Since it’s inception 10 years ago, Kickstarter has become the crodfunding platform of choice for folks with big ideas and small wallets. Projects in over a dozen creative categories have gotten their start on the platform and film has been a big winner, with over a 150 funded films opening theatrically. There are 16 Kickstarter-funded films debuting at the SXSW Film Festival, which begins later this week. That’s five more than on last year’s debut list, indicating that indie filmmakers are turning to the platform (and seeing success) in increasing numbers. If you’re in Austin this week, check out these screenings to see what you think! 

A few months ago, we featured Alex Honnold as our artist of the week for his inspirational role as the free-climbing subject of Free Solo. Now, the film’s creator, Jimmy Chin, is getting all the attention — not only from us, but from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (you know, the guys that give out the Oscars) and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Both organizations recently named Free Solo  best documentary of 2019. Chin is a climber first, photographer second and filmmaker third. His cinematography work has been featured on National Geographic and Solo is the second full-length feature Chin has created with his production company, Camp 4 Collective. Check out a few things he has learned along the way.

The Oscars’ pre-game fashion display on the red carpet is the show, if you ask some viewers. And over the past 15 years, the answer to the all important question “Who are you wearing?” has been answered with one label more than any other: Versace. The brand has long been a favorite of actresses, rock stars, super models and others in the super-rich set and, as such, is a cultural icon. Learn more about how Creative Director, Donatella Versace, maintains her influence on clothes and culture.

As storytellers ourselves, the Best Picture nominees provide a wealth of creative inspiration. But what will it take to actually win this year’s Academy Award? Apparently more just than telling a great story in a way that connects with the audience. See what 20 Oscar voters had to say about the finalists and what factors they take into consideration when casting their votes.

While it might not be a major holiday in mainstream American culture, Chinese New Year is a huge opportunity for marketers across the world. In January 2019 alone, the topic was featured in close to 300K mentions across Twitter, in the news, blogs, forums and more (112K in the U.S.). Brands like Starbucks, Kate Spade (yes, I bought the no-longer-available pink version!) and Louis Vuitton have created Year of the Pig merchandise sure to bring good luck and fortune, or at least help the caffeinated and stylish get into the spirit. And advertisers, especially in Asian markets, have created some beautiful stories like this one from Apple to connect with consumers during this time. Enjoy more of these holiday spots and have a happy Chinese New Year!

Artist, Alexa Meade, combines art and life — literally — in stunning scenes that incorporate live models, painting, photography, video and performance art. You may have seen her work in Ariana Grande’s God Is A Woman video. She’s also contributed her talents to activations for brands like Mini Cooper and Ralph Lauren.  Check our how this artist brings her art to life.

KISS kicked off their farewell ‘The End of the Road’ world tour on January 31^st in Vancouver. And we couldn’t be more stoked. We can’t wait for them to hit the stage on April 7^th in Atlanta with prime viewing from 20 rows back on the floor. Shout it out loud and get ready to rock n’ roll all night, and party every day. Check out the setlist and clips here from Vancouver. Oh and if you are a KISS fan, get your official KISS Wine on our client’s website here!

What’s your next concert?

For Yalo South, the upcoming week is a big one! With Super Bowl LIII coming to town, Atlanta is looking forward to not only hosting the big game, but also an entire week of events that will showcase our city and the talents of many of our hometown musicians and artists. And we plan to take part in at least some of the festivities. 

Super Bowl Live kicks off this Saturday featuring six days of free concerts with Atlanta-based acts like Goodie Mob, Monica, Waka Flocka, Tyler Tritt and Craig Campbell. Next Saturday, Rolling Stone Live will feature performances by Ludacris, Young Thug and Questlove. And as if that weren’t enough, DirecTV Super Saturday Night will feature Foo Fighters and Run the Jewels in a 72,000 sq. ft. venue being erected just for this event.

And while most of the buzz around events has been related to all the amazing music, another quieter project has been making its mark all around the city. A collaboration between the city, the Super Bowl Host Committee and community arts organization WonderRoot, Off the Wall is an art project that aims to showcase Atlanta’s unique culture and history through 30 new murals painted on walls throughout the city, paying homage to Atlanta’s role in the movement for civil and human rights. Learn more about the project and see some of the designs here.

When you’re up for an Oscar for the year’s top-grossing film, you know you’ve done something right. Nominated for Best Costume Design, Black Panther costume designer, Ruth Carter, has spent nearly 30 years creating the looks for television and film, with over 40 films to her credit, including Selma, Love & Basketball and most of Spike Lee’s joints. She’s a master at bringing to life the overall appearance and clothing to imaginatively represent multiple periods and genres . . . and, just maybe, her third time being nominated is the charm. Learn more about her vision and the process behind melding the ancient and the futuristic for a few of Black Panther‘s 1,500 costumes.

It’s an exciting time of year for football fans and ad nerds. Super Bowl ads are starting to leak and we can’t wait to see more! From regulars like Anheuser-Busch InBev (that’s Budweiser to most of us) and newbies like P&G’s beauty brand Olay, the roster of brands representing will cover a range of products and approaches to making an impact. Check out a preview of some of the ads that have already been released and start picking your favorites.

Table for one? Why yes please. More and more of us are eating alone. Not just in restaurants but also at home. What’s driving this growing trend and how big brands are adjusting to satisfy the pleasure of eating alone.

Fiji Water won the Golden Globes last night with a poto-bombing “water girl” who kept the brand front and center on the red carpet, but there were also some other shareable moments worth a shout-out. Which one would you cast your vote for?

First Man composer Justin Hurwitz just added a Golden Globe for Best Original Score to his awards cabinet, alongside two Oscars and two Grammys for his work on 2016’s La La Land. With a focus on detail and talent for tapping into the true emotion of a film, this up and comer seems poised for greatness. Listen to more of his work on Spotify. 

Here at Yalo, we celebrate Defy and Fly thinking and creativity. Last week, we were impressed by the Glitter Bomb. This week, we celebrate the mayor of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, for thinking out of the box and then making it a reality. His crafty thinking led to his town being the sponsor of the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl, including on-field branding, commercials and live-feed cutaways from the game to a bar in Elk Grove, packed with its proud residents. And it has generated significant buzz, with the goal of pulling in new businesses to the town to increase tax revenues. Well played, Mr. Mayor. Read about it here.

Conan O’Brien may have been in the late-night game for over 25 years, but he’s anything but set in his ways. He’s changing up his format and content, and using digital to stay relevant and reach new audiences starting in 2019. See inside Conan O’Brien’s digital reinvention.

Willingness to fail. Passionate vision. Intense self motivation. Constant networkers. Sound like the traits of an entrepreneur, right? Artists also possess these characteristics and often approach their business in a way more traditional entrepreneurs could learn from. See what lessons artists have for entrepreneurs.

Cleveland Video Production & Marketing Agency, Yalo, shares fascinating facts and titillating trivia about a local film project turned national Christmas classic and holiday treasure.

Here at Yalo, we love to celebrate local projects and events that have turned into national success stories for Cleveland – the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA Championship, yes!  

“A Christmas Story” was a low-budget film created by writer Jean Shepherd that was about a family’s dysfunctional and hilarious mishaps during the holiday season, set in the vintage late 1930s. The funny lines and the relatability to families across America have made it the ultimate holiday classic that keeps fans craving the movie year after year. 

Here are 10 fun facts and trivia about “A Christmas Story” that you probably didn’t know. 

1. “A Christmas Story” is based on Jean Shepherd’s novel, “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash.” It was originally created as a radio show that turned into a series of short stories published in Playboy magazine. 

2. Cleveland, Ohio was chosen as the main location to shoot the film after visiting twenty cities. The decision was based on Higbee’s store allowing then crew to film inside the store. Parts of the film were also filmed in Toronto, Canada. 

3. The film now plays for 24 hours straight starting on Christmas Eve and runs through Christmas Day, which started as a promotional stunt by TNT cable network. It is now a tradition. 

4. The actor Jack Nicholson was interested in playing the role of Mr. Parker, AKA “the old man,” but the film’s low budget couldn’t afford him. Darren McGavin ended up landing the iconic role. 

5. One of the funniest scenes – where Ralphie goes to see Santa at the mall – featured characters played by local extras – including Santa, the elves, the wicked witch from “The Wizard of Oz,” and the weird boy standing by Ralphie in line. Writer Shepherd also appeared in the scene – playing a grumpy store customer! 

6. The famous (and excruciating) scene where Flick sticks his tongue to the ice-cold flagpole featured a hidden suction tube to create the illusion that his tongue was frozen to the metal. 

7. There was not enough real snow to film the wintry scenes so potato flakes, firefighters’ foam and nearby ski resorts’ snow were used as supplements. 

8. In the Chinese restaurant scene, Ralphie’s mother – played by actress Melinda Dillon – was purposely given the wrong script to capture her real reaction of the cooked duck still having its head! 

9. Three actual leg lamps were made for the movie and all were broken during the filming. 

10.  The “A Christmas Story” house is now a functioning museum for anyone to visit, located in Cleveland’s now-popular Tremont neighborhood. This house was bought by fan Brian Jones, who purchased the house, sight unseen, on EBay for $150,000 in 2004.  

As a Cleveland video production agency – among our many capabilities – Yalo thrives on locations that generate and resonate exciting, meaningful “vibes.” Cleveland, one of our two hometowns and headquarters, had the one-and-only “A Christmas Story” filmed in its beautiful post-industrial splendor. We take this accomplishment and run with it, seeing possibilities for all of our clients to find inspiration and meaning which helps to define new stories that celebrate brands with soul and style.  

Contact us to learn more about what Yalo can do for you as video production marketing professionals! We operate out of Cleveland and Atlanta but we get around and we love to travel! 

It’s that time of year again! Yalo is hitting the road this week for our our annual fall offsite. Since our team is spread out, it’s always a good chance for some overdue team bonding, as well as reviewing wins and and losses for the year and getting pumped up for what we’ll do next. We typically take a road trip to somewhere outside Atlanta and do something like cozy up in a cabin, but this year, we’re mixing it up and going to New Orleans. I firmly believe a change of scenery is one of the keys to sparking fresh thinking. And while we will be looking at PowerPoints in a conference room for some of the time, we also have a lot of fun activities planned that will get us exploring the city’s unique cultue, world-renowned food and famed watering holes. The couple days always ends up being a really good balance between work and play that benefits us each individually and Yalo as a whole — and it’s never boring. 

How does your company do offsites? Check out these 4 Ways to Run an Offsite That Won’t Become a Snoozefest. 

Not our typical AOW, Alex’s craft consists of mastering both mind and body to be the first person to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan alone and without a rope. His preparation, focus and tenacity are something to behold. He left nothing to chance in his climb, except of course, the risk of being tethered to . . . nothing. He was able to block out all distractions including fear, nervousness and doubt to accomplish his goal. Free Solo captures the nail-biting beauty of his journey perfectly. A must-see.

Most of us here at Yalo South will be 100% on top of the Atlanta @ New Orleans game on Thanksgiving night (no pressure, Falcons!). But there always seems to be a lot of time between football games over the long weekend to snuggle down and watch a great flick. Esquire‘s list of 20 Great Thanksgiving Movies covers classics to re-watch and some cool outside-the-lines picks for the whole family. Enjoy and happy Thanksgiving from the whole Yalo tribe!