JTWO Welcomes Intern Greg Fry
Welcome to JTWO
by Greg Fry
When I look back on my life, it’s hard to remember a time where I didn’t have some sort of technology in my hand. The complexity, the fast paced evolution… everything about it grabbed my attention and pulled me in further. In my early middle school years, I began to take an interest in the photos my dad took of me. Eventually, my interest in photography spread to videography and by that point I had taken all of my dads equipment and claimed it as my own.
As I started high school, I still had no idea that I wanted to make a career out of film making, but I knew my interests were far different from many of those in my class. During my summers, I began taking my camera on countless adventures where I fell in love with the idea of short form videos. I became obsessed with the development of turning my ideas into a finished product. While I continued to create, I slowly came to the realization that I wanted to produce videos as a career.
I graduated high school and decided to go to a fairly small university for two years before realizing that I wanted something more. I transferred to Temple University in 2017 where I gained further knowledge of my craft and also developed a passion for concert photography. I spent many of my weekends at concert venues while utilizing the rest of my free time to create videos for classes and personal freelance work.
After my first year at temple (third year as a college student), I have found myself more driven than ever within the media field. With a summer at JTWO to look forward to, I cannot wait to expand my knowledge of the professional industry while simultaneously giving my own creative input when needed.
This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.
JTWO Welcomes Intern Rich Owens
How Do You Tell a Story?
by Richard Owens
This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.
JTWO Welcomes Intern Adam Nitzberg
The Story is Everything
by Adam Nitzberg
Hi, I’m Adam, and I just finished my first week as an intern at Jtwo Films. I think it’s going well so far, definitely made some mistakes and learned some stuff the hard ward way, but that’s just the way these things go I suppose. So, I guess this is supposed to be some sort of origin story like Batman Begins or something, so here goes nothing.
I originally wanted to be a film composer. That’s what I applied to go to school for. I trained all through high school and even middle school towards that goal. But, at my number one choice school, Syracuse, I didn’t make it into the music program. But, I had been accepted to my second choice major: Television, Radio, and Film at the Newhouse School.
I visited and I fell in love with everything. When I toured Newhouse, they explained that they even had a program for sound design and film scoring in that major. Plus, I thought it would be prudent to be around people who could use me rather than be in a program full of competition, so to speak. And, as a last resort, I always could just switch majors to something completely music based. So, I decided that Syracuse was the school for me.
But, as I learned freshman year, before you can specialize at Syracuse, you have to learn how to do everything. And as I explored the various roles in the industry, I fell in love with directing. This might seem like an odd switch, but to me, it makes perfect sense.
Directing is just like being a composer, just with a different medium. Whenever I compose something, my goal is to tell a story. All of my favorite works are concept albums and long symphonies with epic stories. When I write music, I even write out the story on paper before penning a single note, develop characters with leitmotifs that change throughout, and try to follow story structure. So, when I got a chance to tell stories visually, it just felt right. Story had always been everything.
So, when I was searching for internships, it’s no surprise that Jtwo was my number one choice. I was hooked the second I saw the tagline “We are storytellers” followed by “story is everything.” And lo and behold, I was selected.
I still have so so so much to learn. I still feel out of my element, but that’s why I am so happy to have gotten this internship. I plan on walking around like a sponge, just soaking in all the knowledge I can. I am so excited for what the future holds and so grateful to be here.
This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.
JTWO Welcomes Intern Maria Cantu
Time to Swim
by Maria Cantu
The fact that I’m writing my first JTwo blog is still pretty unbelievable to me. Just a couple months ago I was in my apartment, laptop on my legs, guac and chips next to me, feeling totally screwed for a Summer internship. I went through many websites, but it was hard to find a company that I truly wanted to intern for, and the clock was ticking for application deadlines. I guess you could say I’m a little bit selective with where my time goes. I didn’t want to just send out 100 applications to places that I honestly had no interest in, just to have something to put on a resume when I was done. I wanted to learn. I wanted to be challenged. I wanted to be excited and passionate about the content I was creating. So, I ended up applying to just one place…
But first, let’s bring it back a little bit. I’ll give you a brief run down on me. I’ll start by saying I wasn’t one of those people who felt they were destined to be a filmmaker or whatever. The truth is, my lack of ability to do anything math and science related are what sort of lead me to embrace my artsiness. I put my all into whichever medium I was creating in, whether it was singing, artwork, crafts, doing girls hair and makeup, or making videos. I got my start in video production when I was in high school. I thought it’d be interesting to try art in a different form. I really enjoyed it and I was pretty good at it for my age (Even though now I look back and cringe). However, I’d do all this work, hand it in and get an A, but I wouldn’t really feel satisfied in the end. Something was missing. It made me question whether I wanted to stick with this in college.
Fast Forward a few years and I’m about to be a senior at Temple University, graduating with a Media Studies and Production degree. So, I ended up sticking with it. As time goes on, I keep growing and learning more about myself as a person and a video creator. After making a video for Blind Sports Organization, I felt that fulfillment that I was lacking in high school. The difference was that now I was telling stories that had more of a purpose; that had some substance. I’ve found that I feel the most fulfilled when I make connections with people and do stories on non-fiction topics that can speak to someone in some way, and I want to continue on this track for the rest of my production career.
Ok, now let’s get back to the internship search… I got to the 13th company listed on Google: JTwo Films. I went through their website and with every click and scroll, I liked it more and more. I definitely was able to connect with the content they created and their overall vibe. Between the personality-infused language of the website, the Projects That Matter Initiative, and the quality of the videos- wait, hold up… they have dogs?! Ok where do I sign up?
I didn’t think there was a snowball’s chance in hell that I’d make the cut. It suddenly felt like everything I’d previous done wasn’t even good, so I held off on applying. Then, one night around 9pm, I was like, “Ok, what do I have to lose?” So, I typed from the heart and hoped whoever read it would see something in me, something that maybe I didn’t. The next morning, Jelani emailed me back for an interview, then a couple weeks later he wanted me back for another, and you can guess what happened next.
Yup, your girl made the freakin’ cut. I got one of the four spots and I couldn’t be more grateful to the JTwo team for taking a chance on me. I guess I didn’t have to be so doubtful of myself after all. Now here I am, one week in and it’s been great! I only really messed up with the file naming, accidentally deleted my source footage, and misplaced my Premiere file *nervous laugh*, but a mistake isn’t a bad thing so long as I learn from it… and then don’t ever do it again otherwise Travis will probs kill me. I also found out Justin hates overlays and I put a bunch of them in my first video, so that’s good. But hey, when I was editing, this accidental cut perfectly aligned with the bass drop so I guess you could say I’m kind of killin’ it.
Alrighty guys, that’s about all I have time for. Now I’m going to develop my intern project because we’re filming this week. I’ve been pushed into the deep end and now it’s time for me to swim.
This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.
JTWO says Goodbye to Intern Kyungchan Min
Farewell My Friends
by Kyungchan Min
Aight, so it’s been a few days since my last day as an intern at Jtwo, and this blog post is a bit overdue. It goes without saying that I learned a ton over the past semester, and that this experience has been crucial in helping me find my place in the film industry. I’d like to first thank everyone at Jtwo who helped me adjust to the office and find my niche in the color grading suite. The other interns, Ian and Alex, were really dope! I wish my internship schedule (Tuesdays through Thursdays) overlapped more with their Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, but what’s done is done. I also wish I didn’t have to miss some days because of the Nor’easter. But again, what’s done is done.
What matters is that I had a great time working with everyone and being trusted to do most of the color grading by the end of my stay as an intern. At first, it was daunting being given a client project to grade, knowing that what I send out will be the final visual piece for that project. But it got easier. Each color grading project became more of a normal part of my internship rather than a special event. Although I still call myself a cinematographer and aim to pursue work as a DP on feature films, I’m glad I can add color grading to my skillset.
I wasn’t stuck underground in the color grading suite all the time though. I got to go location scouting a few times, help out on sets, and even take Nova out on a walk. I learned the importance of a solid workflow and good organization, which I try to emulate on all my projects.
This was my first foray into the world of commercial filmmaking. Even though my plan is to work as a DP on indie features, I learned a lot about dealing with clients and how that could translate to film sets where not everyone is a part of the core circle of collaborators.
I’m planning to go back home for a while and enjoy the hazy southern summer, but I’ll be back and ready to keep on color grading Jtwo’s projects.
Until next time,
Kyung
This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.
JTWO Opens Chicago Branch
Look Out Midwest, Here We Come!
Today we are proud to announce the official launch of JTWO | Chicago. We will be bringing our full range of Video Production and Post-Production services to Chi-Town along with some of our talented crew. We already have hit the ground running with collaborations with both agencies and clients on the ground.
Justin Jarrett, JTWO Principal Director
Over the past nine years, we have worked tirelessly to grow JTWO into one of the leading video production companies in the city of Philadelphia and we felt like it was naturally time to expand. There are more stories to tell and we felt like Chicago, with it’s deep rooted history and booming creative scene, was the perfect fit. Also, as a diehard Chicago Bulls fan I wanted a reason to attend more games (Don’t worry Philly, I am still Trusting the Process).
Meet Our New Executive Producer
JTWO | CHICAGO
We are proud to announce the newest addition to our team and Executive Producer of our new Chicago branch, Conor (Conaaaa) Hare! Having worked in account management for 9 years, Conor possesses extensive experience in client services and looks forward to expanding JTWO’s name in the midwest to bring stories that matter to life.
Growing up in a household of musicians, Conor always had a passion for storytelling. He loves the way lyrics meet paper and bring memories to life. Since Conor was young he’s been composing and recording his own music alongside his older brothers and finds that there’s truly nothing like it. He appreciates the connection film has with music and believes that together they form a powerful relationship.
In The Press
JTWO Helps Bringing Hope Home Celebrate 10 Years
Bringing Hope Home is a non-profit organization that provides unexpected amazingness to local families with cancer through financial and emotional support. Through their Light of Hope Family Grant Program, they offer a one-time grant to pay essential household bills for families with cancer in the Greater Philadelphia Area. We have worked with Bringing Hope Home since 2010 as part of our Projects That Matter Initiative, and this year they are celebrating 10 years as an organization!
17th Annual Great Guys Dinner
This year marks the 17th Annual Great Guys Dinner, a fundraising event that celebrates BHH’s mission of Unexpected Amazingness by gathering the donors, supporters and families they serve. We worked with BHH to produce two separate spots on Great Guy of the Year Dr. Kevin Fox, and Volunteers of the Year Mark McNamara and Ted McCullough.
This project was made possible through our Projects That Matter Initiative. The Projects That Matter Initiative is a Philadelphia based video production program with the mission of providing professional digital media services to Non-Profits at a discounted rate. To learn more about how your organization can join the initiative and qualify for creative content production discounts click below.
JTWO Produces Mission First Housing Video
Mission First Housing Group’s mission is to develop and manage affordable, safe and sustainable homes for people in need, with a focus on the vulnerable. They ensure their residents have access to resources to help them live independently. They deliver housing that provides long-term benefits to residents and neighborhoods, alike.
This is the third year in a row that we’ve had the good fortune of working with Mission First Housing Group. This year’s video focuses on Walter Baker and other military veterans staying at the Whitehall Apartments in Spring City Pennsylvania. The Whitehall Apartment building is a recently renovated building that provides housing for at-risk veterans. During filming we sat down and discussed Walter’s past and focused on the ways in which the Whitehall has helped him and others to find stability in their lives. This year’s video is featured below and you can check out our previous videos on our work page.
This project was made possible through our Projects That Matter Initiative. The Projects That Matter Initiative is a Philadelphia based video production program with the mission of providing professional digital media services to Non-Profits at a discounted rate. To learn more about how your organization can join the initiative and qualify for creative content production discounts click below.
JTWO says "see ya soon" to Intern Alex Siwik
Not a goodbye, but a “see you soon.”
by Alex Siwik
During any typical week of a typical semester, my life would tend to feel a lot like the movie Groundhog Day. I was a trapped Bill Murray doing the same stuff everyday of every week. However, this semester was a lot different.
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I spent my days with the folks at JTwo. Whether I was at the office or on a shoot, each day was different. I was no longer Bill Murray. One day I would be camera assisting or shooting product photos for Victus, and the next editing a new project. It was always interesting and kept me on my toes… not to mention, the people at JTwo are hilarious and very fun to work with.
They say you learn the most by doing things, which is certainly true. I learned a ton on set, but believe it or not, I also learned a whole lot just by eavesdropping on some of the conversations flying around the studio. I often found myself tuning in to Travis’s post-production-related talks and commands, usually not understanding some of the lingo, but by the end of my internship, I definitely gained a better understanding of workflow and the importance of being an organization freak. Although my career goals consist of me being a shooter, I feel that these things will help me in general in the long run.
JTwo wasn’t all about work all the time. We did some fun things together, such as go to the ADCP Louix Awards, where I had an embarrassing moment in which I went up to accept an award before our name was even called (Imagine if we didn’t win that award… Moral of the story: Open bars are cool, but don’t get too tipsy at award shows). The coolest thing about the Louix Awards though is that we shot the badass opening film that screened at the beginning of the ceremony, which was perhaps my favorite project I got to work on.
I also enjoyed our trip to DC for the Responsibility.org shoot with Summer Sanders and all the attorney generals. It was a long couple of days, but I got to stay in a pretty nice hotel and be surrounded by super official-looking people in suits. I shot and edited the behind-the-scenes video for the shoot. You can check it out on JTwo’s website or Vimeo page (No, this is not a shameless plug).
At the end of my internship, Justin tested my abilities and sent me on a trip to Rehoboth, Delaware to shoot a video with Bringing Hope Home. I was totally nervous and afraid that I would screw something up, but everything ended up going very smoothly. It was awesome that the guys at JTwo felt they could trust me to go as a one-man-band and shoot something for them.
To sum things up, my internship at JTwo was a great experience. When you hear the word “intern,” you may think of a student who is forced to do crap work and then is let go and forgotten about at the end, but at JTwo, I got to work on awesome, real stuff and was more than just an intern. I was part of the team and part of the family. My fellow interns, Ian and Kyung, were also great dudes and I plan staying in touch with them. I will already be coming back to JTwo’s office next week when the Movi Pro comes in, and then again to work with on the next Victus shoot. So yes, I may be shutting the door to my internship, but it is more like opening the door to an extended stay with the JTwo crew.
This project was created as part of the JTWO [INC]ubator Project. A semester long internship program built from the ground up to give young filmmakers, content creators, and all around hungry for a challenge individuals a place to stretch their creative minds while preparing them for the road ahead.
JTWO Produces Philadelphia Flyers Post Season Hype Video
Following our recent win at the Louix Awards this February, The Philadelphia Flyers reached out to our team to produce their postseason playoff hype video. They tasked us with creating an emotional, hard-hitting spot that would tell the story of the Flyers tumultuous season through specific moments throughout the year which ultimately culminated in a trip to the postseason. We made it our mission to scope out the craziest and most dedicated Flyers fans in the Greater Philadelphia area. Considering some daring new ink and a bold haircut, it’s safe to say the city did not disappoint. While not every fan made it into the final cut of the video, their commitment was not lost on us. Check out the :90 spot below.