Chris Sharpe, marketing and communications officer for the Town of Inuvik, had put in a 14-hour day running around and making sure everything for his first sunrise festival was going according to plan Saturday, Jan. 6.

Along with tourism assistant Heather Moses, he had brought on some new features this year, most notably a video ice dance party Saturday night. Sharpe admitted that before the event he wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 sure how many people were going to show up.

SA国际影视传媒淚t was pretty much at the end of the DJ show and it was 2 a.m. and we were supposed to shut down, and everyone was tapping the tables saying more, more, encore, encore,SA国际影视传媒� remembers Sharpe, who said the DJ party sold more than 100 tickets in the end.

SA国际影视传媒淚t had been a really long day, but that was the highlight, to see they were satisfied.SA国际影视传媒�

With sponsor and in-kind support, this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 sunrise festival doubled the budget of last yearSA国际影视传媒檚.

Sharpe also had to contend with a controversy before the event about how the town was finding contracts for some of its side projects, including the DJ party and a documentary of the festival. The town faced criticism that Northern professionals werenSA国际影视传媒檛 being prioritized over southern contractors.

Tony Devlin, owner of Black Fly Studios, had brought some of those questions to a planning meeting for the festival in November. After the controversy, he said the town has been very responsive to questions surrounding the contracts.

SA国际影视传媒淭hey reached out to my company and we worked together on a video/photo package to support marketing for the sunrise festival,SA国际影视传媒� stated Devlin in an e-mail.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think they now recognize that Inuvik has a growing community of creative professionals and that most media and creative services they require can be sourced locally, and I look forward to opportunities to bid on media contracts going forward.SA国际影视传媒�

He went on to say that the region has tremendous homegrown talent in creative and formal writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, videography, animation, artwork, layout, and event management.

SA国际影视传媒淚nuvik has television series on national broadcasters, photographs in international publications and movies winning international awards,SA国际影视传媒� stated Devlin. SA国际影视传媒淲e have a strong media community and are lucky enough to have a pool of talented youth who are starting formal education and careers in media. We have it all here in Inuvik, and who best to tell our stories?SA国际影视传媒�

Sharpe said he was happy with the attendance level of the weekendSA国际影视传媒檚 events, saying he wanted to target every demographic in town, which included young adults for the DJ party.

Seeing everyone dancing and jigging on the opening night was inspiring, he said.

SA国际影视传媒淚t was so hot they had to open the door,SA国际影视传媒� said Sharpe. SA国际影视传媒淔or my first time, it was just phenomenal.SA国际影视传媒�

Sharpe said the DJ party looked like it could have been in Toronto or Las Vegas. He was thankful for the team that put the event together.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a mega event,SA国际影视传媒� said Sharpe. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a lot of things happening at the same time. If Heather (Moses) wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 there and a lot of the rec staff and the volunteers, I donSA国际影视传媒檛 think we would have been able to pull it together.SA国际影视传媒�