thanks, everyone!

for some reason my youtube page has been flooded with positive messages the past few days...
awww...
thank you, my world wide friends for the comments and compliments.
it's great seeing all of the work of fellow producers throughout the country-and hearing from all of you.
man...what did we do before the internet? it's pretty incredible, to say the least.
keep your heads up, fellow creatives! november is swiftly approaching...yikes-but before we know it, another book will be wrapped up, and christmas cookies and new years cocktails will be on their way!
bring it on, we're ready. lpm meters? we laugh in your face! mmmmmwah ha ha ha

The best award of all...

So, I had the best day at work yesterday.
My co-workers voted me "employee of the month"-how awesome. The people I work with are so neat. To make it even better, Ben Tracy (former employee/now CBS news correspondant) taped a "congrats' message for me to open the meeting.
Wow. I am blessed to be surrounded by such awesome people. I have never worked somewhere where everyone is genuinely NICE. And I mean...EVERYONE.
My boss' introduction nearly brought me to tears-which is crazy, considering I've only been there a few years. I was actually shocked to be chosen-since I'm such a newbie...so many people deserved it much more than i did.
Accepting the award...I told a story.
About a 21 year old girl...working in market 150 something...wanting to get out so badly. You see, I almost quit TV 6 years ago to become a teacher...and then I saw a WCCO promo on a CBS swap reel-and I thought, "I want to meet those people, and find out what makes them tick...if I can do spots like that, and stay in TV...I'm in." Wow.
A few years later-I'm living my dream. Working at WCCO...directing shoots, editing, producing, and working with some of the best creative minds in the biz. I am so grateful. I still have so much to learn from them...but this week, I am so glad to know they think I'm doing a pretty good job, as well.
So, for all of you young producers out there...tough it out. Live your dream. Work hard-you will get there, and when you do-it will be worth it.

youtube-a-rama

sorry i've been lazy about posting lately...busy busy busy...

i posted a new promo on youtube today, it was a REALLY fast (couple hour) turn i did for a special report about big companies shorting you with your daily coffee. 

i looooooove using organic items, so this was simple-and fun. 

coffee promo

alrighty...back to work! 

emmy-licious

so, i can't sleep.
probably because my cat is a jerk-and keeps bothering me.
therefore...i'm thinking about work, as usual.
i'm super pumped, i've been nominated for an emmy! my michele tafoya spot is up for one, as well as the bad ideas campaign i helped with, and our new topicals are nominated as well-sweet! in fact, wcco was basically nominated in every category we submitted in.
that's pretty freakin' rad. i love working somewhere that does stellar work day in and day out-way to go team!
ok, now-time to try to get back to bed.
just thought i'd stop in for a quick update.
g'night!

sorry it's been so long...

for those of you who've been asking where i've been...i've been....well, busy! haha.
sorry, i have no excuse.
first, state fair, then the republicans invaded minneapolis-and things were nuts with the convention.
and in the midst of it all, i've switched back to night shift in efforts to give the 10p a boost...so in my spare time i've been trying to shower my husband and kitty with love.
speaking of kitties-i have a new assignment for a special report promo that sounds soooo fun, i'm pumped: Dogs that go to the Chiropractor. I love different stories-i think this will be a fun, quick turn spot. -and I get to work with our 5p anchor, whom I miss working with-since I'm on the 10p now. it should be a fun reunion!
sorry this is so short-and sorry i haven't posted much lately....like i said, i'm swamped!
take care, everyone out there in blogland. i've gotta get some shut-eye.

wow.

today i'm overwhelmed.
that's all, really.
not sure where to begin on this campaign. i've got like, 11 scripts in the can. i want to edit ALL of them at once.
pick a DIRECTION, erica...get with it. i'm frustrated with myself. c'mon, girl!

one of my fellow editors is now going to be doing the sound edit for my campaign, so that's very cool. his name is dave, and he knows his stuff. very very technically saavy. easy to work with, too. it will definitely simplify things doing the sound edit in house, so i'm grateful that he stepped up.

on another note...i've noticed, especially after writing this particular blog....that i'm HORRIBLE at grammar and punctuation. spelling i'm not so hot at, either. yikes. i thank the creative Gods for spellcheck, and for my mentors who pay more attention to those type of things than i do.

as i sit here, i'm batch digitizing for my campaign. i can't help but chuckle...i think these spots will be well received, not "over the top" funny-but quasi believable. i remain hopeful that i'm not the only person out there with such a strange sense of humor, and that our viewers will appreciate it.

oh, and i cleaned my office.
it feels awesome.
a feng shui cleanse if you will.
it must have been bad before, because frank (one of our anchors) walked in yesterday and said, "hey, did you paint in here or something?" yikes. it looks THAT different? not a good sign. note to self: try not to work in a dumpy mess, buried in rejected script ideas.

shoot-what is that? a piece of paper on the floor? off to pick it up!

The Big Edit begins...

So, as I talked about before...I got to direct my first big "out of house crew" shoot. It was super cool. We shot for 2 days straight, and at least 12 script ideas. (yes, overshot on purpose)
It seemed like such a great idea at the time. But, as I sit looking at the tapes-I can't help but feel like I'm in over my head.
What if I pick the wrong take? What if it makes the comedic timing completely off? What if these spots really aren't funny-and my warped sense of humor just thinks they are? yikes.
A classic case of second guessing myself. I always do this when I'm given time to work on a project. If it's last minute I just dive in, and throw caution to the wind. So...why the indecisiveness with this? Who knows. Maybe it's just edit anxiety that everyone goes through? I'll feel much better after I get the first spot cut, and have a template to work off of.
So, what am I babbling for? Get to work, Erica. You've got hours of footage to tackle...time to roll.
Oh, and if you're reading this-it's probably because you saw "idopromoz" post. So, sorry to disappoint-if I don't live up to his glowing reference. I about fell off my chair when I saw my work on his blog today. I don't feel that at this point in my career that kind of praise is warranted, but I am grateful for the nice words. Thanks, man!
The reason why my stuff has a high production value is all because of my fan-tab-ulous co-workers. They all push me to be better, and help me fix my "rookie" screw ups. My team is awesome. The reason why I came here, is because of a promo I saw 3 years ago on a CBS swap real. It was from a 'CCO campaign called "Red"-and it's listed on the wcco creative website. I said to myself, "Now, that is cool...different. If I could be a part of stuff like that, TV wouldn't be so bad." -back when i was in market 152. So, 3 years later-I'm workin' @ my dream job. And learning more than I ever thought I would. Cheesy, yes. True, of course.
Check out my team's work at: wccocreative.com

promax results

Wcco had three things nominated for Promax awards, and I was involved in all three. So fun! Here is a brief explanation for all of them, and how they did.

1. State Fair Special Project, I did the promotional campaign (teasers and info spots) for this (on my youtube page). The project as a whole, won GOLD at  promax, saaawwwweeet! My friend, Maranatha did all of the graphic design for this project-she's an absolute  genius. Another friend, and producer, Raul-did some really funny promos that aired during the project "spoofing" bad reporters everywhere.  Here is one of Raul's promos. I shot this (bad on purpose...mocking photogs that can't frame for crap, and don't use tripods-and those who show the grips on accident, haha). He is a blast. 

2. Bad Ideas, Image campaign. For this, I helped with the concepting and directing of the "bad idea weather" spot.  (as talked about below)-by far the most fun I've ever had concepting a spot.  Such a riot. Here is a link to our creative site, so you can watch it. WCCO BAD IDEAS.  <--this is just a link to our creative site. Just click on promotions, bad ideas...and it should be the first spot. This campaign, also won GOLD. Rock on, team!

3. Michele Tafoya, Anorexia. -promo, news. This one was my baby. I wrote, directed, and edited this spot. I had such a blast doing it. Michele is truly a beautiful spirit.  I really was emotionally invested in this project. I know the concept seems simple enough...but little things make it complicated. The jumbled text represented confusion, the warehouse-loneliness, her clothing-a barrier, and the song...most of all-representing triumph. It took awhile to come up with this spot, because Michele is known nationwide as a sportscaster...first and foremost. To make her appear soft, feminine, and even vulnerable...was daunting. All the while, trying to do so without making her seem weak. I'm ecstatic to say that this promo won BRONZE. I saw some of the other work in my category, and it amazes me that it did so well.  Here is a link to my youtube page. The Tafoya spot should be the first one. 

So, that's it...two golds and a very special bronze. This is the first time I've ever submitted anything for Promax, so I was really surprised by the good news. 

Happy Friday, everyone! Thanks for reading. 

i'm tired...whew.

Wow. I'm tired.
Today I directed my first "BIG" shoot. I've done in-house shoots before, but this is the first shoot my boss allowed me to take over with outside help, yikes. We hired a crew: 3 grips, 1 shooter, audio and rented some AMAZING equipment. I just hope I don't mess it up. ha.
End of day one, mixed emotions. I'm a BIT of a perfectionist, I guess?...and I know certain things I did today could have been better. But, all in all-I didn't lose my cool, and we stayed pretty much on schedule, so...that's good?
Verdict? I dig directing. But, I'm scared...now if I don't like the footage I'm editing, it's MY fault-haha. Watch, I'll end up ruining my own vision. wowza.
Well, signing off for now. Our crew call this morning was at 7:30am, so I rolled in around 6:30am. Way to early for this night owl.
Oh, and the WCCO Creative site is up. I concepted and partially directed the weather spot for the "bad ideas" campaign. AND YES...coined the term "PANTHER RADAR HD3D, IT'S TALLLLLER...RAAWWWWR" so fun.
Saaaawwweeet. wccocreative.com My team does good stuff, and I love them. Go team.

Big Task

wowza...I'm a bit stressed, but in a good way.
My boss put me in charge of our DTV transition campaign. I wrote a couple of test scripts-and, BAM! He wants to roll with it and have it on-air this month...woah!
We shoot in a week, hiring a crew and everything...which is soooo exciting. I've been on big shoots before, but basically in "helper" fashion, directing an occasional scene here and there (with Tafoya promos being an exception...although, my shooters/grips for that shoot were all in house, so in my mind-way different!). I just get so intimidated working with people who've been in the business so long, and are SO good at what they do. I mean, why would they want to listen to some punk girl in her mid-20's direct? But, alas...my boss seems to think I can do it. -and I'm up for the challenge. My Image manager and Art Director are both gone the week of the shoot-and in the past, they have both been the main directors, so the pressure is on. No fall back peeps this time. If it sucks, it's on me. But, I think I've finally reached a point in my career where I'm ready for that. I may be a bit hesitant at first, but usually when the director hat goes on, it kicks in like instinct...almost like I'm in a dream, imagining the entire thing-and seeing the final product in my head. I wonder if other people feel the same way, when they say "action"? Or if it's just some strange rush I get from seeing the product come together?
Yup, a Creative adrenaline junkie...that's it...that must be what I am...hmmm...

It's great to have a boss who believes in you...not just 100% either, 110%. Decisions that I waiver on, he pushes me and says, "I know you see it in your head, go for it-trust your gut, you know what's right." Wow...what a great mentor. Micromanage? Not even in his vocabulary. He trusts that I always use my time wisely, is never "peeking in" to check up, and that is a great feeling. To all managers out there that love to do the surprise "head pop in the door": what are you trying to do? Bust people on the internet? Make them feel bad for not spending every single waking minute storyboarding or writing scripts? Layoff. Trust them, and they will return the favor with a great product. -and most of all, reassure them. Let them know, when they impressed you---and do it enthusiastically. There is nothing better, than pitching an idea and seeing your bosses eyes light up, as he claps his hand together and says, "oh yeah! rad, I totally get it-yes! and then we could do this, this, and this...too." Having other people jazzed about what you do, builds confidence. So please, managers-learn from my boss.

So, here I go-with my (in my mind) big time budget, creative thinking cap, and chicken scratches for a storyboard. Executive Producing...here I come. Ready or not.

some people are funny

i'm all about criticism...
but i do think it's funny when people decide to blatently rip on my promos on youtube for the world to see.
why do i think it's funny?
because, joke is on them.
don't swear on someone's page. it just reflects poorly upon yourself.
constructive criticism=good. swearing and trash talk = just that, trashy.

love it.

tuesday yeah twins!

Tuesday has been...tuesday. 

I've been put in charge of the wcco dtv campaign...yikes. A little overwhelming. -and considering I'm not  the most technically minded person (more of a weirdo creative), it's a bit daunting. 

So, brainstorming continues. My boss seems to think I'm on to something with  my little idea-but I think he has more faith in me, than I do-most of the time.  Which is nice...hard to find bosses like that in the business, I know. He completely trusts what I do, and teaches me so much every day-I really am lucky. 

Also working on some "generic" type of brand spots-using our topical look, with my co-worker. He's a blast to work with, so we should come up with something fun. 

Oh, I've also been thinking about this Promax thing. Still find it hard to believe, actually. But, I looked up some of the other spots that were nominated. This is definitely my favorite:  Where's Fritz  I wouldn't mind losing to a spot like this, anyday. Funny, witty. Love it. 

In the meantime...I'm going to my first MN Twins game of the year tomorrow! (thanks to my boss)...seats behind homeplate, saaaawwwwweeet! My hubby is very pleased, and we can't wait.

Happy Tuesday...from rainy Minnesota. 50 degrees, in June. grrrr...why do I live here again? Oh yeah, my job. ha.  

my "other" life...

Headed to Iowa this weekend...to...(gasp)...instruct cheerleaders.
Yup, that's what I do on the weekends. I'm a choreographer/judge. Fun times.
This weekend I'm running the tryouts for my alma mater. Teaching a dance and sideline for Waldorf College Cheer tryouts. It's always fun to see the new talent they have. But...at the same time, every year it makes me feel older-and I come back from the weekend, exhausted.
Time flies...

You're a what....? A Promax finalist??? Stop joking!

So, I found out yesterday that I'm officially a promax finalist. Weird. 

My boss told me, and actually I didn't believe him. ha.  I've never submitted for Promax, so I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I'd never be chosen.  Heck, I've never even submitted my stuff for Emmy's.  That's for bigger fish than myself, I'd always say.

But yeah, a pleasant surprise...nonetheless.

Individually...the only thing I entered, made it.  Below is a link to the spot on youtube. 

Michele Tafoya-Anorexia

I'm also part of the team that was nominated for Special Craft, our We Power initiative in which we powered our entire broadcast at the state fair with "human" power-got a nod. I did all of the teaser, and info spots for this campaign. Also on youtube.  My good friend Maranatha did all of the graphic work-she is A.MAZ.ING.  No graphics in the spots...but hopefully I can get her to post some of them online. 

Lastly, our image campaign got a nod as well.  "Bad Ideas."  This was a blast for me. Scooter, my boss-actually surprised me in the middle of the shoot and told me to take the reigns directing....loved it.  We had three "bad ideas" spots--->sports, wigs, and weather.  I concepted the weather promo with our graphics manager, Chad Haag.  This was such a blast for us.   Basically poking fun at the over the top promos we hate so much.  The talent was so on board for it, and it was a blast to shoot.  I even came up with the name for our new "fake" radar.  Such a fun task!  Here is a link to the weather promo...my favorite.   Panther Radar HD3D Digital Storm Tracker

Here I am...

Blogging at last.

An exciting, but scary thought.

I plan to use this space primarily to post things I'm working on and chat about life in general...who knows what will come of it?

<----that's me. Yup, I have weird hair...and change it monthly. I think it's part of the "creative" in me.

So, who am I? Good question. (no pun intended, local newsies)

About myself:

work in tv.

love my job.

my heroes? my parents.

cheerleading guru on the weekends. judging. choreographing. rah.

got a cat. he sheds.

got a new hubby. he's a redhead.

mature for my age. or some say.

supporter of the gay/lesbian community. love.my.friends!

big fan of kiva.org --->make a difference, check it out

like mexico. so much that i got married there.

my friends are scattered throughout the world. they mean everything to me.

brown. blue...great color combo.

love lofts. mine is in the gheeeet-toooo

hate sentences. they bore me.