Living, Playing & Writing in the Outdoors
I came across this new, outdoor invention while perusing Kickstarter last night.
My immediate reaction was, “Oh cool!!”
I guess others must have thought the same as the Aquabot company has raised $71,000 against their initial goal of $15,000. Just goes to show that you don’t have to have a high-gloss presentation if you have a kick-ass idea.
Check it out:
It’s not a proven science but at least there are folks out THINKING and trying to find solutions. Solar Roadways, an awesome concept in motion.
Dan Nocera has a simple formula to save the planet: sunlight + water = energy for the world.
These shorts created for the Focus Forward Film Competition in 2013 are amazing displays of what special innovative minds can do to make a difference in the world. It’s too bad the competition didn’t continue. The more folks motivated to explore solutions or shed light on current projects, the better for all.
Treasure Mountain, Park City Ski Area, Park City Mountain Resort, PCMR. Now Vail Resorts has put a new name on the 50+ year-old ski area’s business card- Park City Mountain. The rebranding (the first since the mid-1990s) will go full-bore public in a week or so.
Colorado-based Vail finally got their mittens on PCMR in 2014 after acquiring the lease on (The) Canyons Resort in 2013 and is in the process of linking the two into a single property. The lift line for the new Interconnect Gondola is already in and foundations are being poured for the lift towers.
“Unveiling our new brand will mark a historic day for Park City Mountain. The ambitious $50 million capital improvement project to connect Park City and Canyons to create the largest resort in the U.S. is well underway and we are excited to share the new identity of the combined resort with our community,” said Bill Rock, the chief operating officer at PCMR (PCM?). Notice the missing “The” in his statement.
Park City Ski Area became PCMR when Powdr Corp. moved onto the property in 1996. The new owners were out to play nice with snowboarding, just like USSA did when they started calling themselves the United States Ski and Snowboard Association rather than the United States Ski Association.
So now Park City Mountain Resort becomes Park City Mountain and Canyons becomes ‘Canyons at Park City.’ Are we confused yet? The Vail Resorts statement said it would “continue to maintain the unique history and atmosphere of the two base areas with differentiated marketing for the diverse hotel and hospitality experiences.” Um, okay. Not really a whole lot of differences between the two areas that would need preserving but whatever.
VR plans to release more details at a public party July 29. A new logo and a redone trail map will also be unveiled.
Photo Courtesy ABC Entertainment
If you’ve ever wondered who the heck would commute to a film studio in Park City, Utah, wonder no more. Park City Film Studios announced today that ABC Entertainment Group will use the 375,000 square-foot facility as its base of operation for the new series “Blood & Oil” (formerly “Oil”, formerly “Boom”). The commercials are already airing on ABC during such popular shows as “The Bachelorette” and “Mistresses,” promising all the fun things that ‘sell’- lust, greed, sexy dudes and fashion. Oh, and Don Johnson.
“It’s highly unusual for a brand new studio to be selected for major production,” said Greg Ericksen, owner and developer of Park City Film Studios. “So, you can imagine that we are very excited to be working with ABC on this project.”
Park City Film Studios facility is still under construction but when it’s completed it will house three soundstages, production offices, and an array of studio services including a digital motion capture stage and technology and special effects stages. “Blood & Oil” is taking over the entire production facility including three 15,000 square foot production spaces and offices.
The Utah Film Commission recently announced the new TV drama is the first network series in 10 years to be filmed on location in Utah. “Granite Flats” doesn’t count as it is produced for KBYUtv, a non-profit, University channel. “Blood & Oil” will air on Sunday nights and premieres on Sept. 27, 2015.
The drama series features Don Johnson from “Nash Bridges” and more recently ‘Eastbound and Down” but who most GenXers remember as Sonny Crockett in the iconic 80s series “Miami Vice”. Hunky “Gossip Girl” alum Chace Crawford and Rebecca Rittenhouse from “Red Band Society” also star. But the real leads in this true-to-life oil industry story are Park City and Utah. Our ‘locals’ play the part of North Dakota.
Utah’s incentive program encourages out-of-state productions to film here and includes cash back when they spend a certain amount of money and utilize a percentage of local talent and crew. ABC says 300 local cast and crew members will be used and it is predicted to inject $35 million into the local economy.
It’s too bad, however, that leads and recurring roles are cast out of Los Angeles, leaving only day parts for our talented local pool. Of course, I’m looking forward to auditioning. Who wouldn’t? I haven’t done a part in a network series since “Promised Land.” I read for a couple of roles in “Everwood” but didn’t make it past the callbacks. Other Utah-filmed series include “Touched By An Angel” and “Extreme” – a short-lived action drama starring “Modern Family’s” Julie Bowen.
Park City Film Studios’ site is designed to support all stages of moviemaking, with plans to host a hotel, restaurants and retailers, at 4001 Kearns Boulevard, across from the National Ability Center in Park City.
According to ABC, “Blood & Oil” is written by Josh Pate and Rodes Fishburne. Executive producers are Tony Krantz, Josh Pate, Rodes Fishburne, Drew Comins, and Don Johnson; produced by ABC Signature.