Today we took a trip down to Innovation Alley and Red River College. It was probably the best field trip I have been on in the sense that I got alot of useful information from it. I was shocked to see and hear about how many successful tech startups that are coming out of Winnipeg.
I knew many of the names of the businesses mentioned, I just had no idea how well they where doing. The one that really caught my attention was Skip the Dishes. I knew it was established, but receiving an eight figure investment is a little past established. It was really inspiring seeing all the potential Winnipeg has as a tech city and all the young entrepreneurs we have. The guy at assent works that built snowboards really got me thinking about starting to build and design Kiteboards. I have built a few, very simplistic boards but maybe I could create something that is alot more advanced. Until next time, Cody
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For my big project I have decided on the Kiteboarding Magazine. I believe there is a hole in the industry because every magazine is very generalized and cover a variety of topics and don't really dive in to any specific area.
This magazine will focus on the Freestyle / Wakestyle discipline of the sport and the people pushing the sport in this direction. Every other magazine focuses on mostly freeriding so that your everyday office Kiteboarder can relate. Other Magazines are trying to grow the sport and make it larger, this magazine will focus on supporting the riders pushing the limits of the sport. Some are tired of these untalented riders being featured in these magazines and calling themselves "Professional Kiteboarders". An exclusive magazine is needed in the industry to save the sanity of some of the riders that have dedicated their lives to pushing the sport and have already shaped the sport in to what it is today. Until next time, Cody I guess I have already started two projects. Those being JP Media Agency and a Small Video. Both have been very successful and exceeded my expectations, but neither of these will be my big project.
I plan to create an Online Kiteboarding Magazine called Vision. This project ties into a bunch of different subjects like business and marketing, graphic design, English and even filmmaking as well as being tied into my passion of Kiteboarding. I have talked to a few industry professionals about this project and I feel as if they are excited as I am. I have content lined up from the following people: - Interview with 2x World Junior Champion, Noe Font - Photo submissions from 6x Canadian National Champion Sam Medysky - Photos and Article from Caribbean super star, Jake Kelsick These are some very influential people in the sport of Kiteboarding and will hopefully launch and build credibility to name of "Vision". As well as working on the magazine I plan to create a few more videos with the help of my sponsors. I hope to achieve the "National Rider" title and the benefits that come with it by the new year. One of the biggest benefits will be a travel budget that will help me to create some mind blowing films and allow my creativity and skill to reach its full potential in filmmaking and my skill as a rider. Until next time, Cody Well the classroom building is coming to and end and it's time to do the reflection piece of the work flow cycle.
I think the biggest think I learned this week was that laziness is contagious. If one person starts to slack off someone will eventually join and the group will continue to grow. I know this because I am absolutely guilty of it. Another thing I learned is that painting is alot more technical then I thought. It's not just slap some paint on the wall and the job is done. There are alot of techniques that you need to know just to make it look half decent. My teachers (which are probably the only people who are going to read this), have prompted each blog posts with a few questions. This time they asked if we had advice for the next group of ProPEL Students. Well I have some advice on what not to do. Don't be that kid that sits on the couch all day and does nothing, and take your time if you're painting. Until next time, Cody This time a round we have a pretty heavy topic, the Syrian Refugee Crisis. We did a pretty interesting activity in class that simulates social media and conversations through the Internet. In some ways it was eye opening.
One person had noted "not letting Syrians in the EU would solve the problem too". Now before I absolutely tear this statement apart, I'm going to try and prove this point. If the EU ignores the Syrian Crisis they no longer have to worry about what to do with refugees. I can't say anything more without contradicting myself. Now to tear it apart. To me, this statement screams ignorance. How could they just ignore an issue as major and close to home as this? That would ruin the EU's incredible reputation in the world an would project the idea that all Europeans are condescending. Which could be argued as true but that's a story for another day. The EU would no longer be looked up to, it would be looked down upon. I guess the take away is people have very, very different opinions and no opinion is wrong. It is simply just an opinion. Until next time, Cody This week at ProPEL has been an interesting one to say the least. After spending some time behind the lense this past weekend, I came to school Tuesday, with alot of footage and I wasn't to sure what I was going to do with it. The result, a video that has been picked up by four respectable Kiteboarding websites and couple more that may happen soon. I really believe that this video is some of the best filmmaking work I've done so far. I set out a goal of 1k views. Three days in and I am at 639. I'm honestly not sure if I will reach my goal but I bet if I had taken more time planning out my shots while I was filming, I would have come out with a much more professional final product and 1k views would not be a goal, it would be an expectation.
I have some big ideas bouncing around in my head for my next video. This time I'm getting away to an off the beaten path tropical paradise, South Padre Island Texas. Island is a bit of a stretch, Sandbar would be a more accurate description but it definitely has that tropical vibe. It is also one of the best Kiteboarding spots in North America in my opinion (I have been to what people claim to be the best but I enjoy my time at South Padre much more. On and off the water). I have a week to film as much content as I can, and if I stay focused, work hard and really think things through, 1k views won't be a goal, it won't be an expectation, it will be a disappointment. Expect to see some surfing, along side a more "Lifestyle" focused video and not so performance oriented. Here's a link to my latest video if you haven't already seen it. https://vimeo.com/140123169 Until next time, Cody Potapoff The first week at ProPEL has been quite an experience. We've been to the exchange district, went to Epic Escape, built a website and started a business. When people hear about ProPEL they often ask questions like "What do you do?" "What is ProPEL?". These are the two hardest questions to ask because not even our teachers can give you a good description of ProPEL and what you do is completely up to you. So far the best description we have come up with is "ProPEL is a project based learning program.", which in my opinion doesn't do it justice because it has the possibility to be so much more than that. It has the potential to change the way people learn and revolutionize the education system. |
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