Build it and they will come, on a “wing” and a prayer…

One of the most amazing days of my life and by far the most remarkable day of my professional career; the ground breaking of the Little Caesars Arena. What looked absolutely impossible, finally looked possible when hundreds of people showed up to support the Ilitch family vision by attending this event in a vacant dirt covered parking lot, in an abandoned area of Detroit, where the future arena for The Detroit Red Wings would be built.

That day gave all the employees of The District Detroit, Olympia Development and Ilitch Holdings a huge breath of fresh air and so much hope to keep working towards the Ilitch goal…to revitalize Detroit! We were all on a high that day and as I look back on the photographs from that day, I’m amazed that I was able to be a part of such a spectacular and historic event. Over the 5 years that I spent documenting, story telling and creating content for The District Detroit, I learned so much about perseverance and was reminded that anything is possible when you truly believe. I’m so grateful to have contributed to the documentation of this amazing project and to see my hometown brought back to life. Being part of the Ilitch team will always be a highlight in my life. The energy of this day was vivacious, the weather was spectacular; the blue skies had everyone’s energy on high as the crowd was filled with politicians, athletes, sports fans, children and people of all faiths and cultures believing in Detroit again. It was Detroit at its best and that is why it will always standout as one of the most exuberant days of my life. Simply put, this day was a game changer. Faith was growing in this project and The Spirit of Detroit was gaining momentum. We created some amazing photographs that day that will be celebrated forever as Detroit began its rebirth right in front of our eyes.

Brand identity, think outside the “pizza” box…

The revitalization of Detroit was an amazing project to be a part of and watch unfold. When I went into the majestic Fox Theatre to photograph my first event there, I was mesmerized with the intricate designs on every door, wall and ceiling. The nostalgia of all the events that have come through this venue since it’s creation in 1928 and how this beautiful building withstood Detroit’s dark days is amazing.

The spirit of Detroit is definitely alive in the walls of this majestic theatre. The Ilitich Group announced on this day that they would be building their new Little Caesars world headquarters right next to the beautiful Fox Theatre. To watch the Ilitch Group breathe life into this city one breath at a time was so inspiring and wonderful to witness. How amazing that it all started with one “pizza pizza” for this family.

Capture their story…

The Detroit Red Wings Economic Club Luncheon

Promoting The District Detroit on Instagram with Detroit Red Wings at a Detroit Economic Club event caught people's interest. It took many events like this for us to build the brand and to create content with. The Red Wings were given a tour of the area and people began talking about their future arena and the excitement started to build. Documenting these events and creating stock photography helped the brand come alive and the buzz through our Instagram feed started to sizzle.

At that time all we had was an Instagram account and a very small group of followers because Instagram was fairly new. We pushed through and kept building the brand by creating & posting intriguing content, consistently. Eventually, through Instagram posts, we had created a following, engagement was increasing and people were cheering for Detroit again! That’s the power of social media in this digital era.

The Rejuvenation of Detroit, The “D” comes alive…

Wow, it was truly incredible to witness and be involved in the amazing transformation happening in Detroit. Over the course of 5 years, I had the opportunity to document numerous events for The District Detroit, as the Ilitch family brought the city to life with talented individuals and impressive projects. Their vision and dedication to revitalizing our city have forever inspired me. Each event we captured was fueled by hope and hard work, as this rebuild was a risky venture that ultimately paid off thanks to determination and the tenacity of Detroit. Now, we all get to enjoy the fruits of this labor and celebrate everything our fantastic city has to offer. New York Public Radio stated, ”The revival of Detroit is now recognized as the most significant comeback story in the country!” I am truly blessed to be a Detroiter myself, born and raised.

The Rebranding of Detroit, Little Caesars Arena Grand Opening…

I am a storyteller and I love to capture stories for my clients to build their brand. Case in point, the Little Caesars Arena grand opening for The District Detroit, Ilitch Group. This was a 5 year long process of documenting the vacant lot, the ground breaking, job fairs and bid pack meetings to the final grand opening celebration.

Finally, the first project in The District Detroit was completed. When I laid my eyes on the Little Caesars Arena for the first time in a couple months, with the electricity lighting up the signs and most of the exterior completed I literally almost fell over! I was elated and was laughing with joy with my co-worker. It literally took my breath away and I was exuberated with glee. To witness this project come into completion and to see all the people coming to walk through it for the first time was so incredibly humbling and invigorating all at the same time. It was comparable to watching your child do something so amazing and being so proud. It was official, Detroit was breathing again and the people showed up and the people celebrated! The energy in the building was incredible as the ceiling above the ice was dancing to the music with a fabulous light show like I had never witnessed before. Detroit was alive and everywhere you looked cameras were clicking to capture this extraordinary creation! Forever grateful for this experience. A day I will never forget.

As a designer and artist, plus a huge Detroit fan, I loved hearing all the stories and the meaning behind so many of the designs of The Little Caesars Arena. My favorite design element was how they incorporated the actual letters from from the old Detroit Olympia stadium, an arena that was the home of the Detroit Red Wings from 1927 until 1979, into the new arena. I believe mixing this amazing piece of nostalgia with the modern technology of the building was a brilliant addition to the stadium and for fans and families that have been around for generations of Red Wing hockey. We heard that one of the original letters was broken and had to be recreated to match the existing letters to complete this design. Pretty fascinating bit of information and you can’t tell which letter was recreated. If you want to know which letter was remade, shoot me an email.

Let your light shine on…

Step by step, Detroit was coming to life, this time it was one light bulb at a time including 4,381 feet of new neon glass tubing being restored to the marquee sign on The Fox Theatre. That’s almost a mile of neon re-energizing The District Detroit, drawing positive energy downtown as The Ilitch Family spared no expense illuminating this historic landmark that has been on Woodward Avenue since 1928.

This event had a small gathering of people cheering outside, but what I will cherish most was the memory of watching Mr and Mrs Ilitch sitting in their car, quietly watching their son as he flipped the switch on the new marquee sign. Sadly, Mr I passed away shortly after this event and before the arena was completed. Every event I shot for the Ilitch family I always reminded myself that I was working for a family who started with one pizza place that my family would order pizza from almost every Friday night when I was a child. I carried a photo of that pizza place on my cell phone to remind myself of who I was working for and to attempt to shoot from a place of gratitude and integrity. I will always keep that photo on my cell phone to remind myself that anything is possible and to dream big!