Thanks to TRAK Kayaks I had the opportunity to visit Hollywood, CA last weekend, quite a distance from my home in the small town of Beachburg, Ontario. I was in LA on behalf of TRAK Kayaks, to participate in the Elevate Film and Music Festival.

The festival took place in the famed Kodak Center (for those, like me, who don't read PEOPLE magazine, the Kodak Center is the home of the Academy Awards and the epicenter of Hollywood). The Festival is an annual event that is designed to unify through art and media by bringing awareness to organizations and individuals who are making a positive impact on our world.

The way it does this, is that it challenges some of the world's most talented directors to create a complete short film, documentary or music video in only 48 hours. To make the task even more challenging, the directors have no clue as to what they'll be shooting until they pull their project from the hat and the stop watch gets started.

In the end, the Elevate Festival was indeed an elevating experience. The production team put on a great show and the artists blew me away (watch TRAK video from the Elevate). As a film director myself, it was impossible not to be inspired, both creatively, and with the idea that we can indeed have a profound impact on our world through our work.

On a more raw level, I gotta say that Hollywood was quite a let-down. Aside from the immediate area surrounding the Kodak Center, the place seemed a cheap, theme park imitation from back in the 80s. I can't imagine ever visiting the place for the sake of visiting Hollywood. It certainly left me feeling incredibly thankful for the life that I've managed to settle into in the small town of Beachburg.

Sure, we might not have much (OK, anything) in the way of night life, but how many city folk can say that they watched the sunrise while kayak fishing on mist covered water, and then went hiking in some beautiful trails over lunch with their dog, and then finished the day with a playboating session on the Ottawa River. Life in Beachburg sure seems simple against the life of the stars in Hollywood, but I can tell you that I wouldn't trade with them for anything!

Check out the TRAK video from the Elevate Film and Music Festival