Skip to main content

Author: eliana

Meet Hanna, our new Intern!

We have a brand new addition to the Jpixx team… Hanna! Our FIRST-ever PRODUCER Intern! We are so excited to be bringing a budding producer into the fold and expanding our capabilities! We interviewed Hanna so you can get to know a little bit more about her, her work, and what she will be up to here at Jpixx HQ.

Where are you from?

I’m from Virginia Beach, born and raised!

What was your major at UVA and how did you discover that passion?

My major at UVA was “Media Studies”. It sounds vague, but the umbrella term allowed me to explore many different pockets of the media world to find what I enjoyed most. There were two tracks to choose from: Policy and Ethics or Film Concentration. I hadn’t realized film and television was the industry I wanted to pursue until my final year at UVA, so I was following the P&E track. Looking back, I wish I had taken more film courses, but I’m so thankful to have been able to explore topics such as journalism, consumer and trans-media culture, artificial intelligence, advertising, interactive storytelling, and even food media. Go Hoos!

Favorite songs to work to?

Wow, it really depends on the day. My go-to is a mix of my favorite funk, EDM, and house artists, but there are also days when all I want to hear are alt/indie artists Mt. Joy or Cage the Elephant.

How was your first 48?

The 48 Hour Film Project was the FIRST exposure I have had to proper film production, other than my documentary capstone in school. I LOVED IT! Being surrounded by so many kind, patient, and talented professionals was inspiring and it pushed me to be better and work harder. I am forever thankful to Jon and Jpixx for allowing an inexperienced individual like me to work alongside them on such a high-pressure project. And I have to say, it turned out to be pretty good! Watch the trailer and check out the BTS here!

Favorite thing you’ve done so far at Jpixx?

So far, I think the Grand Illumination Parade has been one of my favorite experiences at Jpixx. I got to work in yet another high-pressure environment with people who share the same passions as me, and I was running on adrenaline the entire time. It was so fun to run around the streets of downtown Norfolk and capture the holiday spirit in real-time. 

What are your career goals?

I have a background in radio and event planning, so gaining experience with a video agency is really helping boost my skill set to work on larger production projects. A dream of mine is to work in Hollywood as a producer and attend a red-carpet movie premiere. It might sound silly, but it lives in the back of my mind and drives me to pursue my goals every day. If I find myself in a ‘Hollywood adjacent’ position one day, I would be just as satisfied knowing I worked hard and made it into a well-established studio. 


The thing you’re looking forward to as a producer intern?

I am looking forward to learning about the production process from start to finish. I enjoy meeting new people and building connections, so having a client-based approach to digital media is exciting! Going on shoots is also something I enjoy doing; I like to watch the production plans come together in one final product. 

Fun facts about yourself?

My favorite color is orange, I can quote extensively from Pirates of the Caribbean, and I enjoy going to music festivals! Also, if you can’t tell, I don’t hold fish often. 

Interested in seeing more about how we #CaptureLifeCreatively? 

Check out our other blogs here.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Ask the Eye | Why is Video Marketing Important?

Here at Jpixx, we value the time and effort that goes into producing quality video content for clients. By #CapturingLifeCreatively, our videos allow companies to establish a more in-depth marketing campaign for their products and services. Looking for reasons to expand your outreach with Jpixx services? Here are a few reasons why video marketing is so important in today’s digital world:

1. Video Inspires Action

  • Everyone loves video! By seeing a visual example of a product or service being marketed, audiences get a first-hand sense of what they should expect if they were to interact with the product or service themselves. Adding complementary lighting, setting, and music can really set the tone for a promotional video, prompting viewers to feel happy, sad, uplifted, or even angry. Video allows for more space to develop a narrative that can inspire audiences to take part in a cause and get involved. 
  • When filming and editing content for Roc Solid, we focused on inspirational shots and messages to motivate audiences to take part in a build or donate to the cause.

2. Strengthen Client Relationships

  • Video production schedules can span weeks and sometimes even months; when spending long amounts of time coordinating projects with a client, rapport is built and professional relationships are established and strengthened. When working with an established video marketing agency like Jpixx, creators make it their priority to merge their vision with the client’s, both working toward the same end result and acting cohesively. 
  • We collaborated with Foodbank to produce this 40th anniversary commercial for television, listening closely to the client’s request to feature contributing members from diverse backgrounds.   

3. Grow Brand Presence

  • Video marketing opens doors to a variety of social platforms, especially those previously unmentioned in traditional social media, like YouTube and TikTok. You can also use video content in email campaigns and on websites! A larger audience = more exposure and increased brand value. When potential clients or consumers watch a video, a sense of credibility is established and the legitimacy of the product or service is verified. By showing that you have invested in high quality video, audiences view your company or brand as authentic and trustworthy. 
  • Virginia Beach Rescue Squad asked us to help them create a branding video for launch on their digital platforms. Using history, statistics, and logos along with personable voices, the company’s message is legitimized and presented in a unified front. 

4. Explore Creativity

  • If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth ten times more! With a bigger canvas, videos allow more room to explore creative concepts. At Jpixx, our team is constantly looking for innovative ways to keep the client up to date on trends that will lead them to the target audience. Staying ahead of the curve is crucial to making your brand stand out in a fast-paced consumer market.
  • A few years back, our award-winning filmmaking team explored the use of a puppet metaphor to uniquely personalize and communicate the importance of an otherwise heavy topic. With over two million views, the music video continues to bring in heartfelt comments from around the world.

Ready to explore the world of video marketing? Check out our reels on Instagram and Facebook to get inspired and let us help you #CaptureLifeCreativley!

NEON NFK | See how we capture Downtown Norfolk!

This year’s promo video!

⚡️ We were the official media sponsor for this year’s 8th Annual NEON Festival!

Check out the videos we made surrounding this sweet event as well as highlighting this awesome area in Downtown Norfolk:

Brambleton Mural

Check out the BTS and learn a little bit about artist Kyle Confehr here!

Magazine Alley

More about the Magazine Alley transformation!

2023 Highlight Video

Last but never least, our edit from this year’s NEON Fest! We can’t wait for next year!

From our very own NEON Fest booth: See AND download your photos below! ⚡️ Don’t forget to post them to socials and tag us!

Interested in seeing more about how we #CaptureLifeCreatively? 

Check out our other blogs here.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

…And We’re Live! | Our Immersive Video Capabilities 

Even after the pandemic, we are still finding ways to capture events creatively through livestreams! Immersive content is the way to go to push your stories and events further out than ever before. By allowing viewers to interact with your event or presentation, you can cultivate an engaging audience and grow your following in new ways…

Here are just a few of the many livestreams, virtual events, and immersive videos we have created over the years!

East Coast Surfing Championship

Nothing better to celebrate summer than to wander down to the oceanfront and watch a surf competition! When ECSC, the longest-running surfing championship in the world, reached out for livestream coverage, it was an easy yes from us! We used a switchboard to toggle between various shots of the dozens of heats of competing surfers with overlaying graphics, commercials, and consistent live commentary.

ACCESS College Commitment Day

One of our favorite days of the year- ACCESS College Commitment Day! We capture this high energy event for families and friends to enjoy online. Having a large crew out there to capture every angle of this high-energy day allows watchers to feel just as included as the students themselves.

Grand Illumination Parade

Downtown Norfolk Council puts on the Grand Illumination Parade every year to ring in the holidays and Jpixx is the official media sponsor, bringing the full parade to Facebook Live. We used a live switcher to move back and forth between multiple cameras, while also recording additional street interview footage that allowed us to build a dynamic future edit. Our services provide the quality of a professional broadcast at a better value for the client. To top it off, we deliver an edited version of the parade to Downtown Norfolk to air on local networks. This brought even more coverage to the local event, the sponsors, and the Downtown Norfolk area!

Check out more of our immersive content here on our website!

Interested in seeing more about how we #CaptureLifeCreatively? 

Check out our other blogs here.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Embarking on New Challenges | 48-hour Film Project

Jpixx is filled to the brim with creativity. We are lucky to have such talented filmmakers right inside our office, ready for their next challenge! So when the 48-hour season rolled around, we were geared up to go. This year we had Savannah, Trey, Jon and Teviya all went on their separate missions. Check it out!

Savannah

“I always make an effort to learn something new on every 48-Hour Film Project that I do, and this one was no different. What better time to learn something than when you’re under pressure and running on a combined total of 5 hours of sleep? I always run sound and do the sound design with my friends on the team, Shadowcast Films, and this 48 I really enjoyed learning from Christopher Wratten that you can build suspense with music by using it as your hits and action drops. There were so many elements of sound that made our film, “Don’t Believe the Hype” something special, and it really is the beautiful creation of five different minds writing in a room on Saturday morning at 3 am.”

Trey

“This year’s 48-Hour Film Project gave me the opportunity to work with a lot of people I have never worked with before and make friends with filmmakers from other scenes. We had a pretty stacked crew and lots of options for actors. In this case, having a large crew with many different roles really helped. Everyone took their job seriously while always having fun.”

Jon and Teviya

“First off, I just absolutely love the filmmaking spirit seen by Savannah, Trey, and Teviya. Really drives me to want to get out of the box and keep having fun with video – which is the main reason we got into it in the first place.

This year’s 48hfp was all about bringing it down small. With our own kids as lead actors, and a tiny crew of Teviya, Jessa, and myself – my goal was to come away with a fun meaningful piece featuring my lil budding superstars (yes, I am biased) but also show that good storytelling can be accomplished without a super large crew.”  -Jon

We are so excited to see all three of these films premiere at The Naro Expanded Cinema. Come and see for yourself!

Premiere Screenings:

Group A: Tue, Aug 22, 2023 8:00 PM

Group B: Wed, Aug 23, 2023 8:00 PM

The Naro Expanded Cinema

1507 Colley Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23517, USA

More about the 48-hour film project

Interested in seeing more about how we #CaptureLifeCreatively? 

Check out our other blogs here.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Testing, Testing, 1..2..3.. | Our Podcasting and Audio Capabilities

At Jpixx, we do way more than just video. A huge part of telling a story is getting the audio just right.

Our Gear: We use state-of-the-art audio mixing equipment to capture stories and ideas in a way that’s just as sharp and focused as our takes. The MixPre-6 is a deluxe audio recording device that allows us to separate all microphones while also splitting every channel in post-production. This allows us to have more control over the individuals’ audio level and script flubs. Connected to the MixPre-6 are our Shure SM58 microphones that give us crisp ASMR-level sound quality with its unidirectional pickup pattern that isolates the main sound source while minimizing unwanted background noise. Our range of gear allows us to connect up to four speakers at one time!

For numerous clients over the years, we have harnessed a wide variety of experience creating podcasts/video podcasts, voiceover work, and more! 

ThinkHIRE Podcast with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council 

Thanks to our friends over at KBD (Kinetic Brand Development) in Norfolk, we connected with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council to create a podcast series with them called, “ThinkHIRE”. Since this one is also in video form, we set up a few different cameras to capture each speaker during the episode. Check it out now on YouTube!

Legacy Lamp Podcast for Legacy Care Medical Group

Whatever your business/brand focuses on, we can help you develop a podcast for it! Legacy Care Medical Group’s podcast, “The Legacy Lamp”, sheds light on senior care and assisted living styles.

Navy Afloat Environmental Training Video Podcast

Did you know we are SWAM Certified? Not just that, but Jpixx is completely set up for state and federal work. Last year, Jacobs brought us in to help create a video podcast series for internal training. Our goal was to break the mold of the traditional educational format and supply a more relevant approach to learning, so we created a series of youtube-style videos that did just that.

 

Improve 81 Podcast with HDR and VDOT

Thanks to HDR, we have been able to create numerous videos along I-81 with VDOT! Their podcast, Improve I-81 has taken our crew all around the east coast to capture and interview many of the VDOT personnel. Check it out here!

Interested in seeing more about how we #CaptureLifeCreatively? 

Check out our other blogs here.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

It’s Time for Something New… | Website Launch

It’s here!!! Our new website is finally out and we are so excited to share it with you! We hope this can be a hub where you can see all we do here at Jpixx and a showcase of the phenomenal clients that we get to work for each and every day.

Most of our team was involved in the development of the site and each team member played a critical role in picking and choosing design concepts, photos, videos and content for the website!

“We’ve wanted to update our website for quite some time, but with the pandemic, our services really shifted and we found ourselves needing to really focus on how to identify Jpixx. What a challenge!! Fortunately, we had long-time Jpixx’er Maria Soliven with DelMar Experiences in our back pocket to see our vision to fruition.” – Jon, Co-owner

“My role was to define what each page would have (curate and write) and to get the it completed and live (with the help of Maria and Jpixx staff). This took defining all that we wanted to say in both words and visuals and then saying it clearly. It is a lot easier to just update what was there before but it was the perfect time to reassess what was needed and start from scratch. We put on our client hat and thought about how they would take what we were saying and process it. What about Jpixx is truly unique? We know what Capture Life Creatively means to us but what does it mean to them/for them/for their projects?” – Teviya, Co-owner

So what’s on the new website you might ask?

The new website is meant to be simple on the surface, but allow potential clients to learn about all the different types of media we produce and browse through our extensive catalog of work. Maria began with a list of these key features as a starting point for all that we want to share: 

Overall: Refreshed design & enhanced mobile experience

Service Page: Deeper dive into our main services with examples of our work

Project Spotlight: Platform to share details and behind the scenes of a few of our favorite projects

Our Team: A place to put a face to the name

Careers: Dedicated page for new opportunities at Jpixx and the ability to submit resumes directly

Within our project spotlights is where we got to really dig into all of our past archives: 

“We made the project spotlights to shed some light into some of the twists and turns of the making of projects and share about the eventual wins.  Andrew Harrison who is a freelance writer and content creator (who at one time was an intern at Jpixx) was a great help in co-writing those with me to get them down to the brass knuckles and to share new info on each one. We made a good team, but we were floored at how long it took us to complete this process for all the spotlights! It was evident how much love Jpixx pours into each and every project and how much value we give the client just by caring so much.” – Teviya

Some of our favorite videos within our project spotlights are:


EVMS Booster Seat: We worked with the Eastern Virginia Medical School to educate the public about booster safety and it got more than 23 million views across their platforms. Check out the video here!

VFS About Us: We’ve been working with Virginia Foundation Solutions for years now, and when they wanted a new branding video, we came to their rescue!

AEP The Answer: We traveled across multiple states to create this video for our clients at Dupont Sustainable Solutions. The result was an emotional piece displaying the importance that American Electric Power puts on its safety standards.

And lastly, you can’t have a website without photos and multi-media! Savannah, our highly-talented multimedia specialist, was in charge of collecting all of our selects across all our services.

“It was awesome to open up this website for the first time and to go in and really focus on making the photos look sharp. I was proud to have been a part of a lot of the shoots that are featured on the website, and to be represented in an ongoing portfolio is pretty hype. When I was toning or choosing photos, I was really going in with a critical eye and looking at the photos for composition and story. How can you Capture Life Creatively, telling a whole story in a single photograph? And if the photo was removed from the site, viewed on its own, completely out of context, would the message still be understood? Taking care and reviewing everything one by one may have taken a little more time, but the careful consideration of each candidate led to a portfolio piece worth a thousand words!” -Savannah, Photographer

Check out our portfolio page to see even more of our photography.

We are so pleased with how the website turned out and couldn’t have done it without our team of creatives! Thanks, guys!

Interested in seeing more about how we #CaptureLifeCreatively? 

Check out our other blogs here.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Meet Sage, our new Intern!

We have a brand new addition to the Jpixx team…our Intern, Sage! Because of the pandemic, it’s been 2 years since we’ve last had an intern! We are so excited to be bringing new members into the fold again and expanding our capabilities! We interviewed Sage so you can get to know a little bit more about her, her work, and what all she will be getting up to here at Jpixx HQ.

  1. Congratulations on being the new intern! How did you find out about Jpixx and what made you want to apply for the internship?

As a Virginia Beach local, I found out about Jpixx pretty quickly in my search for local production companies I was looking to do some freelance work with. A few months later, my professor at Regent University, Mike Sinclair, forwarded me an email from Teviya about connecting with Regent students for upcoming shoots and the summer internship. Jpixx was one of the only companies offering opportunities like that in the area. After getting in touch with Teviya, I was able to help out with shooting Israel Fest and submitted my internship application after that. 

  1. What is it about filmmaking that excites you?

I love the art of visual storytelling and the processes that surround it. Filmmaking is an opportunity to capture moments, stories, people, and places in time, and hopefully leave a lasting impact on all who see what is created, all while meeting and working with a variety of individuals along the way.

  1. What inspired you to pursue Film Studies?

My fascination with cameras began with photography, copying trends I saw on social media. This eventually expanded in high school with my personal project at Princess Anne, a documentary short film about the power of music, which was my main passion up until this point. I spent a year learning all the filmmaking and editing techniques I needed for the task, and thought it was all so dope. After making a few more highlight videos of some missions trips I went on, I got hired as a content creator for my church at the time. The more I studied filmmaking, the more I enjoyed it, and decided to never stop. That eventually led me to the Cinema-Television program at Regent University, where I continued to pursue documentary work in particular. The culminating experience of this was the short documentary I made in partnership with the Norfolk Street Choir Project observing how the creative arts can affirm the homeless during my senior semester. 

  1. What is your favorite film?

Ironically, I don’t watch that many movies. If I had to choose, I’d say my most recent favorite is Respect, Aretha Franklin’s biopic with Jennifer Hudson. I’m a sucker for anything based on a true story and her story was so powerful and well-executed…and it also included music which I love.

  1. What other hobbies or pastimes are you interested in?

I play a bit of piano and acoustic guitar. I’m also a major coffee shop enthusiast; it’s the first place I want to visit in every city I go to, and I work as a barista in my free time. 

  1. What has been your favorite thing about working here so far?

My favorite thing about being here so far is the laid back, fun, yet organized work environment. It’s not super high-stress, yet things still seem to run smoothly and efficiently, which I really appreciate.  

  1. First shoot experience with Jpixx?

We had a shoot with Virginia Beach City Public Schools, including the one I graduated from which was really enjoyable for me. It was interesting to observe and navigate working with so many different people in such a short amount of time. It was also an honor for me to have a hand on a project that is in collaboration with the community I grew up in. 

Check out this awesome BTS reel that Sage put together– which includes some clips from her second day with us!

Check out Sage’s website!

Interested in seeing more about how we #CaptureLifeCreatively? 

Check out our other blogs here.Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Our 2022 Highlights | Jpixx Wrap-Ups

Haven’t seen our team wrap-ups yet? Well here’s the spot to get all caught up on what we got up to in 2022. Click on each gif to go straight to the reel on our socials!

Starting off with Virginia Foundation Solutions 10-year anniversary video! For this celebration, all hands were on deck and Lizzie was in on the fun from start to finish.

Take a trip down memory lane with Jackson, reminiscing on days spent traveling across Virginia to create our own I-81 road trip videos (feat. Savannah!) 

Savannah attended an international film festival this year in D.C.! She won an award for best sound design in our 48-hour winner, Potion Sickness.

See some fun behind-the-scenes antics in Trey’s wrap-up! 

Jess jumped for joy at her favorite event that we cover each year, the ACCESS College Committment Day!

New to the crew in 2022, Jillian had a year full of adventures! Check it out in this blog post.

For the grand finale, Jon brings it home, capturing all the highs and lows in this epic recap!

Interested in seeing more about how we #CaptureLifeCreatively? 

Check out our other blogs here.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Flying High Over Hampton Roads | Our Drone Capabilities

Drones have become such a massive part of what we do here at Jpixx. Expanding our capabilities into this high-flying territory has brought us nothing but cool new opportunities. 

Thousands of video creators fly recklessly every day, but we pride ourselves on being licensed and insured – which means we take airspace seriously. The last thing you need is a drone crashing into a crowd or causing a major traffic accident. Three of our crew, Savannah, Jackson, and Jon, are all FAA-licensed drone pilots and have spent countless hours perfecting their (air)craft.

“Having my license, but never flying a drone was interesting. But Jon took me out to Fort Monroe and taught me the basics of flying, and after a bit of practice over the next few months, I was flying like a pro!” -Savannah

Last year, Savannah was able to get the awesome opportunity to travel to Tangier Island with National Geographic to capture incredible aerial footage.

“It was an opportunity that fell into my lap and I’m so glad that I lept at the chance.” -Savannah

We are well-versed with the DJI Mavic Pro drones. They allow us to get aerial footage to complement our ground game. Opting for a drone video versus is a great way to create a more dynamic video, highlight scale and establish or close a scene as well!

The latest toy to the arsenal is the new DJI mavic mini pro 3, Jackson’s favorite drone. 

“I had always been against using drone shots in short films and other narrative pieces. I always thought of it as “Oh, look. We have a drone. Aren’t we COOL??” Then I started working at Jpixx and discovered they ARE cool. One day Jon said we needed more drone pilots and I took on the challenge. After getting certified, learning to fly was easy for me. It’s like playing a video game on a controller.” -Jackson

Check out our drone capabilities reel here to see even more work we have been able to do over the years!

Interested in seeing more about how we #CaptureLifeCreatively? 

Check out our other blogs here.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Portsmouth is WINNING! Our Week at Rivers Casino

Our crew rolled into Portsmouth to cover the grand opening of the brand-new Rivers Casino ! A HUGE thank you to The KBD Group who brought us out and allowed us to capture all the fun and deliver the official press-release images hours after each event! Coverage across 4 events allowed us to showcase our many capabilities from aerial drone video to photos of each crucial moment.

The new Rivers Casino is absolutely stunning. A huge, modern space filled with everything from the new BetRivers Sportsbook to classic slots. We captured every room, discovering all the bells and whistles along the way.

The first event of the week was the MLK Luncheon. Savannah, Jon, and Cory were the first on our team to get a peek at the very first event held in the conference space, hosted by The Epsilon Nu Lambda Charitable Foundation with Bakari Sellers, Mayor Shannon Glover, and other dignitaries in attendance.

The next two events were the Charity Test nights! This preview allowed for all the game-floor earnings from the night (A total of $510,000!) to go straight to charity while also letting the winners keep their earnings. Charities donated to were the USO Hampton Roads and Central Virginia, Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, and the Wesley Community Service Center. All fantastic causes!

This test night was especially exciting for Jess, who’s from Portsmouth! “It was so cool being there to see the first people set foot in the casino…it was emotional! Hearing Mayor Shannon Glover speak about Portsmouth and the good that he wants for this city made me so proud. I hope this turns things around for the people’s perception of Portsmouth as well.”

Last but not by any means least, the grand opening day! The ribbon was cut, the first dice were rolled, and thousands of guests entered the casino to play! We captured the many smiles, wins, and memories during this celebratory day. Using our drone capabilities, we followed the Norfolk State University marching band-The Spartan Legion– out in front of the casino as they surprised all the guests with a lineup of fantastic songs to get the crowd excited. 

Savannah, our stellar photographer was there through the week and captured some spectacular moments, “Events have always been one of my favorite things to capture. Not only do you get real, genuine smiles and people ready to be on camera, but you also get the chance to be in the moment and see the plan before it unfolds. Having been there all four days to capture all the different events leading up to the grand opening, felt like a huge moment for me. The first Casino in Virginia, and I was there to get the photo that they’ll show off for years to come. It was amazing to see the tight turnarounds pay off as the Rivers Casino Portsmouth photos that I took popped up on my Facebook feed with already a lot of publicity.

Once again, it was so exciting to be a part of this monumental addition to Hampton Roads. So proud of all of our crew who worked to capture all that went into this wild week- Jon, Jackson, Lizzie, Savannah, Jess, Eliana, Matt, Marvin, and Cory!

We will definitely be back to play…and win!

See more content from this week as it goes up over on @riverscasinoportsmouth!

Interested in seeing more about how we #CaptureLifeCreatively? 

Check out our other blogs here.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.