JTWO Says Goodbye To Val Genzano

Valerie Genzano

It's Not a Goodbye, It's a "See Ya Later".


So, today is my last day at JTWO for the summer. These last 3 months have been a wild ride to say the least, but my days at JTWO were always something to look forward to. I am not sure what I would have done if I didn’t spend Tuesday through Thursday every week working on amazing projects with some pretty cool people (and petting some cute dogs). I’ve come a far way from where I was at the end of May, and I’m so thankful for my internship here for helping me grow, address my visions, and expand creatively as an artist.

JTWO has really helped me see what the “real world” of film is like. Before this summer, I’d only had school and academic experience when it came to film, and it was extremely unfulfilling.  I felt like I couldn’t really decide if this was something I wanted to pursue if I’d only lived in in the small fishbowl that is my university. In my time at JTWO, I’ve been on sets, done paperwork and videos for clients, and seen what it’s really like to exist as a member of a production company in the city. I was never treated as a “get me coffee, pick up my dry cleaning” intern – none of us were. We were always treated as people who were willing and able to do quality work. I feel like I accomplished a lot in the 12 weeks I spent at this internship, and I’ll take the lessons I learned with me throughout my career, whatever it might end up being.

I’ve always really loved organization and planning, and I got to do a lot of that at JTWO. I worked a lot on call sheets and some on scripts, but mostly I worked on the marketing side of things, which is something I had never done before. However, the guys put a lot of trust in me to handle blogs, Instagrams, and certain aspects of the website. I hadn’t ever thought too much into marketing, especially social media marketing, but I really enjoyed it. I cut down videos, made schedules, wrote captions, tracked audience response, and wrote blogs about different projects and shoots. I also starting planning some future events that JTWO might go forward with in time.

As far as my future goes, that’s not entirely decided. I have the wonderful issue of having too many options. I have a passion for film, I have a passion for art, and I have a passion for academia. I’ll graduate with my undergraduate degree in film, but I have plans for an Art History or Museum Education graduate degree. However, that doesn’t mean I won’t still do film. It’ll always be my first love, but I want to explore the world further before I tie myself to one career. No matter what, though, I plan to incorporate film and what I have learned at JTWO into whatever path I follow.

I truly had a lot going on this summer. Someone in my household was diagnosed with cancer right before I started, and I was so nervous that my time restraints were going to be an issue with my internship. Thankfully, I wasn’t coming into just any big-wig corporate internship; the guys were so understanding and really helped me out whenever I needed a day off or to leave early to handle things. They were so helpful getting through the summer. I also got to explore my situation and how I was feeling through my Intern Project, One Day at a Time. I was so grateful to meet so many people who were so talented and truly special. I was lucky enough to work with 3 other amazing interns this summer, and I was inspired by all of their hard work and creativity. I’ve made friendships that I know will last for years (@Maria, hey) and I can’t wait to see where everyone goes in the next few years.

I have nothing but respect, love, and thanks for JTWO. For anyone thinking about an internship with this company, I have a few words of advice: Go for it. Go all in, and don’t hold back. You need to come equipt with a few things before you start; you need passion, you need a good attitude, you need respect for the process and you need your creativity. I wish I could have done more for JTWO, but hopefully one day I can. But for now, I’ll just finish this internship how I started it: over-caffeinated, grateful, and excited for the future. Thanks JTWO. Til next time. Cheers.


JTWO Launches back to school project with Responsibility.org and Simone Biles

We recently teamed up with Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles and Responsibility.org to talk to kids about the pressures during back to school season in Washington, DC. Simone shared tips for saying YES to a healthy lifestyle and NO to underage drinking.  ABC’s Dancing with the Stars also tagged along as they visited students at Arlington Science Focus School and Capitol Hill  as part of their Ask, Listen Learn Program.

This is the second project we teamed up with Simone and Responsibility.org to Producer that as part of our Projects That Matter Initiative. See the other HERE.

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.


Janssen Storytellers Series: Kathleen

Our team is partnered with Janssen Immunology to do a Storytellers Series on the people who make a real difference in the world of immunology. We work on making individual spots for several employees of Janssen to highlight what makes them feel so passionately about fighting immune disease.

Meet Kathleen, a Janssen Global Program Leader who is inspired by her friends’ struggles, working towards creating a world free from immune diseases.


Janssen Storytellers Series: Ryan

Our team is partnered with Janssen Immunology to do a Storytellers Series on the people who make a real difference in the world of immunology. We work on making individual spots for several employees of Janssen to highlight what makes them feel so passionately about fighting immune disease.

Meet Ryan, who has Type I Diabetes and uses his passion for immunology to help others afflicted by immune disease.


JTWO Partners with Victus Sports

Once again, we’ve partnered with Victus Sports as part of our FullCircle Intermedia Initiative to takeover Marketing duties for the upcoming MLB season. Our team is set to handle product photo shoots, commercials, web-series, Ads and clothing designs to Victus’s ever-expanding line.

Victus Sports in affiliation with Marucci Sports is one of the leading Professional Wood Baseball Bat Companies in the world.

 


JTWO Welcomes Cinematographer Maria Vattimo

Introducing Maria Vattimo

We are proud to announce the newest addition to our team, Maria Vattimo. Maria is the most recent graduate of our [INC]ubator Project and has been brought on as the head of  Visual Storytelling. Maria has extensive experience working as both a Director of Photography and Cinematographer on Independent Films and Commercials. She will oversee the development of our Visual Department as well as wield our newest toy, the RED Weapon 8k Helium Cine Camera.

Maria’s love for art was inspired by the never ending creativity of her childhood. At one point or another, she was involved in almost every creative outlet that exists. From painting to photography to musical instruments, and even 9 years of ballet, Maria was always encouraged to stay focused and pursue her career in the arts. However, nothing stuck quite like filmmaking and photography.

At the age of 17, Maria was awarded a certificate from the University of Pennsylvania for her work on a feature film highlighting the dangers of drinking and driving. While attending film school at Temple University, Maria began to stretch her legs and explored the freedom that music videos, fashion films, and experimental films bring. Maria has created dance films for some of Philadelphia’s dance companies that have been screened across America. At the age of 21, Maria Vattimo was invited to be an assistant cinematographer and camera operator for the feature film “AyAyAy!” directed by award-winning writer and director, Catalina Jordan Alvarez. Freshly after graduation, Maria began her internship at JTwo, and from her internship blossomed a strong relationship with the team at JTwo.

An Eye for Beauty

An integral part of Maria’s artistic journey is to find beauty in whatever she does. Not only has she helped her fellow interns with projects during their time at JTWO, but she’s also had multiple projects of her own, ranging from short films to feature films, to music videos, to fashion spots. Her artistic vision and unmatched passion is part of what makes her such an amazing addition to the JTWO team.

In Maria's Words

I’ve been a visual person my entire life. I barely spoke a word until I was two years old. However, I don’t take it as a coincidence that all I did up to that point was look around and take it all in. Even now, cameras have allowed me to continue my legacy of just taking it all in, but this time with proof.

Film is a fully immersive experience where visual, technical, musical, and emotional elements all come together for just a few fleeting moments to create something that can outlive us all. That’s why film is so hard; it takes precise coordination, collaboration, undying passion and pressure to create something really great. A film comes together in front of the camera and there’s nowhere I’d rather be than behind it.