Macklemore for Columbia

This video, directed by Jason and produced by yours truly came out last week and I forgot to share it with you all! We had so much fun working with Columbia this past fall and shooting up at Mt. Rainier. I love it when shoot days are a walk through the woods :) 

New Video

Jason directed Macklemore's latest video for the song "Drug Dealer" which came out today! This video production came in the middle of a crazy couple of months of projects, but it was super important for Jason (and myself) to fit it into our schedule because of the powerful message behind it.

Earlier this month, MTV debuted a documentary featuring Macklemore and President Obama, talking about opioid addiction and how huge of a problem this has become in the US. 

Dance Off!

Heres Jason's latest project. Check it out! Teresa and I both LOVE Idris, so that makes this even better! 

New Video!

I'm excited for the world to finally get to see this project. I love the message of the song and of course, the music video's director, Jason!

Listen Here: Kevin

I love Leon Bridges! I love the message of this song!
Incase you missed it, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis debuted their new song "Kevin" feat. Leon Bridges, on the AMAs this past Sunday. The song talks about prescription drug epidemic, shining light on the fact that more people overdose on prescription drug than illegal ones (info via drugfreeworld.org). Also Leon Bridges' hook is hauntingly beautiful. You can listen to it here. 

And also, definitely check out Leon Bridges' album Coming Home..."River" is my favorite.

Photo by Jason Koenig (!!)

New Video...

The project that's taken over our summer is finally out! I'm thrilled to be able to share it! Co-directed by Jason, along with Ryan Lewis and Macklemore. It was a beast of a production, but tons of fun to be a part of...watch the video here!

The sweetest song...

Have  you heard it yet? I'm thrilled that the world finally gets to hear this sweet song, I love the wisdom, I love the sentiment and I love that it's a collaboration between my friends.

Among other things, it's inspired me to finally get around to reading The Alchemist.

If you haven't already, I recommend that you check it out on YouTube and make sure you stick around for the end :)

Behind the Scenes...

Here's a quick look at part of the making of Arrows… A week of shooting condensed into 2 minutes. I have to say, this makes it look fun and happy, which it was, but it was also long and exhausting. It wasn't all just fun and games and riding the tandem bike around set. In the photo above, You'll see the sun has just set outside of the warehouse we'd been cooped up in for over 12 hours at that point.  

One of the longest days was the pool shoot, Ben was SUCH a trooper and was swimming in his clothes (including shoes!) for long chunks of time, which is not easy to do. After a few hours of shooting, Jason jumped in as well, to better direct from the pool, which I think was a move of solidarity as much as it was to shoot. 

Arrows

This is what has consumed my life since May... Jason directed this, along with John Keatley. I helped out a bit as an associate producer, and am immensely proud of the final results.

Whenever we're working on video projects, there's usually a lot of secrecy involved, and it makes blogging hard! Where I'd normally want to post, "I spent the day watching Jason be a merman!" instead I only get to say, "Cool project that I can't name coming soon!"

At least now, it's a relief to get to say, this is why I was silent for days at a time and this is why I haven't had any "Craft & Create" posts for awhile, THIS WAS my craft project for the summer! 

So hopefully as the behind the scenes for this rolls out, I'll be able to share a bit more about the adventure that this has been and more photos like this. And this. For now, I'll say it's amazingly cool to see something go from ideas- arrows on a train, a high dive, a tiger- to watching these things be created, to now, where I'm glued to my computer reading reactions from friends, family and major news outlets.

I hope you like it! 

Summertime in Perth

Yes, I'm finally getting around to posting about the Australasia Tour from March. 

While we were on tour, at least one person in every city would ask me what my favorite stop had been so far. I pretty much always just told them that wherever they were from was the best.  Now, having had time to process everything, it's much easier to pick favorites. 

Perth was definitely high on the list. It was one of my favorite shows, it just had a great, blissful vibe. There were carnival rides and a constant breeze was swirling confetti everywhere. I overheard teenaged concert goers talking about how they had to go back to school the following week and realized the vibe I'd been feeling the whole night was that sort of end of the summer, last hurrah. It was wonderfully nostalgic and I bought right in- from making confetti angles to climbing the fences in the dark with the cricket team to play a night game under the stadium lights, it was like we were kids again, and only had a few days left to enjoy it. 

The next day, we really got to play. We took a boat to Rottness Island, I was THRILLED to put on my swimsuit and truly enjoy the end of the southern hemisphere's summer.  It was very choppy getting out there and back, but island was worth the waves and being doused by waves while hanging on for dear life and singing at the top of my lungs was part of the adventure. We played in the sand, swam and ate an endless supply of gummy candy, laid in the sun and danced on the boat. It was the type of summer day high school kids have in movies, minus the backstabbing and boyfriend stealing.  I was hanging with the cool kids (who all miraculously like me!), I had a boyfriend (well, husband) to dance with on the deck of an amazing yacht while listening to 90's hip hop. REJOICE, I'm 30 and finally managed to have high school Jenny's perfect day. 

On the way back, we got a great tour of the river and waterfront downtown. Jason and I had a cute moment, then this happened. I'd always imagined Perth to be some small outpost of a town, but it's actually a decent sized city.* All in all, I want to go back! 

*I should probably admit, my previous knowledge of Perth was solely obtained from articles written about Heath Ledger circa 2000. In honor of Heath, forever my favorite Perthian, and to continue my kick of nostalgia, I watched Ten Things I Hate About You on the flight leaving Perth :).

Photos by Jason, who was working while the rest of us were having fun. 

Spectacle: The Music Video

I'm in a museum.

Really.

Spectacle: The Music Video, a traveling exhibit opened at the EMP in Seattle this past weekend, it'll be there through January if you'd like to go see my face- I mean, if you'd like to see the exhibit :).

While the rest of the show has been traveling, at each stop they feature a local artist, hence a section featuring the videos of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in Seattle. I'm thrilled to have been included in a video reel of interviews along with many of the talented people I've worked with in the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis camp over the years.

If you grew up watching MTV, this exhibit is for you. I was absolutely honored to have something I worked on featured alongside some of my all-time favorite videos. But overall, the thing I loved the most was how music videos were getting their due and being appreciated as art.

Here I am at the opening along with my fellow "Can't Hold Us" producers, Honna Kimmerer and Tricia Davis.

30/30 Project Update

Hi everyone! I just wanted to quickly say thank you to all of you who have supported the 30/30 Project that I wrote about a couple of weeks back. The campaign has raised $134,000 so far! That's enough to fully fund a healthcare center in the Neno District of Malawi and well on the way to funding a clinic in Kangundo, Kenya! The Indigogo campaign page will be up and running until next Wednesday May 21st so if you haven't donated yet please consider helping with this important clinic.

Tonight is the Construction for Change benefit event which will feature a gallery of Jenny and Jason's photos from their recent trip to Malawi. I am looking forward to seeing them and hearing from my amazing mom who is the keynote speaker!

Also, as you can see, Ryan and my mom met Anderson Cooper on Monday! Check out their segment on Friday's episode of Anderson Cooper 360.

30/30: Malawi

I hope you all got a chance to check out the 30/30 Project, if you haven’t yet, I encourage you to take the time to read Teresa's post from yesterday about her family’s incredible story- how her mom, Julie, has been HIV+ for 30 years and the project that’s come out of wanting to commemorate her survival. Obviously, it’s a cause very close to Teresa’s heart, and mine as well and something we will be continuing to post about this month.

Jason and I just returned from visiting the area in Malawi where the 30/30 Project’s first clinic will be built. We got to meet and photograph some of the many women, men and children that this clinic will serve.

Malawi's Neno District is one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited, with small villages of thatched roof huts on scattered about on picturesque hills. They look like something out of a storybook. However, the downside to living on beautiful hilltops- health care is at least a 2 hour drive away on incredibly bumpy and sometimes very muddy dirt roads and cars are few and far between out in these parts.

 Once it's complete, this new clinic will be run by Partners in Health in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and will bridge the gap in health care by providing services and medicine within walking distance for the many residents in this remote area.

PS. This morning Julie and Teresa's brother Ryan were interviewed on CBS's Morning Show, you can watch that online here. 

Photos all shot by Jason and via @jkoephoto

30/30 Project

I'm thrilled that today I get to share with you all an exciting project that my family has been working on for the past few months (with Jenny and Jason who are like family!). There is a part to my life that I haven't written about on this blog that I'd like to fill you in on to give some context to the 30/30 Project...so here goes!

When I was born in 1984, my mom had a miserable labor and received a blood transfusion due to hemorrhaging. Unfortunately, the blood that she received was infected with the HIV virus. Miraculously, my sister and brother, who were born after me, and my father were not infected with the virus.

This March we didn't just celebrate my 30th birthday, we also commemorated the 30 years that my mom has lived with HIV/AIDS. Despite the doctors only giving her a few years to live when she was diagnosed, she has survived partly due to the access she has to powerful medications. To commemorate this monumental moment in her life, my mom said it wasn't enough to just be grateful, she wanted to do something to give back...and so she came up with the 30/30 Project.

For the past few years my mom and Jenny have volunteered their time working for an organization that you've heard a lot about on this blog, Construction for Change. Working alongside local leaders in developing communities, CFC constructs clinics, community centers, and schools that will last for a least 30 years. Jenny and Jason have been traveling and photographing their projects for over five years now. The 30/30 Project brings together Construction for Change and Partners in Health to build a clinic in the Neno District of Malawi. This clinic will provide healthcare for a community of people who formerly had to drive two hours to get medical attention. It will also provide lifesaving medication to the 10% of their population that is infected with HIV/AIDS. Pretty great huh??

Every mom out there deserves to have access to cutting edge healthcare like my mom does. I only dared to dream as a young girl that she would live to see my life as an adult and it's hard for me to describe how grateful I am that she is in Mylo's life and my own 30 years later. It's time to pay it forward.

Jenny and Jason just returned last week from Malawi where they spent a week meeting the people of the Neno district and photographing the site where the clinic will be place (amazing photos on their way!). We are all so excited about this project and the impact that it will have on this community. I am asking all our readers to watch the video above and consider giving to this initiative that is so dear to my heart. Click here to learn more. Let's build a clinic!

Tour Update

Hello from down under! We've just finished up with Australia, and are now onto New Zealand. I never thought I'd see so many Australian airports! A few of the cities were way too quick, not to mention back to back shows in the same day. But thankfully, we've gotten a few sightseeing adventures along the way, including a lovely day off spent boating in Perth and a rooftop movie night and some shopping in Melbourne.

The next adventure...

So, life is picking up again for us and the view from airplane windows is about to become all too familiar. We just got back from a lovely wedding in Mexico, and we've got a week to unpack, get lots of work done, cuddle with the cat and repack. Jason and I are headed off on tour with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis again. This time to places like Sydney, Manilla and Tokyo, a bit more exciting than Buffalo, NY in November.

I have to admit, I haven't posted about this yet, because I've been trying to enjoy my time at home- live in the moment, we've been gone so much this year, that being home is a treat and the thought of leaving again was a bit daunting. Now, after that taste of sunshine in Mexico only to come back to extremely wet and extremely gray Seattle, Australia sounds very appealing. 

So I'm a lady with a list. A long list. On a clipboard. Slowly crossing things off. Naturally, "buy new swimsuit" got checked off rather quickly while "finish 2013 accounting" will probably be the last one checked off. 

This time packing is proving a bit more difficult. Only one suitcase for a full month that covers two hemispheres. Instead of living on a bus, we'll be traveling by plane, almost every other day. It'll be summer in Australia and New Zealand, but only early spring by the time we reach Tokyo.

Updates to come along the way, along with a post or two about all of the great books I'm reading on airplanes (I have a growing list of suggestions, feel free to add to it if you've read anything good lately!)  along with lots of other fun things. 

Wedding Wednesday: Grammy Wedding Part 2

Last week I posted about my sister's wedding at the GRAMMY's with a few pictures and stories mostly from my perspective. This week I wanted to share some of her personal photos and the story of how her wedding came about. Just a quick note that because of security/privacy Laura was only able to bring her iPhone in to the venue, no cameras allowed. So all of these photos were taken on iPhones by her, me and our fabulous nanny/friend Jessica!

Laura and Alex had been planning to get married but no date had been set yet and they were not in a rush since she just had a baby in December (doesn't she look amazing!?!). My brother rung them up eight days (you read that right) before the Grammy ceremony and asked them if they would want to join 33 other couples in getting married live at the Grammy's by Queen Latifah while they performed their song "Same Love." Laura said they decided to take a day to think it through but in the end decided they couldn't turn down this once in a lifetime opportunity. So we all had one week to plan for their big day!

They spent the week shopping for rings, outfits, etc while we all prepared for a last minute trip to California! Laura was able to find her gorgeous dress at the last minute at Nordstrom and we all hopped on a plane on Friday and set off for LA. 

Laura and Alex participated in two long dress rehearsals at the Staples center and met all of the other couples who were getting married alongside them. On the morning of their wedding we all gathered in their room and helped them get ready for their big day! 

They set off for rehearsals and were back stage for a few hours before they got to line up with all the other happy soon to be married couples and filled out for everyone to see! As they walked down the aisle they saw Sir Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and other celebrities. We were up in the rafters but were able to wave our cell phones so they knew where we were. Here is a video of the whole thing in case you missed it. 

It's pretty awesome to be able to say that Queen Latifah signed your marriage license and Madonna sung at your wedding!! Not to mention Beyonce wore white on your big day. 

After the wedding we headed out for the after party/reception, and celebrated with the newlyweds and Grammy winners! Talk about a once in a lifetime weekend!!

Surviving the Grammys, Part 2

Incase you missed it, my first post is here. And without further adieu, more random musings...

I loved the wedding! I was tearing up in the stands, even though I could barely see Laura and Alex. What a crazy way to get married, other than those 33 couples, no one will ever be able to say that they were married by Queen Latifah while Macklemore, Ryan, Mary Lambert and Madonna performed. More on this next week! (@zoerainphoto)

The official Grammy Celebration was crazy amazing party with a Roaring 20's theme and tons of food- from sushi to grilled cheese. Ciara and Boyz II Men preformed. It was over the top with amazing decor including actual Model-T's. Basically I felt like I was in Baz Luhrmann's Gatsby. Oh and did I mention Jason and I brought our parents to the Grammys? Here I am with my mom and dad! 

After the the main after party we headed to a private, low key party with friends and ended the night chilling outside of our hotel. When you live in Seattle, it's a novelty to sit outside in January and not be freezing.

Finally, this might have been the best moment of the evening. A little backstory, I mentioned yesterday that I was SUPER excited to see Bob Saget. Jason really encouraged me to go up to him and ask him for a photo, but after watching that happen to my friends over and over, I really didn't want to be that person. He was with his daughter, he too had been nominated for a Grammy (comedy album) and hadn't won. If I was him, I wouldn't have wanted to be bothered by a creepy Full House fan. Anyway, fast forward 10 minutes, we're in our seats and suddenly we're standing back up to let Alan Thicke into our row, but instead of going past, he's saying to me, that he thinks I'm in his spot! After a minute of looking at tickets, we realize he's in the wrong place, to which he profusely apologizes and Jason quickly asks him to take a selfie with us, which he's happy to do. So I'm pretty convinced having Alan Thicke, favorite TV dad #2, delivered directly to me was my consolation prize for leaving Bob Saget alone. I'll take it!

All in all, it was a long, exhausting and emotional weekend for so many reasons, but overall- I'm honored I got to be a part of it all. 

Surviving the Grammys, Part 1

So, we didn't win the Grammy for Best Music Video, but did I EVER in my life think that I'd be telling people that I lost an award to Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z and director David Fincher*? Definitely not.

Enough about that, on to the fun stuff! Here are my random musings on the evening...

It was a LONG day. I was dressed and ready to go at 11:30 AM! Jason snapped this adorable one of Ben (aka Macklemore) taking a photo of his parents as we were all leaving the hotel.

When shopping for a dress you're  going to be sitting in for 5+ hours, definitely make sure it is comfortable to sit in. I LOVED my Halston Heritage dress, but it wasn't the best for sitting down in, oops. But, I will say I do love long dresses! I didn't have to shave my legs and wore wonderfully flat Stewart Weitzman sandals. Yay! Little victories people.  (via @jkoephoto)

It's really hard to pick a favorite performance- I LOVED Kendrick and Imagine Dragons, during Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr's performance felt like I was witness to an historic moment and Daft Punk was amazing too. Oh and I was beyond impressed with Pink's arial skills-way better than us!  

Rolling Stone published our very own Zoe Rain's photos of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis preparing for their performance.  Including the above shot of Jason showing Ben the final tour episode. 

Walking the red carpet was a surreal jumble of lights and cameras,  although the media doesn't care about you unless you're famous. We were part of the later crowd walking in, so we missed a lot of it but I still felt super special rubbing shoulders with Smokey Robinson and Kathy Griffin, watching Sara Bareilles and Taylor Swift get interviewed,  chatting with Ed Sheeran, and being herded like cattle by event staff who's main job is to keep this giant cluster of celebrities and publicists moving along. I have to admit though, I was most starstruck by seeing Bob Saget! 

Zoe, who was backstage for part of the show got to see the comings and goings of performers. (@zoerainphoto)

I'll be back with more random tidbits tomorrow! 

*Incase you aren't a huge movie buff, David Fincher, who directed "Suit & Tie" is a pretty amazing director. He did Fight Club, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network and is currently working on Gone Girl- trust me, it was a HUGE honor to be nominated against him and unfortunately, someone who's hard to beat based on name recognition...

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- Tour Video Finale

I'm immensely proud of this one. If you've got 22 minutes, check out our final tour video from this fall, it was just released today. It's definitely worth a watch, it's my favorite of all 5 tour videos we did. I love the range of emotion it captures- from the shock/joy/amazement at the Grammy nominations to Ben puking backstage before one of the final shows in Seattle. Look for me in it near the end! 

PS. I'll be back tomorrow with a Grammy recap!