Honoring the Legacy of Carl Ray Johnson
Last month, one of our dear friends and colleagues, Carl Ray Johnson, unexpectedly passed away in a tragic ocean accident. Gabe, a producer at MVP, knew Carl for over a decade and introduced him to Max a few years back as Carl was forging a video production company and distinct aesthetic in his new home in Costa Rica. At the memorial, friends and family shared stories making what seemed like coincidences of meeting Carl seem commonplace.
The common theme among the eulogies for Carl aside from his inclusivity, his open heart, and his fearless disposition towards life was a desire to maintain his legacy.
Our mutual friend Pedro, Carl's business partner, is committed to growing the studio that Carl founded and MVP, also known as Good People Pictures of Oakland, have made a small contribution as a gesture to prolonging Carl's legacy.
We invite you to take a moment to appreciate your loved ones and the beauty left in their wake.
Above are photographs from Carl's memorial of friends and family. Please let me know if you need photo credit.
_
In the Bay Area and among clients worldwide, Maximize Video Productions is often known as Good People Pictures of Oakland
Pictured above are Carl on the left and Pedro on the right.
Shooting in the Good People Studio with Steph Curry
It's opening night for the World Champion Golden State Warriors!
We were fortunate to have Steph in our studio this past year for a shoot. The virtual Steph at least!! HA Ha. We filmed this one of a kind collectible from Only Alt. #MVP #GoodPeople
The City Eats in The Town!
Join us every First Saturday in West Oakland to meet our neighbors and gift hot meals
“From the City? The City is helping the Town?”
The gentleman on Martin Luther King Grand Avenue responded with surprise when I told him that we were from Oakland, but the hot chicken, baked beans and fresh veggies had been prepared by The City Eats kitchen in San Francisco.
Towards the beginning of the year, we shared that MVP Good People and friends had committed to volunteering to hand out hot meals every first Saturday. Over the last four months we’ve shown up at the same spot in West Oakland every first Saturday of the month. And we will be there again the next first Saturday.
We’d love to have you join us the next first Saturday of the month from 11 AM to 1 PM.
The City Eats has a link to our sign up page, or you can find the direct West Oakland sign up here.
Q: Do I have to sign up or can you just show up?
A: You can totally just show up and help, the sign up list just helps us know how many meals we should pick up. The most we think we have distributed is about 400, but that was because we had almost a dozen volunteers and Meals on One Wheels were with us, and they can cover serious distance!
We know the actual difference we make is minor when our fellow citizens really deserve so much more help. The greatest benefit, if I’m being honest has been my growth, and better connection to my neighbors. We’ve met new cool people and been made more and more aware of who is living right around the corner from us and what types of things they need: blankets, socks, and lots of sugar for their coffee!
On that last note, we recently started a coffee station. And I had to crack up pouring more and more packets of sugar into a new friends coffee, “more?” I asked after pouring in a 3rd pack of sugar.
“Are you kidding me?”, he said, “look at me, I’m skinny, they tried giving me a diet soda the other day, can you believe that?”
Currently we are setting up at 23rd and Brush Street where our new friend Jamaal has maintained small encampment but please check the sign up link just in case anything changes, that’s where we’ll post it.
I’d love to hear in the comments what you see happening in your neighborhood that is inspiring you!
Yours truly,
Team MVP (your friendly neighborhood creative agency & video production company)
Good People
Good People and The City Eats
Good People at The City Eats are Serving Hot Meals and MVP is All In
Along with so many other local businesses in Oakland, we are grateful for all the support from our neighbors this last year. In turn, we want to do our best to support our community. It seems like a new world this last duration of our shared epic pandemic as we’ve all confronted the regular old challenges of growing a business, let alone just living, along with so many unforeseen challenges of Covid.
Friends in other cities and towns aren’t surprised when I share about how my commute to work passes more and more encampments of people who’ve had to put up a tent for a home.
Our team at MVP has always tried to embrace the conversation about what we might do to be a part of the solution.
This last year, we met some other good people who have already been making a difference, for years. So now, we’re committed to going out once a month to bring hot meals with The City Eats.
For us, it’s a start. We’d like to invite you in to the conversation about what being a good part of the community means to you, or even join us this next first Saturday of the month.
Yours truly,
Team MVP (your friendly neighborhood creative agency & video production company)
Photo Credit: Andrew Ho
Supporting Local Oakland Small Business with Planter Day
Supporting Local Oakland Small Business with Planter Day
We recently made a commercial for Covered California to get the word out about “Open Enrollment”.
We were lucky to be able to film it at our neighborhood plant shop, Planter Day and these plants are just a small preview of what you’ll find a few blocks away at their adorable store.
We fell in love with the owners and we know you will too.
Support your local small business and be sure to tell them MVP sent ya!
Yours truly,
Team MVP (your friendly neighborhood creative agency & video production company)
