Cadillac Europe Social Media March 2018
Sometimes serendipitous and spontaneous things happen that help a project get etched into a memory. Such was the case last month when I had the pleasure of shooting stills and video assets in L.A. for Cadillac of Europe. The project came down rather quickly and we didn't really know how the details might unfold until a couple of days before... or so I thought.
Our first shoot day was tasked with shooting editorial images of the beastly Cadillac CTS-V for Playboy Germany. We initially thought we might get a model supplied by Playboy but were told that wasn't going to happen so I released the crucial talents of one of my friends who is an amazing hair/makeup stylist who was going to try to fly in from NYC on a red-eye to accommodate our shoot. Accordingly, we also tailored our equipment package somewhat to be more mobile and "guerilla" style. Meeting at the scheduled time at the hotel in West Hollywood, we met the client from Cadillac and the journalist from Playboy Germany, Max, and were ready to roll in minutes. We were told we just needed to wait for one more person to arrive... our talent from Playboy who they had just secured an hour earlier. Soon, the statuesque Playmate of the Year 2014, Miss Kennedy Summers stretches her hand out to introduce herself. Adapting on the fly, we spent the next four hours hanging out and seeing the sights of Hollywood, grabbing a quick bite along the Sunset Strip, and exploring Beverly Hills as this was just days before the Academy Awards and she had a Red Carpet event that night. What a sweet girl she was who definitely knew how to melt the camera. She was a trooper as we dodged the traffic nightmares from the closure of Hollywood Blvd. and drove all over capturing as many scenarios as we could in the quick time we all had together.
Day Two details only consisted of the fact that I'd be shooting more video and stills in support of an interview for Cosmopolitan Germany with two German musicians who now called Los Angeles home. Pretty soon, we met Mathilde, the reporter for Cosmopolitan who was in from Germany and ready to explore some of the favorite spots of our mysterious musicians. Up rolls a beautiful Cadillac Escalade with the two good looking Kaulitz brothers of Tokio Hotel. We hiked a bit up Runyon Canyon with Tom and Bill and their pups, grabbed some drinks at Starbucks, browsed windows along Melrose and indulges in some selfies with fans, then savored one of their favorite (veggie)burgers before heading high above the Sunset Strip to a view that stretched far beyond Catalina Island. It was another day where I was just grateful to be hanging out with truly kind and genuine people who also happen to have talent beyond measure.
Simply said, this was another project that punctuated how much "I love my job" and the people I am fortunate to meet along the way. Thanks Kennedy, Gordon, Max, Robert, Mathilde, Tom, Bill, and Michael