s Anatomy and the Office and come to Benaroya Hall on October 15th! Doors open at 6pm. See you there!

For a taste of what this event is like, check out the video that we did last year:

– Julie, Edit 1 Media Studio Manager

Networking, News, Seattle, Urban Unveiled, Video Clips, Wedding Show, Weddings

January 11th, 2009 by edit1media

I’ve been thinking a lot about the subject of weddings during a tough economy lately. Colleagues in all areas of the wedding industry keep asking me “Well, how are you doing? How do you think 2009 will be?”

Many Americans are experiencing a wakeup call and realizing a lot of the things we spend our time and money on don’t really matter as much as we thought they did. The fact is it’s your relationships and experiences in life that shape who you are, give you an emotional connection to the world and provide greater enjoyment in life.

Our experience at the Seattle Wedding Show last weekend made one thing very clear. Now more than ever brides and grooms are realizing it is the deeper meaning of a wedding and preserving the incredible moments that happen during the day that really matter the most. I am definitely hearing some brides talk about scaling back their weddings in various ways but they are also being much more vocal about how capturing the day and being able to share it with their future family has become more important than ever. A wedding becomes part of a family’s history and there is no better way to encapsulate the images, sounds and emotions of the day better than a well made movie. It is THAT important.

This is not a post telling couples where, how or even IF you should cut back on your wedding. Obviously none of my hard-working colleagues want that to happen! However we all realize that some people will be forced to cut down expenses on their wedding…it’s just a reality. The question for wedding vendors is how to work with those couples while still being able to make a living and continue to provide top-notch services for clients who still seek premium products.

Edit 1 Media is now implementing custom pricing and some other strategies which people are really responding to. I want to make it clear that we are not ‘bargaining’, negotiating or lower our standards. That does a disservice to everyone by leading to mistrust, misunderstandings and decreases overall quality and value. Instead we want to sit down with you and really find out what you are looking for and how we can serve you. Rather than trying to fit you into a package which might have items you don’t want or need, we fit our services around what you DO want. We want to build relationships with our clients and provide them with the perfect video they will love and enjoy over and over again.

I’m confident that Edit 1 Media will come out of this economy even stronger than before and I sincerely hope the same for all of our friends in the wedding industry. We have had an incredible response from the Seattle Wedding Show and are looking forward to working with some great couples in 2009. This is the year that brides, grooms, and their families are finally realizing the true value of having a superb wedding video and I can’t be more excited about that!

Business, Cinematography, Networking, News, Seattle, Wedding Show, Weddings

November 23rd, 2008 by edit1media

In October we participated in a gorgeous, upscale wedding show called Urban Unveiled. It was held at Benaroya Hall in Seattle and if you weren’t able to make it this year…you really need to make sure you are there next year! Here’s a little something we put together….

High Definition, Networking, News, Urban Unveiled, Video Clips, Wedding Show

October 25th, 2008 by edit1media

Chris and I have literally had every minute of every day for the past several months packed with work, responsibilities and things to do. So we were really looking forward to two events over the past two weeks so we could network with other wedding vendors and meet some new brides while also having some fun! I think I remember what fun is! LOL!!

Anyway, Urban Unveiled was held at Benaroya Hall and was a gorgeous, high-end event. Travis, Jesse and Sharlane went above and beyond to make sure the event was top-notch. At the end of the night Sharlane even came up and asked me how they can make the show better specifically for videographers next year. Talk about amazing customer service! I’m really looking forward to continuing our participation in this event. So if you weren’t able to make it this year, be sure to check it out next year.

This past week a brand new event was getting loads of attention, and all for a good reason. Get Hitched, Give Hope was held at the newly remodeled Artic Dome Room and it was a charity event to raise money for the Making Memories Foundation which grants wishes to terminal breast cancer patients. This was another super swanky event that had an amazing turn-out and we had tons of fun even while shedding a few tears and being reminded how fragile and precious life is. I’m so proud of the women who put this event together and look forward to future events with them!

Networking, News, Urban Unveiled, Wedding Show

October 13th, 2008 by edit1media

Today is the very last day to vote for your favorite ‘stuff’ in Western Washington, and this year wedding professionals are also included! So if you think Edit 1 Media is the best videographer, then drop what you are doing and head over to thier website to vote for us! And don’t forget to vote for all your other favorite things to do, places to see and great places to eat! http://tinyurl.com/3v846h

Awards, Cinematography, Networking, News

May 5th, 2008 by edit1media

Holy cow…has it really been THAT long since I posted a blog entry?! Things have been even crazier than usual around here!

I blogged earlier about Dalia & Mitchell’s wedding which we filmed in West Palm Beach in March. Well just a few days after getting home from there, a colleague in the LA area asked me (Laura) to come do a Same Day Edit for a corporate event. That was fun and involved quite a few retired NBA stars. But I wasn’t prepared to see snow in the foothills and froze my patootie off! LOL!! I did manage to get a great shot of the palm trees with snow in the background…certainly not something I’m used to seeing!

After that short adventure, we had another ‘short notice trip’ down to San Diego to film some Pearl Harbor vets. Those men really are one-of-a-kind heroes and it was an honor to capture their stories in High Definition. One of the gentlemen, John Finn is the last living Medal of Honor recipient from the attack on Pearl Harbor. He is such an engaging and fascinating man! A special thanks to our buddy Randy Stubbs for letting us borrow his lighting kit so we didn’t have to ship ours down there!

The week after that, a corporate client needed us to go to Jacksonville, Florida and Waukegan, Illinois to create some client testimonials for an upcoming meeting. That happened in the midst of the American Airlines MD80 debacle and we saw a lot of people who were stranded at Chicago O’Hare. The trip was filled with flight delays and lots of cold rain (even in Florida!) so we were actually happy to get back home to the 50-degree weather! LOL!! Thankfully the following week found us in Honolulu for an on-site editing session with a client and we were able to warm up quite a bit! So basically at the beginning of March when I looked at my calendar we had one trip coming up. By the end of April we had FOUR more added in! Crazy!

All this traveling has us very thankful to be home, although I wouldn’t have minded if we just staying in Hawaii forever. We are a little bit suntanned, exhausted, and behind on our editing but we are soooo grateful for our children having been away too many nights from them over the last two months. I swear they grew at least an inch while we were coming and going! Mega kudos to Andrew (our oldest son and editor extraordinaire!) for holding down the fort and keeping his little brothers in check! Now it’s time for some serious editing all-nighters!

Corporate, Crazy Schedule, Destination Weddings, Hawaii, Networking, News, Same Day Edit, Travel

March 27th, 2008 by edit1media

Here is a link to an article printed the other day in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. I had finally gotten around to sending out some press releases for the First Place Telly Award we received for this short documentary and they decided to write a story. The only thing wrong is that we didn’t bring the survivors out to the island, the museum director did. I’m going to have to see if they can correct that. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the article!

http://starbulletin.com/2008/03/24/features/story01.html

Corporate, Hawaii, News