Posted on March 10, 2013
We were honored to have multiple opportunities to share our wedding expertise to different audiences in the month of February. First, I traveled to Western New England University to speak in former 22News Anchor Brenda Garton’s Advanced Broadcasting Class. The television broadcasting program at WNEU has been the training ground for two of our shooters and editors – Chris Morgan and Mia Major. It was fun to talk about my ten years in television and how I transferred the skills I learned at WWLP and WFSB into the Boston Wedding Video company, JPod Productions. Many of the storytelling lessons I learned in a decade of television shooting and reporting have translated well to the wedding industry and the students were intrigued to here the similarities.
Later in the month, I was approached by Rule Boston Camera to give a 2-hour presentation called a “Crash Course in Wedding Videography / Cinematography”. The presentation was part of Rule Boston’s weekly educational series called the Learning Lab. In this wedding videography presentation, I joined New England Professional Videographers Association (NPVA) President Bob Accettullo to speak about the fundamentals of shooting a wedding. A healthy crowd of wedding videographers and cinematographers, documentary filmmakers and professional photographers came to here many of the tricks that we use to get through a fast-paced wedding day. Many of the audience participants were curious how we shoot in numerous locations with different lighting situations, what cameras we use, how we collect our sound, how we stay unobtrusive throughout the day, and how we approach the editing process, as we turn our raw footage into Boston wedding videos. Rule Boston Camera tapes their Learning Labs, so for anyone who has an interest in what we do, CLICK HERE.
Posted on January 22, 2013
We, at JPod Productions, were so happy with the response that we received for our first ever Best Wedding Trailer of 2012 Contest! First, I want to thank all of the people who took the time to watch all five wedding video trailers and vote for their favorites.
With that being said, the Winner of the 2012 Contest is Annoula and Mike Bikas! Their wedding had a great ethnic element mixed in with some downtown flair this past summer. They will receive a $250 gift certificate to the home store of their choice.
Using a random number generated, we also selected two voters to win $25 gift certificates to the restaurant or store of their choice. The first winner is Dino Gravenis who voted on Facebook for our winners, Annoula and Mike. The second winner is Michelle Elizabeth who also voted on Facebook and her favorite wedding video trailer was Melissa and Jayson’s film from Saltwater Farm Vineyard. Thanks again for participating and we’ll see you next year!
Posted on January 7, 2013
Our wedding trailers have become more and more popular every year, as they are a great option for recently married couples to take an early glimpse into their wedding day. As Boston Wedding Videographers, we design these 90-second to 2-minute wedding films to be quick hitting features leaving couples excited for their full films. Listed below are five of our wedding trailers from this past year and we want you to vote for the one that you think is the best (Sorry, Anne + Anthony fans. As a filmmaker for JPod Productions, Anne is not eligible to win this contest). The winning couple/trailer will get a $250.00 gift certificate to the home store of the couple’s choice. Additionally, two voters will be chosen at random to win a $25 gift certificate to the store or restaurant of their choice. VOTING WILL END ON FRIDAY JANUARY 18TH at 5:00 PM. Our Winners will be announced on Monday, January 21st.
Vote up to four ways. Here’s how the voting will work:
—> On JPod Productions FACEBOOK page, ‘LIKE’ the Video you think is the best— ONE VOTE — CLICK HERE
—> Share your favorite trailer from the JPod Productions FACEBOOK page with a link to the contest — TWO VOTES — CLICK HERE
—> Pin the video on your PINTEREST Board — ONE VOTE — CLICK HERE
—> Comment on the video you like at the bottom of this blog post (I will approve comments shortly to avoid spam)— ONE VOTE
So, each person can vote four ways for their favorite video. Those four ways add up to a maximum of five votes. And finally, you may only vote once using each method. Therefore, commenting multiple times on a video will still only equate to one vote (but feel free to share the contest as often as you’d like 
). The more you vote, the better chance you will have to win those two additional $25.00 gift certificates! And here are the entries:
Emily + Andrew
Kevin + Kay
Annoula + Michael
Amy + Justin
Melissa + Jayson
So, what is your favorite Boston Wedding Video?
Posted on January 3, 2013
Boston Wedding Videographer JPod Productions wanted to make a committed effort to keep our couples fully aware of the editing progress of their wedding films. Therefore, we have added a Productions Schedule page to our website. With two editors working for us on a consistent basis, our New Years Resolution is to reduce our delivery times in 2013. We edit our weddings in order of the date they were filmed. The editing progress may take several months to complete, but there are numerous options for couples to get an early look into their wedding day. The Same Day Edit delivers a highlight of the wedding day at the reception, while the trailer and highlight options are delivered within a few weeks of the wedding day. We are committed to producing the best Boston Wedding Videos possible and we will update our production page each Sunday evening to keep everyone aware of the progress being made.
Posted on October 15, 2012
It has been a crazy end to the summer and beginning of the fall at JPod Productions. We traveled with an extra shooter for the last six weeks just in case Hannah tried to make an early entrance into this world. But, like every good woman, she was fashionably late. One week late to be exact. So, without further ado, here is Hannah, New England’s newest little award-winning filmmaker.
Posted on October 7, 2012
We didn’t catch this when it was first posted, but it’s always nice to be respected within the wedding industry. We always strive to work seamlessly with the photography team so that both of us can produce the best products for our couples. It was kind of ironic that two vendors living in the same area from the I-91 corridor had never crossed paths, especially seems we both shoot our fair share of Vermont weddings. Here is Cronin Hill’s quick snippet of their experience with us:
“We had the pleasure of recently working with the team from JPod Productions. It wasn’t known until wedding day that we were both from Western Mass, and here we were shooting a wedding together in Killington, Vermont! From the moment we met Jamie and Mia, we knew it was going to be a great day! For us, communication between vendors is so important! We quickly chatted about how each team worked to achieve the best shots possible for our clients. Having two photographers and two videographers can sometimes be tough because each jockeys for position to get ‘their shot’. We can honestly say, there was none of that with this team We all watched out for each other, got the shots we needed, and had a great time doing it! We hope to get the chance to work with Jamie and his team again. We highly recommend contacting JPod Productions for all your videography needs.”
Posted on September 24, 2012
Anne is my right hand girl. My rock. She has been my primary assistant since we began shooting weddings seven years ago. Anne and I met when she interned for the sports department back in my television days at WWLP-22NEWS in Springfield, Massachusetts. We have been good friends ever since. Anne is in charge of shooting groom preps and she shoots a lot of the details in our films. We have been shooting weddings together for so long that we can just look at each other and know what each other is thinking. Anne also contributes to the editing of some of our films and she is my #1 facebook fan!
Anne works during the week as the Managing Editor at WSHM CBS-3 Springfield. She is a dog lover, as her baby is her golden retriever puppy (well, he’s two now) Charlie. Anne actually used to be my dog sitter for our two labs. Anne enjoys fine dining, good wine, going for hikes with Charlie, and golfing in her spare time. I am super excited to film Anne’s wedding this fall at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.
Posted on July 26, 2012
We are excited to introduce our new delivery method for wedding films – the flash drive. As technology continues to evolve, we wanted to provide our couples with the best opportunity to see their films for years into the future. All packages will still come with 3 DVDs, but couples will now have the option to upgrade to receive their wedding films on a flash drive as well.
What are the advantages of flash drive media? Well, it is the future of visual media. Just like CDs have turned into mp3 files, DVDs and blue-rays are being replaced with digital video files. The number one advantage is that the files are converted in full high definition format for a better and clearer picture quality. Secondly, newlyweds will be able to copy their wedding films as many times as they want for multiple family members and friends, while also duplicating it for safe keeping. Thirdly, you can transfer the wedding films onto your iphone or ipad, and carry them around with you wherever you go. Finally, video files will allow for easier conversions in the future, if something else “better” comes along.
Posted on June 25, 2012
At JPod Productions, we strongly believe in investing in our industry’s educational opportunities, as our product has reaped the benefits over the past three years. Last Monday in Dedham, MA (south of Boston), we joined an elite crew of wedding filmmakers from New England to hone our skills on the glidecam. The glidecam is a device that allows us to create “floating”, or cinematic looking shots within our wedding films. The training was led by Dave Williams, (bottom picture) of Cinemacake Filmmakers in Philadelphia and we were fortunate to learn along side two other award winning studios from Boston and Newport, RI. Dave took us through a series of challenges to improve our skill set on the device. Dave Williams also spoke in the New England Professional Videographer’s Association (NPVA) meeting in the evening about running a better business. I’m excited to implement some of my new ideas into our wedding films in the coming months.
Posted on March 28, 2012
One of the things we always strive to do at JPod Productions is build great relationships with our couples. Our goal is to learn as much as we can about our couples whether they are from Boston, Vermont, Cape Cod or Southern Connecticut. And we are fortunate to learn a lot about their relationships, their families, their lives, and of coarse, their wedding day. Now it’s time to share 10 things about Jamie that you may not have known:
1. I proposed to my wife at sunset in Newport, RI with a chocolate lab puppy wearing a ring around its neck. If you want the longer version, just ask me the next time you see me.
2. I love my coffee. I usually drink a hot cup in the morning and a cup of iced in the afternoon.
3. I’ve played ice hockey since I was 4. I referee and still play on occasion.
4. I am dog-lover at heart. I have had two Labrador Retrievers since college, but am currently waiting for the right time to add another chocolate pup to our family. I do walk my neighbors two chocolates when I get the chance. So, if you are including your pooch in the wedding plans, we are a great fit for you.
5. My primary assistant, Anne, interned with me when I worked at WWLP-TV22 in 2001 and we have been friends ever since. She has been shooting weddings with me for over 6 years now.
6. My favorite foods are seafood and pizza. I have a wicked sweet tooth too. For dessert, I’ll take a chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream any day of the week.
7. I have skydived, parasailed and snorkeled. I have never jet-skied or gone down a zip line, but I want to.
8. I completed a Half-Ironman Triathlon (1.2 mi swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run) and two marathons. My training has slowed down since having children…
9. Girls. Girls, Girls. I grew up as a teenager in a house with two sisters and a Mom. Now I have a wife and two daughters.
10. I am the homemade pierogi-maker in my family. I have kept my grandmother’s amazing recipe alive…