Creative Canvas Productions

07/02/2024

Bridget B Sullivan is putting the Executive Director hat back on! 🎩

In 2023, Eventful Expressions NPC was founded as a 501c3 non-profit organization committed to creating engaging festivals and educational events that foster community connections.

The first initiative supported the expansion of the Annual Charlotte Chalk Art Festival (CCAF), a project we created and will continue to produce.

The goal is to enhance Eventful Expressions NPC's impact as a community builder, uniting individuals to celebrate creativity, collaboration, and inclusivity.

This role presents an opportunity to assemble a team of passionate individuals, including Advisory Board Members and ad hoc committee members, to support this year's festival in October and shape programming for 2025 and beyond.

🌟 Bridget will continue to serve a small number of clients as an event producer, with capacity for two more. 🌟

The remaining capacity allows her to combine events industry expertise with a fresh approach, focusing on innovative ways to support communities.

Resharpening her non-profit skills in this way will also allow her to serve more people and make a much more meaningful difference.

06/06/2024

Do you have a Small Business Center near you?

I stumbled upon the Central Piedmont Small Business Center back in 2014 during my WordPress learning and Charlotte Tech networking days.

Did you know Central Piedmont Community College's Small Business Center "provides the local business community tuition-based courses, a non-degree certificate program, networking events, free seminars, no-cost counseling, and a business resource library."

Last year, I was fortunate to take the Equity In Contracting course facilitated by Edwards,, MPA of Civility Localized.

This certification program was presented by the center in collaboration with Wells Fargo's funding.

It's another gift that keeps on giving, and I'm for the opportunity to sign up for a new headshot.

05/17/2024

Some clients just need a pa system for their events, and we're happy to assist them with the basics.

Using smaller portable systems like this one allows us to create an affordable package offering for indoor and outdoor events.

Thank you to Erayna Sargent, owner of Hooky Wellness, for the opportunity to service your audio production and technical support needs.

This Catch Your Breath event was held in collaboration with the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Foundation.

📸 Bridget B Sullivan, Nix & a Hooky Wellness team member. 📸

05/10/2024

Happy National Small Business Day!

Join me in Celebrating the self-employed and those with startups. Appreciating individuals with big ideas and the drive to make them come true. Applauding the small businesses run by individuals with true grit and heart who willed themselves to succeed.

Cheers to all the Small Business Owners, and especially the ones I've had the great pleasure of spending quality time with or worked with directly. 😁

05/09/2024

The Charlotte Chalk Art Festival Registration Portal for Food & Beverage Vendor Applications is Now Open.

Use the Link In Our Bio or this one: https://www.eventeny.com/events/vendor/?id=19043

We look forward to reviewing your application.

05/03/2024

The Charlotte Chalk Art Festival Registration Portal for Artisans & Exhibitors is Now Open.

EARLY BIRD price available until July 1st. Use the Link In the festival bio

We look forward to reviewing your application.

04/29/2024

Our Charlotte Chalk Art Festival Vendor Application goes live on our Eventeny page starting 🌟May 2nd🌟. A link to the applications will be in our bio on that day.
🤝🏻
We'll have Early Bird Rates, so keep an eye on our social media posts and turn on notifications.
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We are the creators and producers of . Our sponsors include:
➡️ NoDa Brewing Company North End, our Venue Sponsor.
➡️ Eventful Expressions NPC, our 501c3 Fiscal Sponsor.
➡️ Jerrys Artarama Charlotte, our Chalk Sponsor.
🤝🏻

03/30/2024

Our 🔦 Women's History Month Spotlight continues with Sonya Carey, CEO of The Animation Lounge.

Sonya is a glass ceiling breaker in the male-dominated world of animation, where she became an expert compositor and a pipeline specialist.

Her technical animation credits include Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", "The Proud Family Movie", and even "Winnie the Pooh".

"Born in London and raised in Jamaica and then Canada, Sonya’s worldly and diverse upbringing has fueled her creativity."

"In college, she majored in Drama and began to shape her career as a technical artist focusing on lighting and sound. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles and took an interest in animation. She taught herself and then landed her first job as a compositor on the “Ren and Stimpy” show, and her career took off from there. Which included running her own animation studio, Portfolio Entertainment."

Now, with her 25+ "years of experience at the top of the animation industry as an artist and producer, Sonya is sharing her knowledge through teaching."

"Carey is the founder and lead trainer of The Animation Lounge, where she helps aspiring animators refine their skills and prepares them to work in professional studio settings."

"One of the films she produced: We Imagine…. Us: The Animated Series – Ep. 1 “Anahí’s Story”, takes a look at the positive side of immigration and what the world would be like if we embraced immigrants."

"This film honors Sonya’s father, who was turned away from most jobs when they first immigrated to Canada. He ultimately found his own way to support a multitude of family members around the world with his big blue taxi."

"The film was made by a talented team of black, underemployed artists and production crew that Sonya mentors."

Excerpts: Creators For The Culture ( 📸 ) & Industrial Brothers Artist Profile

03/20/2024

Our 🔦 Women's History Month Spotlight continues with Anca Platon Anca Platon Trifan, CMP, DES, WMEP, a founder, dynamic CEO, creator, & event producer of , a company integrating Futuristic AV Production, Innovative AI Technology, Thriving Audiences, & Empowered Teams to transform event experiences.

She started in Radio while growing up in Romania & "taught herself about equipment and programming all through college."

Anca moved to the U.S. & focused her learning on AV production. She attended training in New Jersey on a scholarship & even coiled cables for a while.

A move to the West Coast afforded her an opportunity to work at a production company where she learned everything she could "by organizing the warehouse and creating a system for checking equipment in and out and quality testing it.

In "A Band of Female Event Producers", an Industry News article posted on Smart Meetings online publication, Anca said; “I learned about the gear before I ever had a chance to use it in a production setting,”

She also said; “I had to teach myself a lot of things because no one else would teach me..."

During her journey, while living in LA, she found herself "mixing live sound for A-lister celebrities like Corinne Bailey Rae, Linkin Park, Snoop Dogg, and the legendary Michael Jackson, just to name-drop a few."

After burnout, she reinvented herself by "diving into the corporate and fundraising scene in Portland, OR and went on to launch her company,Tree-Fan Events, a woman-owned boutique event production agency."

Reaching back to her radio days, she now hosts & and produces the Events: demystified podcast, which opened up several doors of opportunity.

She also nurtures "two incredible communities: Women Behind The Scenes in Events (prod + tech) and Fit Mindful Mavens with a mission to "empower event professionals with the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive, mentally and physically, no matter how challenging the event cycle might be."

📸 Smart Meetings/Excerpts: Smart Meetings & Event Planner News

03/19/2024

Did you know?

Our lead motion graphics designer, Melvin, is also an artist, and you can see more of his work on Instagram or on his artist website, ArtByMelvinDNix.com.

Now you do.

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03/15/2024

Our 🔦 Women's History Month Spotlight continues with one of the first Black Women Animators.

Brenda Banks "blazed a quiet trail through the animation world, building up an impressive resume in an industry where few Black women had succeeded before."

"She started her career as an animator for DePatie-Freleng in the early 1970s, working on a pair of Flip Wilson TV specials and Dr. Seuss’ The Hoober-Bloob Highway (1975).

Brenda was the head animator of the goons in the Ralph Bakshi movie Wizards (1977), animated for Lord of The Rings (1978), and served as a character layout artist on The Simpsons and King of the Hill, and animated for Daffy Duck's Quackbusters in 1988."

"Whatever studio she found herself at, be it Hanna-Barbera or Warner Bros., Banks was remembered for her kindness and humor. Many also described her as quiet — shy, even — and immensely talented. She animated well and fast.

She was never interviewed.

Brenda Banks died in December of 2020

Excerpts from Cartoon Brew. 📷 Animation Magazine

03/11/2024

🔦 Women's History Month Spotlight.🔦

Carolyn E. Howell, President and CEO of USA, has been a "highly visible and well-respected member of the events industry for over two decades."

Her company "creates and produces unique events and experiences that allow her clients to recognize, reward, and retain the valuable talent that they employ."

"Carolyn has been the creative energy behind more than 2,600 successful events ranging from company outings, team building events, employee appreciation events, client appreciation experiences, executive board retreats, conferences, meetings, formal receptions, and more."

Recognized most recently as an International SHE Awards Honoree - Ladies In Business, Dubai, UAE, and an ICABA Women of Impact Honoree, Carolyn also serves on numerous boards.

This week, we celebrate Carolyn E. Howell, a seasoned events industry professional, during Women's History Month.

📷: https://eventsusa.com
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03/07/2024

🔦 Our first Women's History Month Spotlight.

We're shining the light on a woman in animation we've seen rise through the ranks of this male-dominated field.

Sze Jones is a Character Creation Pipeline Specialist for video games and cinematics.

She graduated with a Master of Fine Arts, majoring in Computer Graphics at William Paterson University. To further her art studies, she attended numerous local art schools and workshops including the School of Visual Arts, Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, Gnomon School of Special Effects, and Otis College early in her career.

Best known for creating iconic heroine characters for some of the interactive industry’s best-selling titles, Sze was the character modeling supervisor and senior artist at where she implemented and managed the character modeling pipeline for eight years.

Notable characters she created include Lara Croft for Tomb Raider Underworld; Beatrice for Dante Inferno; Anders and Sebrina for Halo Wars; Twilek, Jedi Consular and Bounty Hunter for Star Wars: The Old Republic; Dark Elf Sorceress for Warhammer: The Age of Reckoning; Emmera, Lyra and Cabalist for Hellgate London; Keira for The Age of Conan; and more.

Some past projects include SpongeBob SquarePants in 3D; a Shania Twain Music Video; Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas, and a Coca-Cola Commercial.

Sze loves teaching and her wish is to inspire others and share insights and knowledge from her personal creative experience as an animation professional and artist whose work depicts the mystical realm of her imagination offering up a serene visual experience.

Text Excerpts from her Deviant Art bio. Photo from Facebook 2017.

02/21/2024

La'Porscha Gritty Gal Art Smith recommended Bridget to ShoutOut North Carolina, resulting in this interview.

Read the entire article here: https://shoutoutnorthcarolina.com/meet-bridget-b-sullivan-seasoned-event-producer-business-owner

02/15/2024

Bridget B and Melvin had the opportunity to hear from Amy Bezanson with Crescent Communities and Chris Thomas with Childress Klein this morning during the City of Charlotte Government's Coffee & Conversations series held at the Charlotte Urban Design Center in South End, Charlotte

This month's gathering focused on Creating Place in the Suburbs.

Both Amy and Chris talked about a few things that matter in their development projects as it relates to the communities they serve.

Walk-ability, gathering spaces in between the retail and housing offerings, and their desire to incorporate art in the spaces they are creating.

We're regularly looking for ways to assist our creative community members, so it was refreshing to hear directly from developers on how they go about creating a sustainable place in the suburbs.

Thank you to the City of Charlotte for giving us a seat at tables where conversations like this one take place.

02/09/2024

In one of Bridget's roles as a virtual event technical director, she really enjoys helping hosts, facilitators, and speakers focus on delivering their content.

This position is responsible for elliviating the stress and distractions of the technical aspects, including the chat communications taking place during their presentation.

She flicks away the technical goblins so viewers never see them sweat. 👾

Our broadcast-style virtual production services work well for livestreaming content creators, course creators, summit and webinar hosts, and virtual conference organizers.

Let's connect and work together on your next event.

01/18/2024

11 Prominent Event Professionals Predicting Event Industry Trends for 2024 and Agorify included Bridget B's thoughts in their recent blog post.

01/17/2024

When it comes to our animation work for the sports industry, we strive to transform the game-day experience into an unforgettable spectacle.

Engaging your audience, showcasing sponsors, and generating revenue for your venue is what drives Melvin, our digital wizard, whenever he gets an animation project.

His latest reel highlights the dynamic content we can bring to your team's presentations.

Think of Creative Canvas Productions LLC when it's time to Elevate Your Brand using in-game sports animations, the animated team opens, head-shots, match-ups, noise meters, engaging crowd prompts, sponsor animations, and videos for broadcast, in-stadium, and social media.

We're ready to partner with you to make your sports season exciting by elevating your game-day production and contributing to a memorable fan experience.

Tell us how best to reach you and we'll schedule a discovery call.

01/09/2024

We believe in sharing, so please meet our CPA, Your Carolina CPA - Hope S. Piggee, CPA, PLLC.

She's hosting an Ask A CPA Fireside Chat on Thursday, January 11th, 7pmEST, sharing wisdom and answers to your specific questions. Here's more info.

Join Hope for an exciting, informal online discussion as she shares her invaluable insights and strategies for managing finances and taxes in the business world.

Topics include:
💰 Financial management tips to optimize your small business.
✈️ Strategies to navigate tax planning and compliance effectively.
🌏 Real-world experiences and success stories from local business owners.
📝 How to create and stick to a budget that works for your unique business needs.

Reserve your spot via https://shorturl.at/uFJPV today for an evening of warmth, wisdom, and wealth-building discussions on January 11th. We'll see you there!

01/05/2024

The new year started a little slower than hoped for given the cold and flu season. 🤒

We're looking forward to regaining full strength ahead of the 2024 National Leadership Academy being hosted by our NAWBO Charlotte Chapter.

Bridget will be there to represent us as a NAWBO Charlotte Chapter Member.

If you'd like to learn more about the conference, go here: https://bit.ly/4863ec5 .

12/28/2023

The new year brings forth a wealth of opportunities for us.

We're especially proud to announce Bridget's direct involvement with the Work-Based Learning Alliance as a Mentor.

The WBLA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit working to provide paid virtual work experiences to high school students across the US. Through these projects, teams of students complete real work for real businesses like ours.

Over the next 12 months they’ll be supporting over 2,000 students from across the country, and they’re looking for businesses both large and small to join them.

Interested in learning more?

Contact Michael David Davis (IG: ) for more information!

We thank both he and Nicole for considering us and especially Bridget for this opportunity.

12/20/2023

Bridget has been working on our client acquisition plan and reworking our purpose, vision, mission, and value proposition.

She's also working on enhancing our online presence.

Here's the first draft of her efforts minus the reasons we think you should choose us.

We'll post those before the year is out, and all of this will show up on our website in some form at the start of the new year.

See anything we should rethink?

We appreciate all feedback.

11/13/2023

Global Entrepreneurship Week ( IG: ) begins today, and it's for everyone, no matter who you are, where you live, or what stage of entrepreneurship you are in.

This week is packed with opportunities to network, learn about starting or growing a business, including a Food Truck 101 and Uncovering AI Opportunities.

Learn more at GEWCharlotte.com or GENGlobal.org.

11/02/2023

On this Thankful Thursday, we want to express our gratitude once again for the incredible talent and creativity that filled the air at the Charlotte Chalk Art Festival !

This year's local and regional artists truly blew us away with their incredible skills and imagination.

Thank you Sarah Shorter, La'Porscha Grittygalart Smith, Beth Cox Stephens, Kate Shaw, Rebecca Lipps, Lindsay Moan, Mica Gadhia, Jude (Nicole C. Ayers), Ellie (Lee Ko), & Yunah for sharing your masterpieces with the Charlotte community.

A big shout-out goes to the creators of our festival, Bridget B Sullivan and Melvin Nix founders of Creative Canvas Productions LLC.

Thank you to our venue sponsor NoDa Brewing Company - North End, our chalk sponsor Jerry's Artarama Retail Stores - Charlotte, NC, and our non-profit supporter Eventful Expressions NPC.

To our vendors and instructors, Banh Mi Brothers, Jeremiah's Italian Ice-Riverbend, HotBoys Chicken, Gebriley Candles, Common Cause NC, 𓆦 Gems Bee Co 𓆦, Moonstone Garden, Drip Jewelry, Making Space: Mindful Movement, and Growing Up Art who brought their unique offerings to the festival, provided delicious bites, and delightful treats.

Your presence added to the vibrant atmosphere and satisfied our cravings throughout the two days of the festival.

Thank you Melvin D Nix, Nan Gray, and That Kevin Bird Art for judging the chalk art.

A round of applause for the talented performers who graced the festival stage, entertaining us with their music: backspinz, Eddie Kennedy Music, Tinkah - TinkahzInstinct, & Christopher E. Singleton Sr. aka IAMSeeSings

Everyone's dedication and talent made this festival a memorable experience for all. Let's continue to support and celebrate the arts in our community.

Video Produced by Melvin D Nix.
Event equipment rented from Charlotte Community ToolBank.

11/01/2023

Let's Begin!

In November and December, we're getting organized, refocusing, and strategizing for 2024.

An emphasis is being placed on Client Acquisition knowing we have the capacity for 1 more event management or live streaming client and 1 more animation/motion graphics sports industry-specific client in 2024.

With this in mind, we created a and plan on publicizing our efforts here and on LinkedIn.

If you'd like to join in, Save This Post, and use the graphics as your prompt for each week.

Throughout the challenge, seek to engage with other participants by liking, commenting, and/or sharing their posts.

Don't forget to tag us and include the hashtag in all your challenge-related posts.

10/31/2023

We're taking our very own starting tomorrow.
We have the capacity for 1 event or livestreaming client and 1 animation/motion graphics sports industry specific client in 2024.

More details about the challenge and how you can participate if you'd like to join in the fun will be shared in the afternoon of November 1st.

10/23/2023

Our 2nd Annual Charlotte Chalk Art Festival was absolutely amazing.

Artists from, Charlotte, Monroe, Matthews, Waxhaw, Tegan Cay, SC, and Jefferson City, TN joined us in friendly competition for Cash Prizes.

Individual Youth Winner: Jude Ayers (14) Tega Cay, SC | Youth Team Winners: Ellie Ko (14) & Yunah Hwang (14) Waxhaw, NC.

Adult Individual Winners: 1st Place Rebecca Lipps Charlotte, NC | 2nd Place La'Porscha Gritty Gal Art Smith Charlotte, NC | 3rd Place Kate Shaw, Monroe, NC.

Other competing adult artists: Beth Cox Stephens, Lindsay Moan, Mica Gadhia, and Sarah Shorter.

Thank you NoDa Brewing Company, Jerry's Artarama Retail Stores - Charlotte, NC, & Eventful Expressions NPC for sponsoring this year's festival.

Thank you all our Vendors: 𓆦 Gems Bee Co 𓆦, Gebriley Candles, Moonstone Garden, LLC, Drip Jewelry, Common Cause NC, Making Space: Mindful Movement, Growing Up Art, Banh Mi Brothers, and Jeremiah's Italian Ice Riverbend.

Thank you Performers: backspinz Academy, Eddie Kennedy Music, Tinkah - TinkahzInstinct, and SeeSings - Christopher E. Singleton Sr.

Thank you Charlotte Community ToolBank for our event equipment and MacFly Fresh Printing Co. for our t-shirts.

Phone Generated Movie Clip.
Edited Recap By Melvin Nix Posting Next Week.

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10/03/2023

We purposefully look for student performers as often as we can, so we're grateful to Claude for the establishment of this great musical organization.

This year's festival performance offering begins with student DJs from backspinz Academy.
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BackSpinz Academy is designed to provide a safe and welcoming environment where students can learn, grow, and express themselves creatively. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced student, their curriculum is tailored to meet your specific needs and help you achieve your musical aspirations.

BackSpinz believes that music education is not just about learning how to create but also about developing life skills such as discipline, focus, creativity, and teamwork. Students also gain entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills as well. Other skills gained are self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, and social awareness.

Join us at NoDa Brewing Company's *North End* location for ​our FREE to attend, family-friendly, and wheelchair accessible festival on October 21st and 22nd from 12pm to 4pm each day.

is sponsored by Creative Canvas Productions, NoDa Brewing Company, Jerry's Artarama Retail Stores - Charlotte, NC, and Eventful Expressions NPC.

09/29/2023

Thank you to Lisa Gaither Art, Shana S Templin, Mica Gadhia, LaPorscha Smith Grittygalart, Beth Cox Stephens, Lilee C, Yuji K, Ellie K, Jude A, & Yunah H for answering the call for Artists for our Blumenthal Performing Arts Charlotte International Arts Festival Chalk The Walk(way) event.

We look forward to your participation at our 2nd Annual Charlotte Chalk Art Festival October 21st-22nd 12 noon to 4pm each day at NoDa Brewing Company.