And this is what we’ve been up to.

Going back to late March, we went to Big Sur and this is what it looked like: 

We had my birthday dinner at the Post Ranch Inn. This was the view from our table: #dreamy

We ate burgers at Nepenthe, drank tea at the Henry Miller Library, and explored the woods of the national parks and the land around Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn where we stayed and dined. When we left Big Sur, we drove up to Point Reyes, north of San Francisco and stayed at a living ranch. Aside from our wonderful hosts (who boasted also hosting a very harried Steve Jobs at some point), our closest neighbors were cows and horses:

When we came back, I was officially a year older and better. It was also a belated honeymoon for Peter and I. We married back in October of 2010 but, short history, we were living in Barcelona at the time so marrying in Vermont was a destination wedding for us. Hence no honeymoon at the time. 10 days along that coastline was definitely a honeymoon well worth waiting for.

When we got back, we jumped headlong into a project for PNC Bank (agency: Deutsch) appealing to the needs of businesses just like our own. The initiative is called Cash Flow. We were assigned to create looping video, like animated gifs but the transitions feel more natural, less spooky. Here are some screenshots from the website though of course they are best viewed live:

It was exciting for us to do a national campaign. It struck a nice balance for us having just finished working on the story of Edible Schoolyard New York, a program that plants gardens and builds kitchen classrooms in elementary schools. Kids learn by doing and become aware of where their food comes from, why it’s vital to eat healthy food, and a whole host of social values. (Read more on our Vimeopage). The impact on the kids and the community has been phenomenal.

First we spent the day at the first NY showcase school in Gravesend, Brooklyn and then we went to the site of the upcoming school in East Harlem and spent the day there. The kids were genuinely thrilled about the program, so insightful and it doesn’t hurt to mention also impossibly cute.

The film aired at a benefit on March 15th hosted by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Mayor Bloomberg, Martha Stewart, John Lyons (ESYNYC chair and former President of Focus Features ) and Kate Spade were among the guests in attendance. We’re extremely proud to be a part of this and to be doing what we do. 

Here’s the video:

Edible Schoolyard NYC from Show Love on Vimeo.

Enjoy,

Until next time!

Chauncey co-founder / CD

Show Love LLC

This week we released two new videos. In one, we uncover the magical essence of New York Winter Jazzfest: 70 groups, 400 musician, 6 intimate West Village venues over 2 chilly nights in January.

Experience the swarming energy, the tinkling of glasses, the flutter of brushes, the hum of chatter, and then silence… and then the music:

NYC 2013 Winter Jazzfest from Show Love on Vimeo.

In the other, we came together with a brilliant design agency called Hyperakt to create a collaborative video of their lunchtime design talks. We were really excited to see the coming together of both art forms. We definitely want to do more of these kinds of collaborations combining graphics, illustration, animation, and our storytelling.

Without further ado, here’s that video:

Hyperakt Lunch Talks from Show Love on Vimeo.

Meanwhile, we’re still busy working with our wonderful client Comcast NBC Universal and loving it.

More to come.

-Chauncey Zalkin

The first video we did upon returning to this country was the making of a table and a chair by designer-maker Daniel Moyer. It was a barter deal in which we received the handmade table which rests just to the right of the wingback chair I’m sitting in. This was by no means an accident. The root of our raison d’etre as a company can be found in the choice we made to begin with that table and chair. I found a passage from this book I’m currently reading that sums it up nicely:

“People love to do hard work together, to feel that the work is real; that is to say primary, productive, needed. Knowing and enjoying the skills of our hands (and minds) and our well-made tools is fundamental.

It is a tragic dilemma that much of the best work men (and women) do together is no longer quite right… Even the farmer or the carpenter is uneasy: pesticides… cheap materials, ugly subdivisions, walls that won’t last. 

Who can be proud?

Our ..moral outrage is often .. aimed at the logger or the rancher, when the real power is in the hands of people who make unimaginably larger sums of money… people impeccably groomed, excellently educated at the best universities…eating fine foods and reading ..literature, while orchestrating the investment and legislation that ruin the world.”

- from The Practice of the Wild by Gary Snyder

We seek to engage and push the best minds forward into the light. We also seek to do that for ourselves by engaging the best of ourselves, the best of our skills and experience, applying it to tell stories of quality thoughtful actions that impact the world and the community in the most positive healing way.

I highly recommend reading Gary Snyder’s essays. They are transcendent.

Here’s that video, recut for 2013

-Chauncey Zalkin

It’s February, an inbetween month where the sustained cold weather is starting to wear on people but there’s Spring percolating just under the surface. Over here at Show Love headquarters, we are working on finishing a dance documentary we started in December; we wrapped up the New York Cosmos Copa documentary (what an amazing soccer microcosm we have right here in this city); did another project for Timex, and are back working with our friends at Comcast NBC Universal. There’s more but it’s under wraps for now.

One of the industries that gets us excited is alternative energy (surprise!), so I loved finding this illustration of my new favorite protozoa on nails - the Euglena. Read more about the Euglena as a possible world hunger and carbon emissions solution here. There’s very little if anything in the American press about it but we’re interested in learning more about the Japanese company that’s making it their mission to tap into this resource for biofuel, food, and more.

That’s what we do. We pursue the future and look to take on clients that have the vision to make a better world. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

We hope you’ll vote our us on WNET 13 as our Battle of the Drumlines has been selected as one of three that will be voted in to air on next Saturday’s broadcast. Vote before Wednesday. 

1.)

Storm Sandy has settled and moved on, leaving in her wake waves of sewage and solidarity among New Yorkers. Meanwhile, in the past month, Show Love has taken on a new big client that brings us onto a different playing field of media innovation. We’re traveling between Philly and New York now getting to know this business which began with family but grew exponentially embracing innovation and recruiting some of the best visionaries and engineering minds out there. What we love most about them is that they don’t just pay lip service to innovation and entrepreneurship through the ranks, they let their their talent take risks and trust them to experiment. You’ll see what we mean.                                        

2.) & 3.)

Some things come in pairs: We’re wrapping up 2 videos and 2 websites, after devising 2 brand identities for 2 bike brands over the past year. Before I left for a 2 week residency at the Vermont Studio Center, we shot the last video at the Invisible Dog in Brooklyn. There’s me on the right:

This is my daily walk at the Vermont Studio Center:

4.)

We’re also at the tail end of our content strategy launch project with Getty Images where we co-created a trend website, conceiving of and writing the style guide and all of the trend categories, acting as head writer, writing the front page copy and 17 pieces of daily trend content coming up with 7-17 trends a month from July - December ‘12. (Whatever is not marked as ‘contributor’ is written by yours truly). We’re now handing the project back over to their internal team. They can take it from here (Jan 1 actually) but first, here are two of our favorites from the world of publishing and social media:

and

5.)

In September we filmed dancers rehearsing under choreographer Jessica Lang who debuted her new dance group at Jacob’s Pillow this summer. We were there on opening night and after we finished reeling from the talent and beauty of it all, we contacted her to do a project. This rising star has danced with the Joyce Theater and has been awarded grants by the NEA, Jerome Robbins, the Rockefellers, is a graduate of Juilliard and teaches at ABT, but what we love most about her is her unique and personal vision that takes her off the beaten path to forge new ground in contemporary ballet.

Jessica Lang Dancers, a still from the film (not yet released):

Where we first saw them, Jacob’s Pillow (MA):

6.)

We also shot the good doctor Jay Parkinson in partnership with Collaborative Fund. Jay Parkinson has a plan to change the world of healthcare with his new business Sherpaa which saves employers money while delivering first class care using today’s tools. He first made waves making house calls in Williamsburg Brooklyn - communicating with patients using such marvels of modern conveniences as the mobile phone, text and email (including photos from patients of their nicks, bangs, burns, and potential breaks before they rush off to overcrowded bacteria-filled emergency waiting rooms). This is him, peter behind.

Jay and Peter:

                            And that’s it. Those are the major highlights of our work since August. Peter also finished the Cosmos Copa 2012 which is awaiting final approvals now. Here’s a sneak peak (screenshot coming soon).

Love, 

Chauncey & Peter
Show Love LLC
Social Content for Lovable Companies
www.showloveworld.com

This past weekend we attended the Social Good Summit courtesy of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It was a non-stop parade of familiar faces and high optimism (and solutions) from around the world addressing issues from the global slave trade to child mortality to diplomacy and climate change.

A few things became clear during our time there.

1. People care. No matter how many stumbling blocks arise, no matter how much further we have to go, people are enough of us out there that are determined to make the world a better place that social goodness can prevail.

2. Awareness is key but it is only the first step. Social media with its unifying #hashtags and succinct messages has the power to break down barriers and connect people all around the world with a common interest. This was particularly emphasized in the issue of women’s rights, health, and safety - and all human rights issues especially in developing countries. Still, we feel that this is just a tool and that human connection can never be replaced by a hashtag. Maybe a tweet will open a door which is huge, but you have to ‘go human’ to take the next step. Connect with your community, often and intimately and watch your community grow and get stronger.

3. Information IS power. Having a voice is power. Access to ways that we can take care of our bodies, protect ourselves, heal ourselves and carry ourselves forward are crucial to ending oppression. Connecting women in developing countries with information and with other women around the world means support, information, and mutual empowerment. 85 percent of the world’s population will be covered by high-speed mobile internet in 2017says Ericsson.* This can change the power dynamics around the world - if we work hard.

Follow us on Twitter to see who we’re following from the event and our insights during our time there.

-Chauncey Zalkin

co-founder
Show Love LLC
social content for lovable companies

*Ericsson: On the Pulse of a Networked Society

• By 2017, 85 percent of the world’s population will have 3G coverage
• 50 percent of the world’s population will be covered by 4G in 2017
• Smartphone subscriptions expected to reach 3 billion in 2017
• Mobile subscriptions reached 6.2 billion in Q1 2012 and 170 million new mobile subscriptions were added during the quarter
• Global data traffic to grow 15 times by the end of 2017