Moab Dance Company "Night Before Christmas" Recital (Moab commercial videographer)

In January 2017, I filmed Moab Dance Company's "The Jungle Book" performance.  This winter, they put on a fantastically festive Christmas performance.  The costumes, music, and the debut of the boys hiphop class, made such a fun show.  Filming the dress rehearsal and behind the scenes is probably my favorite part.  I love watching the parents put makeup on squirmy kids, the last minute sewing of sparkly Santa hats and tutus, and I always marvel how the kids run around backstage going a full 150% nonstop.  So much energy.  I'm also impressed by the teachers (and parents!!!) of Moab Dance Company for their patience and skill to make this all come together.   I can't wait for the next show!

CrossFit Moab Ribbon Cutting

In early May, CrossFit Moab moved their gym to a new, larger location.  They celebrated with a  Moab Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting, and a party complete with a raffle and Dexa Body scans.  I documented their event and created this same day edit (minus a few shots from construction) to announce their new facility.  I love a challenge and truly enjoy quick turn around edits.  Timing is everything with commercial films, and this received 3000 views in just a few days.  Great way to get the word out!  I love this gym and the heart and soul that the owners pour into it.

Lady Red Devils Basketball Team

I played freshman high school basketball.  It was ridiculously hard and I wasn't very good.  The varsity team won the state championship just a few years before so the program was running fiercely.  During preseason, we ran so hard under the AZ sun that they pulled trashcans on to the track so we could puke in them.  But apparently all that training paid off because we were undefeated that season.  And then I decided I'd rather play soccer, where practice was substantially easier. Even though I only played one season, it had a huge impact on me.  I often have dreams about it and I clearly see the face of Coach Flores in my mind.  High school basketball taught me to push myself physically harder than I ever though possible.  Thinking back, maybe it was one of the things in my life that helped convince me that I could do hard things, that I could run a marathon, climb mountains, do cross fit, maybe even skip the epidural.  

My point in all this is that I think high school sports are amazing and important, especially for girls.  The Grand County High School Lady Red Devils team was so fun to film.  I instantly wanted to cheer and yell for them, but that tends to mess up footage.  They played so hard and cheered each other on. The coaches were obviously devoted to the players and giving them the best experience possible.  It was such a positive experience.   Props to those girls for being willing to play.  To run and sweat. To practice, to take shots, to box out their opponents, to dive to keep a ball in bounds. To cheer and high five.  Go Red Devils!

And a big thank you to James The Mormon for allowing me to use his song in this film.

Moab Dance Company commercial videography

Moab may be a small town, but we have a legit children's dance company!

When I showed up to the dress rehearsal for the Jungle Book, I was instantly floored by the costumes, gorgeous sets, and the number of children involved.  It was immediately obvious that teachers, parents, and children had been working like crazy to make this possible.  There were just over 80 children, ranging in ages 3-14. The sets and props were built by parents. Lighting was mastered by parents. Costumes were had made.  Some of the youngest dancers had porcupine costumes.  Porcupine!! Several of the children had multiple costumes.  Shere Kahn had about the coolest leggings in the world.  There were 19 routines.  I'm not sure exactly how many hours of rehearsals were devoted to this performance, but I know there many weekends and evenings spent on the dance floor.  Serious kuddos to the instructors and parents!

I truly enjoyed filming this event.  I loved being backstage with the kids.  Backstage was this crazy party.  Kids were eating fruit snacks, doing cartwheels, playing tag, chatting, coloring, doing homework, all while their parents were trying to finish makeup and pin on monkey and wolf ears.  And then on stage, the girls and boys were rocking their routines with big smiles, suddenly seeming much older.  

I had multiple parents tell me that they were happy to have me there just so they could sit back and watch the performance without worrying about documenting it themselves.  I am so glad I could do that for them. I've tried many times to film my boys while they play soccer or sing with their class, and it is so tricky to be both in the moment and do a good job filming it.    

I am very excited with how their highlight film came out.  I loved finding my favorite parts of each routine.  I loved capturing moments between dancers and their parents.  I also love the end of the film where the kids are being congratulated by loved ones.  I hope this highlight screams "This is why we dance!"

CrossFit Moab Testimonials {Moab, Utah commercial videographer}

I am so excited about this video.  In just three days it has over 3,000 views on Facebook.  

I have been working out with CrossFit Moab since July 2016.  Because of my husband's schedule and my young children, I attend the 5:30 am class.  This means I get up at 5:10 am.  5:10!  It really is so early and I'd be lying if I didn't say that some days I feel extra sleepy. But it has been SO WORTH it.  Every day that I go, I feel like I have accomplished something hard, and it is something that can't be undone by messy kiddos. I am stronger than I have ever been and can finally do real pushups and 1 (maybe 2) consecutive pull-ups. I know you're impressed.

Ever since high school, I have had a fear of weight lifting.  I played freshmen basketball and it was overly intense. My coach always told me I was too scrawny and needed to bulk up. We would weight lift and I always felt embarrassed for how little I could lift. I dreaded it.  It's weird how high school events can scar you for life, but freshman basketball kind of did.  I have had no interest in gyms ever since.

These days, I love trail running, but because of small injuries, it had become clear to me that I was lacking in strength training.  I love the idea of working out in a group, and receiving instruction. I  know that if I showed up in one of Moab's other gyms, I would wander around pretending I knew what I was doing.  So I started CrossFit.  After the first few classes, I was impressed with the coaches and the other athletes.  The coaches are committed to your well-being and keeping you injury free.  They spend the time teaching you the essentials and making sure you are using correct form. No one cares how much you lift or how fast you complete your workout as long as you are doing it correctly and giving it your all.  Egos are at the door.  And everything can be modified to fit where you are at.  And sometimes we all whine together and it feels good. It is a great privilege to make a video about something you love. And hopefully because of it, more people will come workout with us!

Campaign films for Curtis Wells, Grand County Council At-Large

I had the privilege of working with Curtis Wells on a series of short films for his successful 2016 Grand County Council at-large campaign.  Videos are an extremely valuable election tool, reaching voters that newspapers and local meetings often can't.  The night I filled out my absentee ballot, I went to many websites and hoping for videos.  It's such an easy way to get informed! 

The Curtis Wells videos helped people understand who Wells was, what he looked like, and where he stood on the issues.  His main campaign message video went viral on Facebook among the Moab community and it got a lot of people talking.  This was a very rewarding project and I hope to do similar work in the future.  Until next election season....

The following was his main campaign message:

CrossFit Moab

"Can you meet us at the Moab Rim trailhead, 5:15 am tomorrow to film a promo?" asked CrossFit Moab co-owner, Tonya Curtis.  I was elated.  I love sunrises on the trail and I've had a secret dream of being a pull-up, burpee, push press, squat queen. Right now I'm maxed out at about 3 pushups and 1 pull-up. 

Tonya and Clint Curtis are an inspiration. CrossFit Moab was a dream of theirs. They wanted and worked for it it without giving up, despite numerous obstacles, all while raising a family with Clint pursuing his career in law enforcement. When I was searching for music for their film, I found this song and instantly knew it was perfect.

 And they are also in really good shape.  As was everyone there that morning.  I was grateful that I'd been doing at least a little trail running this summer because I had to hike/jog as fast as I could to keep up and get shots from ahead of the pack.  From behind the camera I was in total awe as they summited the trail, did some stretching and quickly began the workout of the day, which the uneven terrain made even more difficult.

I loved the great energy and positive vibes that seemed to be oozing from the CrossFit Moab crowd.  Everyone was extremely friendly and cheered me on as I attempted a pull up on the cliffside. This group doesn't care how fit you are- they are just stoked to have you there trying.   No egos allowed.  

Visit their website: http://crossfitmoab.com

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