SOme of my favorite VISUAL & CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS.

ELECTRA BICYCLES - CAMPAIGN CONCEPT & PHOTO DIRECTION

Electra Bicycles. Creative & Photo Direction for International campaign. Photographer Art Brewer. The concept we created was that your Electra Bike becomes such an important part of your life, that it knows your secrets. Such as Musician and Music director Ray Suen (Killers, Lourde, Flaming Lips) showering in his Louis XIV stage suit. Producer Nena Anderson

Electra Bicycle. Creative & Photo Direction again for International campaign. Photographer Art Brewer. The concept was space, fun, wide open sky, beauty and simplicity of time with your Electra.

Electra Bicycles. Creative & Photo Direction for International campaign. The concept we created was that your Electra Bike becomes such an important part of your life, that it knows your secrets. This was just a beautiful shot taken in Pioneertown, CA from the back of a truck of the top line Electra Touring Bike. Photographer Art Brewer.

Electra Bicycle. Creative & Photo Direction for International campaign. The concept was space, fun, wide open sky, beauty and simplicity. All the things that you get when spending time with your Electra Bicycle. This was a stunning shot from a series of close ups Art took of all the cast members captured as the afternoon sun arced over the salt flats. Epic story in that moment captured. Photographer Art Brewer

STEVE POLTZ - RECORD PACKAGE CONCEPT & DESIGN

For anyone who hasn’t been subjected to the energy and insanity of Steve Poltz, he lives in his own world. And it is mad! It is also a world that he wants us all to come along and join in the kindest and sweetest way. It’s a world where the madness leads to love.

Steve Poltz CD + Bonus CD. Art Direction & Packaging Design.'Traveling' package featured 70s tip-on gatefold sleeve, a 'passport' booklet and white inner sleeve to hold the CD. In its 2nd sleeve would sit the Bonus CD 'Unraveling' which, sold separately, featured a 2 panel sleeve holding the CD and a 'rehabilitation certificate' with secret Poltz related information. Photographer Frank Lee Drennen.

I’ve known Steve for many many years when we were young musicians in San Diego, and I have toured with him, intensely. So I’ve had a ringside seat to the show, quite literally. He had made a great record in Austin, in fact two of them, and this was his first big push on his own since leaving Mercury Records. When he came to me for the packaging concept, he already knew that he wanted to call the two records “traveling” and “unravelling”. Given his story and my time with him over the years, for me the concept was already baked in to the titles.

I worked to create a private world of Poltz pulling together things I knew about him, lyric, stories, others’ anticdotes that resulted in evidence of his own country, a passport, rehab certificates, inside jokes for his deep fan base and loads of graphic easter eggs. Then another dear friend and long term creative force, Frank Lee Drennen whom I’d known since we were 17, and who also knew Steve intimately, took his camera (film camera) down to Sunset cliffs with a guitar he’d borrowed from David J Carpenter, stuck letters “P O L T Z” onto it and walked Steve out into the breakers while shooting the action. Steve was nearly drowned, the guitar was saved and those shots became our visual and the visual for the entire campaign.

I then got to work to create the package pieces, designed the “traveling” CD as a gatefold tip-on style 70s record to match the color tones, and left the right pouch as the sleeve for the “unravelling” record which was sold separately but once both were purchased they became one giant set, music and art. A passport came with the “traveling'“ album and Steve’s “rehab & recovery certification” documents came with the “unraveling” album.

Steve Poltz CD + Bonus CD. Art Direction & Packaging Design. Note the 'Unraveling' Bonus CD which, sold separately, was designed to slip into the 'Traveling' gatefold sleeve to complete the set. Photographer Frank Lee Drennen.

If you have one of these packages you are one of the fortunate 5,000 people. And somewhere on “unravelling” you can hear me swinging the brushes on a snare. I stopped by the Austin studio, they needed some swing, I played drums. It happens.