Creating a video tour of the HiVE Coworking Space

Problem:

The HiVE Vancouver‘s only way to show off their coworking space to potential new members was through building blueprints, outdated photos, or in-person tours during operating hours.

“…that’s bullshit”

Solution:

A one-take video that showed every nook and cranny of the space while mimicking the in-person tour experience.

Result:

A 24/7 way for freelancers, businesses, and event planners to get a better sense of the HiVE’s layout and amenities from the comfort of their own home.

Teaching REALTORS® about Cannabis

Problem:

With the legalization of cannabis in Canada, the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) had to educate over 23,000 commercial and residential REALTORS® on those changes.

“…that’s bullshit”

Solution:

A three-part “Conversations on Cannabis” series with interviews of relevant subject matter experts.

The first episode features Victoria REALTOR® and CFAX radio host Tony Joe interviewing mortgage broker trainer Dustan Woodhouse on the risks of growing cannabis when it comes to financing, refinancing, and protecting the value of your home.

The second episode features housing lawyer Grant Haddock on cannabis as it relates to strata properties, the risks of growing cannabis inside a strata unit, and how to identify whether the strata bylaws align with your client’s purchasing needs.

In the final episode of Conversations on Cannabis we interviewed real estate lawyer Michael Litchfield on issues related to disclosure, stigmas related to growing cannabis, and, above all, the importance of practicing sound professional judgment.

Result:

An accessible tool that builds REALTORS®’ reputations as partners to consumers when it comes to understanding and navigating risks around real estate transactions.

Two of the episodes currently rank in the top 8 of most popular pieces of content on their YouTube Channel of 190+ videos.

Facilitating bike rack installation at the Alexander St. Co-op

Problem:

The Alexander St. Co-op was up to their eyeballs in poorly stored bikes.

The bikes were hard for members to extract from “the pile” and were only secured by a shared chain. This resulted in a lot of members choosing to store their bikes inside their units instead.

The East Alcove - Pre rack

“…that’s bullshit”

Solution:

It started out with researching potential bike rack options. For this project, it was a balancing act between affordability, accessibility, and density.

Next, presenting my recommendations to the Co-op Board and members. In the end, density and affordability won out and we went with the “High Density Rack” from Urban Racks.

Bike racks being filled up animation

Result:

Increased bike storage capacity and security for all members.

I’m VUL Volunteer of the Year

When I’m not cranking out client work from my laptop, or biking around town, I’m probably playing Ultimate (Frisbee, …not Fighting Championship).

I’ve been playing Ultimate since 2003. I started in Highschool, then played for UBC-B, and then a Men’s competitive touring team. After that, I moved on to coaching Provincial Junior Teams and Highschools. Most recently, I’ve been volunteering my time to mentor teams for the Vancouver Ultimate League (VUL) who are just getting started/need a little more direction.

As a result, this year, I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of two Volunteers of the Year!

<insert cheesey post-award mugshot below>

Kurtis Stewart - VUL Volunteer of the Year

Nice to get some kudos from the League + $100 gift card to Rackets & Runners! You can see the full article on the VUL site here.

Published
Categorized as Personal

Modernizing kathleenloski.com’s Retouching Portfolio

Problem:

Kathleen Loski was so busy with all the retouching work coming her way, she hadn’t updated her website in a while.

Kathleen Loski's Site Before

“…that’s bullshit”

Solution:

We started by sitting down one on one for an audit of kathleenloski.com, to identify all her current frustrations. Then we researched how other premier retouchers were showing off their work. What can we emulate/improve upon?

From that discovery, we made a shopping list for what she wanted  (clean, big images, clear categories etc). We churned through a whole bunch of themes together and talked through what pieces of those themes were “fixable”, to make it work for her.

Once a theme was chosen, we sat down again and went through migrating all her work onto the new site. Finally, to keep her maintenance costs low, we taught her how to update the site in the future.

Kathleen Loski's Site After

Result:

A modern site that better showcases Kathleen’s skills and attention to detail.

Creating vancityplaygym.com

Problem:

There is no central database for all the indoor community gym times for toddlers in Vancouver that is easy to navigate for parents and nannies.

“…that’s bullshit”

Solution:

Bought the domain vancityplaygym.com and combined all the fractured community information into a simple one-page mobile friendly website. We also created Twitter and Facebook profiles that are automatically updated as soon as the weather forecast changes to rain with some IFTTT recipes. Finally we promoted the site on local parent/nanny Facebook groups.

Vancityplaygym.com Screenshot

Result:

A site that garners 1,300+ pageviews/month since launching March 1st, 2015.

Making Humblebee’s messages friendlier and more effective

Problem:

Responses from Humble Bee agents were dry, unclear, and lacked the friendly conversational tone that the brand is known for.

“…that’s bullshit”

Solution:

We created copywriting examples with an upbeat and relaxed tone for their team to reference when talking to customers. In addition, we added clear formatting guidelines to highlight certain information and make it clear what the “next steps” in the process were.

Result:

Messages that are enjoyable for customers to receive and follow through on.

Fixing the Kickstarter script for “The Jean Hanger”

Problem:

After a couple of attempts, Jean Hanger creator Steven Saldebus wasn’t satisfied that his Kickstarter campaign video script was communicating the value his hanger provided.

“…that’s bullshit”

Solution:

We sat down for an in-person consulting session to review the script. In our time together we identified dialogue/sequences that were unclear, added real world use cases, and any removed repetitive information. In the end, we had an approachable Kickstarter video script that put the viewer in the shoes of the inventor to see how much better their lives could be with this hanger.

Result:

A successful Kickstarter campaign that was raised over $114,000 (573% more than the initial goal).

Helping raise $30,000 for Burnaby Neighbourhood House

Problem:

Burnaby Neighborhood House didn’t have a Project Manager for their Annual Diamond Ball Gala Fundraising Event.

“…that’s bullshit”

Solution:

8 months of Project Management. Coordinating with staff, volunteers, and sponsors to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

2015 Burnaby Neighborhood House Diamond Ball Gala Fundraiser

Result:

A successful event that raised over $30,000 as well as project documentation and templates to make it easier to plan the event in the future.