Employee 001: Mika's Story


BY MIKA MALONEY

I was already a few years into my new career focused on philanthropy for families in a cancer experience when I met the principal players forming JTWO. Divine discontent had given me courage to launch off the path of the typical “dot orgs” to join with some friends who also wanted to make life easier for these families. We were fairly new at our endeavor but we knew we had to do the work to create our brand and to be able to communicate our unique offerings in a contemporary way.

So it was really fun to meet Justin Jarrett, coming in hot out of college with a dream to build out a non-profit component to his business and his passion of making films for what he called Projects That Matter. Video and branded web content were becoming must-haves in the non- profit arsenal. I liked his ideas and I loved his passion.


“I’ll always be the biggest cheerleader for JTWO. It’s in my blood and if you’re in the crew–you’re family.”

For a couple of years it was easy for me to decide on projects worth the expertise that JTWO brought to the table. I immediately recognized Travis Capacete’s talent for editing, creativity and sales as well. Between the two partners, I felt safe and excited to hand over the creative reins for the branding I needed- and it continued successfully, even when I changed companies to further my own development. Referring to the guys and their team to others in the industry was not only done with confidence but it became one of my favorite things to talk about!

In 2012, I recognized that I had probably one summer left to stop everything and just be a mom to my daughter graduating college.

So I did a free fall, knowing that when my daughter left our nest, I’d just KNOW what to do next.

And I did know. The day Justin and Travis came out to meet me for coffee was the beginning of a beautiful co-working relationship, working together to develop more Projects That Matter. They’d have the exact type of projects they wanted and I was able to continue to serve the community. It was all heart.

This relationship continued until my newborn twin grandsons entered the world. It took no courage at all to jump to the side of my work to spend my time taking care of them while my daughter and her husband work full time.

What’s funny is that, a year later, JTWO is still never far from my mind. Their work and impact on the world is just that great. I went from being such a rookie in every single technical aspect of the JTWO business to eventually understanding and admiring what a huge multi-layered pool of talent is required to create brands, decode emotions and develop tools that boil down to one golden nugget: the story. And the end product? It’s magic. It moves mountains and slays dragons. I’ll always be the biggest cheerleader for JTWO. It’s in my blood and if you’re in the crew–you’re family.

PS – I still don’t do call times before 9 AM and if there’s not a Marriott, I’m likely not going on the trip….



JTWO and Fred's Footsteps Tell Inspiring Story of Jaelyn Brown


PROJECT DETAILS

Our team was absolutely thrilled to work with Fred’s Footsteps again to tell the story of Jaelyn Brown. We travelled to Sicklerville, NJ to sit down with Jaelyn and her family. After finding out that she had liver cancer and needed a double amputation of her legs, Jaelyn needed all the help she could get. After her mother left work to care for her, Fred’s Footsteps  helped the family financially while Jaelyn fought hard to recover. Directed by Maria Cantu, this video is one of many stories we’ve been able to share with Fred’s Footsteps. We are humbled and honored to be able to tell the story of Jaelyn Brown with the world.

"MEET THE BROWN FAMILY"


Client: Fred's Footsteps

Watch the incredible story of Jaelyn’s Journey.

PLAY

BEHIND THE SCENES


JTWO Bids Farewell to Intern Chloe Butler


When I started my internship here at JTwo Films I was so nervous and I didn’t really believe in my own abilities as a filmmaker. I had never even felt comfortable calling myself a filmmaker until I started at JTwo. Even after studying film in college in Ireland and doing a semester at Drexel I wasn’t fully convinced that I was cut out to work in the industry. I had never actually filmed any projects on my own outside of college settings and I was worried that I had relied too much on friends who I had worked with and never fully gave myself enough credit. After my interview with Conor and Ian I can’t lie and say I wasn’t worried that JTwo’s intern program would show me I was pursuing the wrong career.

video-editing

My time at JTwo gave me so much more confidence in my abilities and taught me what it’s like to be part of a production company. In my first blog post I said that I would cringe away from the question of what area of the industry I was most interested in and at the end of my time at JTwo I am more confident in my approach to that question. After getting the chance to make my own [Inc]ubator Project I was able to try out so many different roles (as I took on most of them myself for my project) I figured out that there are so many different areas that I really enjoyed but it became more and more apparent to me that I want to pursue editing.

Nova

I can’t express how grateful I am to all the guys at JTwo (and Nova and Griffy of course) for giving me this opportunity to learn so much and grow as a filmmaker. I will never forget my experience as a JTwo intern and I’m so thankful to have gotten to meet so many amazingly talented people.

Slán agus beannacht ☘️

jtwo-office

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.

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JTWO Bids Farewell to Intern Megan Swick


In the whirlwind of this past week, I’ve had my fair share of goodbyes. With the pandemic on the rise, I’ve bid farewell to some of my closest friends as they moved back home, states away. I’ve said goodbye to my professors and professional mentors on campus since we shifted to online learning. I hugged my roommates goodbye before they left me in an almost-empty house for the next few weeks. I’ve even kissed my final college experiences goodbye; even my graduation ceremony is still up in the air. But perhaps the hardest, and saddest goodbye will be to this internship, and all the amazing people (and pets) I’ve met here. 

JTWO in three months has taught me more than I learned in three years of college. If you let it, this internship will grab a hold of your creative mind and steer you in the right direction to your career path. Being a part of each production process here allows you to familiarize yourself with what you love, or might hate, about everything production. Through my incubator project, days in the office, and assistance on shoots, I’ve been able to understand what I can add to the production process. My advice for whoevers in my position next is to soak it all up. Say yes to tasks you’re unfamiliar with, say yes to 12 hour shoot days, and say yes to projects that are outside your realm of experience. If there’s one place to learn from your mistakes, it is surrounded by the experienced professionals at JTWO. As someone who left for a shoot with everything except the battery to power the camera, I know they might not let you live it down, but they’ll be happy you learned and ready to support you on your next film endeavor. 

Yes the experience was one of a lifetime for a college production student, but besides access to professional opportunities, JTWO showed me a fun and open workplace. I showed up in business casual work pants the first day, and I can tell you now I am typing this in jeans and a tee shirt. The weekly meetings and discussions of our weekend or relevant news allowed me to feel at home in the office. I know I am an intern, but I was treated as a coworker, and I have found that to be a rare circumstance in my experience. I also want to shout out JTWO as the sole reason I tried my first Popeye’s meal (sponsored content). I’ll carry the memory of the three piece dark with me forever. It will be hard to settle for an office culture any less than the best after my time here. 

Finally some things I learned. As someone who aims to be a producer, I picked up some hard skills here like making call sheets, week-long shoot itineraries, and arguing with all walks of customer service associates on the phone. But the most important thing I learned here was my own capabilities. JTWO saw the potential in me before I did, and I couldn’t believe when they would allow me, a little intern, to play a role in their important projects. The more I worked with everyone here, the more I saw what I could do. This is a place that absolutely fosters growth, and on my way out I am applying to jobs I would have never thought I was qualified for before working here. As this is my last day physically in office, I’d like to extend a “see ya later” to everyone here. I’ll still be lurking around in Philly, so you can’t get rid of me that easily. See ya later JTWO!

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