Masthead2 Maestro Filmworks has been nominated for three Mid-Atlantic Emmys this season for our work on FTW Philly, a show we produced with Nerd Street Gamers which aired its first season this past fall on NBC Sports Philadelphia.  Two of these nominations celebrated Maestro’s achievement in Programming for Education as well as for Lifestyle, and the third for individual excellence in the category of Graphic Arts/Animation for our animator Andrew Czudak.  Throughout the season, Maestro chased stories inter-regionally, covering pro-tournaments, massive construction projects, university programming, and pro athlete team training. Executive Producer Kris Mendoza says,   

“It is exciting and validating to be recognized by our peers in the industry

and well deserved for the hard work the team put into Season 1 for FTW Philly.” 

  The Emmy Nomination for Maestro’s piece on FTW Philly Collegiate Esports dove deep into the burgeoning world of esports as a pro-athletic career.  It highlighted the gaming industry’s curriculum potential and covered schools such as Rowan University and Lebanon Valley College.  It exposed some big opportunities, not only for varsity and pre-professional levels but also for degree programs that would one day create gaming situations for other educations like medicine and business training.   https://youtu.be/GkNt_6wNmU0
“FTW Philly- Collegiate Esports”- Maestro Filmworks/Nerd Street Gamers:  Kris Mendoza, Executive Producer   |  Geoffrey Nichols, Producer  |  Joanna Shen, Producer  |  Marisa Magnatta, Talent  |  Weston Fahey, Director of Photography  |  Eurica Yu, Camera Operator  |  Conor Kelley, Editor
  Equally important was the nomination for Enabled Gaming, where Director Joanna Shen carefully told the story of a lifelong gamer who used his passion for gaming to create an innovative solution for him to not only bond with his grandfather but to also assist him as he battled dementia so he could sharpen his mental skills and rediscover the joy of driving. https://youtu.be/yIOdSUOolxE
“FTW Philly- Enabled Gaming”- Maestro Filmworks/Nerd Street Gamers: Kris Mendoza, Executive Producer  |  Alex Frederick, Executive Producer  |  Geoffrey Nichols, Producer  |  Joanna Shen, Director  |  Weston Fahey, Director of Photography  |  Rob Jennings, Editor  |  Kate Feher, Art Director

NATAS Emmy Nominations

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Lagos Jewelry – Designer Series

by COMMERCIALUncategorized

We recently collaborated with Lagos Jewelry, whose global headquarters happens to be right here in Philadelphia. Our crew is on hand creating a campaign of videos, but this one captures the essence of the company’s signature inspiration line, Black Caviar.  We are revisiting the old-world craftmanship that creator Steven Lagos first incorporated and melding with it state of the art technology used to develop each intricate piece.  From the design floor to the workshop, we follow the process by showcasing systems and artistry leading to incomparably beautiful jewelry. Charles Morabito directs, combing over hand-drawn sketches and carefully illuminating diamonds, gems, and precious metals.  This deep dive explores the treasure trove of Caviar’s rich history.

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Print and Cut! – Conlin’s Copy

by CommunityCorporate VideoUncategorized

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Conlin’s Digital Print and Copy Center has been a family owned and operated company since 1980.  To help celebrate this legacy,  Maestro Filmworks dove right into the day with the team, capturing the vast spectrum of their expertise.  The company has been expanding quickly over the years and generations.  For us, that meant plenty of large machinery, intricate systems, and dynamic community interaction to capture.

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Check out the finished project and learn more!

Director: Jo Shen
DP: Weston Fahey
1st AC: Eurica Yu
Gaffer: Paul Bradburn
Art: Kate Feher
Sound mixer: Frankie Mills

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Long Story Shorts

by Narrative - Documentary - Short FormUncategorized

Maestro Filmworks presents “Long Story Shorts,” a team creative endeavor with an aspiration to build awareness, experience, education, and exploratory traditions into our process.

LSS BTS 2Photograph by  Max Grudzinski

The parameters bracket a short film featuring up to two characters, one location, and one minute of thought provoking, digestible story-telling, all completed in one day and strictly for distribution on Instagram.

“There is an underserved audience on Instagram with an appetite for short form content that no one is really tapping into,” says Kris Mendoza, Executive Producer at Maestro. “Our aim is to produce fun, digestible short films and passively bring them to your feed for your viewing pleasure.”

KAT 1640Photograph by  Kate Feher

For Maestro, these exercises keep the creative juices flowing.  We invite you to witness our progress, as we showcase our projects monthly!  Shown above is a Behind the Scenes vignette into the world created by Max Grudzinski, a talented photographer working with Maestro across multiple platforms.  Here, he is flexing his Directing muscles for the first time, kicking off our series with gusto!