Classic Cars Cruise Through St. Clair Shores (Video) #SelfieStickDiary

Traffic on Harper Avenue in St. Clair Shores moved at a snail's pace Wednesday night as hundreds of cars, trucks and motorcycles cruised through the heart of the city to the delight of thousands of classic car enthusiasts for the annual Shorewood Kiwanis Harper Charity Cruise.

From old Eight Mile to Bayside Street, cruise fans packed Harper to see the classic cars, custom vehicles and the latest in models from domestic and international manufacturers. Some started arriving as early as 6 a.m. to get the perfect spot, meet with fellow car owners and take in the sites and sounds of the annual event.

New this year was a Mustang Meetup hosted by Roy O'Brien Ford - as part of the 50th anniversary of the pony car - where owners showed off different models of the sports car.

Other businesses along Harper also joined in the festivities by hosting parties with live bands, car clubs and events for car lovers of all ages.

While the high-octane event celebrated cars, there was also a greater purpose. Proceeds from the cruise benefit local charities including: Tree of Hope Foundation, CARE of Southeastern Michigan, Macomb Chamber Music Society, Wigs 4 Kids, St. Clair Shores Cultural Committee, Lakeshore Family YMCA and the Shorewood Kiwanis.

This is the latest in my series of #SelfieStickDiary posts from the community. Have a suggested topic for my next video? Send me an email!

Telling Stories Through A #SelfieStickDiary

During the past year when I was out on stories I often had a selfie stick to help balance my camera, get better photo angles and film stand-up shots on location.

My former colleague Jeff Gilbert introduced me to this technique of shooting video which he utilized for his Car Chronicles stories. I quickly embraced this method of filming video and also became a one-man crew when covering stories.

Public relations professionals, those I interviewed and even those who I didn't interview started calling me the "selfie stick guy."

(Scroll through this story list to see some examples of my videos)

As I continue to my search for my next professional opportunity, I've found there are a number of great visual stories here in St. Clair Shores and other Eastside communities.

In between filling out applications, interviews and networking, I'm going to take my iPhone and selfie stick around town to capture some of the events happening around town, positive changes in the community and unique landmarks. I'm going to call these videos my #SelfieStickDiary

Let me know what you think of my videos. Is there an upcoming event which may make a good video, let me know! I enjoy telling stories and showcasing my community.

Here is a link to my first official #SelfieStickDiary from the Assumption GreekFest. The annual event started Friday and runs through Sunday.

Using Apps And Electronic Media To Find My Next Job

This week I had the opportunity to be interviewed on ABC-12 WJRT-TV about the Switch app I am using as part of my job search.

How this interview came about was interesting.

I first learned of the app in June after my wife saw it featured on Good Morning America.

I thought it would have been a good story on my old tech beat: the app posts location-based jobs, and similar to Tinder, users can swipe left to pass on a job or swipe right to connect with a hiring manager to learn more about the job. But unfortunately the restructuring occurred before I could post it.

Since I'm happily married - and in the job market and not the dating market - I was still interested in the app and downloading Switch to find my next career opportunity seemed like a smart move.

A short time after I began using the app, the CEO of Switch contacted me directly and inquired if I would be interviewed about my experience with the app.

This is a great example of the culture in start-ups where silos are non-existent and it's all hands on deck to build the company (something I saw first-hand when I spoke with the leadership of the start-ups in Detroit).

After few more emails and a Facetime meeting (always check what is behind you when you work from home and schedule video meetings. There were some Lego sets initially in shelves in my makeshift home office) I was off to Flint for the live interview.

It was a quick ride and great to be on air on a different medium talking about tech.

This is just another example of how you just never know what great opportunity or adventure may be around the corner!