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Video and Photography Work

Stuff I get Paid To Do and/or Just Enjoy Doing

BlogShort FilmsSound and Vision

Honeyvoid: No Roadmap | From Addiction to Redemption (A Short Film)

by Dan Perez
written by Dan Perez

The Coronavirus pandemic has been tough on us all – some far worse than others. So first of all, I hope this post finds you all doing well – keeping your heads above water and finding ways to make the most out of what has been an unusually challenging time.

Like many of you, I found myself with far less to do and far fewer places to go when the shutdowns began in March of 2020. After a few months, I found myself bored a good portion of the time and for a creative person like myself, that ain’t good. Gotta keep the saw sharp, you know? But what to do?

Sammy Jo

Then I came upon a Facebook post from the lead singer of a South Florida based indie rock band that compelled me to reach out to her. After a listen to their terrific debut album on Spotify and an initial chat that revealed a rather remarkable past, we decided to move forward with a short documentary video where she would share her story and I would profile the band through a series of live performances. I mean, I needed something to do and this sounded like fun.

The singer’s name was Sammy Jo and the band is called Honeyvoid. I started taping interviews with her and her fellow bandmates this past summer and we wrapped up a series of live tapings in the fall. What I found myself with was Sammy Jo’s haunting story of drug addiction, depression, and her journey to recovery (not to mention the band’s bassist Jonathan) and how music played a role in their respective “salvations”.

And then there are the band’s live music performances which are pretty dynamic.

Honeyvoid

I was really just looking for something creative to do and what I ended up with is something very special – with some very special people. In this time of Coronavirus, Sammy Jo’s story reminds us that there really isn’t a hole deep enough that we can’t crawl out of if we really want to. It’s a short film I’m very proud of.

Here it is: “Honeyvoid: No Roadmap“. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. Feel free to leave your feedback in the comments section…

You can follow Honeyvoid on Instagram and Facebook and listen to them on Spotify.

Additional music for the film came via audiio.com – a relatively new (but really great) resource for filmmakers looking for cinematic music and sound effects. More on them in a future post…
BONUS: Here’s Honeyvoid performing an acoustic version of their song “Icarus”

Stay tuned for Honeyvoid’s full live music performance videos in future posts!

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BlogCorporate

Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance: 2020 Annual Leadership Awards

by Dan Perez
written by Dan Perez

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance (of which I’m a proud member) is the primary economic development organization for Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County. Let’s just say they’re a pretty big deal. Now for the past several years, I’ve produced videos of all the Leadership Award winners for the Alliance’s Annual Awards Dinner. It’s a celebration of the past year’s accomplishments as well as a time to honor outstanding members of the Alliance’s various councils.

Well, this year was a little different.

That nasty Coronavirus really screwed up 2020, yes? And because of that nasty virus, many annual events were cancelled this year. Cancelled in the sense that where there used to be a gathering of several hundred people in their best outfits lining up at the open bar and noshing on a dinner of steak or lobster with a side of asparagus, we now have “virtual” events where people can attend via the internet sitting at home in their pajamas eating a platter of cheese and crackers.

It’s a different world we live in now. But keep your heads up, people – we’re gonna get through this.

Now with all that’s been going on, there were still outstanding members of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance worthy of honoring at this year’s event (which was held virtually on December 2nd). And in a world that’s been turned upside down, the perspectives of this year’s honorees were like no other year. With Covid affecting every aspect of our lives, this cross section of business and community leaders shed a very bright light on how the Coronavirus has affected South Florida.

And yes, for the fifth year in a row, I was contracted to produce the videos (every precaution was taken on every shoot to limit the risk of Covid infection). Being a member of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, it gives me the opportunity to really get to know and engage with the movers and shakers in Broward County. But this year’s videos were truly eye-openers. Check them out…

Partner Council
Sandra Veszi Einhorn
Executive Director, Coordinating Council of Broward

Entrepreneurship Council
Melissa Lilroy
Senior Marketing Manager, The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale

Corporate Council
Marissa D. Kelley
Partner, Lewis Brisbois

Leadership Council
Kate C. Goldman
Director of Government & Community Relations, Broward County
Baptist Health South Florida

Governor Council
Sandy-Michael McDonald
Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development

CEO Council
Matt Caldwell
CEO, Florida Panthers

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance

As the primary economic development organization for Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance focuses on creating, attracting, expanding and retaining high-wage jobs and capital investment in high value targeted industries, developing more vibrant communities, and improving the quality of life for the citizens of Broward County. Learn more at www.gflalliance.org

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BlogCorporateShort FilmsSound and Vision

Physician Voices: Reflections on a Pandemic

by Dan Perez
written by Dan Perez

I’ve been producing videos for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (formerly Miami Children’s Hospital) for over 12 years now. They were the first big account I landed shortly after launching my video production business in 2006. Over the years, I’ve been able to help tell many different stories that illustrate how remarkable this hospital is (nationally ranked in 5 pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report). I’ve been inside operating rooms (heart, brain and spinal, to name a few) and have interviewed doctors, children and their parents. But when I was contacted by the marketing department with a new video idea, I knew this project would be a unique experience.

The Coronavirus pandemic has affected us all since it put a chokehold on the world back in February. Nowhere was that impact felt stronger than on the world’s hospitals and medical staff. With so little information about the virus, no cure, treatment or tests available, and so much panic, hospitals everywhere were literally making things up as they went along. Every day was a challenge – even for the region’s most respected children’s hospital.

The idea for this video was to have a cross-section of the hospital’s medical staff share their experiences dealing with this pandemic – from its onset to where we are today. From the Emergency Room to the Infectious Disease Department, these are the stories of a hospital that was turned upside down by the Coronavirus. It’s also the story of how this very same hospital came together as a team to fight the pandemic head on.

Eleven physicians were interviewed (I shot and interviewed all but Dr. Valeron and all b-roll shots were provided by the hospital) and then it was time to edit one of the more important videos I’ve ever produced. Here it is – I hope you enjoy it. In the meantime, this Coronavirus pandemic is still upon us, so in the immortal words of Sergeant Phil Esterhaus, “Let’s be careful out there.”
NOTE: The video kicks off with introductions by doctors Maria Franco (President of the Medical Staff) and Chad Perlyn (Interim President, Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists). The stories start at the 2:20 mark. Enjoy…

Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with nearly 800 attending physicians and more than 475 pediatric subspecialists. The 309-bed hospital, known as Miami Children’s Hospital from 1983 through 2014, is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine.

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VACC Camp
BlogCorporateShort FilmsSound and Vision

VACC Camp: Miami’s Most Remarkable Camp for Special Needs Children [VIDEO]

by Dan Perez
written by Dan Perez

For those of you that follow my blog, you know that I’ve been a volunteer at VACC Camp going back 8 years now. I’ve filmed it and I’ve photographed it and I’ll be back this Spring for the 2020 edition of the camp. For those of you who don’t know, VACC Camp is a free week-long overnight camp in Miami for ventilation assisted children (children needing a tracheostomy ventilator, C-PAP, BiPAP, or oxygen to support breathing) and their families. Overnight campers come from throughout the United States and internationally.

South Florida families and youngsters from local residential care facilities join in as day campers. The unique camp, hosted by Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, is a life-changing experience for not only the special needs campers but the many young volunteers who give up their Spring Break in South Florida to be of service to the camp.

I’ve completed a short video that better illustrates what this camp is all about and I’m also in the process of editing a feature documentary film about VACC Camp that I’ve been working on the past four years (hoping to have it completed by the fall). Enjoy the video – and please feel free to share it. For more information or to donate to this truly remarkable camp, visit vaccamp.com.

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BlogCorporate

From Guatemala to Miami: Mayra’s Story (Video)

by Dan Perez
written by Dan Perez

I’ve been producing videos for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation for over 10 years and in that time I’ve been fortunate to help tell so many remarkable stories and Mayra’s story is no exception.

Mayra is a two-year-old girl who was born in Guatemala with a case of cloacal malformation, a rare developmental disorder that affects nearly one in every 50,000 babies. Mayra’s life was at risk due to impending renal failure and the lack of resources at her hospital in Guatemala. Mayra’s mother had no choice but to leave Guatemala and travel thousands of miles to Miami where she was admitted to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Under the care of the hospital’s Colorectal Center, Mayra underwent an extremely complicated surgery.

What happened? Watch the video below to find out…

Consider making a donation that could help save the lives of children like Mayra. Visit nicklauschildrens.org/mayra

DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT! FROM NOW UNTIL DECEMBER 31ST, EVERY DOLLAR WILL BE MATCHED, UP TO $50,000 BY KILOWATTS ELECTRIC SUPPLY, CORP.

Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with nearly 800 attending physicians and more than 475 pediatric subspecialists. The 309-bed hospital, known as Miami Children’s Hospital from 1983 through 2014, is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report.

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BlogCorporate

2019 National Philanthropy Day in Miami

by Dan Perez
written by Dan Perez

National Philanthropy Day is a special day set aside on the fifteenth of November. The purpose of this day is to recognize the great contributions of philanthropy—and those people active in the philanthropic community—to the enrichment of our world.

National Philanthropy Day was originally conceived of and organized by California tax lawyer Douglas Freeman in the 1980s. His lifelong work has revolved around advising high-net-worth individuals and families, public and private foundations and nonprofit institutions – with an emphasis on philanthropy. His efforts led to then President Ronald Reagan proclaiming November 15th National Philanthropy Day®.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals was officially chartered by the state of New York on June 21, 1960 (it was originally called the National Society of Fund Raisers). Its goal was to aid, unite and promote those individuals engaged in the profession of fundraising. By the end of 1965, NSFR had almost 500 members from 26 states, including Hawaii; and by the end of 1999, membership surpassed 22,000 members in 157 chapters.

Today, the Association of Fundraising Professionals advances philanthropy through its 31,000 members in more than 240 chapters throughout the world. AFP has inspired global change and supported efforts that have generated over $1 trillion. AFP’s individual and organizational members raise over $115 billion annually. Which brings us back here to Miami.

2019 Award Winners

This past November 12, the Miami Chapter of AFP celebrated their 34th National Philanthropy Awards Luncheon. The event honored Morgan Stanley Wealth Manager Richard Bermont, the law firm of Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., the Green Family Foundation (a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting social programs that positively impact global health and alleviate poverty), arts advocate Sarah Arison and teenage environmental advocate Oskar Garcia.

Now, when I’m hired to produce honoree videos for a business or organization, it’s usually a video of the honoree. But the Miami Chapter of AFP does things a bit differently. Their honoree videos consist of community and business leaders speaking on behalf of the honorees. It’s an interesting twist and one that has served them well for the past decade.

So here are the videos for the 34th edition of the Miami Chapter of AFP’s National Philanthropy Day Luncheon. Special thanks to event coordinator Arely Ruiz of ArelyPR and 2019 event Chair Jaime Bayo, Director of Corporate Relations at Pérez Art Museum Miami (where these videos were filmed), for their support and assistance in making these videos possible.

James W. McLamore Outstanding Volunteer: Richard Bermont

Julia Tuttle Award for Community Involvement and Corporate Citizenship: Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A.

Outstanding Grant Maker: Green Family Foundation

Outstanding Philanthropist: Sarah Arison

Outstanding Youth: Oskar Garcia


Learn more about the Miami Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals at www.afpnet.org/miami/home and National Philanthropy Day at www.afpglobal.org/NPDLove

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BlogCorporate

Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance: 2019 Annual Awards Dinner

by Dan Perez
written by Dan Perez

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance held their Annual Awards Dinner last month at the Signature Grand. It’s a celebration of the past year’s accomplishments as well as a time to honor community leaders in education and business.

As the primary economic development organization for Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance focuses on creating, attracting, expanding and retaining high-wage jobs and capital investment in high value targeted industries, developing more vibrant communities, and improving the quality of life for the citizens of Broward County.

From 2007 to 2019, the Alliance, working with its members, Broward County, and other partners, helped create or retain 36,000 direct jobs that are estimated to generate through direct, indirect and induced effects:
> Total employment of approximately 74,000 jobs in Broward County
> $2.8 billion in annual personal income in Broward County
> $14.2 billion in annual economic impact in Broward County
That’s pretty impressive. Nuff said.

For the fourth year in a row, I was contracted to produce videos for all the honorees. Being a member of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, it gives me the opportunity to really get to know and engage with local business and community leaders. It’s a “gig” I look forward to every year. Here are the videos…

Education Partnership Award

This year’s event featured co-winners: The South Florida Manufacturer’s Association (SFMA) for partnering with Atlantic Technical College and creating the South Florida Machinist Apprenticeship program:

The other co-winner was Stiles for their partnership with Nova Southeastern University on a Master’s Degree program in Real Estate Development:

Leadership Award Winners

Leadership Award winners are selected by the members of each of the Alliance’s different Councils. Here are the 2019 honorees:

Annual Dinner Recap

Among other things, this year’s Annual Dinner featured a surprise announcement from Ted Christie, President/CEO, Spirit Airlines. Florida Blue’s Penny Shaffer was honored with the Ray Ferraro Jr. Leadership Award and the keynote speaker was Anatalio Ubalde, CEO/Founder of SizeUp. Check out the full recap…


To learn more about the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, visit gflalliance.org

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BlogShort Films

Flamenco Dancer: Plaza de España, Seville, Spain (Video)

by Dan Perez
written by Dan Perez

Back in December, my daughter and I traveled to Spain and visited the lovely city of Seville. During our time there, we visited the Plaza de España (“Spain Square”) in the Parque de María Luisa (Maria Luisa Park). The Plaza was built in 1928 and designed by the great Sevillian architect Aníbal González for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 (a world’s fair held in Seville from May 9, 1929 until June 21, 1930). González combined a mix of 1920s Art Deco and Spanish Renaissance Revival, Spanish Baroque Revival and Neo-Mudéjar styles to showcase Spain’s industry and technology exhibits.

After more than 2 years under restoration, the Plaza de España was inaugurated in October of 2010. Before the restoration, its original shape was badly deteriorated due to abandonment and vandalism. Some people visiting the square had the funny idea of taking home a souvenir and used to rip off part of the tiles or other ceramic ornaments that adorn a good portion of the plaza. Today the Plaza de España is quite a sight to behold.

Oh, and did you know? The Plaza de España has been used as a filming location, including scenes for the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia. The building was used as a location in the Star Wars movie series Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) — in which it featured in exterior shots of the City of Theed on the Planet Naboo.

We spent a few hours there on a lovely December day and it was really hard to leave. There was a charm to this place that was undeniable. We caught a flamenco performance going on inside the plaza so I shot a few minutes with the Fujifilm X-T3 (a very capable little camera). Here’s the video…

Flamenco Dancer: Plaza de España, Seville, Spain from DanPerezFilms on Vimeo.

You can view my photographs of the Plaza de España over at my photography site danperezphotography.com

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CorporateMiami Children's Hospital

From Colombia to Miami: Isabella’s Leukemia Story

by Dan Perez
written by Dan Perez

Isabella was diagnosed with leukemia in Colombia at 7 years old. When treatment failed to put her in remission, her oncologist in Medellin referred the case to Dr. Guillermo De Angulo, pediatric hematology-oncologist at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (formerly Miami Children’s Hospital).

Now, I’ve been producing these patient success videos for Nicklaus Children’s Health Foundation for five years now and I don’t think I’ve ever featured a more engaging character than young Isabella. Check out her remarkable story – and her even more remarkable spirit…

You can help Nicklaus Children’s Hospital continue to provide life-saving cancer treatments to patients from South Florida and all over the world by making a donation HERE or by calling 1-800-987-8701.

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Madrid
BlogPlaces & Spaces

Casa Patas, Madrid: Flamenco en Vivo (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez
written by Dan Perez

First of all, Happy New Year, everyone. Been a while since I posted any new posts but as some of you already know, I’ve had a rough past couple of months (more on that in a future post). So with the holidays coming up, I decided a trip to Spain with my daughter would be just what we needed to keep our spirits up. We started in Madrid, drove down to Córdoba, then continued south to Gibraltar, then up to Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Seville, up to Salamanca, then Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain where we spent our first Christmas without my wife surrounded by “miña familia galega”. It was a most memorable trip and I’ve got plenty of photographs and video so let’s get started, yes?

Now when in Spain, I’m doing the Flamenco thing. Love the drama, passion and melancholy of it all. Flamenco is an artistic expression fusing song (cante), dance (baile) and musicianship (toque) and has been recognized by UNESCO as an ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’. And there are few places in Spain where this artform is better represented than Casa Patas in Madrid. Founded in 1985, Casa Patas has been the cultural focal point of the Madrid flamenco scene from its inception.

So during my trip to Spain last month, I spent one night in Madrid and didn’t waste it. Made reservations (a must) a good month in advance (had dinner there before the show as well – highly recommended) and accompanied by my daughter and armed with the Fujifilm X-T3 and a few good lenses, I was ready to go. Oh yeah, because of all the buzz the Fujifilm X-T3 has received since it hit the market back in September of 2018 (especially the video capabilities), I rented the camera specifically for this trip (the good folks at Fujifilm made me an offer I couldn’t refuse). And wow. Nothing against my Lumix GH4 (it’s been very very good to me) but the autofocus on this camera is so far superior – especially in low light. Shooting at Casa Patas was the first real test I had with this camera and I wasn’t disappointed. I think the photographs speak for themselves.

Check out the full image gallery over at my new photography site DanPerezPhotography.com

Casa Patas

ORANGE STRIPE

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