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The Tide

“The Tide” Set to Make Waves at NOVA Film Festival

Written by Jon Abrahams on . Posted in Blog, Feature, Film & Video, Music, Nova, Other, Publicity.

The city of Norfolk will be making a splash at this year’s Northern Virginia Film and Music Festival, taking place April 21st – 30th in the DC Metro area. The ten day schedule of seminars and screenings will showcase some of the best and brightest in the industry today, including a select from full-service agency Jpixx — their award winning music video, “The Tide,” is set to screen on Monday, April 25th at the Angelika Film Center in Fairfax, Virginia.

The Tide

Norfolk native, singer/songwriter Skye Zentz wrote the chart topper more than three years ago as an ode to her beloved hometown. The music video — a colorful tour through city’s iconic landmarks and scenic hot spots — has received heartfelt praise throughout the Hampton Roads area and uniquely captures the energy and spirit of those who hang their hats in Norfolk.

“The people in this region are proud to call Norfolk home. With downtown bustling and the Arts District taking off, we wanted to create something that captured the essence of this explosive, positive energy,” said Jon Abrahams, music video director of “The Tide” and Jpixx Founder.

Earlier this year “The Tide” was awarded Music Video of the Year at the 5th Annual Veer Music Awards, further solidifying the song as the perfect home-grown candidate for the official anthem of Norfolk. 

The Tide

“Since the video’s release, I’ve received countless messages from people saying how “The Tide” made them feel even more excited (or sometimes homesick) for Norfolk,” said Zentz. “Whether you’re a current resident, a former resident, or never visited, I believe our video clearly illustrates how bright and alive Norfolk is, and how so many great and new things are taking root here everyday.”

The Tide

“The Tide” began production in June of 2014 and is comprised of over 30 different shoots with 300+ volunteer participants, including the production and marketing crew.

“We announced most of our shoots publicly, and invited local businesses and anyone in the community to come out and take part,” added Zentz.

The Tide

Putting Norfolk on the map this year, The 2016 NOVA Film and Music Festival will not only allow viewers from outside of the Hampton Roads area to experience what makes the seaside city such a staple in the region, but they’ll see (and hear) why so many people are calling it home.

Want to make “The Tide” Norfolk’s official song? Click here to show your support!

Sea Level Festival

The Sea Level Singer/Songwriter Festival is on The Way!

Written by Jon Abrahams on . Posted in Blog, Feature, Film & Video, Music, Other, Photography, Publicity.

The 9th Annual Sea Level Singer/Songwriter Festival is on Saturday, April 2 at the Tidewater Community College Norfolk Campus. This year’s festival is a pretty big deal for Jpixx because Tidewater Arts Outreach is honoring us with the 2016 Beacon Award during the Emerging Artist Contest!

The award is given each year to a community member(s) who has given significant and sustained energy to support the Sea Level Singer/Songwriter Festival, local music community, and mission of Tidewater Arts Outreach.

This year is the first time that the award is being given to an entire organization. Go Jpixx!!!!

Sea Level Festival

But, enough about us – let’s get back to the actual festival! There are going to be several events taking place throughout the day, from the Open Mic Stage to a special concert from Grammy-nominated singer John Fullbright and an Instrument Petting Zoo and Art Booth for the kids (there’s a chance of rain in the forecast, but let’s cross our fingers and hope that mother nature spares the children).

Sea Level Festival

Aside from the Open Mic Stage, you’ll get to see talent from right here in Hampton Roads during the Local Singer/Songwriter Showcase and Emerging Artist Contest.

So, here’s the low down on the Emerging Artist Contest:

Budding singers and songwriters from across Hampton Roads submitted their work to the festival and the amazing eight were chosen to compete in the Emerging Artist Contest. A panel of judges will rank three finalists with the number one seed being named the overall winner. This artist will receive some pretty awesome prizes and opportunities to further promote their talents.

*Drumroll please* This is where we come in! At 1pm on Saturday, we’ll be rolling out our interactive audience poll on Facebook that will allow you to choose your favorite artist from the contest. Your vote will bring one artist closer to receiving a music video produced by Jpixx…wait for it…FREE of charge!

The 2014 Emerging Artist winner Logan Layman was also the audience favorite and debuted her music video last year, which you can check out below:

Of course, our team will be capturing the best moments from the festival and we hope to see you all there! You can meet the Emerging Artist contestants and find details regarding festival event and ticket information, as well as tons of photos and videos on our BRAND NEW SEA LEVEL landing page.

Stay connected with Jpixx by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter and Instagram!

Introducing Filmily Fest!

Written by Jon Abrahams on . Posted in Blog, Event, Feature, Film & Video, Filmily Fest.

Why Filmily?

Filmily (short for film family) is a film competition in which Hampton Roads filmmakers are given two weeks to create a short film based on six inspiration images. Kind of like a cross b/w the 48-Hour Film Project and Canon Imagination Project. Jpixx is the creator and organizer of the event, and is an avid supporter of the local film community.

Filmily Fest  is more than a competition it’s a celebration of the talent in the Tidewater area. It’s a fun way for people who are passionate about storytelling to meet new people and make great films. It’s called Filmily because the mission is to bring together the local film community and engage creatively.

The idea was to give filmmakers an adequate amount of time to make a really good film, foster professional growth through giving and receiving feedback from peers in the film industry and allow each individual artist (whether it be the makeup artist or the camera assistant) to network with new people who are passionate about bringing compelling stories to life.

The inaugural festival has been a blast so far. Five teams accepted the challenge and are now completing their films for screening. Here’s a run down of the powerhouse lineup, which are ALL premiering at Filmily Fest in front of a live audience.

Meet the Teams

still_4The Brainco team, led by James Shearer (Founder, Executive Producer, and Writer) has participated in every Hampton Roads 48 hour film festival and has won audience choice award three times and even took the grand prize last year! Their film “Found and Lost” features Bill Powers – and that’s all we can say about that

Screen Shot 2015-11-21 at 4.24.43 AMUnexpected Union (the only female-led group) is premiering “Happy Birthday”, directed by Jessa Gaul (filmmaker) who wrote and directed the film starring her 9-year old daughter Makenzie who plays a young girl that goes on an unexpected journey to celebrate her birthday.

quantum2Chrome Toast headed by Richard Sanborn (Regent University student and filmmaker) with director Sarah Bonner “Quantum” An ex activist is unexpectedly roped back into her former life of rebellion by a member of the group she once fought against. Chrome Toast recently won Best Film, Best Writing, Best Ensemble Acting and more for “Family Business” at the 2015 Hampton Roads 48-Hour Film Project.

VFX SHOT.00_03_32_09.Still003Jesse Torres (Director/Photographer) known for his creative, yet edgy visual artistry directed the VizInk crew in “Shot at Love” starring Zeus Campbell – A conflicted man encounters a demon after confronting a life-changing event. Check out more of Jesse’s work here.

22983357601_344a3047c5_zThe Jpixx crew led by Jon Abrahams, Co-owner and Creative Director of Jpixx, produced a psychedelic story about a troubled introvert who loses his meds and his dog in the same day. Jpixx is recognized for their creative executions, which earned them many awards such as the 48HFP International Award  “In Captivity.”

It’s going to be an exciting night filled with five film screenings, Q&As with the filmmakers, and an awards presentation.

The emcee for the evening is the beloved actor/entertainer Kris Shrader of Zak’s movie show on channel757.net

Previews and trailers of several other locally produced films and videos will also be shown in a line-up that will really blow your socks off.

When & Where

Filmily Fest will be hosted at Cinema Café Pembroke Meadows at 758 Independence Blvd. Virginia Beach, VA 23455 on December 6, 2015.

Doors open at 6pm and you definitely want to get there early for FREE food and beverages supplied by Cox Communications (while supplies last). In this case, the early bird gets the worm.

Update: Online Tickets HAVE been sold out!! Only few will remain at the box office for purchase.

Come out and enjoy Virginia’s finest filmmaking!

For more information, please visit http://www.FilmilyFest.com and https://www.facebook.com/filmilyfest

The Tide Skye Zentz

Wrapping Up Sea Level

Written by Jon Abrahams on . Posted in Blog, Feature, Publicity.

What an incredible weekend at the 8th Annual Sea Level Singer-Songwriter Festival! We kicked it off at the Roper Center with Sarah Jarosz, and Jon even got a picture with her afterward.

Jon Sarah Jarosz

The next day, we were back in Downtown Norfolk for the kickoff to First Fridays. Hundreds of people gathered for hours of fun from local merchants including balloons, face painting and balloon animals.

First Fridays NorfolkFirst Friday Painting First Fridays Crowd at First Fridays

The next day was a big day for us! Finally, the moment we’d all been waiting for – the launch of the music video for Skye Zentz’ song “The Tide.” Jon spent many long hours editing the video down to the wire and we couldn’t have been happier about the response.

The launch party at O’Connor’s Brewing Co. was a major success thanks to all the awesome vendors and artists who helped out. We had a booth from Kitsch,  DJP and MrT, Shara Wertz (on face paint), 757 Makerspace, The Scene and a giant art area with Amanda Page Stephens. Skye even took part in the face painting fun!

Face Painting SkyeLaunch Party Booth

We also had great performances from Little Pants and Ian Randall Thornton!

O'Connor Brewing Band

Finally, we closed off the night with the Emerging Artist Contest. The event showcased some truly amazing talent, right here in Hampton Roads!

Singer Sea Level Festival Sea Level Fest

If you weren’t able to make it out this year, be sure to follow us on Facebook for updates on next year’s event and videos from 2015!

Special thanks to:

  • Sea Level Festival and Tidewater Arts Outreach
  • Skye Zentz
  • Bobby Hollywood – our AMAZING MC
  • Downtown Norfolk Council
  • Reed and Associates (who sponsored our VIP section in a major way)
  • And last but not least, the people who keep us on track, the amazing Jpixx crew
Ava Duvernay Keynote SXSW

Back from SXSW: A Few Lessons Learned

Written by Jon Abrahams on . Posted in Blog, Feature, Film & Video, Travel.

Hi everyone, it’s Lis – you know, the Jpixx producer walking around staging areas constantly checking her watch. I’m back from South by Southwest (SXSW) and thought I’d share all the little tidbits I picked up during my first visit to Austin.

  1. Bring business cards. It sounds like a no brainer but there were a few attendees who hadn’t brought theirs. Our Jpixx business cards are specially designed with a scene from one of our productions, offering up great conversation starters about what we do.
  2. Don’t be afraid to leave a session. It’s well known in New York that if a subway car is empty, it’s empty for a reason. The same generally applied to sessions I attended – whether they’re dry or irrelevant to your interests, don’t be afraid to duck out. There’s always another session going on somewhere else!
    Boyhood Post Production Panel
    This was something you didn’t want to leave. Boyhood Post Production Panel!!

     

  3. Keep an eye on your belongings. Oh the irony that I’d have my wallet stolen in friendly Austin and not while abroad or living in NYC. Loss of credit cards aside, it was being ID-less that got me in the most trouble.
  4. Attend the parties. Everyone is running around so much at SXSW that the best time to truly get to know someone is at the parties. Sign up for as many as you can on Eventbrite and other platforms to make sure you can get in. And always bring an ID – kind of puts a damper on things when you don’t have one (see #3).
  5. Visit the lounges. This is another great place to meet new people! We visited the filmmakers lounge several times where, not only did Jon receive a massage, but we also met several people in the industry over drinks.Massage Chair Filmmaker
  6. Wear comfy shoes. Not shoes that you bought two days before thinking they’d be comfy but really need breaking in. comfy. shoes. It’s a lot of walking and you don’t want to scare the girl giving you a pedicure when you get home.
  7. Make a plan of attack for each day. Each morning I’d take about a half hour at breakfast to go through the sessions I’d starred in the SXSW Go app and write down an hour-by-hour schedule, including the parties and films to end each night. It was such a relief for this Type A personality to know what I’d be doing at any time.
  8. Talk to people everywhere you go. Attend mentor sessions with people who are advanced in your field. Bring business cards to your hotel/hostel breakfast. Ask the guy beside you in line what part of the film industry he’s in. It’s truly amazing where you’ll find those gems. Networking at SXSW
  9. Get a hotel. This advice is debatable but I would strongly advise against getting a hostel. The cost really isn’t that different after the taxes and fees are tacked on, and the Capital Metro transportation is pretty reliable. Imagine waking up in a nice luxurious bed with your own bathroom. Now picture waking up in a bunkbed with three other guys in the room. Yep. I did get a great haircut from an awesome San Francisco stylist, though!
  10. Eat the tacos! Seriously, going to Austin and not trying the Tex Mex is like going to New York and not eating a real bagel. My body was 50 percent taco by the time I left Austin but I had no regrets whatsoever.
    SXSW Food Bites
    SouthBites – home of wonderful local food trucks

     

Amazingly enough, even without an ID, I still made it through airport security and back to Virginia Beach. Full updates can be found by scrolling through our Twitter feed!

No Sleep Till Tuesday!

Written by Jon Abrahams on . Posted in Advertising, Blog, Film & Video, Publicity.

More often than not, the long weekend surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day isn’t exactly filled with excitement. This year, however, things changed with the Cinethon 72Hr Film Festival sponsored by Jpixx!

What is Cinethon? See for yourself in this promo we created featuring Jessa Gaul in the role that would’ve earned her an Oscar…had we submitted her for nominations in time.

That’s right, for three straight days the Cinethon 72 Hour Film Festival in Columbia, S.C. will screen 26 films of ranging genres – from documentaries to Hollywood classics, “Fantastic Planet” to “Seven Samurai.” Tonight’s docket (Sunday, January 18) even includes “Purple Rain” featuring Prince.

A Jpixx original is even included in the mix, with The Alcoholic streaming on a loop during a word from Cinethon sponsors.

The fest also includes a wide range of live events. Tonight you can catch the PA-JAMA-RAMA COSTUME  BALL, where you can rock out to your favorite local Columbia bands all in the comfort of your pjs!

The last film streams Monday at 5:30 p.m., so be sure to get down there and check out all that the fest has to offer. And don’t forget the popcorn!

Cinethon 72Hr