GORockford

In this line of work, there are projects, and then there are the ones like this. The ones that mean something. When GoRockford tapped me to create a video for their 40th anniversary, I felt it. Not the pressure, necessarily—but the responsibility. You want to honor the people and the place that have shaped you, given you trust, and pushed you to dig deeper. You don’t want to just hit deadlines or check off boxes. You want to tell the story right—with all your heart. Fourteen years ago, I had this crazy idea—video vignettes of my friends and I just hanging around, showing off our city as slice-of-life content for the tourism bureau. So I emailed John Groh and pitched it. I didn’t know what would happen next, but John saw the vision, saw something in it, and from that moment on, he and GoRockford have been a part of my life in some form or fashion. And now, here we are. Full circle. Rockford isn’t just a location. It’s where my roots are, where my stories have unfolded, and where I’ve poured myself into making stories that matter. So, when they asked me to tell the 40-year story of GoRockford—a story of comeback and community—it wasn’t just another gig. It was personal. Ten days. That’s what we had. Ten days to concept, script, shoot, edit, and do justice to an organization that’s done right by me. And if you know anything about me, you know I wouldn’t have it any other way. Because when the pressure’s on, when the timeline is tight, and the stakes are real—that’s when the magic happens. That’s when you have to really show up and make something that makes people feel something.

I directed the piece and used as much of my own footage as I could. But let’s be real—credit is due to the many creators who came before me. I remixed footage from GoRockford’s YouTube channel, pulling from decades of work by other talented people who’ve helped tell this city’s story. It’s a tapestry made up of so many different hands. Thank you to all of them.

Special thanks to Pam Seeber Maher & Lonnie Iske for providing Hard Rock Casino Rockford footage.

I thank Danielle Potter, Kevin Haas, Carrie Johnson, Armando Cardenas, Bobbie Holzwarth and Matthew J. Simpson for being free on short notice, even saying “yes” before even knowing what was going on. Their kindness to me will not be forgotten.

Clark R. Kelly? Here's a little bit of love for ya. Thank you for your inspiration. Your music is the backbone to this piece.

Jared Weidman of JW Aerial Image is my rock. In the sky.

Lastly, John, thank you for never accepting less than my best...

This video is my tribute to a city on the rise and an organization that’s played a part in that. I’m excited to finally share it with all of you. Cheers to 40 years of GoRockford—and to the people who believe in what we can be.

WIRED CAFE – THROUGH THE FIRE

“How can I help?” That’s what I texted.
Violence like this? It won’t stand.
These are my friends.

Wired Cafe was victum to an arson attack.

I thought of something Simon Sinek once said about a friend going through hell.
They didn’t reach out to him because they didn’t want to burden him..
His response? Same as mine.
“How dare you deprive me of the honor of helping you.”

Matt called.

Then Joshua jumped on the line.

We started tossing ideas around.
How do we tell the Wired story?
How do we do it now?

I told them this is just a chapter.
Actually, just part of a chapter being written.

This is the story of right now.

Then it hit us. No edits.

One shot.
Just taking us back to where it happened.

We met on Saturday morning.
Agreed on the final cut by that night.

A week from the incident and this was the answer..

Rockford ChambeR

I found myself in an unexpected situation: helping Angela Kay Larson, the Rockford Chamber’s new CEO, with a toast. But here’s the twist—she was thousands of miles away, somewhere on the Camino De Santiago, trekking through Spain and Portugal. A journey she’d been planning since before COVID turned the world upside down. Well before she took the CEO role.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting: instead of doing the typical office video, she said, “What if we did something different? What if we filmed it out in the wild, on one of the trails I hike in Pecatonica?” The idea clicked. It wasn’t just about the toast anymore; it was about capturing something that felt true to her.

We were up before sunrise, chasing that perfect light. Angela led the way, the morning sun slowly rising and illuminating her in a way that just felt... right. It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t staged—it was authentic. Twenty minutes in, the light changed, but by then we already captured the magic.

Ever the professional, Angela memorized the script for the head and shoulder shot. Two takes in, and I called it. Professional, smooth, no fuss. The toast was locked in. And yeah, it felt like we’d pulled off something pretty damn special.

NEIGHBORWORKS

FAMILY PEACE CENTER

Rockford Park District