On August 19^th, 2010 I had the great pleasure of getting to know the Zoic Studios Vancouver staff.  Zoic Studios has two office locations, one in Culver City, California and one in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Though located in different countries, and separated by 1275 miles, the two offices work hand in hand to bring the best in visual effects for feature films, television, commercials and gaming.  I remember the moment when Loni Peristere and Chris Jones, the Co-Founders and Co-Executive Directors told me they were sending me on the trip.  My reaction was something like this:

Not only would I have four days to explore this beautiful city, but it was a chance for me to connect to another part of the company, and a whole new set of people that I had only emailed or spoken to by phone.  As I soon found out, The Zoic Vancouver office is filled with talented and down to earth staff members.  It was a unique opportunity for me to look at some of the projects the staff were working on as well as simply get to know some of the people.  I thought that the I Design Your Eyes community should get the opportunity to know some of the staff as well so I documented it in this video, which incorporates the office, interviews with some of the staff as well as will give you, the I Design Your Eyes Readers, a glimpse into the fabulous city of Vancouver.

For me, on a personal level, it was an eye- opening trip on several levels.  First, there is a very rich artistic community that I was not aware of.  Up the street from my hotel a group of young airbrush artists were commissioned to paint a wall with figures from British Columbia’s past and present.  None of the artists wanted to be filmed, but I was able to hang back and watch them create something really incredible.

On my second night in Vancouver I had an opportunity to go on a cocktail tour, Vancouver Food Tour, around the Gastown district with food and beverage expert Melody Fury and veteran barman/ cocktail expert Jay Jones, who was a partner in the restaurant Pourhouse.

Besides the fabulous sampling of food and beverages, I also got a brief history lesson in the up and coming area of Gastown.

Part of Fury and Jones’ mission with the tour is to educate both the locals and tourists about the homeless population that still resides in the area.  As we walk the streets, Fury talks about how it is important that everyone reside together and that she doesn’t want people to be afraid, but instead to acknowledge that a problem does exist and that the community needs to take part in embracing this instead of being fearful and shying away from it.  The other lesson I got that night is that there is an incredible local music scene in Vancouver.  With the opening of Calabash Bistro just a month ago, local bands play in the bar’s stage area downstairs.  I am a huge music fan, so it was a really special treat to get to listen in on the local music scene.  It was a fun and informative night.

The following day, Friday, I met the Zoic Vancouver staff.  Everyone greeted me with a smile. They were curious why I had come all the way to Vancouver and so I told them it was to get to know them and to interview them on camera.  A few of the staff were a bit camera shy.  However, I was able to coax most of them into sharing their thoughts about the places I should explore while in Vancouver, which I was excited to do on Saturday afternoon.

That night around 5pm, I drove one hour outside of Vancouver to Fort Langley, a quaint town with a lot of local artisans, http://www.fortlangley.com/ to take a behind the scenes look of a commercial shoot that was directed by Loni Peristere.

For me, being on set was a highlight, not simply because I got my fill of craft service.

I also had the opportunity to get to know the crew who were both amiable and hard working.  Plus a lot of the people in the neighborhood came out to watch the shoot.  They were all so excited to have a camera crew virtually in their backyards and of course, I got out my trusty Flip Cam to document their reactions.  Some even brought their dogs.

The shoot ended at 5am, and I got into my trusty Nissan Vestra rental car and drove the hour back into the city to crash until 9am when I returned said vehicle and did some more exploring of Vancouver on foot.  Per the recommendation of the Zoic Vancouver staff, I rented a bicycle and rode around the Seawall and parts of Stanley Park.

It was a beautiful ride until around 3pm when my legs seemed to turn to Jell-O and exhaustion set in.  I returned the bike, walked back to the hotel and passed out in my comfy Hampton Inn bed to not awaken until 4am when I had to pack and catch my flight back to Los Angeles.

All in all it was an amazing experience to get to explore the people and places of Vancouver.   I am incredibly grateful I was sent to check out what the city has to offer and get to know the Zoic Vancouver staff.  So I Design Your Eyes Community, without further ado here is my video of the experience.

I Design Your Eyes Community what do you think?  Anyone familiar with the Vancouver area and if so anywhere or anything I missed on my journey?