I’m proud to announce that Captivate Creative Studios is well on the way to transitioning into a multi-capable media and production house.  It has been clear for a while that new media takes co-operation.  Designers working with developers working with producers of multimedia to create rich content for print, promo and the web.  But with so many links in the chain, keeping quality consistent can be a somewhat haggared process.  Our solution to taking on more work, yet still keeping the hand of control on the respective levers has been a long time in the works.  So it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to our expanded team.

• Justin Burelle – taking point on video is Justin, a grad from the Toronto Media & Film College, he takes all the visual flare we love and puts it in motion.
• Jace Derouchie – our own in-house web and interface ninja.  Observe: his kung-fu is strong.
• Beat Chemist – natural enemy of the comon crow & meticulus in nature, the Chemist produces quality for artists across North America.
• Alex Laurin – creating backdrops, designing sets, and rendering logos, vectors and fonts.  Like Art-Attack for the digital age.
• Jeff Paterson – the man on the phone behind the scenes, makin’ the bookings, takin’ the money.
• Kim Kandravey – the queen of all things hardcopy and Adobe.  She is also known to be a hairspray aficianado.

and you remember

• Alexander Vlad – legend says he has lenses for eyes and can shapeshift when the moon is full.
• Greg Bamber – (n) a photographer who fits conveniently into overhead storage bins.  He may also split-tone your world.

New profiles, portfolios, video and music content coming soon!  Thanks for all the love!

My name is Greg, and I’m a recent addition to the Captivate team.  I’ve been working with Alex for a few months now, shooting events at Heaven (now Mansion), Tila Tequila, NV Ultraclub, etc..

One highlight from the past few months was shooting Playboy models on 2 occasions. It took place at NV the first night, with Dj Roxanne Dawn, who’s also a Playboy model herself, and the second time at Tila Tequila and Mansion, which involved a limo ride with said playmates. Woo! One of the playmates even said she wanted to steal my jacket. Thats right, my jacket.

Presently we’re working on a few different projects, one being a music video with the Beat Chemist, another recent addition to Captivate. On the side of all the Captivate projects, I also partipate in mural painting, as well as the occasional artshow.

In about a month, we’ll be taking a trip out west to visit Calgary, Edmonton, and BC. The plan is to meet up with some family members of mine in Calgary, which are also photographers, and devour their brains to gain vast knowledge. heh heh heh…

I’ll be updating the blog with news, and new work on a regular basis, starting when the music video is in the editing stage.

Farewell for now folks, and stay tuned!

As many of you know, Neil Carter and Heaven Nightclub have been instrumental in making Captivate what it is.  They inherited me from Rick Laplante and the Sunrise team a long time back, and gave me a playground of light and sound to finesse the style which you are all aquainted with now.  Tonight, with some sadness, I announce that Heaven is closing the gates of its present venue.  We all grow and we all evolve, and while the present incarnation will be missed, Heaven will be back with top international talent and the mightiest roster of residents the city has to offer.

So, this is a rally call!  Captivate Creative Studios has exclusive access for the closing party at what has become a home away from home in the nations capital.  We’ll be shooting the final memories, grabbing HD video and being the life of the party until the end.

We will also be presenting some of the most memorable images from the last 3 years on Heaven’s iconic 25×35′ WALL this evening, so get ready for a ride.

House music royalty, DJ Martin Villeneuve will be supplying the tunes, and the initiated already know to expect a big-room, tribal-infused, ass-slapping, funky good time that will go down in the history books!

Also, this will be the last night we will be accumulating content for a coffee table style hardcover photobook on Heaven and Ottawa Nightlife, so strut!

In other news, another one of our clients, the esteemed Ioan Harea (NAC Orchestra / International Violin recording sensation) will be releasing a new album and giving a performance!  Captivate had the honour of providing cover imagery for the album.

*IOAN HAREA* launches his newest cd *”ALEGRIA”* together with Andrew Mah (guitar), Paul Mach (bass) and Alvaro de Minaya (percussion) on SATURDAY MAY 02 2009 at 7.30 pm at TRINITY UNITED CHURCH 1099 Maitland Ave in Ottawa.

Savour the music of Simon Diaz, Zequinha de Abreu, Astor Piazzolla, Chick Corea and Django Reinhardt (to name a few), as arranged for jazz quartet by Andrew Mah and performed in the inimitable style of Ioan Harea.

Tickets are $20 and available at the door. All proceeds from this concert go to benefit a school in Sierra Leone through The Trinity Jubilee Foundation and Cause Canada.

For more information and to see Ioan Harea’s latest videos, use this link

http://www.ioanharea.com/alegria-release.html

And for more information on *LAST CALL AT HEAVEN* clickclick the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/event.php?eid=63715028891

Thanks for staying with me through this long post!  If you check either of tonight’s events, the long-winded nature of this will be worth it!  Ultimately this is so important, it could not be said in anything less.

To all my friends and supporters, we’ll see you on the dancefloor one last time.  Let’s make some memories.

So it’s been forever and a day since I posted on this, the former news section, but here it is…the start of a brand new leaf!  This is my commitment to banter it up like crazy and to start giving the outside world a little glimpse into how we do it at Captivate.  It’s been an incredibly busy winter so far, between a growing workload and more random obligations than I’d care to mention, but life has found it’s cadence again and my head is levelled to meet the new challenges ahead…

…so when UMM Entertainment & Heineken were bringing one of the baddest boys in music to Ottawa, they challenged me to party like a rockstar (or at least to illustrate the concept).

It was a bitter-cold Sunday night in the 613, but that didn’t seem to faze STEVE AOKI (aka Kid Millionaire), fresh from headlining the Academy Awards afterparties.  Honestly, sometimes it’s a bit of a task to make someone who’s fumbling over a mixboard/laptop look as cool as the music they’re playing, but with Aoki, it just clicked.  I’m struggling to think of another DJ I’ve shot who has had that kind of incredible interaction with a crowd…I mean the only thing this guy didn’t do was a stage dive.

Respect to everyone from UMM Entertainment, the Heineken reps, Dim Mak clothing…and lastly…

…I also have to give huge shout-outs to DJ Paul Burke.  A bit of local talent, his set blew my mind.  We’ll definitely be working together down the road, but until then, check out some of his music here!

All 201 photos from the event can be viewed in the events section, or by clicking THIS.

Coming soon: Revamped events section, photoblog, gallery and graphics tweaks.

Prior to picking up a pair of headphones, DJ Jason Jesse was involved in dance music culture for years, either working various jobs in the clubs, or working it out on the dancefloor. All this exposure to some of the top names in the dance music industry provided him with a firm understanding of what it takes to move a dancefloor.

Jason Jesse’s DJ career began in May 2006, when he was a featured DJ at one of Sundaze Afterhours & Day Lounge’s ”

Up-n-Comerz” events in Ottawa, Canada. Since making that memorable first impression from behind the decks, he continued to move ahead in leaps and bounds, and solidified a spot for himself amongst the ranks of Ottawa’s notable local DJ talent. Jason Jesse is now a full resident at Sunrise Afterhours in Ottawa, a 4-year staple in Ottawa’s electronic dance music scene, as well as having a hand in managing the weekly afterparty.

Since May 2006, Jason Jesse has DJ’d at events featuring the likes of such formidable talent as Martin Villeneuve (aka MV), Stephan Grondin, Deadmau5, Deko-ze, Fred Miller, Eddy Jasmin, Steve ‘Bear’ Sass, Marco G, Creator, Stéfane Lippé, Scott Free, Max Julien, Mark Anthony, Kenny Glasgow, Eli Wilkie and Kin

gdom & Krishna… with many more names soon to be added to that list.

Jason Jesse describes his style of music as “mostly tribal, often with layers of progressive & tech house”. He draws much of his musical influence from his list of top DJ’s and producers: Victor Calderone, Peter Rauhoffer, Chus & Ceballos, Dj Vibe, Peter Bailey, Jaimy, Richie Santana, Tribaliscous, Dj Paulo and Erich Ensastigue. There is nothing he loves more than moving a crowded dancefloor, and watching them go crazy when he drops that certain big track.

For more information on DJ Jason Jesse, booking inquiries, as well as some DJ mixes that are free to download, visit his website at djjasonjesse.com, or sunriseafterhours.ca

 Media:

*coming soon*

Gallery:

*coming soon*

Upcoming Performances:

*coming soon*

Musically, J. Bradley (Jerrett Bradley Clark) has multiple personalities that range from dark and dirty, to fun and funky, to smooth and sophisticated, to weird and wacky. However, there is a common thread that ties all of his musical personalities together – the dance floor.

JB has played a supporting role alongside some of the biggest and brightest luminaries from Canada and abroad on their way through the nation’s capital including Luke Fair, Hatiras, Fedde Le Grand, Deadmau5, Max Graham, Brad Copeland, Greg Benz (Benz & MD), Tone Depth, Jerome Robins, Jody Wisternoff (Way Out West), Rowan Blades (Breeder), Eli Wilke (Agent 001), Holosound, The Roaches, Danny Torrence, Eddy Jasmin, Deko-ze, and Luc Raymond.

At the same time, JB has positioned himself as one of Ottawa’s most in-demand DJs and proven his own prowess as a big-room, peak-time performer in Ottawa and beyond.

Presently, JB is working studiously in the studio while holding down residencies at Ottawa super-club Heaven and Sunrise Afterhours.

Media:

• J. Bradley – Make Me Sweat (mixset)

1.) Sandra Flyn – Something
2.) Justin Bond – Atweel
3.) Sharooz & Monofonic – The Knock
4.) Levan – Pumpin’ Groove
5.) Andrea Doria – Yaoo! (Ramon Zenker)
6.) Basement Jaxx – Make Me Sweat
7.) Chocolate Party-Sex(Christian Hoff&Scott Cooper)
8.) Funk Monkeys-Remember the Time(Sebastien Leger)
9.) Chocolate Party – Wikid (Mark Mendes)
10.) Hauswwerks & Ingo Starr – Big Wobbly Giant
11.) Chris Lake-Carry Me Away(Mickey Slim&Funkagenda)
12.) Underground Loophole – Insomniac Nightmare

• J. Bradley – Primetime Glitch Promo Mix (mixset)

1.) Tigerskin – Heterofon
2.) Lee Burridge & Dan F – Skiiirt
3.) Luetzenkirchen – Ultrashift
4.) Discouraged Ones – For Another Reason
5.) Bingo Players – Shake It
6.) Melleefresh & Deadmau5 – Sex Slave
7.) Hook & Sling – The Bump
8.) Rubicon – Adore (Voltaxx Remix)
9.) Cut & Paste – Son of a Preacher Man
10.) Andy J – I Will Have You (Chris Fraser Mix)

Gallery:

• Under Construction!

Coming up next is the addition of our clients area, where we promote the various talents of some of the artists we work with.  People surfing by and everyone in the Captivate network can be exposed to a variety of new music, art and style via this area.  We’re damn proud to be working with the calibre of clients we have, so this is going to be our way of getting the word out.

Some changes in the ways we conduct our booking and pricing will also be put into affect on August 1st.