Dan Eldon Blog

Chronicle Books Joins the Hands-On Revolution

2011-11-18T02:58:09+00:00

The Chronicle Books Blog mentions DEP, the On Revolution and the latest Dan Eldon book, a biography geared towards children called Dan Eldon: Safari as a Way of Life. Get your copy today and be inspired to change the world!

DEP Look Book Photo Shoot

2011-07-20T17:42:38+00:00

Dan Eldon Project Fall/Holiday 2011 Look Book Photo Shoot
By Alisa Damaso

Since some folks don't know what goes into a photo shoot, we decided to post a blog about Dan Eldon Project's Fall/Holiday 2011 catalog photo shoot back in February.

Jason Bleick, creative director of the Dan Eldon Project line, called me to help out with the garments for the shoot – although, my duties increased as the day went on.

Call time was 8am at the Eldon beach house. When I arrived, Kathy Eldon and Jeff Skene (DEP graphic designer) were out retrieving the unnamed Deziree look-alike Land Rover from the auto repair shop, and Jonathan Bernard, Executive VP at Creative Visions and and old friend of Dan's from the International School of Kenya, was out for a hike. Jason, the models, Peter and Danica, and the makeup artist, Dehx, were all there preparing for the shoot.

Jason ushered me into the dining room where, hanging on a collapsible clothing rack, folded in boxes and laid out on the table – were the new garments for the DEP Spring and Fall collections. I had seen digital images and swatches of fabrics at a previous meeting, but now they'd come to life, and I was gazing upon and touching the prototypes with my own hands. The designs, fabrics and colors for the new seasons are phenomenal – there's even a re-print of an original design that Dan had created, screen-printed, and sold himself back at ISK --

The new DEP line consists of mens and womens crew-necks, boat necks and v-necks, hooded long-sleeves, thermal sweaters and cozy hoodies. Jason completed outfits by styling them with jeans, trousers and accessories from his excellent clothing line, Ever.

Marc Weintraub, DEP co-founder (and my recruiter – he's the reason I'm now working with DEP), arrived a few minutes after the crew left to start shooting. Marc and I crossed the highway to the overgrown lot where a set of alluring, dilapidated small buildings were being used as a backdrop for the photo shoot. The paint was peeling off, brush and vines were overgrown and there was graffiti on the wall. It was very old and rustic; Dan would have loved it.

Marc and I stood back in observation. Danica posed with a wood carving of a star and moon image, called the "Eye of a Dhow", one of Dan's favorite icons, which he used in his Mkebe shirt design above. The dhow is an Arab sailing ship, and the eyes were placed on the front of the ship essentially to see through bad weather, for good luck.

Soon, Kathy pulled up in her Prius with a tank pulling in behind her -- the 1974 Land Rover which was being helmed by Jeff. All of us were in awe. [Check out Jeff's account of retrieving the behemoth here].

I climbed on top of the Old Steel Dinosaur, as Jeff dubbed it, and Kathy snapped a few photos.

It was a beautiful, warm day – Kathy called it “Kenya weather”. How great!

The photo shoot was simple, practical and whimsical – as opposed to an expensive, huge, elaborate production. The crew kept with the spirit of Dan and focused on the journey before thinking about the destination.

I took some behind-the-scenes photos with my Minolta 35mm film manual SLR – photos from which I used in my journal entry about the shoot.

The photographer, Felipe Dupouy, used a Canon R2 1DS camera with Zeiss lenses and a sophisticated flash attachment. He took advantage of the natural light provided by the cloudless sky, which made for some amazing images. Felipe's assistant and good friend, Pat, held a reflector for the shots.

When the sun was past its highest point, I helped Kathy prepare some brunch for everyone – fresh spinach salad, chicken, and some delicious Thai food from the place across the street.

We heard the shoot was going great – until park rangers came and almost arrested the team for trespassing the un-gated lot, although there were no signs indicating the space was private property. Regardless, without letting anyone explain, the cops wrote out tickets. Kathy, Marc and I were back at the house when we got the news.

After getting kicked off the apparent “private government property”, the crew reorganized back at the house to recharge and eat, and to figure out what to do about a location. Jason's gal, a very-pregnant and lovely Selma Blair, came by to visit and have lunch with us. Her calming presence was a relief from the speed bump the crew had just experienced with the fuzz.

Kathy suggested the team shoot on her property, which actually worked out quite wonderfully. They moved the Land Rover by an overgrown area on the beach behind the house and got some really great shots from there, and also shot at various spots around the Eldon home.

Such a successful shoot yielding amazing results! The Look Book will be out soon, so check back for details!

Photography by Felipe Dupouy – http://www.felipedupouy.com/
Makeup by Dehx Starr – http://www.dehx.com/
Wardrobe by DEP and Ever – http://www.ever-us.com/

Creative Visions Foundation Fellows

2011-07-12T02:26:16+00:00

Check out CVF's Fellows --

XO Moms

2011-05-06T15:25:27+00:00

We at the Dan Eldon Project are proud to announce that Creative Visions Foundation is creating an important new campaign and movement called XO Moms.

We hope that XO MOMS will create a passionate community of extraordinary mothers who are making a difference in the world around them.

The XO MOMS Viral Video Player is our vehicle for storytelling so that people around the world can pay tribute to extraordinary mothers.

We write today in hopes that with your blog, website, Facebook network and Twitter following, you can help us spread the word.

Below are the facts and a small viral video player that can be embedded on your site and will have fresh new content daily...

The message for your reader is quite simple really:

1) WATCH the inspiring video(s) on the XO MOMS Viral Video Player at www.creativevisions.org/moms
2) SUBMIT a short video and tell us about an extraordinary mom or mother figure in your life.
3) SHARE the viral video player with friends & family via email, blog posts, Facebook, Twitter
4) TUNE IN for "Extraordinary Moms" this Saturday on the Oprah Winfrey Network at 8/7c.

Celebrating inspirational stories will SAVE LIVES.

For every 20 times the XOMOMS Video Player is viewed, Humanity International will provide a mosquito net to a mother in need in Ghana to prevent Malaria.

"Extraordinary Moms" airs this Saturday, May 7th at 8/7c on OWN (with scheduled repeats.)

The documentary, "Extraordinary Moms" was executive-produced by Creative Visions Founders Kathy Eldon & Amy Eldon Turteltaub, and also by Julia Roberts, who hosts. Jacoba Atlas and Kyra Thompson produced this remarkable one hour film that features Hillary Clinton, Christiane Amanpour, Rosie O'Donnell and others as they open up about motherhood and what it means to them.

It is truly fantastic. We are very proud of this documentary!

Also, please like XOMOMS on facebook at XOMoms, and f

ollow XOMOMS on twitter at @xomoms.

The Stavros Band’s Song for Dan Eldon

2011-05-05T16:41:48+00:00

This song, called "For Dan -- Neverland", was written for Kathy Eldon by her cousin, Sam Stavros, as a tribute to Dan Eldon. Below is a short article about the Metropark USA-Stavros Band event at Victoria Gardens in April.

The Stavros Band at Victoria Gardens
by Sam Stavros

This April, Creative Visions, Metropark USA and The Stavros Band combined as the Stavros Band performed live at the huge outdoor shopping mall Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga. The band’s song, “For Dan – Neverland”, drew huge applause from the crowd, which was touched by singer/songwriter Sam Stavros’ explanation of the lyrics.

“Dan Eldon is my cousin and I wrote that song for his mother Kathy Eldon as a comfort to her and a tribute to Dan Eldon. He was a great photo-journalist and artist, but more important he was an activist that used his immense creative talents, passion, and energy to affect positive change in the world. Dan’s sister Amy and his mother Kathy are continuing his work. I play the guitar and can use what creativity I have to help my cousins stimulate creative activism inspired by Dan Eldon.”

The band wore Dan Eldon T-shirts that are sold at DanEldon.com and Metropark USA stores. Sales from the clothes go to help support Creative Visions, the foundation created by Kathy and Amy.

Keith Dilley, the manager at the Metorpark store at Victoria Gardens, attended the show and was very enthusiastic about the music and the clothes. “Dan Eldon’s story is so inspiring and our whole staff at the store has been excited by him. “The Journey is the Destination,” is a great thought, we are really fortunate to carry this line of quality and inspirational clothes.”

Julia Martinez, the assistant manager of Metropark, said, “I am excited to see events like this with the Stavros Band that keep interest and excitement alive in the Dan Eldon clothes and story.”

The Stavros Band: L-R Sam Stavros, Keith Dilley, Jeff Mayer, BJ Rogers

Spring Style

2011-05-04T05:34:35+00:00

Looks like the Dan Eldon Project and the TOMS Dan Eldon line are hot trends this Spring! Fashionable folks realize purchasing with purpose is the way to go. Check out our mention on You Knew Blog --

Screening of “Happy” at Pepperdine University

2011-04-20T02:07:56+00:00

Attention Los Angelinos! There will be a free screening of the documentary film "Happy" at Pepperdine University this Thursday, April 21st at 7pm in the Elkins Auditorium in Malibu, followed by a Q&A with Academy Award-nominated director Roko Belic.

The film deals with many of the fundamental issues we face in today’s society: how do we balance the allure of money, fame and social status with our needs for good relationships, health and a sense of fulfillment?

The Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture Screens Final Movie of 2010-11 Season, Happy

Academy Award-nominated director Roko Belic will present a sneak preview of his feature-length documentary Happy at Pepperdine’s Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture (EMC) on Thursday, Apr. 21 as the final film screening of the 2010-11 academic year. The film follows Belic’s journey across five continents as he weaves together deeply personal stories. The free screening will begin at 7 p.m.in Elkins Auditorium, Malibu, followed by a Q&A with Belic.

According to Belic, Happy is more than a movie—it’s a movement. “My hope is that the film not only helps individuals find peace and contentment, but also that their personal happiness will lead to a more generous, more aware and more compassionate world,” he says.

The inspiration came from executive producer Tom Shadyac—Pepperdine professor and director/producer for Liar, Liar, Patch Adams, and Bruce Almighty, as well as the new documentary, I Am—who in 2005 gave Belic a New York Times article that ranked the United States 23rd on its list of “happiest countries.” Shadyac challenged Belic to make a documentary investigating the origins of human happiness and why the U.S.had ranked so low.

Belic’s documentary was supported by Creative Visions Foundation, which was founded by Maliburesidents Kathy Eldon and Amy Eldon Turteltaub to empower “Creative Activists” who use media and the arts to create positive change in the world.

“We’re so thrilled to highlight the best of Malibu—filmmakers like Roko Belic and foundations like Creative Visions model the creativity and purpose we seek to instill in our students,” says EMC director Craig Detweiler. “Happy will be a grand finale to our school year.”

For more information about this event, contact the EMC at (310) 506-6314 or visit the EMC website.

For more information about the film, go to http://thehappymovie.com/

Blake Mycoskie wearing Dan Eldon Project

2011-04-20T01:31:37+00:00

Check out Blake Mycoskie, creator of Toms Shoes, in one of our Dan Eldon Project t-shirts!

TEDxTeen Talk with Kathy and Amy

2011-04-14T18:08:23+00:00

Kathy Eldon and Amy Eldon Turteltaub discussed Dan Eldon's philosophy, 'Safari as a Way of Life' @ TEDxteen in NYC two weeks ago. Click on the image below to watch the video.

Last Days of our 40% Off Sale!

2011-04-03T23:43:25+00:00

We are getting our Spring 2011 line in next week, and the last day of our big 40% Off Sale is this coming Friday, April 8th. If you haven't taken advantage of these amazing prices, do so now before it's too late! Click on the flier to shop.