Lessons Learned | Matthew A. Hawkins

Category: Lessons Learned

My Year: 2011 Highlights

Posted on December 31, 2011

2011 was pretty awesome.

There were a number of things that made it so. I wanted to recap a few of the things that stuck out the most to me.

1. Cineplex Media & FilmAds
In April I was able to see a 6 month conversation and a 1 year idea come to fruition. FilmAds officially signed a partnership with Cinplex Media. The deal has opened tremendous doors for the 12 theatres that I work with. I’m very excited for each of the theatres I work with and the new theatres we’ll be signing up in 2012.

2. Fringe
Last December my friend Jason and I came up with the crazy idea to meet John Noble (Walter Bishop on Fox’s Fringe) and we started to go out and visit the Fringe film sets. You can also check out how we met Joshua Jackson and others here.

3. Dan Murphy Interview
Aside from some technical issues that were completely my fault. I had a lot of fun interviewing Dan Murphy of Sportsnet (all because I asked him if he’d be up for it through Twitter)
My friend Geoff Heith filmed the interview and afterwards we figured we’d head over to Rogers Arena and see if we could watch the Canucks practice… which we actually got to do.

4. Brent Butt Interview
After I got to meet cast members from Fringe, I moved on to a new fun project: trying to film a Canadian comedian legend… Brent Butt. It all started with a few twitter questions and then a blog post. Brent responded on Twitter saying he’d do the interview once he got enough Twitter followers… which over time he finally got. Thus the interview (with another technical glitch that I’ve learned never to make again)

5. The Valley Votes Interviews
For the municipal election in the Chilliwack area (Hope, Agassiz, Harrison & Chilliwack) I was asked by the Valley Votes team (run by the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board) to interview candidates about important and pertinent things in the Chilliwack area. It was a great chance for me to sit down with influential people in the community and hear them out and share a bit about me as well. You can see all the interviews here.

6. 1Day Design
I get to work with a number small businesses all across BC and Alberta. With the way the economy has been going it’s proven tough for small businesses to do much in terms of marketing. Since I run a medium for businesses to market themselves, I wanted to give a simple option to get great advertising tools from – enter 1Day Design. As the 1Day Design site says “1Day Design is a service that is offered once a month. 1Day a month we create you a new website, logo, video or more. 1Day we design work for you at 1Price.”
The other side of 1Day Design is we give 50% of the money raised to charity. So far, we’ve given over $200 to charity and we’ve only been running for 2 months. It’s a start to something great!

7. Witness for the Prosecution
On my list for things to do for a while, was to have a role in a play. My actual goal was just to audition, but I guess I was good enough to play the part. Thanks to my friend and colleague Janet Carroll (the director) I was able to take on 3 roles (1 non-speaking) in the play “Witness for the Prosecution” by Agatha Christie. My main role was Thomas Clegg, a stuttering Englishman, nervous as anything because he’s taking the stand in court and he never does well with it. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process and hope to do it again in the future.

8. Currency Marketing and The Living Young & Free Show
If you’ve ever spent any time on my blog, then you know I’ve spoken about Currency Marketing and LYFS. I have tried for a number of years to find a spot on their team. I really like the work they do and the people that work there. So in the spring of this year, I signed up for contract work with the Currency team and it’s been so much fun to work with them. A lot of what I do is literally behind the scenes. You wouldn’t really know what I’m doing unless I told you but a lot of what I do is film, direct and edit the Living Young Free Show (which is a bi-weekly show we produce) and I do a lot of coding/application entries for all their contests and spokespeople application entries. It can get really crazy, but is a lot fun… just check out their Christmas video we did:

9. My Family
After 2010 and the craziness and ups and downs we went through then, 2011 was a year of incredible time together. We got to go on a great 3 week road trip in the summer, in which we visited Salmon Arm, Nelson, Trail, Red Deer, Edmonton, Valemount and more (all while visiting some awesome friends, family and theatres!!!). We were also able to go to other great places through the year like Seattle, a weekend in the west end of Vancouver, a week at a beach house in Parksville (thanks to a special friend for letting use the last two places!) and camping in the Shuswap. It was a year for us to spend great time together, build new memories and start getting an idea of what the future is going to look like for us.

To all my blog readers, thanks for checking in and occasionally commenting. If anything, I do this blog for myself, but I love that you stop by and check out what’s happening.
Cheers,
Matthew A. Hawkins

Posted in 1Day Design, filmads, Lessons Learned, On My Desk, Promotional, those moments, Videos Tagged with: actor, blogger, director, film industry, hollywood north, matthew a hawkins, producer, rising star, script buying, vancouver film, writer

Chilliwack City Council Candidates

Posted on November 1, 2011

Kyle Hislop is a local realtor and is heavily involved with the Chillwack and District Real Estate Board (CADREB). He approached me a few weeks ago with what he thought was a crazy idea for me to get involved with. Part of what Kyle does at CADREB is help get the Real Estate business plugged into the community of Chilliwack, one of those ways is through The Valley Votes

The last municipal election in Chilliwack was ranked 9th from the bottom of all BC Municipalities. The purpose of The Valley Votes site is simple and important “Our goal with this initiative is to change those stats and to see voter turnout in the communities CADREB serves: Chilliwack, Hope, Kent and Harrison, rise.” Basically, get people out and vote!

Kyle approached me about filming each of the city council candidates to help give voters in the Chilliwack District a better idea of who they were voting for (just council as the mayor was acclaimed for a 2nd term). If we could educate people on who was available to vote for, they had one less excuse why they couldn’t vote.

Here’s the biggest reason I chose to help Kyle and CADREB with this project, it’s completely selfish. Being a 2nd time voter with a municipal election in Chilliwack, I wanted to sit and talk with each of the candidates. I got to ask them questions I thought people wanted answers to. How can we keep Chilliwack growing, but with a small town feel? How do you think the downtown area can improve? You look too young to be on council, what do you say about that? Why should I vote for you?

Secondly, it was great to share from my own perspective as a small business owner and to hear what they thought they could do to help small business in Chilliwack. I wanted to hear straight from their mouths how they could help someone like me and hundreds of other small businesses. I also wanted to hear how they could keep Chilliwack on track with zero debt and a strong infrastructure for growth and stability. Like I said, selfish reasons.

I was privileged for the chance to interview each of them and look forward to, what I hope will be a better voter turnout, and what happens to our city council for the next term.

I highly recommend you head over to The Valley Votes site and check out the videos. I also recommend you follow Jamie Billingham on Twitter for up to the minute info on our council candidates.

*If you’d like my opinion about who I’m voting for for council, you’ll just have to find me some time and ask.

Thanks again to Kyle and CADREB.
Matthew

Posted in Lessons Learned, On My Desk, Promotional Tagged with: 2011 municipal chilliwack election, cadreb, cadreb valley votes, chilliwack city council, chilliwack elections, chilliwack real estate, chilliwack voting, city council chilliwack, fraser valley, jamie billingham twitter, matthew a hawkins, small business chilliwack, the valley votes, video producer, video production

A Lobby DisPlay

Posted on October 17, 2011

At the end of August I got started in an 8 week prep for the performance of Witness for the Prosecution. A play written by Agatha Christie and put on by the Chilliwack Player’s Guild in the Chilliwack Cultural Centre.

This is my first time doing a live performance as an actor, I’ve spoken in front of large crowds a number of times, but this is different. In Witness I get to play 3, yes THREE, characters.
The first is a plain clothed policeman that doesn’t have a line but escorts the prisoner off stage after giving a nod to the inspector… chilling I KNOW!

The second character is the one I had to spend time on, even though I only have 8 or 9 lines. I play Thomas Clegg, a forensic laboratory assistant, and I happen to be on the witness stand for the first time and struggle with a terrible stutter. In all of our rehearsals the cast and crew thought my character was hilarious, the live performances have proven differently. I’m of the opinion that people think I actually stutter and that they can’t help but feel pity and pride that the Player’s Guild reached out to someone like me and gave me a little part to tryout. The community help program is at work, they must think!

My last character is the foreman of the jury. I have two big lines, the first “WE ARE” and the last… well I yell out the verdict of the prisoner and I can’t just give that away! I’m on stage for no more than 30 seconds with this one!

Aside from the acting I also got asked to make a lobby display and take ‘fun’ headshots of everyone on the cast and crew (you can see an example below). It’s been a lot of fun, I’ve met some great people, discovered a part of me that’s been missing for a while and just enjoyed the experience as a whole. I will most definitely try it again!
Cheers,
Matthew A. Hawkins

Posted in Lessons Learned, Promotional, rant Tagged with: alberta theatre advertising, bc theatre advertising, business advertising, cinema ads, cineplex media, cineplex theatre advertising, film ads, independent theatre owners, local business ads, matthew a hawkins, movie ads, movie advertising, movie marketing, theatre advertising, theatre marketing, trailer advertising, western canada theatre advertising

Women I Work With Part 4

Posted on September 23, 2011

I’m privileged to do the work I do.

I’m more privileged and honoured to work with some of the women I work with.
You see, a few weeks ago, I was thinking about all the work I do and who I get a chance to work with. I have a variety of things I do: educational biology shorts, credit union & financial marketing, school district information & communication, health & wellness videos and so on. I started to connect who most of the people are that I work with on these projects and I saw a pattern – strong, smart, beautiful, talented women. In case you missed Part 1. Or Part 2. Or Part 3.

_________________________________

Stacey Adamczyk

I met Stacey through my wife’s old childhood friend Aaron. Most of the time I have spent getting to know Stacey has been through online conversations via Facebook chat, Twitter, email or Skype. I actually think there was a time that Stacey and I met at a family wedding but both of us have forgotten if that actually happened or not.

Somehow Stacey and got connected about doing video work together. Stacey and Aaron had both mentioned how much they loved the SilverScreen Tots videos I had been creating and Stacey began asking about doing them in her hometown in Red Deer. We begin talking and coming up with various ways to promo the videos around town. That was when I began to see the entrepreneurial side of Stacey and just how hard she works for a living.

I am impressed with each of the women I have a privilege of working with closely. For some reason we have all connected well and we push each other to strive for our very best in our careers. Stacey is no exception. I have seen a drive and passion in Stacey that you don’t see very often. She is very, very determined.

Stacey owns and operates Clearview Design from just outside Red Deer, Alberta. She specializes in website design, but more specifically, precision marketing for small business owners. She’s been using a combination of social media, web presence and quality design to help her clients with their marketing needs. Aside from the work she does, Stacey is also an incredible networker. She understands the value of pounding the pavement and getting to know everyone and anyone you can. One phone call, one knock on the door, one email, one connection, they all can lead to a sale and Stacey is one of the best people at this that I have ever met.
(In fact I have a blog post coming up on a challenge that Stacey told me about during our visit to her new home in July – the post is called “21″)

When we were in Alberta this past summer I had the privilege of helping Stacey create an ad to show off just exactly what she does. Here’s the video:

Thank you Stacey for all hard work, challenges you’ve told me about and the chance to film you at work.
I look forward to the many more chances we’ll have to work together.

Matthew A. Hawkins

Posted in Lessons Learned, On My Desk, Promotional, those moments Tagged with: actor, blogger, director, film industry, hollywood north, matthew a hawkins, producer, script buying, vancouver film, writer

My Take on Buying New Gear

Posted on September 20, 2011

Often I get asked about what type of camera or what type of computer to buy.
I figured I should write a post about what I really want to say and what people don’t always like to hear.
To be perfectly honest I don’t like being asked what type of gear someone should buy. I feel like I’m somehow going to be held responsible for their decisions, even though I had nothing to do with what they bought, other than an honest opinion. So here goes what I think you should buy the next time you’re looking for a new camera, new camera accessories, computer, software etc.
Most people won’t like my opinions here because you have to go out and do some of your own work… that sucks doesn’t it? Having to figure things out for yourself? Anyways…

General Tips
- Try before you buy. All of this stuff you can try it out for a certain period of time: software 30 days, camera gear (pay up front + return safely = free rental), computers (unsure…)
- Read reviews online. Lots of them. Amazon is awesome for reading reviews (.com not .ca) and has a lot of the equipment and software you may want to buy. Find out what the Interwebs are saying.
- Buy what works for you. The most expensive isn’t always the best. I started out on a basic camera and Windows Movie Maker. I learned and worked my way up. Just because you go out and buy all the latest, greatest and most expensive doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy it. Make what you have work and if you like it go from there.
- Watch tutorials on all things. There are so many video tuts out there it’s not even funny. If you can’t GOOGLE for them, you’re lazy and should stay on the couch.

1. Cameras
I’m a Canon guy. The first digital camera I bought was a Canon. My first digital camcorder was a Canon. My first pro-level camcorder was a Canon. My current camera is a Canon.
I’ve found I really like the Canon brand and warranty. Personally I have never had a problem with any of my Canon’s. I know people who have had problems, but for me it’s Canon.
You need to find what you like. Some people swear by Sony. Some people swear by Nikon. Find which camera does what you want it to and stick with that.

2. Computers
I hate being asked what computers people should buy. People automatically think that because I work with computers a lot, that I know a lot about computers. I know a little. Enough to keep me from having to see a computer guy all the time. I buy the warranty so I can send things back if I need to. I GOOGLE things to learn how to fix stuff. Other than that I’m just a hack with a decent computer.
Basically it comes down to Mac vs PC. It’s age old and tiring. I’ve worked off both. I had way more headaches, frustrations and issues with PCs then I have ever had with my Macs. Personally I would never go back to PCs, I think they are horrible machines unless you buck up and put a lot of time and money into one.
There are some PCs out there that just fly for video and photo editing but I know they spent a small fortune on their machines to get them like that, plus they knew exactly what they needed to put into them (not what some low budget computer shop or London Drugs rep told them to buy).
With Macs right out of the box on a basic Mac you can be flying with some basic video editing. Yes you pay a little more for the fancy Apple, but you get a great machine to do a little bit of everything with right away.

If you want me to tell you what kind of computer to buy, here it is. An Apple. Don’t like my answer or want to argue it? I don’t care. I think it should be an Apple.

3. Camera Accessories
If you get into the DSLR world of filming this area could go on forever. There are so many accessories out there. It almost feels endless at times. For me, and this is just my opinion, you need a good tripod to start off (I’m not going to list brands) but something with an adjustable tilt head is great and something very smooth (again work your way up from what you can afford). Next a mic, video sucks if the sound sucks. You can pick up some decent shotgun mics that are 10x better then an on-board mic and again work your way up. Next up, lighting. There are so many lighting options out there but some DIY lighting kits are great ways to start. My first lighting kit was a cheap one on eBay and it’s proved to be more than worth it. Good lighting, good sound and steady shots (you can add camera shake after if you want!) are key to a good video.

4. Software
This one basically comes down to Final Cut or Adobe (and there’s options within those).
Try before you buy. They usually offer 30 day trail periods. Some people love Final Cut, I’ve actually met people I think were sleeping with the program that they are so in love with it. Adobe seems to have a lot more direct plug-ins, filters, add-ons you can buy compared to what FCP does, but I use Adobe and love it so you’ll just have to figure that out for yourself. If you love Final Cut, well I’m sorry your program sucks and Apple is asking you to pay too much for an updated copy.
I should also mention some people like Sony Vegas too. I don’t know anything about Vegas, but I hear it works sometimes.

There you have it my useful but not so useful take on buying new gear. Just my honest opinion on everything ‘new gear’ related.
It comes down to you putting the work into it. If you want to get into this hobby or line of work, you need to invest some time into it.
There are a myriad of options out there and you need to find what works for you and your budget.

Cheers,
Matthew A. Hawkins

Posted in Lessons Learned, On My Desk, rant Tagged with: actor, blogger, director, film industry, hollywood north, matthew a hawkins, producer, script buying, vancouver film, writer

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