UP Productions

The New UP Productions Web Ad

hecubus — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:44:14 +0000

Here’s the new web ad for UP Productions I created. It’s kinetic and hopefully fun as well. The piece of music used for this is Nike by DyE.

The post The New UP Productions Web Ad appeared first on UP Productions.

Standing Room Only @ The Federal – NoHo

hecubus — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 03:54:30 +0000

I just spent the last five days in Los Angeles–my old stomping grounds–shooting a video for a cabaret musical extravaganza which is hosted monthly by screen and stage veterans Michael Leon-Wooley and Kate Pazakis–both practiced Broadway performers and Hollywood professionals with many credits to their names including Disney‘s The Princess and the Frog, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Dreamgirls, South Park, Premium Rush, The Big Gay Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, Ghost Town and much, much more.

Along with Michael and Kate, co-producing Standing Room Only is multi-Emmy winning Robert Valentine Lee (known for his phenomenal set design and prop work on such shows as The Doctors and The Ellen Show) and angelic Broadway performer Kyra Selman.

It was great seeing old friends and meeting new ones back in North Hollywood. NoHo has definitely come into its own as an arts-centric community within the Los Angeles area. If you happen to live in LA, keep a look out for the next Standing Room Only at The Federal in North Hollywood, May 2013. I hear the focus will be Disney-centric… a must see!

The post Standing Room Only @ The Federal – NoHo appeared first on UP Productions.

Agony of the Damed Lyric Video – Web Addition

hecubus — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 01:13:08 +0000

The word has gotten out and the lyric video UP Productions created for Toxic Holocaust‘s The Agony of the Damned is all over the heavy metal blogs and websites. Here are a few if you’d like to check them out (I’m even on my favorite metal blog, Metalsucks.net.)

Metalsucks

Blabbermouth

Metal Underground

MetalHead

So please feel free to check out these excellent resources on metal. Also, take a minute to go LIKE the Toxic Holocaust and RELAPSE Facebook pages. And of course, give the UP Productions FB page some love as well.

The post Agony of the Damed Lyric Video – Web Addition appeared first on UP Productions.

Toxic Holocaust – Agony of the Damned – Video

hecubus — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:42:09 +0000

Here’s something I’ve been dying to shout about from the rooftops for a few weeks now. And yes, this is going to be a bit of a fan-boy post.

Anyone who knows me understand that I’m a huge metal-head, with grindcore possibly my favorite genre of metal (I even created a show while I worked at G4 TV called Grindcore, though it was about horror films rather than music, I got the title from that genre of metal), and I’ve had the pleasure of producing the occasional lyric video for independent metal labels lately. For those who don’t know what a lyric video is, they’re cost-effective promotional music videos usually created in an application such as Adobe After Effects highlighting a specific song, showcasing the lyrics visualized through text on the screen.

Without a doubt, the indie metal label closest to my heart is RELAPSE RECORDS. They represent, publish and produce the best bands and acts in heavy metal (and its’ various sub-genres including the aforementioned grind as well as thrash, death, black, technical, mathcore, hardcore, doom, avant garde, etc.) I can’t even begin to count the bands I absolutely love on RELAPSE (with Pig Destroyer being my favorite, and actually one of my favorite bands of all time.)

After speaking with the phenomenal Bob Lugowe, Director of Promotions and New Media at RELAPSE, I was given the honorable task of creating a lyric video for one of my favorite bands–Toxic Holocaust… a frickin’ brutal thrash/metal band with albums that have seen regular rotation over the years in my playlists at home, car and work. To help promote their new album, From the Ashes of Nuclear Destruction, Bob asked me to create a lyric video for the song Agony of the Damned. It wasn’t necessary to ask me twice.

So here it is. After getting some great feedback from Joel Grind (lead VOX, guitar) the above video is the result. The video I originally cut was a bit different than this–a little flashier, glitzy–but this is the superior version, and much of that is due to Joel and his input. It’s now on the RELAPSE RECORDS YouTube channel, so take a look and play it LOUD!

Many thanks Bob Lugowe (seriously, this guy is awesome… encouraging, genuine and supportive), Joel and Toxic Holocaust and of course many thanks to RELAPSE RECORDS. I look forward to working with you guys in the future.\m/

The post Toxic Holocaust – Agony of the Damned – Video appeared first on UP Productions.

Bastard Self Lyric Video – Acephalix

hecubus — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 03:06:53 +0000

NSFW unless you have headphones since this does have some naughty language.

I created this lyric video for the fantastic song Bastard Self by Acephalix from their 2012 album Deathless Master on Southern Lord Records.

From the Southern Lord website…

“Acephalix is a brutal Punk/Metal band from San Francisco, CA formed in 2007. They unleash a punishing combination of low end metallic distortion, pummeling riffs and gnarled vocals. Influence comes from all over the map of extreme music-from CELTIC FROST to CRO-MAGS to Discharge to Bolt Thrower. Interminable Night is a compilation of two recently released Acephalix demos that were previously available only on cassette. Prepare for total audial annihilation!”

www.southernlord.com/

This video has all the trappings… animated worms pooping and spitting blood, creepy gore-splatted baby doll heads and little birdies soaring through the sky–fun to make and a great song if you love metal punk.

The post Bastard Self Lyric Video – Acephalix appeared first on UP Productions.

Claudia Sanchez, UP Productions & Make a Wish

hecubus — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 02:57:50 +0000

I had the bittersweet pleasure this past Summer in the filming and editing of a Quinceanera video for Claudia Sanchez at the Atlantis Casino in Reno, NV. In 2010, Claudia was diagnosed with Sertoli-Leydig Cell Tumor of the ovary, a rare ovarian cancer.

I didn’t know her. I would have liked to. She was obviously a fighter and an activist and she died at the age of 15. I only met her on the day of her Quinceanera, but I regret not getting to know her and her family better. I wish she could have seen the video. This is only a short clip from the entire video. The rest is for her family only.

Claudia was so vibrant and happy at her Quinceneara in August of 2012–she didn’t seem sick at all. She succumbed to her illness only a few months later.

I have been very trepadatious to post anything publicly about my experience with Claudia Sanchez and her Quinceanera, but this is the face of cancer–it can happen to anyone at any age.

God be with you always, Claudia and your family. Rest in Peace.

The post Claudia Sanchez, UP Productions & Make a Wish appeared first on UP Productions.

1 Laptop Per Foster Youth – iFoster

hecubus — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 03:34:18 +0000

I’ve recently had a unique honor and pleasure to work with one of the coolest non-profit organizations around–iFoster asked me to help them produce a video for their new program, 1 Laptop Per Foster Youth (website to come.) The above video is the result of that remarkable collaboration between founders Reid and Serita (a foster child herself) and UP Productions. I wanted very much to include Serita in the video for an interview portion as well, but she was very adamant that this was about the foster youth and not her, but I feel I must say the she and Reid are truly remarkable people who share a common goal: Helping foster youth thrive in modern society. This is about the foster youth who need help, not just surviving but thriving in a world that more and more REQUIRES kids who go to college have ready and expected access to a computer with an internet connection–something most of us take for granted.

I’m very honored to have played a small part in such a noble program. Please enjoy the video and if you can, offer your support to iFoster and 1 Laptop Per Foster Youth.

More about iFoster…

“iFoster is here to help raise our most vulnerable children. Our programs provide life changing resources for at-risk children and youth to put them on the path to becoming independent successful adults.” Read MORE at their website.

Special thanks from iFoster to the Sacramento State Guardian Scholars.

And a very special thanks to the foster youth who told us their story…Sara, Kevin, Vanessa, Tia and Brittany. You guys are awesome!

The post 1 Laptop Per Foster Youth – iFoster appeared first on UP Productions.

Silver State Beefmasters 2012 Bull Preview

hecubus — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 02:56:11 +0000

Silver State Beefmasters 2012 Bull Preview

I really enjoyed working with Dalton and Diane Lowery (and their 18 month old grandson who kept us pointed in the right direction the whole time) to put this video together for their ranch, Silver State Beefmasters in Fallon, NV. We spent a beautiful day in the fields of Fallon riding around ATV all while getting some great shots of the bold and the brave bulls of Silver State Beefmasters. If anyone has any questions for Dalton or Diane and Silver State Beefmasters concerning their herd-sire group, please feel free to contact them at…

Lowery@phonewave.net

(775) 867-4099

——————-

THIS IS THE 2012 VIDEO PREVIEW OF SILVER STATE BEEFMASTERS HERD-BULL INVENTORY.

THESE BULLS WILL BE OFFERED FOR PURCHASE BY PRIVATE TRADING AS WELL AS UPCOMING SALES.

THIS BULL INVENTORY REPRESENTS NINE DIFFERENT HERD-SIRE GROUPS ALL OF WHICH ARE EXCLUSIVELY BRED AT SILVER STATE BEEFMASTERS.

COMPLETE PERFORANCE DATA IS AVAILABLE ON EACH AND EVERY BULL AS WELL AS A RANKING OF EACH BULL FOLLOWING AN EXTENSIVE 60-DAY FEED TEST CONDUCTED IN LOVELOCK, NV.

FOR ALL DATA AND INFORMATION PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT DALTON OR DIANE LOWERY AS THEY’LL BE HAPPY TO ASSIST YOU.

SILVER STATE BEEFMASTERS IS COMMITED TO RAISING QUALITY RED AND BLACK BEEFMASTERS CATTLE WITH A WEALTH OF DATA AND INFORMATION, MAKING YOU, OUR VALUED CUSTOMER, CONFIDENT IN OUR PROGRAM.

The post Silver State Beefmasters 2012 Bull Preview appeared first on UP Productions.

G4 TV Flashback – Grindcore

hecubus — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:28:13 +0000

One of my proudest achievements while working at G4 TV in Los Angeles was pitching, creating, writing and producing the cult hit program, Grindcore. It was the most fun I’d ever had working on a show and, as a horror film fan, it meant a great deal to me. There were a lot of great people with whom I was able to work to make the show even better than I’d hoped–Peter Lee, Jordan Byrne, Brian Sullivan, Jedd Scher, Blair Butler, Bobbi Conway, Gabe Friedman, Chris Gore and the ever indefatigable Lloyd Kaufman and his generosity in allowing us to use several Troma films for the show. And of course, John Reiber who gave the go-ahead to make Grindcore in the first place. I will always be grateful for John’s love of grindhouse cinema and schlocky entertainment in general which allowed me the opportunity to make a show I’d been wanting to develop for years. It’s all in good, goofy fun.

Anyway, here’s a snippet of some of the best scenes from a few Grindcore episodes. Thanks to Jordan Byrne for compiling these.

The post G4 TV Flashback – Grindcore appeared first on UP Productions.

Sliver State Beefmasters – Fallon, NV

hecubus — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 02:25:40 +0000

One of the great things about running a business such as UP Productions is I have a unique opportunity to meet a lot of exceptionally nice people. This past weekend was a full and busy weekend with one highlight after another. One of those highlights was getting to meet and work with the husband and wife team behind Silver State Beefmasters, Inc., Dalton and Diane Lowery (and their whip-smart little 14-month-old grandson, Callon who loved pointing out all of the cows and bulls.)

They asked me to shoot a pasture video of their bulls for a video they send out once a year to prospective clients and buyers of livestock. It was phenomenal day spent in the beautiful little town of Fallon, Nevada doing what I love–shooting video.

I’m currently editing the piece together now but I hope this isn’t the last time I get to work with the Lowery’s.

The post Sliver State Beefmasters – Fallon, NV appeared first on UP Productions.