I recently had the opportunity to serve as a Kodak ambassador aboard the Disney Wonder for one of the Disney Channel Summer at Sea cruises. My family was able to join me and we had a fantastic time! Here's me and my daughter, Mara, all smiles at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. If we look a little warm, that's because it was 98 degrees!



Kodak and Disney have enjoyed a long partnership, since the days of George Eastman and Walt Disney. So it was really rewarding to work closely with the Disney team; they are a great group of people! I met cast members from around the world who all have a passion for making people, young and old, smile. I also interacted with many of the guests aboard the ship - taking group photos, answering questions, demonstrating new gadgets from Kodak and sharing lots of Kodak moments.

One of the best experiences I had on the ship was getting to know some of the Disney Channel stars. Kodak hosted several events with Corbin Bleu; Tiffany Thornton, Brandon Smith and Doug Brochu from Sonny with a Chance; Roshon Fegan from Camp Rock; and Radio Disney's Next Big Thing Jonnie & Brookie. Everyone was so friendly, laughing and joking with each other and the crew. Corbin Bleu and Jonnie & Brookie rocked the ship during the Kodak Party with the Stars and also later in the evenings with jam sessions and karaoke. Corbin even did a touching tribute to Michael Jackson.

All the stars were on board with their families, enjoying spending quality time together. It was fun to see Corbin hanging out with his sisters and meeting Jonnie and Brookie's parents at dinner. All the stars were sporting new Kodak Zi6 pocket video cameras and were capturing some great moments. Some of my favorites include Brandon's shot of Roshon dancing during the Party with the Stars, Roshon's dad shooting his son getting mobbed by fans, and Jonnie and Brookie recording the crowd during one of their performances. Everyone kept telling me how much they love the Zi6 and we just love to hear that at Kodak! Check out this video on YouTube where Jonnie & Brookie give Kodak a shout-out (at 2:10) and then capture the crowd going wild on deck.

We were missing a member of our family, our thirteen year old niece, Hannah. Since she couldn't be there in person, we took pictures of "Hannah" all over the ship. Here's a great shot of Walt & "Hannah."



All the stars were happy to help me out by taking a picture with "Hannah" and signing autographs for her. Jonnie & Brookie even gave me a cd... but it's so good I'm tempted to keep it for myself!

It was a wonderful trip and we are still reliving moments as we share our pictures and videos with friends. I'm putting together a photo album for Mara. She still walks around saying "Mickey, Mickey, Mickey." I've got a recording of her and need to figure out how to put it in the book so it plays as you open the album. That should be twenty minutes of entertainment for an 18-month old!
 

It doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "The Thunder from Down Under", but my car can definitely be seen before it is heard. The once black Volkswagen Jetta has changed its acronym from VW to ZX. Thanks to the brilliance of Georgina Wain - Trade Marketing Manager CDG Digital Devices & Inkjet Systems Australia, the Zx1 is attracting the publicity it deserves across Australia as the team drive around in their mobile Zx1 billboards.



My three year old son calls it "Daddy's crazy car" (which I think he got from his Mother). He tells anyone who will listen about it which generally leads into the Zx1 story. Needless to say I always have a brochure in the car to hand out.



Having just finished PMA in Sydney, the Zx1 received loads of attention with several customers saying that it was the product to see at the show.

Keep your eyes on YouTube, as the Zx1 cars are filmed in action using the fantastic High Definition Zx1 pocket video camera.

Mr. Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak Company, is heralded as the father of popular photography and inventor of motion-picture film. He was born July 12, 1854 in the Central New York village of Waterville. This year he would have been 155. In honor of his birthday we would like to highlight a few images that tell the stories of the milestones throughout his life.


 
Self-portrait

Eastman's journey with photography began in 1878 when a colleague suggested he take a camera on a vacation to Santo Domingo. He became fully engrossed in photography and in trying to improve the materials required to take and develop photos. He spent three years experimenting with gelatin emulsions, in his mother's kitchen (oh my!). While he was experimenting he often wrote details directly on the photos - as can be seen in the self-portrait.


 
George Eastman on board S.S. Gallia - on his way to London to apply for a patent

By 1880, Eastman had invented and patented a dry-plate coating machine. He secured patents in England and America on his coating machine, the returns began to flow in. This brought an increased wealth that he shared making him one of America's leading philanthropists, giving away more than $100 million.

In 1888, George Eastman invented dry, transparent, and flexible, photographic film (or rolled photography film) along with a simple Kodak camera that could use the new film. "You press the button, we do the rest" was the promise in the advertising slogan.


 
Construction of the Kodak buildings

Eastman founded the Eastman Kodak Company in 1880, this revolutionized photography through simplification. Through a series of innovations the company created small, easy-to-use cameras. Eastman is known as the man who brought the joy of photography to millions around the world.


 
George Eastman & Thomas Edison

In 1889, Eastman began working with Thomas Edison, inventor of the motion picture camera.  Edison's increasingly sophisticated models required a stronger, more flexible transparent film, which Eastman was able to deliver.


 
George attending to a campfire

After enduring years of long hours at Kodak he retired in 1925. Eastman enjoyed his leisure time, much of it was spent enjoying the outdoors and traveling.  He pursued adventures in the American West and the African jungle.

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In doing research for this week I learned so much about George Eastman that I want to share. I was trying to think of a unique way to do this.

Let's have a little fun with trivia questions - How well do you know George?

Use the comments to provide your answers - - I will post the answers in the comments later in the week!!

How well do you know George Eastman?
1.    Why did George choose the name Kodak?
a.    Randomly picked letters until they made up a word
b.    "K" was his favorite letter
c.    His mother's maiden name was Kilbourn
d.    All of the above

2.    How much did the first "Kodak" camera sell for in 1888 and what did it include?
a.    $2.50 and a camera bag
b.    $10 and a roll of film to take up to 36 pictures
c.    $25 loaded with enough film to take 100 pictures
d.    $25 with a carrying case

3.    What was George's favorite color?
a.    Yellow
b.    Blue
c.    Green
d.    Red

4.    How did Mr. Eastman market the first brownie camera?
a.    He offered brownies with the camera
b.    He used the Brownie character from Palmer Cox
c.    He demonstrated the ease-of-use at key events
d.    None of the above

5.    How much money did George donate to MIT and what name did he use?
a.    $1 million dollars under the name of Mrs. Kilbourn
b.    $10 million dollars under the name of Kodak
c.    $15 million dollars under the name of Mr. Jones
d.    $22 million dollars under the name of Mr. Smith

6.    What inspired Mr. Eastman to invest in Dental Care?
a.    He lost all of his teeth
b.    His mother suffered from dental issues
c.    He wanted everyone to have a perfect smile in pictures
d.    He was interested in becoming a dentist when he was younger

For help answering the questions above and to just find out additional Information:
George Eastman's life, legacy and estate
George Eastman House
History of Kodak