Art & Copy = AWESOME!

So I went to see Art & Copy the other day with GJ and Mark over at the Music Box Theatre and I have to say...it was AMAZING!! It was like a Michael Moore-esque style of filming, but instead of being a one-winded opinionated, trashy journalism piece, it was a complete picture of what was, what is and what could be the creative/advertising field.

Doug Pray did an amazing job at not only talking to the big players in the industry, but also down to the people that put up the billboard signs on the highways. So, so awesome. Mind the iPhone quality pics, but it was raining:






Afterwards, Mark and I hopped on the train back to the good 'ol suburbs, which mind you was like my third time ever on a train. It's a really nice change to not have to pay a million dollars for gas, parking (and tickets for no front plates), haha.




Okay by the way...$2.50 for ONE cookie and a coffee?? Totally ridiculous. Just had to share that one last tidbit.

But anyway, the movie was hugely inspiring. It made me rethink the direction in which Unscene Media is going. Thankfully, though, in a lot of ways I just felt more sure that it was growing in the right ways. Oh, and I lied. In my previous post, I was saying that the last night for screenings in Chicago was 8/28...but they actually added dates all the way through September 3rd. So yeah...if you have the time to see it, DO IT (even if you're not in the creative fields). I promise it'll be worth your time!

I <3 New York

In the city that never sleeps, it's truly incredible for someone to put together a piece that really slows things down to reveal the beauty behind the beauty.



It was shot with the underrated Casio EX-F1 at 300 fps and edited at 24 fps. The man behind the camera is Vicente Sahuc. Brilliant movie. Brilliant song choice. Brilliant editing.

Totally inspiring. Definitely rocking my "I can't afford to love NY" shirt today.


Props to Clinton over at HeadHoods for producing the shirt and keeping it real. I'm pretty sure he's still got a bunch to order, if you're into it. As a matter of fact, shoot Clinton an e-mail directly if you want one in your wardrobe: clinton@headhoods.com.

Doug Pray presents: Art and Copy

What does it mean to be creative? What does successful advertising and design mean? Where does the line get drawn between honesty and profitability?

Doug Pray is one of those directors who we need more of in this world! A director who sees a subject and finds the underdogs’ story within it. Much like Michael Moore, Doug remains largely independent in his cinematic vision but he also manages to tell a story we can all relate to. His newest film, “Art & Copy” is about the people behind some of the largest and most influencial advertising campaigns in the modern era…

Check out the preview here:


If you are looking for more info on where and when you can see the film, here’s a litte snipet off Doug’s website:

“My newest film “ART & COPY” premiered in January at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and is being released into U.S. theaters this fall by 7th Art Releasing, (NYC, Chicago, Seattle, and Denver on Aug. 21-; LA Sept. 11, Portland Sept. 18, St. Louis Oct. 2, Philadelphia Oct.23, Downing Film Center (Newburgh, NY) Nov. 8, with more dates and cities being added daily). This spring and summer we enjoyed screenings at San Francisco, Seattle, Santa Barbara, Sebastopol, Cleveland, AFI Dallas, Newport Beach, Boston Independent, Wisconsin, Full Frame, Hot Docs, Florida, Sarasota, Atlanta, RiverRun film festivals, and a special screening at the IFC Center for the “Stranger Than Fiction” Series.”

For more information on screening dates, visit this website: http://www.artandcopyfilm.com/screenings/

Man I REALLY want to see this movie...and for all you Chicagoans out there, TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY! Who's up for it?

Via FakeRICH

Alternative Transportation Week

I guess you can say I was inspired by my last post to put a little green into The Car Park blog. And with the dwindling Chicago summer (we all know it's coming...I know, I absolutely hate it), what better way to hold onto the rays than by paying tribute to our favorite seasonal, alternative transportation?

So starting Monday, August 24th, you can look forward to a week chock full of no emissions goodness. After that, rest assured, we'll get back to the scraping/rubbing/building/flushness we all know and love. Sound good? Good.

Here's a little something to wet your appetite for the week to come:

Catch of the Day

Surfrider Foundation and Saatchi & Saatchi LA collaborate to bring awareness to ocean pollution in a very amazing way. The idea is simple, collect actual trash from beaches around the U.S., and package it like food in the market. It’s impact when placed next to actual seafood stops you dead in your tracks to offer insight on how polluted our waters are with the same food coming out of it. One of the smartest, impacting, and meaningful guerilla campaigns I have seen in a long time.

Via PLSTK

Come Party with Michael Copon!

Following Unscene Media's recent collaboration with Entice Chicago, my good friend Steph and JR from Entice rang me up to put together another flier for an upcoming event next Friday.

Michael Copon, a Filipino-American actor, is in town filming a new movie and while he's got some time off set to relax and enjoy Chicago, he's going to be chillin' at Soundbar to party with all of you! If you remember, Copon was a cast member in One Tree Hill season 2, Scorpion King 2, Bring It On 2 and more. Gotta love seeing more Filipinos on the silver screen, right? Anyway, if you're free, roll through Soundbar next Friday, August 28.

It promises to be a huge event and full of your favorite Soundbar resident DJs spinning all night. Oh, and I know you're wondering...the password for the night is Michael (coolest password ever, btw haha). Now you have no excuses. See you next Friday! Here's the flier I put together:

Of Love, Life and the Pursuit of Happiness

So last night I had dinner with my long-time friend Samir and it was really great to finally catch up with him. It really made me consider where I wanted my life to go, who I wanted to spend time with and how I wanted to get there. It seems to be a running theme with me of late. Just last week I had a great conversation with my friend Novico about life, where we were both headed, what we'd learned from the past and what we wanted out of the present and future. Both of which had gotten me thinking about what really makes me happy a lot in the past couple weeks.

And continuing the theme, I stumbed upon this yesterday called "The PEN Story" on Kris Yee's blog:

The PEN Story from PENStory on Vimeo.

It's such a creative way to present someone's journey through life. I love it. But even deeper than that, it spoke huge volumes to me about the power of photography and the way that it can capture memories in ways that can tell stories for lifetimes. And the beauty of it all is that despite all that we have to worry about in life - the ingenuous friendships/relationships, careers, finances, loss and the ominous "what if", a photo can take you back to the simplicity of that one moment...that one emotion. And in the case of this video, a collective adventure of single emotions and events that encompass a life together with those you love.

And that's why I am thankful for what Unscene Media has been for me so far in life - it's been a pleasure and honor to work with everyone that I have come across and I hope that life will allow me to continue this passion project. So where do I go from here? I'm not sure. I continue to learn and explore new options and apply them in every way. Like Kris said in her blog, "To this day I still can’t say for sure where I’m headed because things can always change. But I do have goals." And that's all we can do in this unpredictable world.

But life is beautiful. Capture all that you can.

I NEED to See This Movie!

Aside from 500 Days of Summer (which I can't believe I haven't seen yet), this movie looks like it'll be one of those: thought-provoking, what is love (minus the baby don't hurt me), up and down dramas while you figure out your life and all things around it kind of movies that make you feel SO GOOD.

Will it be the next Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist/Definitely, Maybe to me? It looks like it has potential. Check out the trailer:

The Annual Trailer from Sean Gillane on Vimeo.

Entice Nightlife x Unscene Media

So JR over at Entice Chicago shot me an e-mail a couple weeks ago to work on a project for him. Entice is one of the HOTTEST nightlife promotion companies in Chicago right now. From birthday parties and graduations to bachelorette bashes and mixers, JR is on point to get exactly what you want and everything you need. Not to mention all of the spots that Entice promotes are on fire.



He wanted to create an e-flyer that would showcase all of the things that Entice could do for their party celebrants. Along with his e-mail he sent over some sketches and necessary info. Although the end result flyer was markedly different than the original sketches, it definitely matched the mood and feel of what Entice was looking for. Look out for the flyer in your Entice newsletters:



Thanks again, JR! Hit me up if you need anything else!

Think Big: Pharrell Edition

We all know Pharrell has got his hands dipped in a little bit of everything - including his own clothing line, collaborations with Nigo from A Bathing Ape, fashion projects with Louis Vuitton, furniture pieces with Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin and a French manufacturer, Domeau & Pérès and his undeniable influence in the music scene. But what may be little known to most is his long time desire to jump into the bike world.



Riding BMX bikes as a kid, his involvement in skateboard culture and an appreciation for the artistic expression of the bike scene today spawned his newest efforts in thinking big. With his visions in mind, Joseph Avedisian and he put their creative minds to work with Brooklyn Machine Works - a company which they now command at the helm. With long time friend of Element Founder/President, Johnny Schillereff, they put together a project better known as the "Brooklyn Element".

Here are some pics of the finished product followed by a little video:













Put in the work, think big and this is the result. Think big everyone!

Mixtapes, Mashups, Dead Friends & New Ventures

Finding new tunes to stay motivated and fresh during design, cinema and post-processing photo work can be a trying process - especially considering how much time we spend in front of our monitors. Even further, once we find some mixtapes and mashups to listen to, they might not exactly do the job...and we all know how much our moods (and music) influence our work.

One man, however, continues to bring the heat when it comes to putting together some sick music to feed the creative soul - Clifford Lidell. From every mixtape I've come across, he's managed to string tracks together from not only decades apart, but completely different genres like they were collaborating in the same studio. Simple amazing.

His latest mix that I've come across is aptly titled "Butter" for how silky smooth his colorful, creative style has crammed over 80 songs in just under 50 minutes together. Click the images below to download:



Just for the hell of it, I've included some of his other mixtapes for download and a special bonus hip-hop mashup courtesy of fakeRICH.

Clifford Lidell - You're Perfect

(Click here to view NSFW artwork)

Clifford Lidell - Secret Fever


Them Jeans - Swag Step


What's even more amazing is that Lidell is now leaving his mark in the visual arts world. Consider him a modern forray of Warhol pop culture in a tweaked and tech-y application that is more than reminiscent of his musical genius. It's a blend of studio and street art - raw photography and doctored, careful design. As a matter of fact, a couple months ago he had his first solo art show which earned him 2 publications:








For more pics from his show, check out his Myspace page. What do YOU listen to when you're on the grind?

MLR: 2006 E55 AMG

Last week I had an opportunity to shoot a 2006 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG. Having known that this particular owner has a reputation for building some very clean and classy cars, I jumped at the chance to put his car behind my lenses.

The weather was a bit strange - during the beginning of the shoot, it was a beautiful upper 70's summer day, but shortly after, we got hit with a short burst of strong rain. Luckily, being a car nut like myself, he carried around some microfiber drying towels so his car was always photo ready despite the little set back. Anyway, hope you enjoy the slideshow and pics.



















































Make sure you hit up The Car Park for more automotive photoshoots and builds!