posted on February 23, 2011 by
1 Comment

Some Exciting Opportunities With Paperny Films

Storytelling excites us.  We have fun with it!  It’s how we get are kicks, and as such we are pretty pleased about our latest client, Paperny Films, as they are all about stories too and are telling some entertaining ones, from foodie adventures with true to life characters like Bob Blumer to the legends of music greats like Ron Sexsmith. No issues with getting out of bed in the morning around here.

Paperny has a couple of exciting opportunities for the filmmaking community coming up, that we wanted to highlight:

Opportunities for Television Writers and Story Editors

The deadline is fast approaching for this posting.  If you have experience as a story editor or writer on Doc. Series or Doc Soap genre programs and are available to work in Vancouver, then don’t delay, get your CV and list of references in.  All the details on who Paperny is looking for can be found on Media Job Search Canada.  The application deadline is Friday February 25th, 2011.

So You Think You Can Make TV? Contest

Paperny has just launched a pretty cool opportunity for young Canadian filmmakers aged 19-30.  Basically, they are challenging young filmmakers to have fun showing off their creativity and skill by creating a 2-minute or less trailer for a lifestyle or factual series.  The Prize?  $3000 and a one month unpaid internship at Paperny Films in Vancouver.  For all the details, check out Paperny’s contest page and be sure to get your submission in by the entry deadline on April 15, 2011.

Filed Under: Events, News, Stories In Action Tagged With: , ,
posted on January 2, 2011 by
Leave a Comment

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh 21st Century (Christmas, Local Anxiety Style)

It wouldn’t be right to let the holidays pass without our annual tradition of a little bit of green, and since this year’s holiday activity was a little more slanted to relaxation, I thought we’d share a little music video our pals Mark Leiren-Young and Kevin Crofton of Local Anxiety made to ring in the season.  Besides which, our gal Emme Rogers helped them out and has been hounding us to post this.  As best we can tell, her shoulder starred in the street scene.  If Mark gets this on a CD, I am sure she’d be happy to kiss a few more autographs.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ErxSXlKQsg]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlyA9BXy7DM]

Now if you buggered up the whole green Christmas thing, no worries, just use the words of Mark’s niece, Emma (not to be confused with Emme – this kids got way more talent), as an inspiration for a socially conscious New Year. Either that or go get a glass of wine and go back to the bath bubbles.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1BrFs-w1_I]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByYt5e2h5KA]

Oh and if Emma made you feel worse for wear at the beginning of your New Year, don’t fret, this should put the kid in perspective:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLYXTu1Pp_o]

Happy New Year!

Filed Under: News, Stories In Action Tagged With: ,
posted on December 30, 2010 by
Leave a Comment

Bringing a Little Relaxation to Your Holidays

Dating back to the days of writing and creating our Kids Science and Environmental Show we started a holiday tradition at Ahimsa Media of sharing an activity that you could do with your loved ones or on your own.  Typically, this activity has had a green slant to it. While this year’s could still be considered green, our theme this year is slanted a little more to unwinding and relieving stress … turning your tub into your own little spa oasis.

Have fun making these and then find a good book and go enjoy a bit of well deserved down time soaking in the tub!

Photo by Roger Mateo Poquet

Bath Bombs

This is an old favourite of ours from the days when we use to spin tales of magic for kids, while getting them excited about science through a potions class or two.  For further details, you’ll have to chat with the Great Professor Ericacea.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups of baking soda
  • 1/2 cup of citric acid
  • 2 tbsp of coconut oil
  • 5 – 8 drops of food colouring
  • 10 – 15 drops of essential oil

Whipping up a bit of Bath Time Bliss:

  • In a dry bowl, mix baking soda and citric acid together.
  • Melt coconut oil and mix together with baking soda and citric acid.  This should make the dry ingredients clump together, so that you can mold the mixture into balls.  If not, then melt and add in a bit more coconut oil.
  • Add food colouring and essential oil and mix thoroughly.
  • Shape mixture into the desired-sized balls (1 – 2 inches in diameter) and leave to dry on a plate for at least 24 hours.

Photo by Sharyn Morrow

Now all there is left to do is find a good book, run a warm bath, drop in one of your bath bombs and relax!

Finding Citric Acid

Back in the day, it use to be that citric acid was a relatively easy and inexpensive ingredient to find at the pharmacy.  This is sadly no longer the case, but still needed in the bath bombs, as it and the baking soda are what create the fizz. So here are a few places where you should be able to find citric acid at a decent price:

  • health food stores
  • grocery stores, as a product called Fruit Fresh, which is usually found with the canning supplies
  • home brewers / winemakers (rumour has it that prices here are excellent on citric acid)

And if all else fails, you can substitute cream of tartar for citric acid, but as cream of tartar is thicker, you will only need 1/2 the amount of cream of tartar to citric acid. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of citric acid, substitute in 1/2 cup of cream of tartar.

Choosing your essential oils:

The essential oil is the key ingredient to setting the perfect mood in the tub, so you want to make sure you find the right one for you.  Here are a few of my favourites:

Lavender

  • refreshing, relaxing and calming
  • anti-inflammatory
  • good for muscles pains, rheumatism, headaches, insomnia, stress, colds …

Grapefruit

  • refreshing and stimulating
  • good for anxiety …

Orange / Mandarin

  • refreshing and relaxing
  • good for anxiety, insomnia, muscle pain, skin, stress …

Peppermint

  • refreshing and stimulating
  • anti-inflammatory
  • good for nausea, fever, stress, headaches, muscle pain …

You can find essential oils at the pharmacy or health food store.

Simple Soaks

The beauty of the essential oils is they can transform your bath into a bit of bliss in a few seconds, minus much effort on your part.  Here are a few quick tips:

  • Simply add a few drops of your favourite essential oil to your running bath water.
  • Create a milk bath with 1/2 a cup – 1 cup of powdered milk and a few drops of your favourite essential oil.
  • Soak in a tub with 1/2 a cup – 1 cup of epsom salts and a few drops of your favourite essential oil.  This ones great for aching muscles.

Photo by Mary Pattavina

Gingerbread  Body Scrub

This scrub makes your skin feel lovely and is a great alternative to going in hunt of essential oils, as most of the ingredients are in your kitchen larder.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of epsom salt
  • 1 cup of sea salt
  • 1 cup of your choice of oil (almond, jojoba, olive, sunflower …etc)
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp of ground cloves
  • 2 tsp of brown sugar
  • a mason jar

Whipping up a bit of Bath Time Bliss:

  • Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  • Transfer dry ingredients into a mason jar.
  • Pour oil into the jar.

Now all you need to do is place the mason jar of scrub beside the tub and enjoy a few luxurious baths.  Just don’t use the scrub on your face.  You’ll also find that like with the essential oils, the spices have a few comforting properties of their own.  You can read about them below.

Ginger

  • warming and stimulating
  • good for nausea, exhaustion, arthritis, colds, flu …

Cloves

  • warming and stimulating
  • good for headaches, stress, nausea, colds and muscle tension …

I hope this gets your 2011 off to a blissful start.

With love from the gang at Ahimsa Media.

Filed Under: News
posted on December 28, 2010 by
1 Comment

Burnaby Village Museum – A Storyteller’s Delight

At Ahimsa Media the winter holidays are all about relaxing and spending time laughing and having fun with the folks we love.  It is for this reason that Lori and I take a break from the pre-holiday craziness each year to laugh, be silly and shoot our holiday card together.

Erica and Lori captured on camera by Jeremy Lim, enjoying a goofy moment.

This year’s shoot was even more delightful than usual, as we were fortunate enough to shoot at Burnaby Village Museum, which is an absolutely magical place.  For two storytellers, this was a wonderful present to the senses as we were surrounded by rich stories from the history of BC .  Talk about inspirational!

If you haven’t been, you must go.  Burnaby Village Museum is a living history museum, with historic interpretors dressed in period clothing spinning tales of BC’s history.  Having worked in such environments in my teens and twenties, I can tell you I have discerning eye and am not easily impressed when it comes to interpretive sites.  Burnaby Village Museum impresses me.  It is a place of magic.

To experience a bit of the magic for yourself you can visit the Museum from noon until 8 pm each day, up until January 2nd, 2011.  Who knows you may even see Rudolph.  He was after all created there.

Burnaby Artist Denver Gillen's Illustration of Rudolph.

After that the Museum doesn’t reopen until May 2011, except for special event openings.  Hoping they host their scavenger hunt again in February and March.

Filed Under: Events, News, Stories In Action Tagged With: , , , ,
posted on December 16, 2010 by
1 Comment

New Courses for the New Year

We are pleased to be ringing in the New Year with two new Interactive Storytelling Courses for Professionals at BCIT and Capilano University.

Photo Courtesy of John Biehler

The focus of both these courses are to inspire the participants to use digital tools, such as social media, to make your online communications more engaging, build community and to learn to use storytelling elements to impart information, whether about yourself, a brand or a more traditional story, such as a novel or a television series.  We will look at the new world of transmedia storytelling and will explore the development of digital media strategies around your properties. The courses are hands-on and the goal is for participants to choose a project to focus on and build over the 8 – 10 weeks.

A review from a past student:

“Erica has the gift of making a very “technological” subject accessible and understandable for everyone… even those who are not quite up to speed yet with all the ins and outs of Social Media. Her wealth of examples and stories infuse what could be an overwhelming topic with a sense of normality and fun. Her willingness to go above and beyond when it comes to encouraging the learning process, creativity and support is highly appreciated and mark her as a very generous educator.” ~ Ina Stockhausen,  April 5, 2010

Winter 2011 Interactive Storytelling Courses:

Audiences today want to access media from multiple platforms: online, offline and on the go. Learn the art of interactive storytelling and learn how to use the tools, such as Twitter, WordPress, Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, podcasting and blogging, to tell your stories.

  • 10 Wednesday Evenings, January 12 – March 16
  • 6:30 – 10:00 pm
  • Instructor: Erica Hargreave
  • 3 Credits
  • Burnaby Campus
  • CRN: 77465
  • $349.30
  • Interactive Storytelling (A Capilano University Continuing Studies Course)

The face of media is rapidly changing. Join traditional and digital storyteller, Erica Hargreave, as she introduces you to the art of interactive storytelling and how to use tools such as Twitter, WordPress, Flicker, YouTube, Facebook, podcasting and blogging to tell your stories. Audiences want to access media from multiple platforms: online, offline and on the go. More and more audiences are demanding the ability to interact within the story, and with the characters and authors. The collective “voice” of media is changing, audiences desire a much more personal tone in what they read and interact with. This personal tone and voice extends beyond the story to the corporate brand as well. Audiences want the story behind the story, to feel that they are part of the story, the creators and the brand itself.

  • 8 Tuesday Evenings, January 25 – March 15
  • 6:30 – 9:30 pm
  • Instructor: Erica Hargreave
  • North Vancouver Campus
  • CRN: 10047
  • $329
Filed Under: Events, News Tagged With: , , , , , ,
posted on November 26, 2010 by
3 Comments

Launch Party 10: A Vancouver Event Not to Miss (and where to win tickets)

Back in the days when I was a children’s and educational writer for television and magazines and first exploring the digital sphere, I was incredibly fortunate to be welcomed into Vancouver’s technology scene and shown the lay of the land by a few of the early leaders in the space.  My guides and translators in the digital realm included Boris Mann, Megan Cole and the gang at Strutta.  My first encounters with the folks at Strutta were at their inaugural Launch Party, which very much became an event that help me to meet and mingle with some of the brightest minds in technology in this fine city of ours and to spark my imagination on how some of their technologies could be used in telling stories.  I’d be remiss here if I were not to mention one of the founders behind Launch Party, Maura Rodgers, who I have found to be one of the key visionaries in building Vancouver as an International Hot Spot in technology.  Not only is she a forward thinker and a believer of life long learning, but she has been incredibly giving of her time over the years and has always offered her guidance and advice when I’ve needed it.  While still involved with Strutta, Maura’s main focus these days is on Bootup Entrepreneurial Society, a community and mentor driven non-profit organization that was formed to inspire entrepreneurship in Canada and help Internet startups take their idea from conception to commercialization.  And it is this organization that now hosts Launch Party Vancouver (LPV).

 

Launch Party Founders – Maura Rodgers, Danny Robinson & Dimitri Sirota – at LPV3, as taken by Phillip Jeffrey.

I’m telling this story as the next Launch Party – LPV10 – is this coming week on Wednesday December 1, 2010 at 6 pm at Canvas Lounge in Gastown, and I happen to know that Emme Roger’s is giving away a pair of tickets to the event.  All you need to do is comment on her post, before 9 pm on Saturday November 27th, 2010, as to why you wish to go to LPV10 and she will stick your name in a hat and draw the name of one lucky commenter for the pair of tickets.

Regardless, as to whether you win or not, LPV10 is worth checking out, if you are already in the tech community and want to reconnect with others in the industry and check out the latest tech launches or are new to the world of technology and are there to learn and immerse yourself in the community. Just be sure to purchase your tickets before Wednesday December 1, 2010, as after that tickets jump in price.

Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

Erica

Filed Under: Events, News Tagged With: , ,
posted on September 20, 2010 by
Leave a Comment

The Vancouver Sun asks: Can Technology Improve Literacy Skills?

Last week The Vancouver Sun‘s digital life writer Gillian Shaw approached Erica Hargreave to discuss the effect technology is having on literacy skills.  An issue often discussed in the Ahimsa Media office and, it would seem, many other offices too. Gillian’s article went to press on Saturday, and it was fascinating to read the full analysis, and hear other opinions.

Gillian discusses the use of technology in our schools and the changing face of learning at home.  Many, myself included, were initially fearful, of social media’s growth, particularly amongst children and teens.  Spelling seemed to go out the window, closely followed by sentence structure and even sentences themselves.  But Erica makes a great point about twitter’s 140 character rule: “with young people having to tighten up what they say, they are learning to write very precisely, to focus on what they want to say.”

Another educational tool which I had not previously considered is the ipad, Gillian writes:  “Today’s preschoolers can read books on an iPad that brings the touch features of a traditional print book: they can flip pages and read it sitting on their laps in the back seat of the car, not only at a desktop or laptop computer. The digital version also brings enhancements, from Alice literally tumbling down the rabbit hole on the screen in Alice in Wonderland to books that read aloud and let children take part in the story creation and other features.”

Photo by Tim Bishop for Weber Shandwick Worldwide

One of the reasons we, at Ahimsa Media, love technology is the ease with which it allows us to interact with ease, and The Vancouver Sun piece reflected this.  Less than a day after publication, an email popped into our inbox, from retired news reporter Alexander Young.  He had just read the article and found us through it.  It was timely as he has recently taken his first step into personal publication by beginning a blog, and he too has been pondering the issue of literacy.

He said: “As far as faulty spelling and grammar may be concerned, the point is whether the viewers of the writer can be understood. Take a look at usage in e-mail and facebook and twitter. It’s a fright if you insist on perfect spelling and grammar. But that, as I see it, is mainly because the people, especially the younger generations, who use those avenues of expression are in a hurry, they have little time for worrying about  typos and grammatical niceties, and they comfortably use multitudes of abbreviations and graphic symbols. So cut them a little slack.”

So, as Gillian concludes that if technology is used correctly it can improve literacy.  Please enjoy the full article here: Can technology improve literacy skills? Yes, if done right.

And in true interactive style we want to hear from you, do you agree or disagree?

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
posted on September 13, 2010 by
Leave a Comment

Back to School with Multimedia Ed Packages for the Classroom

Having been a classroom teacher, I understand what a demanding profession teaching can be and the need for quality support material for teachers and the classroom.  One particular source of frustration for me, as a teacher, was the unimaginative, rote learning materials that typically accompanied videos in the classroom – “watch the video and answer these questions”.  Watching a video is already a very passive activity in the classroom.  To turn it into an engaging activity, the teacher needs to accompany it with hands-on, thought provoking activities that stimulate discussion. Many  Educational Support Materials for films fail to do this, an issue that we are more than adequately equipped to address at Ahimsa Media with our expertise in education and curriculum, in addition to that in broadcast and transmedia storytelling.

As such, we have recently developed an Education Guide to accompany, Mark Leiren-Young and Tony Wosk’s film, The Green Chain.  This is the perfect cross-platform resource for the classroom, including The Green Chain Film, The Green Chain Book, The Green Chain Podcasts and the Education Guide (that is based around the film). The Education Guide includes hands-on activities, background reference material, blackline masters of worksheets, a unit project, answer keys and marking rubrics. It has students focused on a task during the film, doing individual and group assignments after the film, helping to engage them in research and debate current issues. These materials are appropriate for upper level middle school students, high school, and post secondary students studying Science, Environmental Studies, Social Studies, Geography, Global Issues, First Nations Studies, Natural Resource Management, and Forestry. For further information on The Green Chain and it’s Education Guide or to place an order, please contact Kinosmith at info@kinosmith.com.

We are also developing an Education Guide for Thomega Entertainment’s documentary series, Canada Remembers, which explores topics around Remembrance Day, our veterans, war and peace. This will be the perfect accompaniment and unit builder for upper level middle school students and high school students in History, Social Studies, World Issues and Geography. You can learn more about Canada Remembers and how to place your order here.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
posted on September 13, 2010 by
Leave a Comment

Back to School With Ahimsa Media – An Interactive Classroom This Fall

It never fails, since my third birthday the autumn still means it time to head back into the classroom for me, some more conventional, some a little less so.  This is probably why in my mind the year runs from September to June and the new year starts for me afresh every September.  With a life long love for learning, the autumn also bring with it a sense of readiness and anticipation.

This autumn is no different, although over the years my classrooms have changed as has my role within them.   The classroom brings two most exciting educational opportunities for me this autumn. The first is my second Interactive Storytelling Course for Industry Professionals and other adults through Capilano University’s Continuing Studies Department.  This promises to be 10 thought-provoking and inspiring Tuesday nights, in which we learn from one another and all come out of the course with the beginnings of our own online storytelling for self, business or a creative endeavour. Here’s a description of the course:

 

Interactive Storytelling (A Capilano University Continuing Studies Course)

The face of media is rapidly changing. Join traditional and digital storyteller, Erica Hargreave, as she introduces you to the art of interactive storytelling and how to use tools such as Twitter, WordPress, Flicker, YouTube, Facebook, podcasting and blogging to tell your stories. Audiences want to access media from multiple platforms: online, offline and on the go. More and more audiences are demanding the ability to interact within the story, and with the characters and authors. The collective “voice” of media is changing, audiences desire a much more personal tone in what they read and interact with. This personal tone and voice extends beyond the story to the corporate brand as well. Audiences want the story behind the story, to feel that they are part of the story, the creators and the brand itself.

  • 10 Tuesday Evenings September 21 – November 23 6:30 – 9:30 pm
  • Instructor: Erica Hargreave
  • North Vancouver
  • CRN: 30049
  • $329

The second classroom is at the Merging+Media Conference that is being hosted by CMPA. I have had the honour of being invited to sit on the Advisory Board for the Conference and will be speaking on one of the panel.  Its shaping up to be an interesting conference, exploring the worlds of transmedia and convergence and how we build stories to cross platforms. It has speakers from current transmedia projects, gaming, ARGs, technology, viral marketing and broadcast media.  Promises to be an interesting conversation.  Take a peek at the agenda.  The dates to keep open are October 28th (Masterclass) and October 29th (Conference).

Hope to see you in the classroom!

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
posted on September 9, 2010 by
Leave a Comment

Introducing the Kids of the Rocket Fund: Shawn and Shawnee

Ahimsa Media is comprised of a cast of interesting characters, so it isn’t a stretch for us to develop a new plethora of personalities – online characters that is.  Our inaugural lady was Emme Rogers, and since then character development has become a creative niche for us.  Amazing how it helps us to deal with all our own multiple personalities by creating characters online from novels, movies and television series; in addition to those for non-profits and businesses.  Incredible how liberating it can be for an organization to have a voice that can have fun, and doesn’t have to wear a tie or an uncomfortable set of heels.

Our latest delve into character creation has been with the Shaw Rocket Fund.  They are already known throughout Canada as a champion and funder of children’s, youth and family television programs. However, much of their exceptional research into youth, media and technology was unknown.  This year also saw changes in their annual Rocket Prize judging to include any entry’s digital content, in addition to the TV show.  This set the stage for the Fund themselves to enter the digital space and begin participating in both interactivity and convergence.  Enter Shawn and Shawnee Rockett.

Shawnee enjoying herself at the beach.

Shawn playing it cool

We built this delectable duo and have raised them to the stage of passing the reigns back to the Shaw Rocket Fund, who will now guide the cousins on their future path.  To accompany our new friends, we also introduced interactive feeds for the company itself.  In a time when convergence is becoming a crucial key to industry success, the CMF creates an experimental funding stream and broadcasters are learning to navigate the digital space, character driven online narrative has helped place the Shaw Rocket Fund amongst some of today’s broadcast industry innovators.  Despite still being only a few months old, the digital world is beginning to embrace Shawn and Shawnee.  So here they are:

The Characters:
Shawn and Shawnee Rockett are cousins. They were both born a few years apart, but on the same day of the year, their great grandfather’s birthday – hence their names.  They are both named after their Great Grandfather, Shawn Rockett.  And yes, their pops, whom are brothers had a bit of a spat over this, but both are terribly stubborn and he was both of their favourite grandfather.  The cousins, on the other hand, are the best of friends, and although they tease each other incessantly, they have gone into business together and love working together.  Their company is a Canadian Production House focused on creating children’s and youth television.

Shawn Rockett

Shawn Rockett


In his late twenties, Shawn is still young at heart, a personality trait often reflected his work where he focuses on youth programming.  He loves his music, bickering with Shawnee and pushing life to the extreme.  He considers himself a bit of a Casanova, much to Shawnee’s amusement.  Shawn also loves being at the cutting edge of convergence and keeps an eye out for new and exciting technology.

Shawnee Rockett

Shawnee Rockett


Shawnee is a couple of years younger and places more focus on children’s and tween TV.  She’s a lover of everything Disney, her cats and and is a bit of a giant kid at heart.  She still loves to climb trees and splash in puddles in her bright red wellies.  Quirky would definitely be the word for her. She loves her folk music.  Yes, she still watches Saturday morning cartoons.  She already is hooked online, chatting with other characters and youth programmers like Seth on Survival and Ruby Skye PI

We loved developing these two, and are sure the Shaw Rocket Fund will equally enjoy creating their voices…

…as for us onto the next character!

Filed Under: News, Stories In Action Tagged With: , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »