Max is one of the elite cameramen in British Columbia.
For five years Max shot TV news for BCTV’s NewsHour, plus sports and current affairs programs. For more then 30 years, Max has worked as a freelance director of photography, focusing mainly on long and short form documentaries, corporate work, promotional videos, and commercials.
Deb has been writing and producing television commercials, corporate videos and television programs for more than 20 years. From multi-media interactive to 21-hour Telethons, Deb’s production portfolio continues to grow as technology changes.
Deb was a writer at Palmer Jarvis / DDB Advertising and, for the past 12 years, has been a writer / producer with a loyal client base.
Deb is also the winner of three Television Bureau of Canada Awards (for commercial production) and two BC Association of Broadcaster Awards.
Gabriel is a videographer. His skillset includes directing, cinematography, producing, writing and editing content.
As an award winning director and cinematographer, Gabriel is currently producing a satirical political TV series, a feature film titled “Seasons”, and a documentary following the lives of world music artists Kamran and Hooman.
Other clients include Lamborghini, Kiewit Flatiron, Hastings Race Park, Vancity and Rize Alliance.
He received his diploma in film studies from Capilano University, and obtained his diploma in Broadcast Media Communications from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).
Gabriel is also a part-time studies instructor at BCIT.
Media training, media relations, issues and crisis communications, video production
Newspaper and TV reporter for 30 years, followed by 18 years in PR
Bachelor of Arts in English from York University
Director and Chair of the Communications Committee for the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast B.C.
I didn’t do it all but I sure tried
Toronto
The team attitude that delivers amazing results
Starting Peak with my two co-partners and winning the PR Daily Award for crisis management
The late Tom Butler was a master of the PR stunt. He once organized a tourism promotion tour through California with a beaver from the Stanley Park Zoo. It created front-page headlines across the state, and I covered it for Global TV at the time
Restoring classic cars, and writing about them too
I keep in touch with friends and relations through Facebook
If people can make it, I can fix it!
Vancouver developer Reliance Properties approached Peak to help promote ‘micro-lofts’ in the Downtown Eastside. The apartments were the smallest rental units in Canada at the time. Space-saving design principles from Europe and Asia were a major influence in creating the ‘micro-loft’ design.
The construction company took 25 per cent off the cost of construction, which represented a $1 million saving making the venture possible. The City of Vancouver agreed to allow the conversion from single-room occupancy zoning to market rental. The heritage density credit was then transferred to a planned development at Burrard and Drake.
The campaign began in 2010 with a news conference announcing the conversion of the Burns Block hotel into rental ‘micro-lofts.’ The campaign wrapped up in 2011 with another news conference and media tour of the completed lofts – tenants were on hand to show off their accommodations. Throughout the campaign interest from potential renters greatly exceeded the number of suites available.
The campaign achieved international coverage and attention. New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg pointed to the project as an example of an innovative approach to real estate. Reliance was invited to New York to demonstrate the success of the micro model. The city subsequently implemented a major micro-loft design initiative.
The two news announcements combined for some 170 media hits, including:
On Sunday April 12th, 2015, Hillary Clinton finally announced her much anticipated run for presidency. When this news broke, the conversation did not seem to focus on her qualifications, her platform, or even the possibility that she may become America’s first female president; the chatter was all about her campaign logo.
Within hours, social media was ablaze with critiques and comparisons to her block-letter “H” with a red arrow running through it: some saying it resembled hospital signage, while others stated it looked like something created by a 10 year old on MS Paint.
To be fair, Hillary is not the only political pundit to be on the receiving end of this type of “crowdsmashing”, a term coined by Paul Ford to describe how social media has allowed people to rally in a mob-like fashion to pick apart something they are not pleased with.
Crowdsmashing can be even more vicious if a well-known entity decides to undergo a rebrand. People do not like change, and social platforms allow them to voice that displeasure, and find out who else shares in their unhappiness.
This whole debacle surrounding logos and social media got me thinking about two facets of communications I deal with on a daily basis:
1. Our world is becoming increasingly visual
Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram currently lead the way in terms of fastest growing social media platforms. What else do these three platforms have in common? They’re light on text and heavy on imagery. In a digital era where our attention is so fleeting, we are placing increasing value on things that are visually appealing to us. If we don’t like what we see almost immediately, we are clicking/swiping/scrolling on to something better.
This phenomenon can also be extended to something like your company website. You may be the best and most innovative at what you do, but if your website appears dated, unorganized and difficultto use, it will be seen as a reflection of your business and users will start looking elsewhere. Remember that 55% of users spend as little as 15 seconds on your homepage, so your website has to catch their eye in order for them to stick around and potentially use your service.
In terms of media, TV places an extremely high value on great visuals. If your pitch to TV outlets doesn’t offer imagery that will entice their viewers to continue watching, don’t expect to have it picked up.
2. Everyone’s a critic
When a client story is told on any outlet type, the content is typically shared across social channels, or is open to comments online. You could be telling the happiest or most factually correct story possible, but there’s likely someone out there who wants to point out something negative, or who claims to know even more than you (I’m sure all the people critiquing Hillary’s “H” have years of graphic design and branding experience).
One negative, anonymous commenter on a story likely isn’t something to sweat about; however it is important to continuously monitor the chatter surrounding your brand online. Whether you’re running a social media campaign or a news story about your company just broke, following along with audience sentiment is vital in informing you of what aspects are and are not working, and whether or not you need to get out in front of a crisis before it starts to escalate.
When it comes to day-to-day social media responsibilities, if your company is receiving questions or complaints, it is important to respond to them quickly and professionally even if you find them trivial or know them to be incorrect. Ignoring these public comments will make it appear as though you have something to hide, or are neglectful of customer needs.
So whether you’re trying to become the President of the United States or just trying to generate business, understanding what is visually appealing to your audience and monitoring the conversation surrounding your brand online is important.
Tags: Government relations Vancouver, Vancouver PR, Vancouver social media
