If you’ve been following UMG on Facebook (or staying up with the JDM Chicago media crew, you’d know that after such an awesome time at Wekfest Chicago last year, we collectively decided to head out west to San Francisco, where Wekfest called home.

Months and weeks before our trip, we jam packed our weekend with shoots. Knowing full well that we’d be greeted by freezing temperatures and snow when we got home, I don’t think any of us thought twice about enjoying the sun and the cars that came with it – including a pair of drop dead gorgeous NSXs (check out the video HERE).

JDM Chicago “Bay Area NSXs” Feature – check out the full photo gallery and video HERE

Knowing that we had the opportunity to meet up at the Fatlace Paddock to shoot Pandora One was incredible. The car itself was beyond amazing and the Paddock was littered with cars that you’d love to have in your garage. Cars and shooting aside, it was great to catch up with the Fatlace family that I haven’t seen in a couple years and meet new faces.

After wrapping up some very exciting shooting at the Paddock (stay tuned for this), we got an invite to head over to eGarage to hang out with the guys and see the shop. Talk about a day in automotive heaven! It was amazing to see the ’27 Unfvckwithable in person along with some of their equally as drool-worthy rides. Thanks to Nic for having us!

Before we knew it, Wekfest SF was upon us. We packed up our Nissan Versa media car and headed towards Fort Mason bright and early so we could catch the roll-ins. It was amazing to see how many people brought very SERIOUS photo and video equipment to the show – they weren’t messing around one bit. But after looking around at all the quality builds (and thousands of people) packed into a scenic venue, the baller equipment was hard to fault. While we made our rounds through both buildings, we ran into Danh from Mayday Garage and John from 1013MM Photography – some of the best in the game. Good running into you guys again!

After hours of shooting, we bid Wekfest a memorable goodbye and crossed our fingers that they would once again come back to Chicago. Thanks to everyone the JDM Chicago crew met out west – including the CarsxHype crew, Anton from AN Films, Marvin King, Elissa Alva and the Canibeat crew.

It was also a great opportunity to see how our Equilibrium USG bags would do on our trip. From carry on to camera duty, the bags came with us everywhere we went through San Francisco – whatever the configuration (and skyn), the bag was everything we needed and then some. Thanks to the EQ family for letting us rep Chicago in style!

As predicted, our return home to the Windy City was met with a bit of resistance – not from airline delays or weather problems, but solely because we weren’t ready to leave after having such an awesome media weekend on the West coast. As we touched down in Chicago, I think it’s safe to say that we’ll all be back very soon.

Other blogs by the EQ fam:

Light n’ Motion: “We On That New Ish” | AppleAvocado: Find Yours 2012 Campaign

“Success is about making your life a special version of unique that fits who you are – not what other people want you to be.”

- Mark Cuban

For those of us that can’t seem to just leave whatever we touch alone, we’re constantly on the hunt for something to satisfy our need to customize – to find something that allows us to make that “special version of unique.” As the Equilibrium USG lifestyle movement has grown throughout the years, it became rapidly clear that our mission to you, the unique of the unique, is to help balance your day grinds, hobbies and leisure through the infinite variations that the EQ product line presents. And its to this realization that we encourage you to “Find Yours.”

What initially started as a casual couch viewing of the “Find Yours” promo video with the EQ team at RGB Lounge turned into a full-blown media launch party to celebrate the newest campaign with all of our loyal supporters. As much as I wanted to eat before the event, I knew that 13aked would be bringing boxes of cupcake heaven to RGB, so I opted to focus on testing the promo video on RGB’s projector to distract myself from my obnoxious stomach grumbling. After getting the video squared away, I had a moment to step back and appreciate what the EQ team had put together. It was incredible to realize the breadth of work that we had tackled through the first three months of 2012 – from the new website, product photography, promo video, social media and brand-spanking new products that somehow manage to improve upon designs that I didn’t think needed any.

As the doors opened up and my cameras started to roll, it was obvious that EQ’s devotion to these infinite variations (coupled with all of our hard work) really resonated with anyone who owned or let alone touched the product. Simply put, you just can’t find anything out there that unites photographers, videographers, artists, Ruckus aficionados, car guys, dancers, DJs and the “urban nomad” under a common flag of unadulterated self-expression and practical utility. And as much as we are a reflection of the bag in our constant need for uniqueness, the bag is ever more a reflection of us as purveyors of our own lifestyle. Here’s a video (and photos) we put together form the Media Release party to show you what you may have missed:

Needless to say, it’s been an exciting beginning to 2012 for EQ. As the night came to a close after an uproar of applause from the viewing, we could all finally take a moment to relax and give credit where it was due. In a very symbolic parallel, it seemed like the EQ team also found a perfect balance within our family. Have you found yours?

Lately I’ve been running into a lot of inspiring work (and people) that make me want to shoot something outside of client work and make a statement. This video by Sebas and Clim (music by Aimar Molero) is another one of those works that really got me thinking, despite it being a 40 second video. I think more than just being a well-executed, simplistic video spot, it really hits home some points that when followed make not only a great story, but a great brand.

Truth be told, there are tons of people out there that can dream and create work in this age, but I think what separates good brands from great ones are people who can also love, respect, wait, trust, pledge, share and enjoy that work with others. Just something to think about.

It’s been awhile since we first showed you the UMG bamboo iPhone 4/4S case design, but after some nit-picking work on some final details (and a meticulous manufacturing process), the case finally arrived at our door yesterday. After unboxing the first case, I can tell you that we were absolutely blown away by its fit and finish. The little details came out great – including the aperture volume/mute switch controls. Once we slipped the case onto the iPhone 4S, we were thrilled to see how snugly the case fit the phone. Here’s a look back at the design (above) and a close-up of the final product (below):

Check out more views of the UMG bamboo iPhone 4/4S case below. If you’re interested in picking one up, they are going for $150 USD shipped. Limited run of 10. Three are already spoken for, so hit up info@unscenemedia.com to place an order ASAP! Thanks for the support!

The other day the Equilibrium team took a trip down to the studio to snap photos of the entire product line for the website re-launch next month. It seemed to be a running theme that we all couldn’t sleep much the night before for one reason or another, so after a quick pitstop at Starbucks to get some caffeine running through our veins, we headed down and started setting up.

It’s pretty cool having a Canon master tech amongst the EQ team – so While Ethan from Light n Motion and I were shooting throughout the night, Michio gave our gear a factory fresh, thorough cleaning. For anyone looking to get their gear refreshed in Chicago, I highly recommend getting in touch with Michio for a cleaning. You can hit him up HERE if you’re interested. I learned a ton while he was working over my lenses and 5DII/7D – thanks again, man!

Anyway, if you’ve been keeping up with our Facebook posts, you’d know the shoot went on LATE and things got pretty interesting past midnight, haha. Despite the 3am delirium, the shots turned out amazing and it was a great opportunity for Ethan to get to play with the Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro for the first time. It was also my first time seeing the ABR800 in action. For anyone on the fence about it, this shoot turned me into a full-fledged believer.

By the end of the shoot (and although we were all drained), it was nice to chill for a second with our second round of coffees and talk about where else the brand was headed in 2012 and what we needed to wrap up before Q1 comes to a close. The year is still early, but there’s a ton left to bring you guys the rest of the year, so be sure to stay up with the EQ team! I’ll leave you with this Instagr.am compilation from Elisha of AppleAvocado and the rest of the behind the scenes snaps:

The only way you’d have missed the Equilibrium USG live 2012 commercial film coverage on Facebook is if you were in a coma. Thanks to Elisha from Appleavocado and her fury of social media ninja-ing, you were able to follow us by the minute throughout the jam-packed two day photo and video shoot. Here’s a compilation of the Instagr.am action:

It was awesome to actually put some of the first big EQ 2012 plans in motion and see just how many people support the movement, be a part of the filming and follow us all on our social networks to see what was coming next. The shoot spanned two, chilly days but in the end, every bit of the each long day was worth it and I’m so excited to put together the final video for you guys soon! And as per usual with any EQ project the team is involved with, motivation and excitement trump exhaustion any day…so here are some photos (and video above) I took during the commercial shoot to give you guys an even closer look:

To get an in-depth look into what the EQ team did throughout the two days (as well as getting to know a bit more about this year’s campaign called “Find Yours”), check out the play by play and more photos from Edouard Pierre on the Equilibrium USG post. Before running down all the ‘thank yous’, I have to extend my huge gratitude to EQ for letting me be a part of the team this year – it’s an honor to be able to put the UMG stamp on their creativity and provide my input throughout the 2012 campaign. Huge thank yous are also due to:

Videographer/Photographer:
Mike Maravilla of UNSCENE MEDIA GROUP

Photographer:
Edouard Pierre of EDOUARD PIERRE PHOTOGRAPHY

Assistant Videographers/Photographers:
Michio Fukuda, Adrian Domingo

Social Media Guru:
Elisha Rio-Apilado of APPLEAVOCADO

Models:
Edouard Pierre, Michio Fukuda, Elisha Rio-Apilado, Glyph Sputnik, Daryl Swapt, Richard Galvez, Mark Almara, Krissa Rivers, Kevin Penczak, Anthony Galvez, Clifton Raffel, Jarius “Man of God” King, Daniel “Bravemonk” Haywood, Vince “DJ Flipside” Garcia, Julian “Julian on the Radio” Nieh, Suchada “Susie” Chaiyadej, Isela Herrera, Morris Jamlang

Extras:
Thank you for your participation in our car scene as well as the club scene! We very much appreciate your time and effort to make this video happen.

Honda Ruckuses Donated by:
Albert Yau
Daryl Swapt

Cars Donated by:
AJ Gillett: Honda Fit
Allen Castillo: 1995 Toyota “POOPRA” Supra
Richard Galvez: 2003 Mitsubishi Evo 8
Richey Troia: 2007 Infiniti G35s
Krystian Fiedor: 1994 Mazda RX7
Larriz Noguez: 2011 Hyundai Sonata
Mark Olsen: 1990 Nissan 300zx tt
J. Tuazon: 2001 Honda S2000
Kevin Daelo: 2006 Infiniti G35 Coupe
Patrick Sayaphoum: 2005 Toyota Matrix
Jim Jursinic: 2004 Scion XB
Anthony Galvez: 2006 Honda Civic X
Morris Jamlang: 2003 Mitsubishi Evo 8

Bikes Donated by:
The Bike Lane

Locations:
RGB Lounge
The Wormhole
The Bike Lane
The Silver Room
Phil’s Cleaners
Dragonfly Mandarin
Logan Square Skate Park
Chicago Transit Authority (Western & Damen Blue Line)

Mural Background Shots:
YAMS (behind Phil’s Cleaners)
Martin Hershey “Uncle Hek” Sims (RGB Lounge Lower Level)
Rahmaan Statik (behind Silver Room)

Special Thanks:
Goes to Phalkun from EQ for coordinating all this!

As always, be sure to ‘like’ Equilibrium USG, Appleavocado and Unscene Media Group to keep up with the EQ team in 2012!

The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent in an unprecedented way, with unlimited opportunities.

But does democratized culture mean better art or is true talent instead drowned out? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.

My friend Mark linked me up to this yesterday and I spent my Sunday morning watching it and offering up my thoughts about the Digital Revolution and this wonderful documentary around it. It’s a common discussion to have amongst creatives – to dissect what we think about how art is progressing, its accessibility and what defines it in the grand scheme of things. And while I can certainly complain about the endless amounts of garbage that circulates the web, the fact of the matter is (without this Digital Revolution) I would never be able to do the things I love doing. If you aspire to do something creative nowadays, you don’t necessarily have to know anybody, have deep pockets or get classically trained to at least attempt something artistic – this essentially embodies me. I didn’t grow up having an insane creative network, have remotely deep pockets and certainly didn’t go to school for anything media related, so I owe my humble beginnings to the encouraging, creative people I’ve met and the Digital Revolution. That being said I do have a problem with the fact that…

Everyone is a photographer…everyone is a musician. I find it annoying that people who own a dSLR will claim to be a photographer and slap watermarks on their over-saturated, auto contrasted FB photos like they are the next big thing. You’re not, but sadly you don’t know it yet. The same applies to the music industry. Now like I said, I’m not classically trained by any means so I don’t knock people for doing their own thing (nor am I claiming I’m the next big thing), but despite these technologies being much more accessible, sometimes you just have to know what you’re good at and what you’re not. It’s also led people to believe that the true worth of art is reflected in popularity – the number of hits, the fans, the retweets. By that logic, Rebecca Black is a good artist. I’d have to say that the one good thing that comes out of greater accessibility is…

More art than ever before. It’s becoming harder to filter through the dribble to find really good creative work, but in general there is just more art than ever before. Despite school art and music programs getting deeper and deeper cuts from the government, the art world continues to gain steam and flourish in all new ways. I think this is a truly amazing thing. And I believe we have the Digital Revolution to thank for this. If the government continued to cut artistic funding from schools without the Digital Revolution, what would enable young enthusiasts to dream as easily? Most children have (or at least have access) to a computer where they could at the very least watch inspiring media, teach themselves, or begin creating their own art right from home. And because the breadth of this information is on the web there is…

No cap on creativity. I think classical training always helps in the grand scheme of things. People often ask me if I would eventually go back to school for design, photography or cinematography. At this point in my life (in all honesty), I wouldn’t. But if given the opportunity to go back in time and pursue what I loved from the start, most definitely. As much as I believe that being self-taught leaves no boundaries to your creativity, exposing yourself to a slew of people who have similar ambitions (but also different perspectives and tastes) can only help. And despite being a total proponent of the Digital Revolution, I have an incredibly deep appreciation for people who can still manually cut film, record music, paint and develop photos.

I think what I love most about this new age is the blend of digital and analog art (in both actual practice and thought-process) and how improvisational and fluid digital media has inherently become. To say this the Digital Revolution has diluted art is short-sighted – it is art remixed. It’s the danger of this digital world that makes it seem cheap – the reliance of post-production rather than a refined talent. Again, the “everyone is a photographer…everyone is a musician” phenomenon. But as with everything in the digital age, it’s about filtering through it all to find work that can both show you something you’ve never seen before and bridge analog art with digital.

It’s amazing to realize the types of collaborations that can come out of this revolution and the stories that can be told locally, nationally or globally. Gone are the days of media regionalization – the world is open to artistic interpretation from whoever is willing to venture there and put their point of view on the web for everyone to see. This revolution will cause people to re-think the ways in which media is created, received, interpreted and sold. To realize that art has the potential to impact the world through technology in the way that industry did a century ago is incredible. It’s exciting times to be born in an analog age and create in a digital one.

If you haven’t swung by RGB Lounge to bring home a bit of the All the Small Things gallery, your time is running out FAST. The gallery is running until the end of December (which we all know is right around the corner) and features art pieces from our uber talented co-op members and are priced right so you can take home a lot without the guilt.

Since the show was titled All the Small Things, I busted out the tilt shift and had some fun with the photos. Check ‘em out and swing by RGB to get your last art fix of 2011:

A couple months ago I had the opportunity to visit a gallery show for McLean Bronze. After walking around the multi-floor gallery space and getting a chance to really appreciate the finer details of Jack and Alice’s metalworking, I knew that UMG had to get involved with their art. Coincidentally, their son and close friend were amidst making a documentary about McLean Bronze – both of them live on opposite coasts (New York and San Francisco respectively), so I took it as an opportunity to continue the McLean Bronze story and delve deeper into the inspiration behind their pieces on a regular basis.

In this case, I wanted to introduce you all to McLean Bronze while also highlighting his Little Deep Boats series. To my delight, Jack offered to actually start creating a piece right in front of my eyes. It was incredible to see how his process had refined over the two decades that he’s been producing these boats. You can actually see a photo of the finished product on the new UMG Facebook page. Shortly after, we settled into good conversation accompanied by some amazing vegetable stew that Alice had prepared, coffee and Christmas cookies. As I was starting to pack up, Jack brought down the ultimate surprise – a gift from his collection for UMG to take home…which just happened to be the piece that I was so drawn to from their gallery show in October. Here’s a quick iPhone snap of it:

Needless to say, after a great day of filming at McLean Bronze, I am extremely excited to see where this project leads. The more I am exposed to their art, the more I’m looking forward to intimately introducing you to the metalworkings from this Johnsburg-based studio. As an artist myself, it is extremely inspiring to know people like Jack and Alice who were able to sustain a comfortable life doing what they love. Here are a few stills I took while I was shooting video:

Ever since I had the privilege of tasting a cake pop from Mad Poppers, I knew it was a brand that I wanted to help get to the level they deserved. Luckily, it seems they felt the same way. Soon after we had a discussion about building a website, UMG was on board to put together the Mad Popper online presence with branding, web design, photography and video. I put together some mood boards for them to review and a couple days later, I had laid the foundations for the website to come alive. Seeing as these are undoubtedly the most delicious cake pops I’ve ever eaten in my life, the pressure was on to build a site that would reflect that tastiness. I called upon Elisha from AppleAvocado to lend a hand in creating the perfect logo for the brand while I focused on getting the website coded and trying to showcase some photo styles that I think would mesh well with the direction they want the site to go.

As we are starting to round the corner to the final stages to site launch, it seems only fitting to give you a little taste of what you can expect from Mad Poppers. Enjoy a few photos and a little video I shot while getting together with the Mad Poppers team!