Explore the visuals, campaigns, and collaborations that define our work
Discover how we help brands stand out through photo, video, and influencer-driven mediaIT’S ABOUT
THE WORK
It’s the FRIDAY FIVE! This week, we’re featuring the one and only Sean Kirst. Special thanks to our friends at @CrouseHealth for helping bring inspiring stories like Sean’s to life each and every week in the FRIDAY FIVE!
If you’ve lived in Central New York for any length of time, chances are you’ve read Sean Kirst. After 52 years in journalism, Sean continues telling the stories that define our community as a columnist for the Central Current and as Journalist-in-Residence at my Le Moyne College (PHINS UP).
But to me, Sean is more than an accomplished journalist. He’s been a longtime friend and neighbor here in Strathmore. I grew up down the block from Sean, and had the privilege of seeing firsthand the genuine curiosity and kindness he brings to every conversation. Whether he’s writing about a neighborhood tradition, a local hero, or someone whose story might otherwise go untold, Sean has a remarkable gift for making people feel SEEN.
As I pulled together this week’s FRIDAY FIVE, I was reminded that Sean’s impact reaches far beyond Central New York. The Tolkien Society in England credits him with inspiring International Tolkien Reading Day, a tradition now celebrated by readers around the world. It’s such a Sean Kirst story... a simple idea, shared with others, that grew into something LASTING.
For more than five decades, Sean has reminded us that the best stories aren’t always the biggest ones. More often than not, they’re found in our neighborhoods, our families, and the people we pass every day. Central New York is better because he’s spent a lifetime making sure those stories were never forgotten.
Swipe through to see the five things that inspire Sean Kirst.
#fridayfive #syracuse #centralnewyork #journalism #community
Is there a better outdoor music venue in all of Upstate New York?! @empowerfcuamp #upstateny #amphitheater #syracuse #upstatenewyork #lakeview
Two years ago, SUNY Oswego brought me in to capture the campus and the city from a different perspective. At the time, it felt pretty straightforward: create photos and videos that showed prospective students, alumni, and visitors what makes this place SPECIAL.
What I didn’t expect was how much the experience would change MY OWN perspective.
Over the last two years, I’ve watched sunrises over Lake Ontario, walked the campus in the middle of snowstorms, filmed packed student events, and experienced quiet summer mornings with hardly another person around. With every visit, I found myself appreciating Oswego a little more.
The funny part is that my job has always been to help change perceptions through a camera lens. Instead, SUNY Oswego and the Oswego community changed mine. What started as a creative assignment turned into a genuine appreciation for a place filled with great people, traditions, and a sense of community that keeps surprising me.
This reel is a collection of some of my favorite moments from the past two years, but it’s also a reminder that sometimes, when you set out to tell someone else’s story, you end up discovering something yourself along the way.
Thank you, SUNY Oswego, for trusting me to help tell yours! #sunyoswego #oswego #suny #sunyoswegoalumni #aidenmedia
What I would give for you to spend five minutes with him, dad 💔 #grief #loss #daddyandson #missingmydad #loveyoudad
I’ve always loved showing Central New York from a different perspective, so it’s been exciting to collab with the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor on a series of three reels about the Erie Canal.
This is the FIRST one.
I captured these moments during the Boat Float ‘n’ Folk Festival at the Chittenango Landing Boat Museum, where hundreds of kayakers paddled through the Old Erie Canal. Watching that long line of boats wind through history was something special, especially from above.
One thing I didn’t realize until recently is that you don’t have to wait for an event like this to get out on the water. You can launch your own kayak and paddle the Old Erie Canal State Historic Park throughout the season, taking in the same peaceful scenery any day you’d like. Explore paddling on the Erie Canal at @eriecanalway’s website.
I hope these next two reels inspire a few more people to get out and experience this incredible piece of New York history.
#eriecanal #kayaking #centralnewyork #dronephotography #exploreny
We are what we are and we ain’t what we ain’t 💯 that’s why we love it here…🧡#upstateny #syracuse #syracuseny #centralnewyork #upstatenewyork
Something about this NEVER felt right. Trust and believe we haven’t heard the WHOLE story 📺 🍊 #orangenation #carrierdome #jmawirelessdome #netflixdocumentary #espn30for30
We can ALL feel it in the air tonight 😷 #canadianwildfires #upstateny #syracuse #wildfireseason #centralnewyork
Quit bumpin’ your gums 🛒 💨 @wegmans #upstateny #Wegmans #syracuseny #wegmanslife #westernnewyork
IYKYK. Welcome to Upstate New York @syracusenationals 🚕 #upstateny #carculture #classiccars #classiccarshow #syracuse
Best beach = Green Lakes State Park?! Which one is your favorite beach? #upstatenewyork #iloveny #nysparks #greenlakes #greenlakesstatepark
Simply visit a @ocpl_cny and use your library card to check out a free New York State Empire Pass (an $80 value) and visit all the NYS Parks you want this summer for FREE! Save your money! Subject to availability, call ahead to see if your library has one in stock! Also: You must check out the pass, you cannot simply present your library card at the Park… Just saying. #summersavings #greenlakes #iloveny #nysparks #familyfun
I’ll trade two roundabouts for one connecting ramp @nysdoti81 #i81south #syracuse #upstateny #syracuseny #nysdot
It’s the FRIDAY FIVE! SWIPE ⬅️ This week, we’re featuring Syracuse’s own Jeff the Magic Man. Special thanks to our friends at @CrouseHealth for helping bring important stories like Jeff’s to life each and every week in the FRIDAY FIVE!
If you’ve spent any amount of time in Central New York, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Jeff the Magic Man in action. For years, he’s been entertaining kids and families at schools, libraries, malls, and community events all across New York State, creating the kind of memories that stick with people long after the show is over.
As I got to know Jeff better while putting together this week’s FRIDAY FIVE, I came to appreciate just how much of an impact he has made…not just here in Central New York, but within his industry as a whole. This past March, he represented Team USA at Twist and Shout, the International Competition for Balloon Artistry in Las Vegas, bringing home five awards, including the highest honor in the industry: the International Top Twister award.
Only 25 people in the world have ever earned that distinction.
That achievement places Jeff among the top 50 balloon artists in the country and the top 250 globally, a reminder that some of the most talented people in the world are right here in Central New York.
What I admire most about Jeff is that, despite the international recognition, his passion is still rooted in bringing joy to others. There’s something pretty special about someone who has turned making kids laugh, smile, and believe in a little magic into a lifelong calling.
Swipe through to see the five things that inspire Jeff the Magic Man. Thanks again to @crousehealth for bringing Jeff’s story to this week’s edition of the FRIDAY FIVE!
#fridayfive #syracuse #cny #magic #community
