JTWO Welcomes Editor Rachael Petersen

Introducing Rachael Petersen

We’re excited to announce the newest addition to our team Rachael Petersen. A Temple Media Studies and Production graduate, Rachael comes to JTWO with a comprehensive background in the creative industry with a specific passion for documentary film. Just this year she placed first in the 2018 BEA Festival of Media Arts in the Long-Form Student Documentary category, while also winning the Award of Recognition at the Indie Fest Film Awards. 

The Film

Wearing the hat for Producer, Director, and Editor Rachael ran everything from pre to post production on Monumental Change, which follows the story of Monument Cemetery, a renowned cemetery in the heart of North Philadelphia that was destroyed in the 1950s, while also highlighting Philadelphia’s history of expansion and gentrification.


dc super hero girls

JTWO Works with DC Superhero Girls

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We recently teamed up with Something’s Awry Productions and Warner Bros to help bring their new live action + stop-motion animation series DC Super Hero Girls to life. In these two short kid friendly films you discover how middle school-aged girls and DC Super Heroes react when faced with challenging social situations like bullying and rejection.


for aaron the documentary

JTWO Releases For Aaron: The Documentary for Free

Nine years ago we released our award-winning feature film, For Aaron: The Documentary which showcased the heartwarming true story of three friends cycling across America to keep one final promise to their fallen friend. The trip covered 17 states, 6000 miles, two support vehicles, and took 65 days but, like Aaron lives in our hearts forever.

Our Director Justin Jarrett has decided to release the documentary for free. Previously all proceeds were going directly to the Aaron Klinger Memorial Scholarship fund at Milton High School, but now must be sent directly to the school. Please address all future donations here: 700 Mahoning Street • Milton, PA 17847.

This project was made possible through our Projects That Matter Initiative. To learn more about how your organization can join the initiative and qualify for creative content production discounts click below.


philadelphia union

JTWO works with the Philadelphia Union

philadelphia union

Our team had the opportunity to capture a day in the life of the Philadelphia Union‘s soccer star and Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) undergrad Auston Trusty to examine exactly how he maintains a balanced lifestyle juggling both school and play. Just this year SNHU became the Official Education Partner of the U.S. professional soccer team in order to expand access to education and provide benefits to their Philadelphia based students. They aim to prepare young students for success both inside and outside of the classroom.


JTWO Welcomes Editor Ian Schobel

Introducing Ian Schobel

We are proud to announce the newest addition to our team, Ian Schobel. Ian is a recent graduate of our [INC]ubator Project and has been brought on as an Editor. A Temple Media Studies  and Production graduate, Ian comes from a family of professional writers, teachers, and film junkies who all share a common dream for storytelling. Having served as an Editor, DP, and Writer for Temple News he comes with extensive experience in the industry and looks forward to stretching his legs further at JTWO.

A Love For Storytelling

Ian has always had a love for storytelling. Growing up with a teacher and copywriter for parents, books were essentially a home for him. He’d sift through over 3 a week, enticed by the new people and places each story brought him, forever eager for his next adventure. But when it came to film, his interest ran bare. He saw little influence in it, and for most of his childhood steered clear of the television. It wan’t until he entered college and witnessed the daily onslaught of advertisements, news articles, television shows, and movies that he began to experience the extreme impact media has on our lives and the way we interact with the world, and so his interest shifted.

His love for film truly began to develop after a semester abroad in Rome, Italy. Being thrown into a culture so different from his own, Ian knew it wasn’t going to be enough to just live out this experience, and so he started filming it. By the end of his trip, he was able to put together a 20 minute documentary that told the beautiful story of an unforgettable adventure far from home. 

A Match Is Made

Back at Temple, Ian chose the production track and quickly learned how important post production was. He had directed and worked the camera, but never been to the last stop on the storytelling train, editing. Just like an author, the editor had the power to guide the story, embrace it from different perspectives, put its pieces together and make sense out of them. It was a perfect match.


incubator project

JTWO Bids Farewell to Adam Nitzberg and Rich Owens

Goodbye Friends 

by Adam Nitzberg

Hi, I’m Adam, and I am about to finish my last week as an intern at Jtwo Films. It has certainly been a summer to remember. I think the main thing I learned has definitely been the importance of organization. I straight up cringe when I look back at my old projects and see the dumb workflow I used to have. Some of the assignments may seem monotonous but the experience has been invaluable to the growth of my creativity. It’s easy to take an interesting photo of something that is inherently interesting, like a skyline or something. But, if you want to really cut your teeth, try taking hundreds of photos of something as mundane as a baseball bat while having them be interesting.

Thanks so much to the whole gang: Justin, Travis, Real Maria, Jelani, Brittney, Ken Griffey Jr., and Nova. You guys all taught me so much about your various specialties. Shoutout to the other interns, Greg, Other Maria and Rich. You guys are some quality people with bright futures. (Sorry I keep swapping your names Rich and Greg) Sleeper shoutouts to the smell of Strawberry Street, Crazy Guy, and my dude outside of 7/11. Big shoutout to Jared, Diesel and the rest of the guys at Victus.

I’m not sure yet what the future holds but I know it has been made better by my experience this summer at JTwo. If I were to offer one piece of advice to future interns, it would be to watch out for the crazy guy across the street; he pepper-sprayed a chick once.

See ya soon!

by Rich Owens

When I took this internship at JTWO Films I had three goals:

  1. Learn more about cinematography. To become a director/producer I think it’s important to understand how to frame a shot well, even if I don’t have aspirations to be behind the lens.
  2. Increase my confidence as an editor. I saw JTWO as an opportunity to edit some slick projects and expand my portfolio.
  3. Become a better storyteller. When you’re telling a story, whether it’s for a small edit or a feature film, it’s critical to be able to piece together the puzzle. And the only way to improve is through repetition and practice.

Well…it has been two and a half months and I’m confident I’ve accomplished my goals in all three areas. I’m nowhere close to where I want to end up, but I believe that I’ve taken a huge step forward after a summer at JTWO Films.

The opportunity to shoot, edit and produce two of my own short films along with my fellow interns was extraordinary. I’d like to thank the JTWO squad for being exceptional guides and mentors as well as my fellow interns for their kindness and passion. It was a joy to collaborate. There’s something special about surrounding yourself with people on a similar journey.

Human sandbag for life!


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.

Learn More

incubator project

JTWO Bids Farewell to Intern Maria Cantu

Until Next Time

by Maria Cantu

Well, my time at JTwo has come to an end and it went by pretty fast for me.  I’m really glad I got a chance to spend the summer with the crew here and make two videos of my own in a professional environment with their Incubator Project.  Before JTwo, everything I made had been for school, so I never really knew what I was fully capable of outside of the classroom. My first video for JTwo, “BARRE NONE.” is definitely the best thing I’ve ever made.  I couldn’t be more proud (half of the views on Vimeo are probably me, let’s be honest). After comparing this video to my school projects, I surprised myself with the progress that I’ve made and my eyes were opened to abilities I didn’t believe I had.  I can definitely thank Justin for being the one who kept pushing me to make my video better. He made me exercise my directing and editing skills so that the story could be told in the most effective way. In the end, not only did I tell a beautiful story, but I was able to have my voice come through in the editing.  This is something that doesn’t really get to happen for me in school projects because news packages follow more of a formula, as opposed to a documentary where you have more stylistic freedom. All in all, I’m incredibly grateful to have gotten this much needed experience from my first video. I’ll definitely apply everything I learned with directing and editing to all that I create going forward.

As the summer went on, my fellow interns and I started to do a lot with bats; baseball bats, not the animal bats.  One of JTwo’s clients, Victus, has a new line coming out and needed clips of each bat for social media… there were a lot of bats.  I never had to take footage of still objects before and try to find ways to make it interesting, so this was definitely unfamiliar to me, as well as doing any kind of media work for a professional company.  We had to take a couple of swings at it before we got into a groove (pun definitely intended). Adam (one of the interns) and I used moving light to make the products really pop. It made the bats look like they were emerging from the shadows.  Maria and I also used reflection to make still shots look sleek and fancy. I had never really learned about lighting before so that was my greatest take away from working on this.

Currently I’m working on my second video.  It’s for a non-profit animal shelter called Morris Animal Refuge.  One of the main reasons I applied to JTwo was because of the Projects That Matter Initiative, so I’m happy that I’m getting the chance to contribute to it before I go.  I only have a few days left to pull it together, so I’m definitely stressed. The reason being because I’ve run into some challenges (always expect that to happen and try to plan for it ahead of time).  I was supposed to interview this man, but of course he cancelled last minute. I now have to run with what I’ve got and make something with the interviews I do have that will still tell the story that I pitched to the shelter.  Without his interview, my original plan is totally changed, but Justin told me before to never be so in love with one idea that you don’t allow yourself to come up with more, some which could turn out even better than your original plan.  I don’t like to disappoint people, so as long as the shelter is happy with what I come up with, then I’ll be happy too. I know I’ll come up with something, I always find a way somehow.

To close out, I want to say that the JTwo fam is definitely one of a kind.  Not your mama’s typical work environment. I can wear my ripped jeans and my Selena t-shirts, joke around with my colleagues, and work alongside two adorable dogs.  To me, that’s the best kind of workplace. I know I wouldn’t fit in a corporate setting (I don’t even have the wardrobe for that besides my one blaser from Marshalls), so getting to see what a job would be like in this unique industry makes me more sure that I’m on the right track for myself.  I had such a fun time with the other interns, Adam, Greg, and Rich. They each bring their own talents and style into whatever it is that they create. I loved having them by my side to help me film my two projects. I couldn’t have done it without them. My favorite part of this kind of work is the people you meet.  Other careers don’t always allow you to socialize as much. So my advice to whoever is reading this is to use this to your advantage. Meet new people, work as a team, and experience new things; it can only make you better. JTwo was that new experience for me this summer. I started off a little nervous and unsure of myself, but I’m thankful to have been given the opportunity to learn here and build my confidence as a filmmaker.  I’ll definitely be back to see how the ole gang is doing (mainly my girl, Nova). I love these guys!


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.

Learn More