Learning & Growing! Mediajuice & Me

It's been awhile since my last post, and there's ALOT to update you all on.  I've been a busy bee with lots of fun Mediajuice client work as well as my film and television projects the past couple of years.  Mediajuice's newest client, Mouser Electronics has offered some exciting projects and working with Grant Imahara (their new corporate spokesman) has been alot of fun.

My 1st feature film 'Video Games: The Movie' also finally hit theaters and was the culmination of almost 4 years of work. It's now on Itunes, Netflix and Amazon so if you haven't had a chance yet, please check it out and let me know what you think!  It was a labor of love, sweat and tears but extremely fulfilling to finally see it come to life in front of an audience.

A fan favorite clip from 'Video Games: The Movie' 

After a much needed vacation (Disneyland with my family!) I had the great fortune of meeting a group of investors from my home town area of Lubbock, TX.  They were interested in my film career and what my next project would be, so I pitched my original series covering the games industry 'Unlocked: The World Of Games, Revealed'  Long story short, I got independent funding to make my series, which was an amazing thrill!  (thnx Brett)  Many were surprised that I decided to dive straight back into another gaming doc series after spending years on the subject with my 1st film, which is understandable. The best explanation I can give is that if video games and the games industry were a "conversation", 'Video Games: The Movie' didn't allow me to say everything I wanted.  I'm pleased with the film, but it was always meant as a high level look at the medium, history and culture of gaming, not an exhaustive deep dive, which is what (fingers crossed) Unlocked will be.  Plus we've got celebrities hosting and learning about video games, so it's that much more exciting! What's not to like?!  :)

Our 8 hosts for 'Unlocked'!

Between 'Video Games: The Movie' and 'Unlocked' I've learned alot about filmmaking the past 5 years, but I've learned even more about myself.  Learning a new craft 'as I'm doing it' is a combination of excitement, terror and exhilaration that I have a hard time describing.  Don't get me wrong, I think studying the masters and learning from what they've done well is essential, which I've done for years, but I think you can only learn so much until 'doing' becomes a must.  I talk about this in my TED talk from 2015 as well, which was also a real thrill to be a part of.  I've had alot of experience shooting and producing commercials for my agency Mediajuice the past 12 years, but weaving a documentary narrative together is an entirely different beast.  Crafting a :30 or :60 second TV spot vs. a 90 minute film or a 40 minute Television Episode requires entirely different creative disciplines and approaches, but I love the diversity and challenge of both. Really I do. Variety is the spice of life, right!?

Bottom line, I love my work and I feel blessed to be where I'm at and doing what I'm doing.  Yes it's taken hard work to get here, but no way I'd be here without the support of my friends, my Mediajuice team, my family and my faith.  There will always be new challenges, stresses and hills to climb but I embrace them daily with positivity and courage, as we all should.

Onward!

Jeremy