Archive for the ‘Random Fun Stuff’ Category

Guys of ScanDigital Doing the Elf Dance

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Want to know what the guys of ScanDigital were up to over the holidays? Yes, it’s true, they dressed up in elves costumes and busted out in song and dance!

Don’t believe me? Check out the video proof here:
Starring: Anderson Schoenrock, Matthew Stone, Jon De Ring, Chris Coffey and Koa Nuuhiwa

 

How awesomely hilarious is that?!

This video was created by our very own, very talented, Jenny Devirian. What a creative bunch we have working here- definitely contributes to a super fun work environment! Thanks for all the laughs, Jenny- this is hilarious!

Jenny created this video through a really cool site called Jib Jab, which allows you to create other ‘Starring You’ videos. You easily select photos to replace the faces of can-can, disco, soul train or even Chippendale’s dancers. Seriously funny stuff. You easily select the scene, select the photos and you’re good to go. Then you can send the video to your loved ones for a good laugh. So go ahead, make mom a salsa dancer or turn your close group of friends into professional square dancers!

You can also find this video posted to our Facebook fan page – if you haven’t connected with us there, you totally should! Go ahead, BECOME A FAN now!

Our ScanDigital team sure loves our photos and ee love finding unique, fun photo-friendly activities out there. If you ever have a suggestion, feel free to tweet us at @ScanDigital or me personally at @PamelaSD.

 

New Year’s Resolution: Get Organized!

Need help getting your photos and home movies organized as part of your New Year’s Resolution? Clear out those shoeboxes of old photos and bulky video tapes and reel-to-reel film to store digitally instead. Protect your memories and save space at the same time- it’s a win-win. Give our friendly customer service team a call at 888.333.2808 to find out how to get started!

10 Space Saving Holiday Gift Ideas by Jodie Watson

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

jodie watson photo

As we enter this season of giving, it’s a good time to think about what type of gifts are really going to be meaningful and special and not just add more stuff to already overstuffed lives & homes. In a time where our economy is in distress and our budgets are tighter than usual, so many people have experienced having to cut back on luxuries and extras in the past year.  Instead of a typical exchange of gifts, why not consider giving the gift of services, experiences, time or charity to your loved ones that allow them to put some of these back into their lives.  

Maybe your sister wanted to take art classes, but couldn’t afford to.  Purchase a series of classes for her to take in 2010.  Or maybe a married couple you know weren’t able to splurge on a night out for themselves as other family needs took precedence.  You could get them tickets to a theatre show or concert and give a home-made gift certificate offering to babysit for them the night of the event. Have a friend who loves the movies? Buy them a subscription to Netflix or an AMC gift card and schedule a movie night that you can all enjoy together.  

Not only will these gifts bring joy but you are actively participating in helping people manage the overload of stuff that’s constantly coming into their lives.  In fact, there are probably people you know who wanted to get on top of their stuff this year but weren’t in a position to get the help they needed.  Why not buy them a Supreme Organization gift certificate to give them the start they need?  

Spending valuable time with friends and family is not only the best gift of all, but truly gives meaning to the word, ‘thankful’. 

 ~ Jodie ~   

10 Space Saving Holiday Gift Ideas:

Giving gifts that won’t add a ton more stuff to already overstuffed lives is a great way to go this nov giftsholiday season.  

  1. Netflix Subscription – Give this to your favorite movie fanatic! They will love browsing all the movies online, updating their queue and ordering movies they can keep as long as they like all year round.
  2. Tickets- Do some research. Where is your friend’s favorite place to go on the weekends? Whether a museum, sporting event or to the theater, you’ll be sure to please when you have their interests in mind.
  3. Gift Cards – Know your friend’s favorite place to eat, or favorite place to relax? Buy them a night out with their special someone at a romantic restaurant or help them de-stress by sending them to the spa!
  4. Music & Photos – Make your special someone a photo CD of some of your best times together or download music from iTunes and create a CD with songs you know they’ll enjoy.
  5. Day Trips – Purchase an outing that your friend or family member will love.  Visit wine country for some wine tasting or plan a helicopter or boat trip. A day to play is always a great gift for busy, overstressed people.
  6. Theme Parks – For little or big kids (that would be me!) give tickets for Disneyland, Universal Studios, the Zoo or LegoLand. These make great gifts and will have a much greater impact than a toy they’re already bored with by New Year anyway.
  7. Magazine Subscription – If you know your friend goes to Barnes & Noble every few weeks to pick up the latest Vogue Magazine, buy them a subscription! It’s the gift that keeps on giving all year long.  And for kids, consider subscriptions to Time for Kids, or Highlights Magazines.  They will love receiving them every month.
  8. Classes - Tennis lessons, swim classes, piano or guitar lessons, scrapbooking or art classes.  These are all great ideas that will enrich the life of the person you give them to.
  9. Flowers & Fruit – Fresh flowers always bring joy to the recipient and you can’t go wrong with a beautiful basket of fresh, seasonal fruits that are healthy and delicious.  Definitely a welcome treat after all the holiday candy!
  10. Baked Goods – Nothing’s better than a little love in the tummy! Bake your loved ones their favorite cookies or brownies and decorate them with holiday flare

Contact Jodie Watson:

If you have any questions, would like to schedule a free professional organizing telephone consultation, or would like Jodie Watson to speak at your next corporate function, group meeting, social event, or retreat, call at (818) 590-7800. You can also contact Jodie on Facebook and Twitter or visit her website at Supreme Organization.

90210 Films Outside ScanDigital Office: Behind the Scenes Photos!

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

IMG_3822

There’s so much commotion outside of ScanDigital’s office today! Why? Because the hit TV show 90210 is filming at the restaurant Second City Bistro, which will appear as an Indian restaurant on screen, right outside our offices. The whole street is shut off and jam packed with people, equipment and trucks. So our parking lot was overtaken with production gear, Craft Service food truck is parked right outside my window and if you open our front door, you can see the entire scene. And yes, I did get a glimpse of Lori Loughlin, a huge highlight for someone raised on Full House!

You never realize just how much goes into a show. There are tons of people, each with their own role. I’ve met the Craft Services guy who helps with the food truck, the truck driver/equipment loader, extras, the medic and even the stand-in painter.

IMG_3819Here’s a photo behind the scenes of the medic, known as the ‘Band-aid Man’ and the stand-in Painter, who’s responsible for transforming yellow fire hydrants to red and touching up any damage the equipment may cause. Oh and he uses special liquids to block the reflection on windows that may appear in the background. And that’s the official call-sheet that he’s holding.

Our entire parking lot is filled with huge equipment trucks. Check out this photo with Troy in IMG_3817the bottom left corner, a driver responsible for transporting and setting up all the equipment. Super cool guy, even shared some stories of when he work on the original Beverly Hills 90210. Guess Luke, better known as ‘Dylan’ from the original series used to get chased down the street by his crazy female fans. Shouldn’t be much of a surprise!

IMG_3829Everyone on set is super nice, especially the Location Manager who made sure our office was taken care of throughout all the chaos. He even told our entire office to help ourselves to the refreshments. See a picture of him the back of his head to the right while talking to securtity. Apparently he’s camera shy.

Shameless ScanDigital plug- Everyone on set loves ScanDigital and wanted brochures to convert their old photos, videos and reel-to-reel film to digital format. After being asked for more information, I happily grabbed a few- but had to go back in for a huge stack as everyone IMG_3825wanted one!

All this work for a 30 second clip. Yes, 30 SECONDS. Regardless of how short, I can’t wait to see it air on TV!

As always, you can find me on Twitter at @PamelaSD. Come say hi.

Meet our Photo Contest Grand Prize Winner! (Congrats, Heather!)

Monday, November 16th, 2009

halloween photo contest heather howell Last week, we announced our Halloween Photo Contest Winners and introduced you to Mary Ginger Crites, our second place winner. Now, I’d like to introduce our grand prize winner, Heather Howell!! She scored a Nikon Coolpix Digital Camera (and a BONUS prize!) for her winning photo of her daughter dressed as a ladybug. Congrats, Heather!

I had a chance to chat with Heather after she was notified as the winner. Get to know Heather below:

So tell me a bit about yourself, I know our audience will love to know more about our winner.

Heather from upstate NY, I am married to a great guy and we have 2 boys (ages 7 & 5) and 2 girls (ages 3 & 1).

How did you hear about ScanDigital’s photo contest?

My husband asked a question on Twitter about getting videos scanned and ScanDigital answered it. 

How did you decide which photo to enter?

It was my favorite from this year’s Halloween. 

Please describe your winning photo.

It’s my 3 year old daughter Jamie at her preschool Halloween celebration (the fire alarm went off and we had to leave the building so all the parents started snapping pictures). She was pretty smiley and I got a lot of group shots but this is the only picture I got where she was the main focus. 

Who took this photo?halloween heather howell

Me 

How did you rally so many votes?

My husband and I asked our friends and family who do Facebook to vote and some of them also spread the word.

What were your thoughts along the way? Did it make you nervous that the race was so close?

At first I thought we wouldn’t be able to win but we sent out a last minute plea the day the contest ended.

What was your first reaction when you won?

Yay, I really wanted the camera! Now my husband and I can each have our own.

Now that you’ve won the Nikon Coolpix camera, how do you plan to use it?

I will keep it in my bag when I go out so that I will have a camera handy when the kids do something funny or cute. No parent should be without a digital camera! 

And just out of my own curiosity- Have you heard of ScanDigital before? Have you used our service?

No but my husband has been wanting to. He set up an account and plans to send you a home movie to get digitized. He also has some of his dad’s old slides from the Korean War that he wants scanned. 

 

Thanks, Heather for taking the time to share your win with me. It’s great to put a face to the winning photo! And glad to hear the digital camera will be put to good use!

By the time you read this, you will have received the package in the mail. Meaning you will have found your BONUS PRIZE, a gift card to get some of your husband’s home movies and slides converted to DVD. We couldn’t help ourselves… Hope you enjoy it!!

Halloween Photo Contest Winners Announced!

Friday, November 13th, 2009

halloween photo contest mary critesAfter a very close race with many back-and-forth moments, we crowned our Halloween Photo Contest first and second place winners! Both winners had amazing photos that summed up what Halloween is all about. So, without any further ado, drum roll please… the 2nd place winner, who wins a $100 ScanDigital Gift Card, is… Mary Ginger Crites!! And the first place winner, who won a Nikon Coolpix Digital Camera is… Heather Howell!!

In honor of our winners, I asked to interview both of them on their win. First up, Mary Ginger Crites. See her winning photo to the left.

But before we get started, I’d like to give a big thanks to all of you who entered and to those of you who voted on your favorite photo. So happy you all participated!

Please introduce yourself to our audience- your name, where you’re from, etc.

My name is Mary “Ginger” Crites, and I live in Virginia, not far from the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I enjoy hiking, taking pictures, attending cultural events at Virginia Tech, football games, and volunteer work.

How did you hear about ScanDigital’s photo contest?

I got an email from ScanDigital about the photo contest and thought it would be fun to enter.  The picture I entered was taken on Saturday evening, October 31, 2009. 

How did you decide which photo to enter?

I decided on the picture to enter the next day because so many people were commenting on my costume “Senior citizen Glamour Witch” was so different.

Who is this photo of and where was it taken?

The picture, is of myself, getting ready to go to a costume party.  I dressed up as a “Glamour Witch”  and my neighbor took the picture. 

What were your thoughts along the way? Did it make you nervous that the race was so close?

When I got the notification that I was a finalist, I went on  ScanDigital’s Facebook and entered my information and then I posted on my page to go to ScanDigital and vote for me. I was gone most of the day on Wednesday (the last day of voting) and when I got home I checked and saw that I was in 2nd place.  My thoughts were, if I would stay there it would be fine with me.

What was your first reaction when you won?

I was excited to win the $100 gift card and I will be using it to convert more slides and pictures to digital.

Now that you’ve won the $100 Gift Card, how do you plan to use it?

I have used ScanDigital in the past, to convert slides and pictures to CD’s and have been very pleased with their services.

What was your experience using our company?

 I can now view my old slides and pictures on my computer and they are top-notch quality.  I was amazed how quickly the turnaround was and it is so nice to be able to get on to the ScanDigital web site and look at the pictures another plus service that ScanDigital offers. I would say, if you have not tried ScanDigital, GIVE THEM A TRY!

 

Awww, Mary, you’re too sweet. Folks, I swear I didn’t make her say that! Just happy it sounds like she’ll be putting her prize to good use.

Congrats again, Mary! What a great costume!

Halloween Photo Contest!

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

halloween_pumpkinHave a great photo that represents what Halloween is all about?!  The best Halloween photo wins a Nikon Coolpix Digital Camera!!

Halloween, like most holidays, is just another HUGE reason to take photos. And now you have the chance to win really sweet prizes just for submitting your favorite photo from years past or this coming year.

nikon coolpixPRIZES:gift card

1st Place Winner- Nikon Coolpix S70 14.5MP Digital Camera

2nd Place Runner Up- $100 ScanDigital Gift Card

 

 TO ENTER:

Here’s how super simple it is to enter-

          1. Submit your photo by email to Halloween@scandigital.com by Sunday, November 1st

                    Include:

                    a)     A short caption for your photo describing the scene

                    b)    Your contact information- name and email address

           2. Post the following on Twitter or Facebook:

Just entered @ScanDigital ‘s Halloween Photo Contest to win a Nikon Coolpix Camera & $100 Gift Card! Details: http://bit.ly/1X9gsI

Your photo can be any Halloween related- carving pumpkins, dressed up in costume, eating candy, decorating with spider webs, etc- anything Halloween related is eligible! So dig out a favorite photo from past years or plan to take a super special one this weekend.

halloween-witch-silhouette-eps-thumb2751713

Here’s how your photo will be judged:

-Creativity & Uniqueness

-Entertainment Factor: anything funny gets bonus points.

- Quality, Authenticity and Attention to Detail: Anyone who really looks like their character, quality photos (e.g. not blurry), candid photos, etc are all preferred. 

 

*Limited to 1 photo per person. Emails with more than one photo submission will not be eligible. ScanDigital employees are not eligible (bummer).

If you have any questions at all, please call us at 888.333.2808, leave it as a comment below, contact us on Twitter at @ScanDigital or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/scandigital.

All finalists will be notified Monday morning. Stay tuned and good luck!

Happy Halloween!!

Viral Video: Photo-synthesis!

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

n627377570_1706328_3500Just for fun, Jon, our video pro made an animated scene using leftover photo and home movie materials. As you’ll see, oval-cut pictures formed the cloud, old slides became the rain, a reel of film posed as the sun and strips of negatives created the flower’s stem. Creativity at its best!

Check it out here and see below for Jon’s interview:

Warning: no customer memories were harmed in the making of this video.

 

 

How did you go about creating this video?

I took old pieces of media that we had lying around our office, and formed a scene that showed a flower growing. I used photos reels of film negatives and slides to create this scene.

Have you ever made something like this before?

I have never made any stop frame animation- I have made other videos but nothing like this.

What was the most difficult part?

Honestly, nothing was very difficult, just very tedious…every frame i had to move every object to create realism and make the video smooth

What was your favorite part of making this video?

My favorite part of this movie is the last scene where the bird comes in from right to left. I think the bird is a nice touch and worked out very well.

How did you come up with the name of the video?

Photosynthesis? I thought it would be a good name because it is describing what is happening in the video and in the word “photo” is involved and that is what materials I’ve used in this film.

Any other thoughts?

 I can’t wait to make more of these videos, they are very fun!

 

As always, if you have any questions about ScanDigital’s service to have your old photos and home movies converted to digital format- please contact us by phone at 888.333.2808 or by email at info@scandigital.com.

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