Lunch - Latest News

Alex McLeod - Art Shows and Interviews

So, Alex McLeod has popped up all over the Earth lately, from NY, to Spain to his upcoming Solo show on the West Coast. Today, his new show is even listed as one of the top 3 things to do today in Toronto.

Alex's new show opens tonight at Angell Gallery and runs through September 25, 2010.

Alex's candy coated landscapes are worth seeing. Big.

Alex was recently interviewed on Mocoloco.com My State of the Art: Alex McLeod . Enjoy

To keep up to date on Alex's Adventures, become a fan on Facebook

Alex is available for commercial work through Lunch

Lunch welcomes FWY Studios!

From the minds of the collective known as FriendsWithYou (Sam & Tury) comes the magic of FWY Studios. We at Lunch are thrilled to welcome the FWY family to our Lunch family.

We were lucky enough to spend some magical and fun days and evenings with the team while they were in town for Luminato Wish Come True Festival this summer and it was like, well, peas and carrots. It looked kind of like this,

Match.com - Better Together Campaign by FWY Studios for US Sydney

As you can see FWY Studios creates some pretty amazing work, from installations, to broadcast, to character design, games, mobile, online experiences - to well, anything you can imagine. The team loves to collaborate and make new things. They've already been featured on Motionographer, have done work for N*E*R*D, Volkswagen, PopTarts, Match.com and more. Everything is executed by the FriendsWithYou team and who better to execute that vision than the artists themselves.

We are absolutely thrilled to have them as a part of the family.

FWY Studios 2010 Reel -

FWYstudios Reel 2010! from FriendsWithYou on Vimeo.

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For more news on FWY Studios and FriendsWithYou visit

FWY Studios are available for fine art and commercial work through Lunch.

Zeitguised Featured on the blog of Kanye West

Our second artist to be featured on the Blog of Kanye West (The First was the one and only - Alex McLeod) - the Second is Zeitguised.

Kanye, as we already know, has good taste.

Zeitguised is available for commercial work, through lunch.

Dine Alone Records: Summer Sampler

Do you like Summer? Do you like Music? Do you like free music? Do you like Making your own album covers?

The answer is yes.

From Lunch comes the Dine Alone Summer Sampler. From the minds of STEM (aka Sajak&Farki) comes a way to make your own custom cover for our friends at Dine Alone Records. With Creative, Design and development coming from the men of STEM.

Featuring the music of: Hot Hot Heat, Moneen, Alexisonfire, Arkells, City and Colour, Attack in Black, Tokyo Police Club, Dinosaur Bones, Parlovr, Spencer Burton, Mockingbird Wish Me Luck and Walter Schreifels.

Enjoy. Burn it. Create Your Cover. Buy it.

Lunch's Founder Amy Miranda in Brief Magazine

Thanks to Promax BDA's Brief Magazine and to Daisy Whitney for the great article on next gen marketing.

Check out the issue online - Pages 68-71 - Be sure to check out the full issue. Lots of great content.

Included below is the full interview from Amy Miranda from which the excerpts of the article in Brief were taken.

The transition to digital, or any new skill set is daunting. I think with digital it seems more daunting because of the role of technology. There’s been a lot of negative connotations to the digital space and the medium in general has unfortunately been oversaturated with people communicating that the transition is difficult, that people will be “left behind” or there’s an implication that if you don’t have experience in one area you can’t possibly transition to another. To me, that’s not a reality. Making the transition to anything new requires one thing: Passion. A real interest in learning. I can say that because although I’ve been in this business since it became a business, I learned as I went. I didn’t wake up and have the skills, I wasn’t taught them in school, in fact, I wasn’t mentored by any one person. Ever. I think that’s why I’ve concentrated so much on training, sharing the things I’ve learned so that other people can hone it, and make it better, and not have to go through the same challenges I did. My entire career has been a transition. I began thinking I wanted to do one thing, and specializing, to exploring different roles and learning about what I liked and what I didn’t. I asked a lot of questions, and I always encourage people to do the same. If you can’t find resources or people who are willing to help, it just means you should keep looking. People who approach the digital shift or next generation with a closed fist will be left behind, the future of the next generation of marketers is in transparency. I’ve seen too many good ideas, suffer, and in effect suffocate because people held on too tight. It’s really a balance, and whether we always are cognoscente of it or not, marketing is an art, and it’s about that balance between art and commerce. It’s about thinking differently, and taking risks – conversations. In terms of skills it’s about agility, and again a keen interest. Being adaptable and wearing different hats is critical, because everything is really becoming more efficient. So it’s about finding those efficiencies and developing solutions based on that. That’s a skill set that a lot of people have, when I do training and consulting with my clients about making the shift, whether it’s shifting the operational structure, or themselves it’s about knowing what you’re interested in doing and identifying what parts you don’t know. It becomes simpler to backfill. It’s about demystifying all of the unknowns. Most people, figure out quite quickly that they’re not missing the kind of skills they thought they were. You can’t teach people that, people are either interested or they aren’t. The next generation marketer is required to think about everything holistically, not elements individually, So when making the transition I think it’s important to be able to identify people who are thinking that way in what they do currently, and if you’re looking to learn attaching yourself to those people or companies is a great way to learn. You may not necessarily end up working directly with those people, but you can spend time with them. That happens a lot in my business, where people will ask to spend time with me, shadowing, taking part in industry functions or just talking. To me, that’s the best thing to do, is create a network where there’s a trade of knowledge happening, it’s been critical to what I do, and it’s where great ideas and new thinking is born. It’s like a nebula of ideas when you get enough smart people together and share knowledge. You can be a “traditional” marketer, or a “digital” marketer, or a designer, or a broadcaster but the soft skills are the same. It’s the application of those skills that’s different. I think people become daunted by the transition, to me it’s about being excited about it, if you’re not learning or engaged in what might be coming next, I can’t imagine still wanting to be in this business. Our currency is ideas, you can’t be left behind when that’s your focus.

All information is copyright Lunch. May not be reproduced without the permission of Lunch Inc.

Opening: Alex McLeod - Empire of Dreams @ mocca

On Saturday June 19th from 7-10pm @ mocca 952 Queen Street West, Toronto Empire of Dreams - Phenomenology of the built environment will be opening.

The exhibit will feature contemporary artists from Toronto, including Lunch's own Alex McLeod. The evening will feature an outdoor BBQ and music and artists will be in attendance.

Hope to see you there!

Contemporary artists from Toronto

The things that we build embody our highest aspirations and our essential instincts to survive. They also express our will to find place, to establish dominion over territory, over our destiny. Empire of Dreams is an exhibition of recent work by artists that looks at ways in which we exist within our built environment – the phenomenon that is our experience and interaction with structures and architectures that shape complex sensory and cognitive relationships to our surroundings.

Empire is manifest through physical structure - the built environment - and also through intangible and arbitrary structures: economics, politics, and the social and cultural constructs that influence identity and our perception of our place in the world. The artworks selected and produced for Empire of Dreams convey the artists’ insightful and timely discourses around our ever-shifting relationships to architecture, urbanization, economic and cultural paradigms, utopianism, existing and imagined space; the physical and the fluid structures that characterize empire and define who we are.

The artists’ backgrounds are diverse yet are filtered through the common lens of living in Toronto, Canada in the year 2010. Though the exhibition and the artwork do not always reference Toronto specifically, this shared experience of living in a large urban centre inevitably reflects conditions of existence common to all of us in the age of globalisation, of an emerging global empire. Through a remarkable range of approaches, techniques and in various media, the works in Empire of Dreams awaken within us new understandings of our surroundings, of the worlds that we build and inhabit.

Empire of Dreams also includes a magazine-format publication documenting the exhibition, including text from the curator, interviews with participating artists, and contributions from prominent guest writers and theorists, produced in collaboration with new Toronto-based art journal One Hour Empire.

Lunch Welcomes Ben&Julia

We're very pleased to announce the addition of Ben&Julia to the lunch network.

Ben&Julia are a French-Swiss duo of multidisciplinary talented
Directors and Art Directors.

We're thrilled to have them, from their art to their puppets, to their incredible sense of whimsy Ben&Julia join the team and are now available for work in Canada through lunch.

Julia graduated from Central Saint Martins and worked as an associate producer and graphic designer for MTV and as an art director for TV and press.
Ben studied editing at CLCF and 3D animation at Isart Digital and worked as a director, editor and VFX artist for various agencies in Paris.

In 2006, Ben & Julia decided to join their forces in order to create colorful and creative work, mixing animations, live footage, drawings, puppetry for commercials, virals, music videos and animations.

This year they've created Ben&Julia Studio in Berlin.

They work worldwide with clients such as: MTV, Swatch, St Michel, Tissot, RATP, Olympic Museum, Atari, Microsoft, Sega, EA.

Their work has been featured in books, magazines and websites such as Pictoplasma’s Characters in Motion vol.3, Digital Arts, Promo News, Motionographer, Videos Antville, Computer Arts, Computerlove and IdN.

Watch an Interview with Ben & Julia here:

Narwhal Art Projects - FriendsWithYou - Daydreamers

Pictured: Special & Delicious FWY Chocolate bar from Magic Pony.

We at Lunch are very excited about the week to come. This week the opening of Daydreamers - the first solo exhibition of FriendsWithYou paintings in recent years, as a part of the Wish Come True Festival during Luminato.

Thursday, June 10, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Narwhal Art Projects
Street:680 Queen Street West
Narwhal Art Projects is pleased to present a FriendsWithYou solo exhibition, "Daydreamers". With their first exhibition of their painted works in recent years, FriendsWithYou artists Sam Borskon and Arturo Sandoval III draw on a personal mythology of magical themes and spirituality from their colourful universe. Much like the powerful enchantment and creative adventure they insert into all their projects, "Daydreamers" will be specifically dealing with the spirit of their experience with their "Wish Come True" installation for Luminato Festival in Toronto.

FriendsWithYou are globally-renowned for their vivid pop art aesthetic and brilliant character design. "Daydreamers" offers a rare look into the dense, delicate personal layers that take place behind the large-scale, physical presence of the artists' experimental installations. Exploring the more unseen dimensions of the FriendsWithYou psyche, "Daydreamers" presents a softer, more ephemeral portrait of their recent narratives, as Borkson and Sandoval put forward a deeply intimate glimpse into the representations of their transitory, dream-like states where the spirit of their expressive process is just coming into invention. Reflecting themes of metamorphosis, pleasure seeking and pure innocence in the portraiture of their fledgling subjects, Borkson and Sandoval present an unadulterated celebration of the imagination that defines their artistic practice and the visionary outlook that inspired their project for "Wish Come True". Much in the manner that Borkson and Sandoval aim to create immersive totalities for the playful environments of their installations, with "Daydreamers" the artists bring us into an inward realm unto themselves, creating heartfelt emotional space between the greater unknowns of their magical world.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ABOUT FRIENDSWITHYOU

In 2002, Miami-born artists Sam Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III began FriendsWithYou with the aim to promote a different kind of creative practice, and one that is fundamentally inspiring. Developing larger-than-life artistic environments to immerse patrons into their FriendsWithYou universe, the duo seeks to create common ground to give people the chance to believe in themselves and connect with one another. The imaginative world of FriendsWithYou has taken shape in the form of designer toys, large-scale installations, experimental gallery exhibitions, digital video, graphic design and other media—running the gamut of fine arts, public events, advertising and entertainment.

From the "Skywalkers Parade" with 60-foot tall characters for Art Basel Miami, to an inflatable fun house for 30,000 people at Scope Art Fair, to creating a permanent playground "Rainbow Valley" inside Miami's largest shopping mall, one can see why Borkson and Sandoval would describe their large-scale art projects as an "explosion". Creating modern-day sanctums, they curate wonderful performances that are part confessional and part mystical ceremony—furthering the artists' mandate to foster good wishes for luck, friendship and fortune. As a message that is invariably accessible and positive, FriendsWithYou believe in promoting a sense of exuberance against today's general attitude of detachment. As Borkson feels, "In the sterile settings of modern society, spiritual outlets have become a low priority within our daily routines".

With a strong emphasis on belief, FriendsWithYou maintain that the more you believe in their magic powers, the more they become a reality. FriendsWithYou truly believe that items can be enchanted totems and talismans can bring good fortune. And after having established their place in the art world, the group have expanded their reach with FWYstudios to create incredible and innovative products; a home for the characters and concepts that foster/bridge new territory between the fine art and the commercial realm.

"So, are you going to NearyFest?"

It's not often that you get the experience of being the client when you're in the advertising business, but Jack just had the opportunity to do it.

How do you build a site scalable enough to house 30 years of work and some of the best stories in the business? Carefully, methodically and of course, because it's Jack - quickly. This site could have used it's own asset management system.

Reading the copy deck for this site was like reading a white paper on how to have fun in the business. Compelling. Jack Neary was most recently Executive Vice President, Executive Creative Director BBDO Worldwide in New York and now you can track his progress, work and journey at NearyFest.com

From the design, to the hosting, to the production management, this was a real lunch production, fatbox, pixelpusher and of course the amazing content of our client Jack Neary.

Lunchentach

This, comes the first in our series of Lunchentach. An opportunity for members of the lunch network to "officially" provide commentary on anything they'd like pertaining to the world of integrated production. First up, as usual it's me, because everyone else is too busy making stuff.

Talking about digital is our favorite thing next to making stuff. Training and educating people on best practices is something the entire lunch network takes very seriously. We're a network of close to 100 developers, and I can assure you that harnessing that brainpower can be a challenge, mostly because there's so much to know, and because they've been in the game for decades, it's important to share, because not one person can know everything there is to know.

At the end of the day we're in the business of production, and having been in that business specifically for the past 12 years - there's something I get asked - a lot.

What does it take to get up to speed? How does one make the transition? Recently I was asked that very same question by Promax|BDA. The article will be appearing soon, but in the interim here's the unedited response I provided to that question.

The transition to digital, or any new skill set is daunting. I think with digital it seems more daunting because of the role of technology. There’s been a lot of negative connotations to the digital space and the medium in general has unfortunately been oversaturated with people communicating that the transition is difficult, that people will be “left behind” or there’s an implication that if you don’t have experience in one area you can’t possibly transition to another. To me, that’s not a reality. Making the transition to anything new requires one thing: Passion. A real interest in learning. I can say that because although I’ve been in this business since it became a business, I learned as I went. I didn’t wake up and have the skills, I wasn’t taught them in school, in fact, I wasn’t mentored by any one person. Ever. I think that’s why I’ve concentrated so much on training, sharing the things I’ve learned so that other people can hone it, and make it better, and not have to go through the same challenges I did. My entire career has been a transition. I began thinking I wanted to do one thing, and specializing, to exploring different roles and learning about what I liked and what I didn’t. I asked a lot of questions, and I always encourage people to do the same. If you can’t find resources or people who are willing to help, it just means you should keep looking. People who approach the digital shift or next generation with a closed fist will be left behind, the future of the next generation of marketers is in transparency. I’ve seen too many good ideas, suffer, and in effect suffocate because people held on too tight. It’s really a balance, and whether we always are cognoscente of it or not, marketing is an art, and it’s about that balance between art and commerce. It’s about thinking differently, and taking risks – conversations. In terms of skills it’s about agility, and again a keen interest. Being adaptable and wearing different hats is critical, because everything is really becoming more efficient. So it’s about finding those efficiencies and developing solutions based on that. That’s a skill set that a lot of people have, when I do training and consulting with my clients about making the shift, whether it’s shifting the operational structure, or themselves it’s about knowing what you’re interested in doing and identifying what parts you don’t know. It becomes simpler to backfill. It’s about demystifying all of the unknowns. Most people, figure out quite quickly that they’re not missing the kind of skills they thought they were. You can’t teach people that, people are either interested or they aren’t. The next generation marketer is required to think about everything holistically, not elements individually, So when making the transition I think it’s important to be able to identify people who are thinking that way in what they do currently, and if you’re looking to learn attaching yourself to those people or companies is a great way to learn. You may not necessarily end up working directly with those people, but you can spend time with them. That happens a lot in my business, where people will ask to spend time with me, shadowing, taking part in industry functions or just talking. To me, that’s the best thing to do, is create a network where there’s a trade of knowledge happening, it’s been critical to what I do, and it’s where great ideas and new thinking is born. It’s like a nebula of ideas when you get enough smart people together and share knowledge. You can be a “traditional” marketer, or a “digital” marketer, or a designer, or a broadcaster but the soft skills are the same. It’s the application of those skills that’s different. I think people become daunted by the transition, to me it’s about being excited about it, if you’re not learning or engaged in what might be coming next, I can’t imagine still wanting to be in this business. Our currency is ideas, you can’t be left behind when that’s your focus.

- Amy Miranda

Copyright © Amy Miranda / Lunch Inc. 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Narwhal and Magic Pony Welcome Wish Come True by FriendsWithYou

I'm very excited about FriendsWithYou taking over Queen's Park. Very excited.

I'm even more excited to invite you to Narwhal Art Projects solo exhibition "DAYDREAMERS" by FriendsWIthYou artists Sam Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III, with an opening reception on June 10th, from 6-10pm.

But wait, there's more - Magic Pony's just announced FriendsWithYou pop-up shop!

Opening Reception:
Saturday, June 12th
5-8pm

Magic Pony is proud to present the "Wish Come True" Pop-Up Shop, a special collaboration with Miami pop artists FriendsWithYou. For a limited time, visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a world of luck, friendship and magic where the art wizardry of FriendsWithYou comes alive in a unique site specific retail installation showcasing a diverse range of creative multiplies within an enchanted space of dreamy wonder. The "Wish Come True" Pop-Up Shop marks the official launch of a brilliant new line of Magic Pony x FWY apparel and limited edition art prints, alongside favourite FriendsWithYou toys such as the "Wish Come True" mini figures, "Luckies" magical charms, and a showcase of early FWY product design including original plush and wood characters.

FriendsWithYou artists Sam Borkson and Tury Sandoval III will be participating in a special appearance and signing at Magic Pony on June 12 and from 5-8pm to officially launch the Wish Come True Pop up shop. All are welcome to join in celebrating this exciting new project and welcoming the artists for their first Canadian appearance. The "Wish Come True" Pop-Up Shop will be on exhibit until July 4, 2010.

Magic, luck, and friendship are the qualities that FriendsWithYou, a visual arts collective based in Miami Beach, seek to spread throughout the world. Now, in an unprecedented spectacle created just for Luminato, they invite Toronto to come out and play.
FriendsWithYou turns Toronto into Rainbow City, a delightful explosion of colour and jubilant energy. Led by the Rainbow King, Luminato 2010's Festival mascot, a host of celestial characters transform Queen's Park with larger-than-life dimensions of giant totems, bounce houses, and inflatable friends. Meanwhile, emissaries from this magical world fan out across Toronto to spread their universal message.
Inspired by the simple happiness of everyday life, the Wish Come True Festival is free. So come bounce, dance, and revel in the sounds of laughter and joy.

Queen's Park
Wed., June 16, From: 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Thu., June 17, From: 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Fri., June 18, From: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM

Is it time to leave facebook?

What happened to "Calm Down, Breathe. We hear you."? I'm not sure. Due to the fact that I'm in the business of creating things online, and due to the fact that I spend most of my life engaging with the internet, and have spent the majority of my career pushing towards an open source, and therefore open door approach I felt like I needed to comment on facebook's quietly implemented new privacy terms.

At one point Mark Zuckerberg may have cared about community, but I think Venturebeat's article says it best, I'd like to hear it from Mark himself.

A lot of companies in the internet space make mistakes- well, a lot of companies in general make mistakes. The thing that companies forget is that it's the people that make the company, not the company that makes the people. It's what facebook seems to be forgetting as they grow. We are facebook. facebook is a place where our social networks gather. It's a park we go to. They may own the place we hang out, but we own the relationships, and we can take those friends and hang out somewhere else.

facebook called a meeting at 4pm today to discuss the changes, because people are leaving in droves. What is facebook's policy on our privacy? I'd like to know. I think social networking sites owe it to us, they're borrowing our information to sell advertising, so I'd like to know how we're being protected. Their new policies would allow anyone to see what movies you like, what you like to do, where you like to go depending on what you "like" in your profile. Whether they are in your social network or not. It will be interesting to see where Zuckerberg chooses to take this, if he indeed understands the online gathering place he's built, he'll recover from this, like he did last round and we'll stay. Mark knows how the internet community works, when we don't like something, we say something. Let's see if he listens.
CNN.com Article

Amy Miranda confirmed speaker at NXNEi

Those of you who know Amy know, that she enjoys a good story. Lunch's founder Amy Miranda, has been confirmed to speak at NXNEi (June 14-16) and will be discussing The Lost Art of Storytelling. Amy believes that without a story, there's nothing to produce and on the heels of just wrapping up a semester teaching Interactive Storytelling @ Centennial College, she'll be discussing the lost art of Storytelling at NXNEi.

The Lost Art of Storytelling

Humans have been telling stories for thousands of years, but the earliest mode of communication was oral, supported by hand gestures and expressions. Over time visual mediums were introduced to help tell stories as well. While the art of the storyteller has persisted over generations, the interactive world is often quick to re-invent the wheel, or loses site of the fundamentals in the quest to develop new ways to make the consumer an active part of the story.

What can we learn from the people who carry on the basics of oral storytelling, be they radio hosts, comedians or anyone else who still relies on their words, sounds and movements to tell a tale? A mix of old and new will aim to take you back to the basics in an attempt to inform your visions for new narrative forms.

New Work: Design Currency Counter

Recently for Icograda's Design Week in Vancouver Rethink came up with a pretty amazing idea to actually enable attendees, speakers and designers alike to weigh in on great design. We were lucky enough to help execute, STEM, General Metrics, Fatbox and Lunch came together to help launch the Design Currency Counter.

The symbol represents the value of design calculated by its impact on communication, culture and commerce.

Use the site to help define, debate and expand your understanding of design value.

Hotels.com AR Virtual Vacay: New Work from Jason Zada

Long time in the making, Jason Zada's new piece for Y&R Chicago - Virtual Vacay has just launched.

This is a new augmented reality site that lets you take a virtual vacation at your computer. Computer tan and all.

You will need a webcam to view the site, you'll also need to print the marker - or send it to your smartphone.

Once there you'll be taken on a guided tour of 10 U.S. Cities and you'll be able to interact with their attractions. Take your virtual vacation today.

Congrats also go to Jason as we was just named to Shoots 2010 New Director’s show case.

Jason Zada is available for work in Canada through lunch.

Zeitguised @ the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival

Lunch's newest partner Zeitguised will have their short film screened twice during the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto from June 1-6 2010.

Peripetics, a short film created and directed by Jamie & Henrik of Zeitguised will be screened on Tuesday June 3rd at 2pm and again on Sunday June 6th at 1:45pm

Zeitguised are represented in Canada by Lunch.

New Work from Alchemy

What happens inside a bag of AERO Bubbles? Well, all kinds of stuff. It's best to have a look, because there's lots of stuff happening. It's much better than us trying to describe everything. Our favorite is the high five.

Alex McLeod - Front Page on QBN

Lunch Artist Alex McLeod has made the front page on QBN.com today. Congratulations Alex!

You'll also be able to catch Alex's work in person at MOCCA June 15-August 18th for Empire of Dreams

and ROJO nova @MIS in Sao Paolo Brazil July-August 2010

For more information on Alex McLeod, contact Lunch

Lunch and Inter-action @FITC

We're pretty excited about FITC in Toronto this weekend. Not only are we thrilled to be sponsoring a special Saturday night installment of Inter-action (For details go to Inter-Act.ca along with lunch family members,Fatbox, Pixelpusher and STEM - but we're thrilled to be a studio sponsor of FITC along with our partners atRelish

Lunch's founder Amy Miranda will be doing double duty as a panelist & moderator with North Kingdom's David Eriksson, Tool's Jason Zada, Birthplace's Adrian Gunadi and TBWA Vancouver's Jennifer Mete in her panel on Producing Creative in the Global Digital Playground

We also seem to be out in full force this year judging the FITC Awards show with: Andrew Harris, Pixelpusher, Nathan Jurevicius, Narwhal/Lunch, Amy Miranda, Lunch, Adrian Busschaert, SociMedia, and Dayton Pereira of Indusblue being included among the many judges.

We're excited that 95% of the lunch family will be in town for FITC this year!

Looking forward to seeing everyone in the next few days. It's been a big year for digital and we're all looking forward to celebrating it with you!

Discover Your Inner Morning Person

We recently had the pleasure of completing a site for a new product from Seattle's Best Coffee. SBC Iced Lattes are available in US Markets. Another true collaboration between Lunch Artist Alex McLeod, Pixelpusher, and Six Degrees.

A world of morning. The campaign is in full swing and there's updates to come in the next few weeks as it's rolled out Nationally with some pretty awesome tactical and installation pieces.

Pull the Arrow and enjoy the increased joy.

Also if you're in the States watch out for trucks driving around in a neighborhood near you bearing Alex's designs.

lunch welcomes Zeitguised

We are thrilled to welcome Zeitguised to the lunch network!

Zeitguised produces the kind of work that makes you want to jump in and setup a place to live there. Their ability to create compositions and moving art make them a beautiful new addition to Lunch.

Since 2001, Zeitguised has been the strange, obscure twin of contemporary zeitgeist imagineering.
The work of Zeitguised has been featured in galleries, exhibitions, publications and screenings around the world. Awards include Best Music Video at Oberhausen SFF in 2005, Best Design at Resfest in 2005 and recently Best Experimental at Ottawa IAF, 2009.

Aol. rebrand from zeitguised on Vimeo.

Zeitguised are represented in Canada by lunch.

FITC's: The Last Advertising Agency On Earth

What will the future of advertising look like? The answer depends on whether or not traditional advertising agencies truly embrace the power of digital to reach consumers and build brands in new, exciting ways. 'The Last Advertising Agency on Earth' is a film is about what might happen if they don't.

The Last Advertising Agency On Earth from FITC on Vimeo.

Don't become the last advertising agency on earth, attend FITC Toronto April 25th - 27th, 2010.

More info at FITC.ca. Get 10% off by using code: lastagency

Produced By: FITC, Saatchi & Saatchi Canada, Lunch, and Tool

Directed by Jason Zada

kozyndan + puma = love.

kozyndan's second collection (series 2) has hit PUMA Stores.
I'd put in a link to the PUMA online store, but apparently the new collection isn't up yet.

So, if you're a fan of kozyndan head down to your local puma store. Brick and mortar all the way!

Congratulations to Six Degrees!

We are really proud to announce that two radio spots, produced by Six Degrees, took home top awards at last week's Crystal Awards in Toronto.

"Lip Paint", created by Shayne McBride (Venture Communications) and 6º, won
Silver for Agency Single, Gold in the Performance category and Platinum for Best In Show!

"Money Helps" - YWCA of Calgary, created by Sean Mitchell and Mike Meadus
(MacLaren McCann) and 6º, took home Silver in the PSA category, and Honorable Mention in the Performance category.

Hurray Six!

The Adventures of Clumpy & Crumbly!

Once and awhile you get those projects that happen that you wonder how a client could be so amazing to have bought creative this different.

Our friends at DDB West, on behalf of Scoop Away did just that. We are thrilled after months of creative development, production, plasticine, glue... to introduce you to Clumpy and Crumbly.

The campaign contains print, videos, rich and flash banners and a site component on Scoopaway.com.

A true co-production Lunch, Alchemy, Six Degrees, STEM, Pixelpusher all worked to complete the campaign.

Truly a Lunch network production.

Watch Clumpy & Crumbly's adventures as they go to the beach, the opera, mountain-climbing and many more.

Six Degrees wrote an amazing original track circa 80's sitcom Clumpy & Crumbly theme Download and Enjoy.

Also, Look out for Clumpy's Scoop-on in People Magazine this week!

FITC - Toronto 2010 - Playground

So, this year i'm really excited about FITC. I'm lucky enough to have put together what I think is going to be a pretty exciting discussion.

I wanted to assemble a group of people who would be able to have a conversation, rather than a typical panel discussion and I feel really thrilled to say, I have.

Producing Creative: Playing for Keeps in a Global Digital Playground
With expectations getting higher and technology becoming more accessible, the heat is on Producers to make magic. This panel will be discussing the art of creative production. Even though it looks like we're spinning plates, there is in fact an order to things. Is there a process? What’s the right way to execute digital and broadcast production together? What leads what? Is there a formula for success? And what happens when you throw in even more plates to spin outdoor, ambient, print, events?

This diverse panel of seasoned integrated production talent will step inside the business of creative production with a look at what works, what doesn't and where it's all headed.

David Eriksson, CD and CEO of North Kingdom, Adrian Gunadi, ACD of Production, Birthplace, Myself, Founder & President of Lunch, and Jason Zada, Director, Digital Evangelist and former ECD of EVB.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

If you have any questions or topics you'd like us to touch on shoot me a note.

Director Nolan Sarner - Mortimer

Nolan Sarner's short "Mortimer" struck me with great fervor, not only because it's hilarious, but also because its beautifully shot, well written - AND contains a puppet. I've always wanted to do something digital with puppets, and those of you who've worked with me know this to be gospel. (Cue clients who want to do some crazy work with puppets).

Nolan grew up in the business having a father who worked in the ad business instilled an early passion for film artistry in Nolan’s mind. I too related to this, having two parents in "the business". His first encounter in film came in the opportunity to assist famed Canadian documentary filmmaker Ron Mann, which led to Sarner attending McGill University where he began making documentaries of his own.

Following his graduation from McGill Nolan took the immersive leap into the Ryerson Summer Film Program that consists of thirteen weeks of six day a week comprehensive, classes and practical film experience which basically equates to four years of film training in one summer. Since then Nolan has been building his reel and developing feature projects with the intention to direct. He recently wrote and directed his short film Mortimer starring famed local actor Carlo Rota (of 24 and Little Mosque On the Prairie fame), which has been wowing festival audiences internationally.

Nolan is available through Imported Artists/Lunch.

Nolan Sarner - Imported Artists

Alex McLeod at ROJO Barcelona

Lunch artist Alex McLeod's Imperial Lands opened on February 16th and runs through til March 11, 2010 at ROJO Gallery in Barcelona Spain.

Alex's next show Empire of Dreams is at MOCCA in Toronto opening on June 15th.

Congratulations to Alex.

CTVOlympic App V 2.0 - By Indusblue

# 1 in the app store in the Sports Category.

Download it.

The official CTVOlympics.ca iPhone app.

********************************************
TOP FREE APP IN THE SPORTS CATEGORY
FEATURED APP IN THE APP STORE
********************************************

In this 2.0 release we bring everything you've been waiting for.

PUSH NOTIFICATIONS - Breaking news and Medals straight from the Games.

MEDAL AND RESULTS - In-depth medals and results data on every event of the Games. Even follow event results while they are in progress.

We pay special attention to Hockey with the most in-depth results data available, including detailed box scores, player stats and play-by-play.

TV SCHEDULE - Never miss a moment of the Olympic Games, with the full TV Schedule. The schedule also allows you to set notifications to remind you to watch your favourite events.

PLAY-BY-PLAY - If you aren't in front of a TV, catch all the action of the Games with the live play-by-play feed.

LIVE BLOGGING - Get in the game with live blogging of the biggest events, such as Hockey, Curling and Figure Skating. Our panel of experts will join the interactive conversations throughout the Games.

Along with these new features we cover up-to-the-minute headlines and news on every sport at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Stunning photo galleries with hundreds of spectacular photos, in-depth Canadian and International athlete profiles, venue information and the upcoming event schedule for the Games.

It's everything you will need on the Games from Canada’s official broadcasters: CTV, TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, RDS, V, RIS Info Sports, OLN, OMNI, APTN and ATN.

What to look for in the next planned releases? Below is a feature list of the Games-time application, which will launch in early February.

------------------
Credits:

Uses the Three20 framework and Twitter+OAuth code by Ben Gottlieb
Includes “MGTwitterEngine” code by Matt Gemmell.

The CTVOlympics.ca iPhone App is designed and developed by Indusblue inc.

In this new version a TV viewers guide, detailed results, & a dedicated hockey section, push-notifications, live blogging and medal breakdowns.

SocialTALK Launches

We recently helped our friends at Syncapse to launch their SocialTALK product.

It's a pretty amazing product that allows businesses to easily manage and measure their social media presence, and impact.

Studio Dialog produced Illustration, and animation of SocialTALK's video and Mike "Nice" Anderson at Broader than Broadway completed front-end development with a little help from STEM

Congrats to the whole team at Syncapse, for getting the front page of Mashable today!

FITC : Producing Creative: Playing for keeps in a global digital playground

Finally firmed up all of the speakers for the panel at FITC this year. If you haven't already bought a ticket, you should, it's shaping up to be a great event.

I'm doing something a little unconventional (of course) and moderating and also taking part in the panel, I'm absolutely thrilled and honored to have assembled a great panel of individuals and i'm lucky to say good friends for what I think is going to be a really interesting, and lively discussion. Ideally, I'd like for it to feel like people in attendance are actually present within one of our conversations. It's also a chance to talk about what it is to produce creative, by some of the best people I could think of.

David Eriksson is both Creative Director and CEO of North Kingdom

Jason Zada, Director, Digital Evangelist and former founder and ECD of Evolution Bureau (EVB), creator of "Elf Yourself" - (He hates when I say that).

Adrian Gunadi Associate Creative Director of Production at Birthplace Inc., a start-up that specializes in product, content and media property development.

Producing Creative: Playing for keeps in a global digital playground
With expectations getting higher and technology becoming more accessible, the heat is on Producers to make magic. This panel will be discussing the art of creative production. Even though it looks like we're spinning plates, there is in fact an order to things. Is there a process? What’s the right way to execute digital and broadcast production together? What leads what? Is there a formula for success? And what happens when you throw in even more plates to spin outdoor, ambient, print, events?

This diverse panel of seasoned integrated production talent will step inside the business of creative production with a look at what works, what doesn't and where it's all headed.

Indusblue featured by Apple

Congrats go out to Indusblue and Fatbox today for being featured by Apple!

CTVOlympics Official iPhone application is available on the app store.

Congrats guys!

Kozyndan - business, pleasure, art and food.

Kozy & Dan Kitchens, model couple. To me anyway, they're hugely talented, funny, and Kozy like me enjoys UFC and once high fived me over our collective commitment to not having babies.

This month they're featured in Computer Arts magazine.

"The pair met while studying illustration at university. Friends to begin with, they started dating after a year and have been inseparable ever since. “Our first collaboration happened randomly, after we’d been together for about two years,” recalls Dan. “I saw a long doodle of the interior of our apartment that she was drawing for a class project, and really liked it. I decided to scan the drawing and colour it in Photoshop. Kozy joined me in the colouring process and we had a lot of fun doing it. That became our first panoramic, and the beginning of Kozyndan.”

Check out the article

Kozyndan are available for work through Narwhal@Lunch

inter-action toronto march

Hi Everyone,

Once again inter-action hits Toronto in March. Location to be announced this week, as well as speakers. For now, it's in your calendars.

Presentation: TBA

Innovation: TBA

Dissection: TBA

inter-action is a bi-monthly thinktank/discussion group/task force for interactive thinkers. It’s comprised of you. People in the industry. From Agencies to Development partners - creatives, developers, producers etc. So, this is a time to get together, have a drink and chat about what we’re up to, where things are going, and how together we can continue to push innovation locally. Collaboration, is a good thing. We like it.

Lunch welcomes Wesley Roland Gervais!

So, we've had a couple of engagements so far (Alexis and Adam - Socimedia Engagement, Sacha and Stephanie (Relish Engagement) and now there's been a new addition to the network. The biggest Lunch Launch to date!

Wesley Roland Gervais was born this morning at 5:48 am, 7lbs 4 ounces with lots of black hair. New Father Mark Gervais and Lovely Mum Karen Chu Gervais, finally welcomed a new little Gervais.

Congratulations to Mother and Father and mini Gervais for taking his sweet time.

XOX From Lunch

Q&A for Hyper Island.

I recently uncovered this - back in September 2005 (click the graphic for the original post) I was asked by Hyper Island in Sweden if they could ask me some questions. Of course I said yes. When I read this, I realized that even though it was close to 2 years ago, I feel exactly the same way. I guess thats how you know you're on the right track.

September 2, 2005
I got an email last week from Hyper Island. If you haven’t heard of them and are in the digital space - check them out. They pride themselves on creating freethinking digital idealists. Something that I think more of us should be taking the opportunity and initiative to do.
Pretty cool. They asked me about whether I might be able to answer some questions about what Digital Trends/Influences might be.

Of course I was happy to share some ideas on my favorite topic. Digital. I’ve included the questions and my responses below.

> 1a. In the upcoming 2-5 years what do think the biggest digital trends/influences will be?
I’d like to see people get out from behind their computers. I know I’d certainly like to be able to engage outside of the traditional “digital” experience. More development and innovation in terms of interactive projections, the graffiti research lab stuff, more interaction between communities in general. I think consumers are finally ready to have the
kinds of experiences we’re now able to produce. I think we’ll see a lot more installations and digital production as art. It’s what’s next in my mind. Websites and banner ads will become a necessary component in terms of media-
but I truly believe that open source/guerilla style technology will turn the industry on it’s ear. It has to get beyond desktop. The future is multi-tasking, anything that enables people to do this more easily is going to be a key influencer.

> b. What kind of industry research does your company do regarding future trends?
To be honest, I’m not sure we do enough of this. I think a lot of companies get caught up in the day-to-day work and it’s hard to stay involved/in the loop as a company. I think it comes down to individuals keeping themselves informed and up to date on what’s out there, what can be done, and what’s coming next. The interest has to be there at the individual level. I rely heavily on my team in addition to my own network to stay engaged on what’s next.

> c. What does your company do to keep up to date with industry trends?
>
It really comes down to working groups within the company. I think individuals do their own research and networking to stay involved in emerging trends. I learn most about what’s next by just keeping an ear to the ground and trying to stay as up to speed as possible with what everyone else is working on. Dialogue between companies is important. I think we have to get past the idea that sharing erodes the industry - I think not sharing is eroding it.

> 2. In your opinion what is missing in the industry today?
Production Management training in addition to cross training of creatives.
Much emphasis is put on the education and training of
development/programming talent, and creative skils like design, copywriting etc, with comparatively little emphasis being placed on the overall management of the production. As projects become increasingly complex, it’s essential to have talent who have a general understanding of the actual
production. I’d love to see Producers become a greater segment of the market. Broadcast producers have long been a creative asset and resource in execution of a project, I’d like to see the same emphasis on Interactive/Digital Producers. I think to some extent the idea of an
Interactive Producer or Project manager brings with it the idea of pencil pushing and a pretty rigid perspective. I’d like to see the term Project Manager be eliminated from our vocabulary as it pertains to production management. The last thing I think that’s missing - or that could be done
better is communication. I think the industry in Europe has done a much better job of staying in contact with each other and keeping an open dialogue that we have in North America. I’ve been working towards trying to get the industry in Toronto talking again. I think it’s imperative to the evolution of the industry.

> 3. What skills are you looking for in future employees?
I tend look for 3 things. Multifaceted Creativity, Innovative thinking, and Passion. You can’t be a true contributor, whether on a development, creative or production level without being engaged and passionate about the work.
It’s really a spark. I usually know right away whether I think someone is going to be able to be a contributor. I think of what first got me into the industry, and it was really my desire to produce cool work on whatever level. I think that helped me to stay involved and engaged all of these
years. It’s an industry that’s ever changing, evolving, the job I did 3 years ago, although the same in title, is completely different in execution due to the evolving nature of the business and industry. There’s something inspiring about that.

Come Up To My Room - Jamie Webster & Berkeley Poole Presented by Alchemy.

Come up to my room is the Gladstone Hotel's annual alternative design event. CUTMR invites artists and designers to show us what goes on inside their heads. Coming together in dialogue and collaboration, participants are limited only by their imaginations, making CUTMR one of the most exciting design shows in Toronto. The four-day event is in its seventh year at the Gladstone Hotel, featuring 11 room and 14 public space installations, and over 50 designers

This year is an exciting one for the Lunch Family.

Alchemy has sponsored the installation of Jamie Webster & Berkeley Poole

and

Jacob Whibley collaborates with Jennifer Sciarrino, and Naomi Yasui

Jacob is one fifth of Team Macho and represented through Narwhal by Lunch

Inter-action Toronto January 28th 6-8pm.

So, it's that time again, and our very first inter-action of 2010.

Exciting? Yes.

Inter-Action hits Toronto again on Thursday January 28th 2010

This installment will be hosted by Mighty!
http://mighty.ca/
420 Wellington Street West
6-8pm.

Presentation: Mighty.

Tiny Content
Mighty will be presenting the Hyundai parking response video and makememighty.ca

Innovation: Futurist Richard Thomas (Rescheduled!)
Details:"As a consequence of pervasive computing , interaction design is poised to become one of the main liberal arts of the twenty-first century." Malcolm McCullough

Generally, Richard will be demonstrating that interactivity, "interaction design" is the amalgam of several disciplines, and today well surpasses the digital media space. The skills nurtured in IxD are sought after in all facets of human creation, use mechanics of financial transactions, product design, new forms of social technologies, architecture, City planning, urban computing and beyond. " Interaction" is swallowing the world whole as hard things begin to adopt soft qualities. Are we prepared?

This talk will centralize around the several emerging forms of interaction, and the role interface and interaction plays in the social construction of reality and the creation of new value within human architectures of desire and motivation.

Dissection: Relish Interactive
http://www.relishinteractive.com/
TBC

Looking forward to seeing all of you.

Following Inter-action at Narwhal (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=240826638895&ref=ts) Gary Taxali's new show "THE TAXALI 300" will be opening at Narwhal. Stop in, and check it out. it's stunning.

inter-action is a bi-monthly thinktank/discussion group/task force for interactive thinkers. It’s comprised of you. People in the industry. From Agencies to Development partners - creatives, developers, producers etc. So, this is a time to get together, have a drink and chat about what we’re up to, where things are going, and how together we can continue to push innovation locally. Collaboration, is a good thing. We like it.

THE TAXALI 300

© Gary Taxali, The Taxali 300

Opening January 28th from 6-9pm (right after inter-action)

"The Taxali 300" showcases hundreds of small illustrations and collages originally created for such esteemed publications as Rolling Stone, Time, GQ, Newsweek, Esquire and The New York Times among others. Spanning 2 decades and multiple awards and accolades, "The Taxali 300" presents Gary's exceptional collection of commercial illustration as a complete body of work in a gallery setting for the first time, allowing viewers to appreciate the prolific scope of visual communications and tactile character design intrinsically associated with Gary Taxali's artwork.

"Gary Taxali visually blends now with then. His style, inspired by vintage comics and advertising art, is repurposed with the goal of communicating the ironies and comical essence of popular culture. His work is at once alluring and endearing. Despite the vintage look, he is neither maudlin or nostalgic. His imagery is rich in satiric verve."

- Steven Heller, art director, author and educator

Show runs from January 28 - February 28th, 2010.

For show and sales information, please contact the gallery at 647.346.5317 or contact@narwhalartprojects.com

www.narwhalartprojects.com

Gary is available for digital work and represented through Narwhal by Lunch

Indusblue Featured in Marketing Magazine, Media News

Indusblue featured on Marketing Magazine today. The app is now ranked 3rd in the Sports application section.

Excerpt:
"Since launching last month, the app, developed by Toronto-based interactive design and production company Indusblue, has maintained a number five position in the app store's free sports category, said Marcovici (as of Tuesday, it was the third most popular).

A second and enhanced version of the app will be available as a paid upgrade the first week of February. CTV has yet to set a price though Marcovici indicated it would be "super cheap."

Congrats guys!!

Cuddle the Winter Away

If you haven't already seen it, it's kind of the right time to go have a look around. It's cold. It's winter. Cuddle Me Sutra.

This was a true collaboration and big Lunch production, Myself, Tool/Radke Director - The one and only Jason Zada, Bijou Editorial, Alchemy, and Indusblue were all engaged to help our fantastic friends at Saatchi & Saatchi Canada bring the world of the Cuddle Me Sutra to life.

We shot this back in snowless and relatively balmy October.

Now that Winter is completely here, it seemed fitting to finally Cuddle the Winter Away

Indusblue launches CTVOlympics the official application for the 2010 Olympic Games

Well, in just under a week the app is already ranked an exciting #5 in the iTunes store in the Sports category.

The guys have been busy and diligently working on this application launch.

I, of course, downloaded the app within minutes of it becoming available on the store. Although my opinion is obviously biased - the app is awesome. If you're into the Olympics, you'll love it.

Everything from news, to athletes, to medal counts and when each event is being televised.

Head to the app store and search: CTVOlympics

Or download it here

Congrats guys!

20 reasons to love your smart.

introducing 20 reasons to love your smart.

Lunch, pixelpusher and Six Degrees teamed up to bring a little bit of smart to (animated) life for BBDO on thesmart.ca.

quick witted, quick turnaround, to help increase the smart personality for smart Canada.

We had an absolute blast working on this piece, from concept, to illustration, to being able to record a smart on location to get the sound just right - we hope you like it too!

Pee Card

Our friends at Extreme Group created the idea for a little Golden Shower of Holiday Cheer.

The Pee Card.

Lunch of course was more than hap-pee to help.

Produced by Lunch by Pixelpusher (development) and Six Degrees (sound) developed the Pee Card in all of its glory. From the realistic stream to the live foley of...well peeing in the snow.

Send a pee card to the one you love this holiday, even if she says she's not into that. She may like it. Just this once.

Vote for Narwhal!

Narwhal is up for best Gallery in BlogTOs Best of Toronto 2009.

So, you should vote. It was Narwhal's first year and what a year it was.

With exhibitions this past year starting with the 'Life Drawing' group show, to Tara McPherson, Junko Mizuno, Nicholas Aoki, kozyndan and Stephen Appleby Bar. Of course not only are all of the artists above Lunch artists through Narwhal Kristin and Steve have done a stellar job curating the gallery and bringing Canadian and International artists into the spot light.

Vote for Narwhal

Good Luck guys, what a year.

How much are you willing to Give?

Our Friends at Saatchi & Saatchi Canada have come up with a great way to donate to charity this Holiday Season.

Complete a challenge (one of nine) worth varying amounts of cash, and Saatchi will donate money to charity.

Write a poem, send a photo, make a video.

Who doesn't want to take a picture of themselves wearing only a Santa hat for money? ;)

New Work from Mark Gervais!

The Lunch network's own Mark Gervais (also the man behind the amazingly successful Hallowindow) has just launched a new piece. Mark completed the illustration, animation and art direction on this Holiday Piece for Damashek Consulting.

Mark's diverse and rich illustrative style is combined with an exploratory puzzle experience where users are invited to find the toy maker's new invention by exploring the shop.

There's an AR component - if you can find it :)

Mark's diverse illustration and design capabilities combined with his experience in animation make him the perfect partner for experiential pieces like this.

For more about Mark and his work visit his site. Mark Gervais

Mark is available for commercial work through Lunch.

Indusblue Launches MuchConcerts App.

Indusblue's first *official* iPhone app was recently submitted to the app store and became available last week. A full featured companion application to the official concert listing site which Indusblue built for MuchMusic.

The application not only lists concerts, but provides users with information on social media, videos and other activity concert goers share online. Users can also set parameters for region, and look back at past events.

For example - download the app and look up Jay-Z in Toronto on Oct 31st.

Alex McLeod

Alex McLeod is creating work that caught the attention of Kanye West. Now, that I've caught your attention by saying that - not only is Alex a brilliant stills artist but he's begun to explore the world of motion.
Isle of the dead - marks Alex's first animated piece - A 3D animation based on the painting "Isle of the dead" by Arnold Böcklin.

The general sensibility, eye for detail, and tactile quality of Alex's compositions makes one want to delve inside. With his first animation, it feels like we're closer to being able to do so.

Alex is available for commercial work through Lunch.

Mmm. Bacon.

John St.'s new Bacon campaign for Maple Leaf launched this week which included Lunch production partners including Pixelpusher, Alchemy and Bijou.

Mmmm Bacon.