May 2005

Kay Warren Book Cover Image

Whew! Well we are just winding down from a big PacifiCare campaign. And this production has again proven to me that surrounding yourself with the right people makes all the difference in the world! This particular shoot was 7 days, 6 locations and 62 set-ups. I’ve done shoots like this in the past where days go long and you spend much of your time trying to keep up with your own schedule. But it is great when a cast and crew come together like this one did. That’s not to say we all weren’t exhausted at the end of each day, because we were. But six out of the seven days we finished our shots ahead of schedule, and the seventh…. right on time. It seemed that everybody just found their grove. And everyone, down to Moe – who drove the motorhome – just did whatever needed to be done at the time, regardless of whether it was their “job” or not. Everyone seemed to have the same goal in mind; Get the client what they need – no fuss, no muss. Again, it doesn’t hurt that everyone at PacifiCare is so easy-going! But I have to say the crew made the difference! The best part of it all? It was fun! Even with computers crashing, and locations falling apart, and the occasional rain, we got our shots with a fair amount of laughter thrown in! So I’ve got to do it.. The shameless plugs…

Thanks to my assistants; John, Kelly, Maarten, and Ty. To Charnelle at Cloutier for bringing such great talent to the table, i.e. Patti & Lucy for Hair & Make-up, and Heidi & David on styling – you guys were great… as usual! Moe at Susie’s, Marti with Serves You Right (mmm mmm good!) And of course Roman the Dog! Thanks to PacifiCare who has got to be one of the best clients on the planet (and I’m not just saying that). And thanks to David and everyone at Lighthouse who take care of me and allow me to just take pictures!

There are so many others that were part of making this or any other production happen; models, scouts, locations, all kinds of support crew and companies. More often than not, all very generous. The point is to spend the time, energy and or money to get the right ones! I love collaborations! And having the right people on the team makes it all work and the end product that much better for it!