Took a trip to LA to film Kitty + Aaron's wedding. This cute couple met on New Years Eve. Got engaged on the following New Years Eve. And finally tied the knot on this NYE. It was one heck of a party. A night to remember and one of my favorite videos I've made to date. (ps. dear universe, more weddings in California please.)
WOWZA! Do I have a video for you. I went to THE coolest party last week... I'm still not sure if I was even cool enough to be at this party - that's how cool it was, ya know? The ladies of Patina Rentals threw their annual, Patina Roller Jam, and asked meeee to film it. The party went down in a massive, industrial warehouse called The 1896 (ps. from snooping on their instagram, Beyonce films her music videos here, NYFW has runway shows here, it's pretty much the best kept secret, but not so secret, warehouse in the neighborhood). The night consisted of The Skate Truck handing out roller skates (gold glitter roller skates, ppl!), free tattoos from Greenpoint Tattoo Co., as well as not-so-permanent tattoo by Tattly (brian and I went with matching "love" arm tattoos). People boogied down to music by the raddest DJ in Brooklyn, Chances with Wolves. But the star of the show was The Color Condition ya'll. Holy shit. Patina teamed up with the crew, who is based in Texas, on the most visual decor/art installation/I don't know what else to call it (that can be rented for weddings!!) I've ever seen. And if all that wasn't enough to get 200+ people out to bushwick on a week night, there was free food from Roberta's and Cool Haus. One of the more interesting things I discovered that night was, The Bosco - which is a photo stand that automatically prints your instagram photos that were tagged by the hashtag of the night #patinarollerjam. Brides and grooms should definitely get more info on that biz for their big day - so techy + cool! The crazy talented duo, Chellise and Michael of Chellise Michael Photography were there to also capture all the festivities (side note, who knew Michael was amazing at roller skating while simultaneously taking photos with a fancy DSLR camera. wow). Below are Chellise Michael Photography's photos with my video recap. What do you think? Don't you want your reception to be as exciting as this party?! (if you said yes, then please - choose me to film your big day)
to get the full story, or to learn more about renting this beautiful, party-friendly decor visit: rentpatina.com
In case you missed it, The Green Building and Brooklyn Based hosted their Spring wedding par-tay, Wedding Crashers this past weekend. We had the opportunity to meet a ton of cool, newly engaged couples and network with some incredibly talented vendors. Below is a quick recap video of the day.
photo by JBM Photography
“In Kibera, 43% of girls are out of school compared to 29% of boys”
I honestly don't even know how to begin this blog post. A few weeks ago, I had the incredible opportunity to visit Kibera, the second largest slum in the world, located in Nairobi, Kenya. My husband and I reached out to an amazing organization, Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), the team who runs Kibera School for Girls. We were able to deliver new curriculum from NYC to the school, as well as do a photo + video collaboration while we were visiting (big thanks to Bea who was our guide that day). I had first heard about Kibera School for Girls through NYtimes columnist, Nicholas Kristof, who produced one hell of a documentary, Half the Sky. He has also written about the school several times, most recently about A Kibera School for Girls student (just 4 years old) being raped by her neighbor and his attempt at seeking justice. If you haven't heard of Kibera, here are a few shocking bits of information that I found alarming, heart-wrenching or just horribly wrong (source: SHOFCO).
- 1.5 million people live in the space the size of Central Park
- 1 out of 5 children in Kibera do not live to see their fifth birthdays
- Kibera’s 1.5 million residents share 600 toilets, meaning that on average one toilet serves 1,300 people.
66% of girls in Kibera routinely trade sex for food by the age of 16. Many begin as early as age six
- Young women in Kibera Contract HIV at a rate 5 times that of their male counterparts.
The day we arrived, it had rained the night before. The roads, normally dirt, were slippery paths of thick mud. People trudged through the viscous puddles filled with waste and human/animal excrement. Homeless cats and puppies lay sickly throughout the alleys. Seeing the houses people called "home" were nothing more than tin, mud and concrete. A home roughly 12ft x 12ft fits about 8 people sleeping (source: kibera.org.uk). But aside from the visual overload of incredible sadness, what SHOFCO has created in the midst of this dangerous, unhealthy environment is a safe haven for young girls (and adult women with their other programs, including SWEP) is something to marvel upon. This new school that houses 177 young women to learn and grow into intelligent leaders, and who will ultimately be the ones to help bring change to their community, was a beam of light in such darkness.
Our time at Kibera School for Girls was an experience I'll remember for a lifetime. And my writing cannot do justice of what I had witnessed, and what inhumane tragedies occur on a daily basis. I won't keep blabbing on, but if you ever want to get a coffee and discuss - I'd love to tell you more about what I learned that day. Below are a mix of photos and two videos I made (with the help of my husband as 2nd camera).
I'll end with this, I feel fortunate to call NYC my home and to have the life I live. Seeing those happy girls (watch the videos!), who do not have an easy life, will continually remind me to be grateful for everything I have been given. The experience has also opened my eyes and inspired me to become more involved in organizations in and around my community helping others. My hope is that the photos + videos below inspire you to visit SHOFCO's website and make a donation (or at least, to get involved with another organization that resonates with you).
Push PLAY below (and to watch the 2nd video scroll down!).
Below is another video I made. These 2nd graders dream big. They want to be doctors, astronauts, meteorologists and teachers. There is no doubt in my mind that many of them will achieve their goal. Push PLAY!
Another seriously awesome collaboration with Amber Gress Photography! Take a look at my video and her beautiful photos below. Love the venue? Marisa + Chris chose The Metropolitan Building in Long Island City... such a romantic place to tie the knot! (password: loverules)
Oh yeah! In case you missed it, my collaboration with Amber Gress Photography was featured on Brooklyn Bride Blog last week. Amber and I have a photo + video deal goin' on called A Love Supreme, which includes full wedding day photo + video coverage and an awesome photo + video engagement sesh before the big day. Our (seriously adorbs) couple, Alyson + Jordan, decided to go green with their save the date and send out a video to officially announce their wedding day. Below are the photos from Amber and my stop motion + split screen engagement video (yes ppl! we got super creative on this shoot!). Take a look below! Also, if you love Alyson's hair & makeup from this shoot - check out my gal pal, Ash Orzol, who is a bi-coastal wedding hair + make up artist. This day was a blast, we hope you enjoy! - ps. if you are a fun couple that wants to get creative for your engagement session, you should probably email us... ca(at)lovebrainfilms(dot)com!
Anddd we made a short stop-motion video to capture Natalia eating her first cupcake! How sweet :)
