October is always a busy month for us here at Optimum Productions. Despite being an Atlanta video production company, we tend to get around during this month.

Sometimes the trips are planned for months, and others pop up rather quickly. This was one of the latter.

We were actually at the airport heading out to Seattle, Washington for the Catholic Medical Association Conference (which I’ve blogged about FYI). Then I get a phone call from my buddy over at Atlanta Media Services (AMS). He says he has a project with Procter and Gamble (P&G) down in Miami.

The very next week.

You might already know from our other blogs that we’ve done events with Procter and Gamble before. Specifically, “My Black is Beautiful,” also called “MBIB” for short. AMS and Optimum have been collaborating with the My Black is Beautiful since March of 2009.

We work well together and have a blast doing it. Our mission on this trip was to generally capture the main events with still photography and video. P&G was up for a few awards, presented an award, and sponsored free hair and makeup for all of the honorees and presenters. So, not long after getting back from Seattle and finishing a couple of local shoots, we packed back up and headed down south to warm sunny Miami!

Lesson Learned– Keep Production Equipment in Production Cases.

Here’s one quick funny story from the trip. On our flight down, I brought a boom pole, shotgun mic, and dolly slider tool (a neat gadget that gives smooth gliding motion side to side and front to back).

But…I put it into an old rifle case.

We were getting a few strange looks walking around with that in addition to our and several large pelican cases. When we arrived to Miami, the TSA or someone wrote on it “Not a Rifle – Sound Equipment”. We found it pretty funny…as well as fortunate. Thank goodness they checked inside before blowing any whistle.

We ended up staying down in Miami for about 4 days. We filmed all kinds of award shows, TV show premieres, cocktails parties, etc.

Out of all the places where we’ve filmed before…well, it was the second-best place. St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands takes the crown, but that was under slightly different circumstances. Miami isn’t far behind. It helps that back in Atlanta, the weather dropped into the low twenties. I was quite content in my hotel room overlooking the beach. No complaints there!

Overall, things went well. We came, we saw, we filmed. And wan’t wait to head back down again…especially as it is starting to get chilly here again.

Take a look at a few of the pictures!

Not a Rifle - Sound Equipment

Not a Rifle - Sound Equipment

Fontaine Bleu Hotel Miami

Fontaine Bleu Hotel Miami at Night

Eden Roc Hotel Room

My balcony at the Eden Roc Hotel

MBIB Style Lounge

MBIB Style Lounge Patio

Cristina Saralegui

Cristina Saralegui on the step and repeat

Style Lounge

Style Lounge Makeup and Hair

Makeup brushes

Cool close-up shot of makeup brushes

Rainbow over the Sea

Rainbow over the Sea