Before working at kitestring, I went to school for theatre. Now I find the balance of work and play by participating in community theatre groups such as Black Box Fire. I’ve recently cowritten and directed a show, with my friend Jessica Perkins, for BBF called Death of a Rollercoaster.

Death of a Rollercoaster is a comedic (we hope!) ensemble piece about the last day of a wooden roller coaster, The Great Canadian Grizzly. Set in 1988 at Beaver Tail Island Amusement Park, the show follows Gus, the parks longest standing employee and roller coaster operator/repair man, as he struggles to let go of his favourite ride in the park. Along the way, he meets bizzaro riders and other park employees who are forced to reflect on what the ride means to them. To some, it is a mere heap of wood and steel. To others, it is much more. Through the characters, the play explores the infinite possibilities of a product’s use value.

Working with Black Box Fire has brought many groups and ideas together that may have not flourished in other theatre groups. Jessica and I have a theatre philosophy based on the foundation of community and collaboration. BBF has allowed for this philosophy to grow as so many unexpected people have stepped forward to help us out. It never ceases to amaze me how the Hamilton theatre community will simply volunteer their time and thoughts to make a small idea into something so much more. This is what makes Hamilton and community theatre so special – groups in Hamilton, such as BBF, bring people together and enable ideas to happen just for the heck of it! So if you decide to see our production for any reason, let that reason simply be to join us in a celebration of community, friends and effortlessly belonging.

Death of a Rollercoaster opens a week today! It runs on July 7, 8 and 9 at 8pm each night and 2pm on the Saturday at Hamilton Theatre Inc. (140 MacNab St. N). It’s a part of a special Original Works Double Bill Night with Enter Alice! For more information please visit the Black Box Fire website!

Poster by Justin Nusca

kitestring recently had the pleasure of facilitating some of Toronto’s brightest minds in a workshop  with the team at the Toronto 2015 Pan/ Parapan American Games.

We were inspired by the intense creative energy that came together to explore innovative branded possibilities for how the Games will be experienced by those who will attend the events.

Happy September everyone!! I’m super excited to post my blog on the first day on, what I consider to be, one of the best days of the year.

For anyone who actually stuck around for the past few months, instead of basking in the beautiful summer that embraced us, you will know that the kitestring team has been hard at work – “nose to the grindstone” you might say. We’ve actually had a lot of fun working on some amazing projects this summer. Fun as they may be, it was still difficult to ignore the hot temps and cool beaches that were calling our name!

But, as I welcome in September today, I suddenly feel like the very tantalizing summer fever that I had been feeling is finally lifted – hurray!

Today brings a new energy – it’s the day to get ready to settle into the last quarter of the year. Reflect on what’s been, what we’ve checked off of our list and what’s still left to accomplish before the New Year approaches.

So, as the sandal tan fades, I invite you to join in the excitement of the season! The team here at kitestring has been doing just that. We’ve brainstormed, We’ve re-focused, we’re excited, and, believe me, the creative ideas are cookin’! The studio’s a buzz as we work on bringing our latest wacky ideas to life!

Needing a little help coming off of the summer vacation high? No worries, drop by the kitestring studio anytime. We can help you with brainstorming, focusing and re-energizing too (after all, it’s what we love to do).

-jenn

It’s no secret the each of us at kitestring truly loves coming to work each day. We continually meet new folks that present new challenges to our team. Whether it being launching a new company, product or campaign – we’re always excited to take on the challenge presented and develop the ideas to bring it to life in the most intelligent, strategic and creative way possible.

Intelligent. Strategic. Creative . Wow, big words, aren’t they? It’s hard to appreciate just how big these words appear when the team sits down to brainstorm ideas for a new project and face a blank white board.

Sometimes, it’s just not easy to come up with ideas on demand. Sometimes, it’s hard to be creative on the spot. And, sometimes, you just need to accept just that “now’s just not the time” and  be okay with walking away and trying again…and again…and again.

Our best ideas rarely surface during the first brainstorming session. It often comes from a random piece of an idea that hits one of us in the strangest of places – the shower, in the car, the waking thought that drags us out of bed to jot down a few notes.

You always know it’s going to be a good day when someone comes flying in, excited to share the thought that hit them.  That’s when magic starts to happen. Energy rises, momentum builds and soon, the ideas are endless and we end with something that’s Intelligent, Strategic and Creative.

It’s always really exciting the share a new creative concept with our client. It’s a lot of fun to infuse the idea into different pieces of collateral and see it enter the marketplace.

It’s always the point when we discuss adding our ‘latest and greatest’ to our portfolio that we sit back as a team and reminisce about the day the idea was born. It almost seems to be a shame to only be able to showcase the finished product – after all, it’s the process of developing the idea that always proves to be the most challenging and rewarding part of what we do.

If an idea is what you need, kitestring is where you’ll find it. I can’t guarantee that it’ll be served up immediately but, I can ensure you that when it’s ready it’ll be Intelligent, Strategic and Creative – and, we’ll have a lot of fun getting there!