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Maestro grows through acquisition of Sharp Shot Media

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Geoff Nichols, CEO Sharp Shot Media

On November 18th, Maestro closed on their acquisition of Sharp Shot Media, a Philly area company that has been serving an impressive list of clients since 2013. Geoffrey Nichols, the principal at Sharp Shot Media, will be joining Maestro as it’s new VP of Production. With his background as an Emmy award winning broadcast news videojournalist and editor, Geoff brings with him a level of experience and management that will help take the company to the new heights.

“Throughout my years in production, Maestro and I were able to collaborate, serving our clients as separate production companies, while building trust with each other,” says Nichols. “Now joining the ensemble at Maestro I look forward to further developing that collaborative-focus as I more formally bring my skill-set to the team and help to facilitate effective creativity for our clients together.”

This is Maestro’s first acquisition as part of a multi-phased growth strategy, aiming to bolster and build up their production department. Geoff will be overseeing all aspects of production and will be working closely with many of Maestro’s key accounts.

“Geoff has been collaborating with the Maestro family for years as a freelance producer” says Kris Mendoza, CEO & Founder of Maestro. “We’re looking forward to the continued growth of our production capabilities under Geoff’s leadership.”

Rob Blog Post

Welcome Rob Jennings!

Rob Jennings - Headshot
Photo by Kate Feher

It’s our pleasure to announce the newest member of our team, Rob Jennings. Rob honed his education at Villanova and the Savannah College of Art & Design and brings his well rounded talents to Maestro as a video editor after 7 years in the film & television industry.

We’re super excited to have him join our growing post team and look forward to collaborating on countless projects as he hits the ground running. Welcome Rob!

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FTW Philly greenlit for a 10-episode run

Our show, FTW Philly has officially been greenlit for 10-Episodes between now and the end of the year! We’re excited to partner with Nerd Street Gamers and NBC Sports Philadelphia to bring esports to the main stream. Read more from the official press release below from NBC Sports Philly:

Nerd Street Gamers announced that NBC Sports Philadelphia is set to air a 10-episode season of “FTW Philly,” a broadcast feature that is set to focus on highly competitive gaming across the Philadelphia region.

“Philadelphians might not be aware, but the region is quickly becoming a major hub for all things esports,” said John Fazio, CEO of Nerd Street Gamers.

“We’re showcasing the excitement of esports to both gamers and non-gamers alike. This series is a win for the community, and will further our company’s mission to make esports more welcoming and accessible to all gamers.”

A pilot episode debuted on the network in late September. It focused on the players and stories behind The Reversal, a National Championship Series (NCS) fighting game tournament held in Philadelphia. The NCS is an amateur esports circuit where competitors play in-person tournaments and showcase their talent, meet like-minded individuals, grow their skills and compete for various prize pots.

Watch Episode 1 below:

Marisa Magnatta, WMMR’s Preston and Steve Show producer, is set to return as the host of the series.

“From state-of-the-art arenas to local teens winning millions, esports is the topic of every good conversation lately and I’m excited to be part of this great, new project,” said Magnatta. “FTW Philly delivers esports stories weekly to all of the fans — novice to expert — across the Delaware Valley!”

New episodes will focus on:

-Traditional live-action sports that are partnering with esports.

-Provide an inside look at some national tournaments being held in the Philadelphia region, such as the Harrisburg University Esports Invitational.

-Showcase the stories that are helping drive this booming industry.

-Shine a light on the rapid development of the Philadelphia esports scene, including the groundbreaking of Fusion Arena, linking it to the global growth of the overall industry.

“The interest in esports is spurring fandom across the Philadelphia region,” said NBC Sports Philadelphia Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives Todd Berman. “By creating FTW Philly we can provide a home so that gamers and non-gamers alike can rally behind the exciting stories that are sure to pique the interest of all sports fans.”

“FTW Philly” is produced by Maestro Filmworks, an award-winning production company based in Philadelphia.

The series will begin airing on Oct. 25 and will run through the end of 2019. “FTW Philly” episodes will debut every Friday and 9 p.m. on NBC Sports Philadelphia + and replay on NBC Sports Philadelphia that same evening. Each episode will air on NBCSportsPhiladelphia.co, and on the network’s YouTube Channel.

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Maestro signs on to produce FTW Philly

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Maestro Filmworks has come on board with Nerd Street Gamers to produced NBC Sports Philly’s newest show. Nerd Street Gamers, a national network of esports facilities and events dedicated to powering competitive opportunities for gamers, has teamed up with NBC Sports Philadelphia to produce “For the Win Philly.” This broadcast focusing on the world of highly competitive gamers in the Philadelphia region will debut on NBC Sports Philadelphia+ on Friday, September 27 at 9pm.

The premier of “For the Win Philly” is launching alongside a weekend of events and festivities that lead up to the Overwatch League Grand Finals on Sunday, September 29th at Wells Fargo Center. Audiences tuning in to NBC Sports Philadelphia+ will get an inside look at the world of esports, its presence in Philadelphia, and how this massive industry is continuing to rise.

“Esports and traditional sports athletes have a lot of the same traits – grit, determination, and heart,” said John Fazio, CEO of Nerd Street Gamers. “‘For the Win Philly’ will take you behind the scenes to show the passion and stories of the gaming community in Philadelphia.”

”For the Win Philly” is centered on The Reversal, a National Championship Series fighting game tournament held in Philadelphia, the story will focus on the players behind the game, giving viewers an exclusive look into the world of esports and competitive fighting games at the ground level of competition. For the Win Philly also focuses on educating viewers about esports as a whole, and how something that was traditionally viewed as a hobby, has evolved into a billion-dollar industry.

“NBC Sports Philadelphia is the home of the Authentic Philly Sports Fan, and it is a natural extension of our mission to cover local esports such as the Fusion and Nerd Street Gamers,” said NBC Sports Philadelphia Sr. Director of Strategic Initiatives Todd Berman. “We feel we can bridge the gap between traditional and esports fans by creating compelling and original content across our platforms.”

“For the Win Philly” will be produced by Maestro Filmworks, an award-winning production company based in Philadelphia. “There are so many personal stories in esports that are just waiting to be told and we’re excited to be producing this show with Nerd Street Gamers and having the responsibility of bringing these stories to the mainstream,” said Kris Mendoza, Executive Producer at Maestro.

“For the Win Philly” Air Dates:

Friday, September 27, 9pm on NBC Sports Philadelphia+

Friday, September 27, 11pm on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Saturday, September 28, 11pm on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Sunday, September 29, 6:30pm on NBC Sports Philadelphia+

NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Sports Philadelphia is available in three million homes throughout the Philadelphia area. To find these channels in your area, click here: https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/channel-finder

“Across the world from South Korea to California, fans are wearing Philadelphia Fusion and Harrisburg University Storm jerseys,” continued Fazio. “The Philadelphia region has become an epicenter for the growth of esports, and we are excited to tell the stories of those making it happen.”

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Using Video to Tell Your Story

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In this day in age, almost every piece of information is right at our fingertips and as much as we wouldn’t like to admit it, our eyes are constantly glued to a screen of some sort. We spend a huge chunk of time online, whether browsing through social media, online shopping, watching videos, reading blogs, laughing at funny memes and so on. Video has become such a huge part of our daily lives that even ordering of a meal or finding a date can be done online. It’s a given — the internet now drives majority of our daily activities.

For this reason, businesses have to consistently find ways to stay relevant and cut through all of the clutter in the market. Video communications is one of the proven ways to convey your messaging through a captive medium.

Here are 12 statistics on the power of video marketing that should convince you to use video more if you aren’t already:

Numbers don’t lie:
1. Youtube has become the second most visited site next to google. It beat Facebook just recently.
2. Businesses that use video marketing grow revenue almost 2 times faster than a non-video users.
3. There are over 1 billion Youtube users. That’s about a third of the whole internet!
4. 300 hours of video are uploaded every minute.
5. According to YouTube statistics, 1 BILLION hours of video are watched everyday.
6. 6 out of 10 people would rather watch videos online than on TV.
7. For mobile shoppers, 30% of them say that video is the best medium for discovering new products and services.
8. On Facebook, people find videos more interesting than a static post. People gaze at videos 5 times longer than other posts.
9. On Twitter, 80% of users watch video content. Tweets with videos get 10 times more engagement.
10. On Instagram, there has been an 80% increase of video content since 2017.
11. Social videos gets about 1200% more shares than an image and text would.

Best Practices for Video Marketing

So how do you take all of this into practice for your next video project? Here are some tips to keep in mind for a more successful and effective content.

1. Keep it short.
According to Wistia, video content under 2 minutes get more engagement. 65% of viewers skip ads as soon as possible. Keep the content brief and straight to the point. It should be informative, entertaining, or even better, both.
2. Be Mobile friendly
2018 marked the first year that more than half of videos watched were consumed on a mobile device. Businesses should take advantage of the fact that consumers spend a lot of time on social media platforms on their phones.
3. Using On Screen Text & Captions
Did you know that most videos on Facebook, specifically 85%, are watched without sound on. That said, visual impact is so important and captions can make a huge difference!
4. Keep the audience curious
In video series, end with a cliffhanger to get consumers eager to see the next video. Ask questions or give a teaser to get them interested.

It’s clear that videos have a huge impact on viewers. After all, the numbers and stats don’t lie. The demand for video content is not slowing down — in fact it continues to rise. According to Entrepreneur, video will account for over about 78% of the world’s data traffic in 2019. Businesses have to step up their game to attract their consumers and if you’re not already using video marketing and communication, it

We hope you found this article enjoyable and informative. Feel free to ask questions about these statistics, trends, and what you can do to take the next step.

References:
https://www.youtube.com/yt/about/press/
https://www.alexa.com/topsites
https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/video-trends-where-audience-watching/
https://blog.twitter.com/marketing/en_us/a/2015/new-research-twitter-users-love-to-watch-discover-and-engage-with-video.html

33 Twitter Stats That Matter to Marketers in 2022


https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics
https://www.oberlo.com.ph/blog/video-marketing-statistics

35 Instagram Stats That Matter to Marketers in 2022

Rebecca maestro filmworks

Welcome Rebecca!

Rebecca Schwartz
Rebecca Schwartz; Photo by Kate Feher

It’s with great pride that we welcome Rebecca Schwartz as the newest addition to our post-production team. Rebecca was our Spring intern in 2018 and throughout the tenure of her internship at Maestro, she showed great poise in the amount and variety of projects she was able to collaborate on with the rest of the team.

Rebecca graduated from Temple University with a degree in film & TV and a concentration in post-production. She joins the team as a Junior Editor and will be working closely with our Senior Editor, Ed Cipolla under the supervision of our Post-Manager Jo Shen. Welcome to the Maestro fam, Rebecca!

Happy Birthday, Maestro Filmworks!

 

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Photograph by Max Grudzinski

We are celebrating our thirteenth year as a full service production company and couldn’t be prouder of our team and our history!  Established in 2005, we’re proud to say our creative house is now a teenager!  Just so, we are ready to take on more of the responsibilities that accompany such a rank.  Maestro’s key initiative is supporting our local communities in education and art by using our resources to buttress their missions while honing our passions.  Most immediately, it is our collaboration with Stay True Philadelphia.  A seven-year long relationship so far, we are gearing up for another successful summer program teaching students photography through our subsidiary Philly Photo Studio.  It’s a fantastic way to kick off our 13th year, developing further as a leader of visual arts by supporting the promising young minds of our future.

DSC08342[ featured left to right: Kris Mendoza, Edward Cippola, Weston Fahey, Katie Feher, Joanna Shen, Andrew Czudak, Max Grudzinski]   Photograph by Max Grudzinski

   We’re also looking forward to rounding out the second half of the year with Philly-Forward creative content.  Extending from the corporate scene, we’ve set some creative goals toward features and shorts that will build on our pride for this city and its communities!  Be sure to tune in to the current manifestation of that: our ongoing Long Story Short program through Instagram @makelongstoryshorts

Happy Birthday, Maestro!

 

Narrative Short Films For Cyber Security

Narrative Short films for Cyber Security

The last few months, we’ve been grateful for the opportunity to combine corporate, commercial and narrative filmmaking into a few very exciting projects for one of our top clients. Due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter and client relationships, we’re unable to post the final videos or too many details about the project, but we essentially set out to produce some short narrative films about diabolical cyber hackers being fended off by elite government agencies in order to paint a picture of a cyber attacks, a looming and very relevant threat in today’s business and political landscape.

To rise to the task, Maestro scaled up to a full crew, with director Charles Morabito at the helm and Bill Burke as Dir. of Photography. We filmed every where from in studio, to 30th Street Station, to Center City corporate offices, to our neighbors offices at 215 Marketing, and the USS United States in South Philly which doubled as our “abandoned hacker lair.” Hoping to be able to share some version of the project in the future, but in the mean time, enjoy some behind the scenes photos below which were posted to our Instagram account.

Scouting all day at some epic locations.

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Cyber hackers in full swing. On set aboard the SS United States. #maestrofilmworks

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Behind the scenes from a recent film. SWAT team preps to storm an abandoned cruise ship. #maestrofilmworks : @ssharrington

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Nearing The Finish Line For Americano

Nearing the finish line for “Americano”

For those of you that have been following the production of our short political thriller we’ve produced with Consurgo Films, we’re excited to announce that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Our goal has always been to submit to the festival circuit and we’re a few steps closer to wrapping on post production and begin submitting.

Ed Cipolla, our lead editor on the film, spent countless hours in the edit suite with director Tim Viola to lock picture over the last few weeks so that Tim and producer, Kris Mendoza could head to LA to jump into finishing. Color and VFX were done over at FX Studios and are near completion.

Late night edit sesh for @americanofilm. #maestrofilmworks #consurgofilms

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Upon completion of color and VFX, the film is coming back to Philly for scoring and a final sound mix. Christian Mariano, a Bucks County native now living in Queens, NY is slated to compose original music for the film and the final audio mix will take place at Shake Audio over at Milk Boy.

It’s been exciting to see the film really begin to come alive with all of the final elements coming together. We look forward to circling back and updating our cast, crew, and Kickstarter backers on the road ahead with the festival circuit.

Late night color session on the left coast for @americanofilm.

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