Content Marketing & Film Resource

What a rush! Sold-out screening raises $2K for educational programs

Erin Hayes August 23, 2023 Filmmaking, Creative Process Leave a Comment

Special Charity Screening of Hunting Whitey

Raised $2,000 for children's educational programs

On August 17th, the Chatham Orpheum hosted a special charity screening of Hunting White. MediaBoss, with our production partners, the talented playwrights and authors Casey Sherman and David Wedge, presented a special cinema version of the highly acclaimed Hunting Whitey theater experience. This screening raised $2,000 for children's educational programs.

This showing was the first and only opportunity for the cast, writers, and crew to view their live performances from the sold-out stage play at the Wilbur Theater this spring.

A Q&A with the writers Casey Sherman and David Wedge, Director Ian Barrett, and co-Producer Erin Hayes followed the presentation. Local press, dignitaries, and fans were on hand and the event generated a lof of buzz about this project. Stay tuned for more announcements around Hunting Whitey to come!

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Filmmaking Creative Process

IMPROV ASYLUM AND MEDIABOSS PARTNER TO LIVE-STREAM ANNUAL 24-HOUR IMPROVISED CHARITY SHOW ON FACEBOOK LIVE

Erin Hayes December 07, 2017 facebook live, live event video Leave a Comment

All proceeds of No Rest for the Wicked Funny benefit Globe Santa

BOSTON, MA: Today, MEDIABOSS, an award-winning production company located in MetroWest, announced its partnership with famed Boston comedy theater, Improv Asylum, to stream their 24-hour improv event to Improv Asylum’s 27K+ Facebook audience. The annual event, No Rest for the Wicked Funny raises money for Globe Santa. Globe Santa Globe Santa exists solely to deliver joy to local children. They provide holiday presents to families in need throughout the Greater Boston area. This year, No Rest for the Wicked Funny will run from 7p.m. December 21^st- 7p.m. December 22^nd.

“We are excited to bring No Rest for the Wicked Funny to a larger audience again this year. We saw great success from 2016’s Live Broadcast, with more than 15,000 people live-streaming us on our first run out of the gate,” said Mike Anastasia, co-producer of No Rest for the Wicked Funny. “We’re looking forward to giving people a chance to tune in and watch our incredibly talented performers and special guests as they entertain for 24 straight hours. To-date we have raised $277,124.11 for Globe Santa. We hope to raise even more money for the children of Greater Boston this year.”

“MEDIABOSS believes in giving back to the community. Partnering with Improv Asylum and donating our time, equipment and expertise to bring their impressive 24-hour improv event, No Rest for the Wicked Funny, to a larger audience was an easy decision,” said Ian Barrett, Creative Director of MEDIABOSS. “This year we hope to help Improv Asylum raise the most money they’ve ever raised for Globe Santa.”

Globe Santa was created in 1956 to deliver gifts to local children in need. Today, Globe Santa provides holiday presents to families in need throughout the Greater Boston area.

Improv Asylum has put on its 24-hour improvised show for 13 years. The first show took place in 2005.
Past celebrity guests include WBZ Anchor Lisa Hughes, Boston comedy legend Tony V, former Patriots tight end Christian Fauria, sports reporter Bob Lobel, Big D & the Kids Table, actor Dave Eigenberg, Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys, comedian Steven Wright, Celtics legend JoJo White, Boston radio personality Adam 12.
People can buy tickets to attend the event at improvasylum.com/norest
People can tune in to watch the event here: https://www.facebook.com/Improvasylum/

About MEDIABOSS: MEDIABOSS is an award-winning, creative video production company and marketing agency. We create content for distribution across all media platforms for broadcasts and businesses. Last month, we provided video for IMAGs at Dennis Leary's 23rd annual charity comedy show, Comics Come Home. Learn more about our Live Event Streaming here.

About IMPROV ASYLUM: Improv Asylum is a comedy theater featuring improvisation and sketch comedy (think Whose Line is it Anyway? meets Saturday Night Live!). We have performed more than 10,000 shows for well over 2 million people. You could be next! We have shows 6 nights a week at our resident theater on Hanover Street in Boston's North End. Improv Asylum also offers unique corporate training, hilarious customized corporate shows and a student training center. Find out why Improv Asylum is the "funniest show you'll ever be a part of!"™

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MEDIABOSS Wins Seven Telly Awards for Excellence

Erin Hayes June 26, 2017 Video Marketing, Video production, Telly Awards Leave a Comment

Framingham, MA – June, 26 2017 – The Telly Awards has named MEDIABOSS as a winner in seven categories in the 38th Annual Telly Awards. Their winning pieces run the gamut of their services: Branded Content & Entertainment Campaigns, both Business to Business and Business to Consumer; Documentary; Promotional; PSA Animated Commercial; Marketing Commercial; and Social Video.

Their winning pieces are: Framingham Public Works: “Storm Water”; The Town of Framingham: Taste of Downtown Framingham campaign; Jack’s Abby Brewing: “Kiwi Rising”; Joey Kramer’s Rockin’ & Roastin’: Coffee with Kramedog campaign; INFINIDAT’s Data Unknown: “India’s Mobile Generation” episode; Badass Women: “Your Ship Never Sails” documentary episode; and Swing Juice: “Good Morning, Beautiful” commercial. (Watch winning pieces here.)

MEDIABOSS’ mini-documentary “Your Ship Never Sails” (which is part of a their original series Badass Women) was awarded a Silver Telly, the Telly Award’s highest honor. Additionally MEDIABOSS’ Swing Juice commercial, “Good Morning, Beautiful”, was awarded a Silver People’s Telly Award.

“The goal at MEDIABOSS isn’t simply to create video but to inspire,” said Ian Barrett, Creative Director of MEDIABOSS. “We are thankful for the clients who appreciate the passion we have for their businesses and we look forward to the inspiriting projects of 2018.”

The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world and include: BET Networks; Bloomberg; CBS Interactive; Comcast; Conde Nast; Discovery Communications; Disney; ESPN; FleishmanHillard; Fox; HBO’ Hearst; HuffPost; Indigo Films; Microsoft; MLB; NBC; PBS’ SapientNitro; The Guardian; The History Channel; Time Warner; Universal; and Viacom.

“The Telly Awards has a mission to honor the very best in film and video,” said Linda Day, Executive Director of the Telly Awards. "MEDIABOSS’ accomplishment illustrates their creativity, skill, and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great film and video production.”

"In the case of our Downtown [Framingham, MA] development strategy, we needed to proactively communicate some very attractive amenities and destinations, including exciting ethnic food destinations," said Robert Halpin, Framingham Town Manager. "We were fortunate to have MEDIABOSS as a commercial entity right in the heart of Downtown and they did an outstanding job of nailing the message for us."

"The premise of Data Unknown is to show how data is influencing every moment of our lives," said Steve Kenniston, Host and Creator of "Data Unknown". "Working with MEDIABOSS on this project is the single most important decision regarding the show. Their extensive knowledge of and background in the Technology industry was critical in producing the show. Their insight helped bring the series’ goal to life."

About MEDIABOSS

MEDIABOSS is an award-winning full service production and post company creating content for distribution across all media platforms. Our services include content development; live broadcasting; production; design and post for television and digital advertising.

Video Marketing Video production Telly Awards

Trending: "Come Together" Music Video

Erin Hayes February 28, 2017 Video, Filmmaking, Video production, music video, godsmack Leave a Comment

Five years ago we produced a music video for Godsmack’s cover of The Beatles "Come Together." At the time, they were in Boston recording their release, "Live and Inspired".

MEDIABOSS Creative Director Ian Barrett was tapped to direct the video. Ian has along history with the band, having worked with them from their early days in and around New England. Ian had the unique experience of watching the band record multiple times and felt strongly that Godsmack’s fans would enjoy an intimate look into this unique process. He pitched capturing the music video for Come Together while the band recorded the song, during the actual live album takes.

The style of the video was meant to emulate Ian's older style of capturing bands on film.

A lot of work into producing this video because every single frame of video is a genuine recording of the song. The final video showcases these takes and behind the scenes footage of the recording process, including playback, effects and overdubs.

Months later, the band decided to release “Rocky Mountain Way” as the first single and the “Come Together” was temporarily shelved and later on July 30, 2012 saw its debut on YouTube and Vevo . The video racked up about a million views shortly after.

Fast forward to this weekend - nearly 5 years after the video’s release date - and our iPhones were sounding off with alerts that our video was trending nationwide again. We were getting excited tweets as fans began to discover the music video for the first time. Ian and I were a little floored. How did this happen? Why now?

Well it turns out Society of Rock decided to write a nice article about the music video late last week and the blogger’s active followers promptly started to share it.

The video’s now seen 3.7 million views on Youtube (and 7K on our Vimeo page which we only use for client review).

Whether Godsmack’s style of music is your jam or not, we think you’ll enjoy watching the intimacy of their recording process. Let us know what you think of the video in the comments below!

Video Filmmaking Video production music video godsmack

Badass Women: Your Ship Never Sails - Ep 1 Laura Raposa

Erin Hayes August 18, 2016 webseries, branded content, badass women Leave a Comment

“You can't be what you can't see.”

― Marian Wright Edelman

Today is the birthday of a friend of mine and this week is the birthday week of one larger-than-life hero of mine, Julia Child.

To honor both my friend and Ms. Child, I'd like to share the first episode in a new series of ours called Badass Women.

The show celebrates women who have inspired and continue to inspire other women to do great things with their lives.

This first episode features a former colleague and friend of mine, Laura Raposa. I'd love if you took some time to check out the episode - and please, let me know what you think!

A big special thanks to my team at MEDIABOSS for making this show happen. Ian Barrett; Paul Bouley; Monica Duque; Nick Clarke and our amazing team of interns.

Transcript:

Erin: No one works harder than Boston Herald Inside Track columnist turned foods with proprietress Laura Raposa. She throws herself into her work with a tenacious passion some find intimidating. Personally, I find it inspiring. I met Laura in 2005 when I became her and her long time Inside Track partner, Gayle Fee's, assistant. She and Gayle were my bosses from 2005 until 2008, when I came on as a producer for their TV show, "Track Gals." The show ran through 2011 and we still keep in touch. I recently visited Laura at her Duxbury Massachusetts bakery, the Foodsmith. I wanted to ask her about her two passions, writing and cooking, and how she transitioned from one to another.

But first, I wanted to ask how she got into the whole writing thing to begin with.

Erin: "Tell me about how you started at the Boston Herald."

Laura: "When I first started out at the Herald, I was in college. And I came in at 6 o'clock in the morning. And I kind of ran the desk until the city editor came in. I would assign people. I'd assign photographers. And in fact, Andy Gully, who was the managing editor of the Herald, when he first started as a reporter said he thought I was the boss."

Erin: "Oh, really?"

Laura: "He had no idea I was just the editorial assistant. So when I graduated in '83, I had a job. And I was at the Herald for 30 years."

Erin: "I mean, you did come up to be one of the most powerful columnists in Boston. I mean, you went from being an editorial assistant and then-- "

Laura: "And then I wrote for consumer problem column, called "Sound Off," which I really loved. And then I was a business reporter. And Norman Nathan died. And Norman Nathan was-- talk about a powerful columnist. I mean, Norman was the pinnacle. And so Gayle and I took over. And we had the biggest smiles in the newsroom. And they put us together, Ken Chandler, smartest man. And we were together for 21 years. We were very powerful at one time. "

Erin: "If I remember correctly, one of my favorite headlines of all time, "Those Boston Bitches Will Totally Cut You." "

Laura: "That was something, if you Googled me, prior to the Foodsmith, that's the first thing that came up. I was horrified at one time, but now I was quite proud of it. Now I'm quite proud of it.

Erin: Laura's self-deprecating, but her and Gayle's Inside Track column was so popular sometimes even sports news had to take a back seat. And they did that all by coming up in the ranks in a male dominated industry. Their success was inspiring. And trust me, nothing was more impressive than watching the two of them flesh out a story. They were absolutely fearless.

Video Clip:

Being here at Fenway Park was--

Talking to me at Fenway Park.

Talking to you. You're part of it. I wouldn't say you're the biggest part of this story, but you're one part.

Erin: Although Laura loved her job, her first passion was cooking. She comes from a long line of determined, passionate, culinary entrepreneurs. And she shared her story with me.

Laura: "My family is in the baking business. My grandfather started my family's company, which is a bakery supply house, out of the garage. And now it's this huge company and it's still run by my father. It's run by my mother and my brother. So I've always been in bakeries. My grandparents owned a bakery. My grandmother, during the Depression, they owned a bakery in Fall River. And I had a Suzy Homemaker, the complete Suzy Homemaker kitchen. And I made those little light bulb cakes and frosted them in that neon pink disgusting thing. And my father-- God love him-- would come home after calling on the best bakeries in Rhode Island, and come home and eat my light bulb cake. And that was really the start of my career."

Laura: "But then when I was at the Herald, my outlet was cooking and baking. And I went to the Culinary Institute of America. And I'd go up to King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vermont for weekends. I wanted to know the right way of doing everything. I didn't know what the hell I was going to do with all this knowledge, except feed my husband. It was fun. I really enjoyed it, but then there was that other thing that got in the way. And then when my real job was starting to affect me, I decided, you know what? What makes me happy? I'm 52 years old. What makes me happy is feeding people. And I fed my family and I fed my friends for so many years. I'm going to open up my own place. "

Erin: And now, we've come to the part of Laura's story that truly makes her bad ass. She had the courage to walk away from her successful career and completely changed her life course in her 50s. Laura had an inspiration of her own. The late, great, culinary genius, Julia Child. Child made a similar late decision that changed the direction of her own life. I'm a big fan of Julia Child myself, so we had a lot to talk about.

Erin: "I think you're quite badass. And I think what you've done is quite bad ass. But I can't think of you without thinking of another woman I find quite bad ass-- Julia Child."

Laura: "Oh, Julia Child."

Erin: "How did she inspire you?"

Laura: "Well, I always watched Julia. I mean as a kid, I would watch Julia on PBS. And anyway, I got to go to her house. And she had an event at the house on Irving street in Cambridge. And I was invited. And I went to the powder room and she had these French posters. And they were very interesting, very Toulouse Lautrec. And so I do my business and wash my hands and go back out through the dining room, into the pantry. And the caterer said to me, Miss Raposa, I don't think your skirt should be up like that. And so I began-- well, actually, she did because I was so horrified. She began taking my skirt out of my pantyhose. And so I had gone through the dining room, past Julia Child by the way, Jasper White, Lydia Shire, with my ass-- and that's bad ass, my friend-- into the pantry. And so I thought, well, do I stay here the rest of my life? Or do I grab champagne and walk out like nothing else happened? And that's what I did. "

Erin: The strongest comparison, aside from passion, that I make between Laura and the French Chef is their shared drive for what Child called self-education.

Erin: "Going back to her starting, quote unquote, late in life, I mean, so many people in their 30s are like, oh, I wish I could have done this, but I can't because my ship has sailed."

Laura: "No. Your ship has never sailed. "

Erin: "I agree. I don't understand that mentality, that OK, well, I'm 37, so therefore I'm not in my 20s, so I just have to be miserable for the rest of my life and not do what I want to do. And it's just an impractical approach. And that's the opposite of Julia. "

Laura: "It's opposite of me. Yeah. I was always a fan of hers, because she started late in life. When you're 54 years old, you're pretty much winding down of your career or whatever. And I started a whole new one. I started a whole new one. And I, like Julia, for instance, I went and interned at Flour. And I worked there. And I was the oldest person there. And I did the most menial of jobs, which you do. But I learned so much. You just soak up. And whatever we did that day was very important. It was very important. It was the foundation of what I do."

Erin: Like Julia, Laura made her own dream come true. Both women heard a lot of no's from people and responded by saying yes to themselves.

Laura: "It's very difficult to get production experience when you're in your 50s. So I decided, well, I'll open my own bakery. But I knew nothing about business. And what really helped us was the winter of our discontent. Remember? We got 900 inches of snow. It kept us inside on the weekends doing our business plan and looking and pricing things and checking out prices and sitting out here, counting cars that were going around the rotary. And I mean, we did-- talk about due diligence. I mean, we counted every car that went around the rotary on a Saturday between noon and 2:00."

Erin: "And so now that you're open, what is your approach to this now? "

Laura: "It's very customer service oriented. I don't want to disappoint anybody. I want them to come in. I want them to be happy and leave happy. That's my goal. When we started out, I thought it was really going to be more of a traditional bakery that served sandwiches. And it became the exact opposite, where lunch business has surpassed the breakfast. And plus our menu changes every day, just trying to every day come up with a new menu of lunch items and a fresh soup is very difficult."

Erin: "Wow"

Laura: "But I didn't think about that. It was like, hey, we'll change the menu every day. It'll be so cool. Like what? It's really been an education. And I've got to say, I love it. It is so un-glamorous. Well, first of all, I get up at 3 o'clock in the morning. And I start right in. I start right in on my baking. And then we're off and running. And then we close at 2:00. But what happens at 2:00? I don't leave. I have to plan for the next day and wash the floor, wash the dishes. "

Erin: "So that's why you have to have the passion, otherwise--"

Laura: "That's passion, my friend. I was passionate when I worked at the Herald. I mean, I was a loyal, devoted employee and very passionate about our column and beating the competition. I was very passionate."

Erin: "I know. I worked for you.

I know how passionate you were. "

Laura: "But now, I'm my own boss. And if you don't have passion, forget it."

Erin: Laura's bakery is a big success, collecting awards and accolades from virtually everywhere. The ingredients to Laura's success aren't on her shelves. They're a part of her-- passion, dedication, courage, tenacity, and a great sense of humor. Put them together and you get a whole lot of delicious, along with a smile, because you know she loves what she does. And so do I.

Erin: I'm Erin Hayes, and this has been Badass Woman.

webseries branded content badass women

6 Mile Moment: Boston Marathon in Downtown Framingham

Erin Hayes April 27, 2016 Video production, live stream, boston marathon, 6 mile moment Leave a Comment

Downtown Framingham came alive with Boston Marathon spectators last Monday. Hundreds of fans, families and friends flocked to The 6 Mile Moment to cheer on the participants of the 120th Boston Marathon.

It was hard to imagine that just three years ago this event didn’t exist.

This year marked the third annual 6 Mile Moment - an event we created with our partners, Framingham Downtown Renaissance and the Town of Framingham, to encourage urban revitalization and community involvement in Downtown Framingham.

“The idea of the The 6 Mile Moment was born of inspiration,” said Erin Hayes, CEO of MediaBoss Television. “MediaBoss had hosted its own informal events with live music and live video along the Marathon route for years. One day, Holli, Director of FDR, swung by our studios and asked us what we could do to bring a sense of community and pride to Downtown Framingham in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. And thus, The 6 Mile Moment was born.”

Holli made the magic happen. She coordinated with the Town of Framingham; she found sponsors (like Middlesex Savings Bank); she secured meetings for us with the Framingham Police Department for proper permitting and she coordinated with local vendors to provide family-friendly activities for spectators.

We got to work doing one of the things we do best: Producing a live show, complete with live entertainment for the spectators and the runners. We live stream the event with our Blackmagic Design ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K and send a signal to Access Framingham. Access Framingham broadcasts our stream over their channel.

That first year was a big win for us. And The 6 Mile Moment has evolved and will continue to evolve year after year.

“This year we had more people join us in Downtown Framingham than I've ever seen, and they went full throttle to support their heroes running through the 6 mile mark,” said Holli Andrews, Director of Framingham Downtown Renaissance. "Dancing and singing for the runners, making beautiful signs -- lots of energy and tons of goodwill. Made for a very special 6 Mile Moment! It was awesome and I think the runners loved it, too!"

The Deluxe Depot Diner donates their entire parking lot to the 6 Mile Moment every year.

This year the entertainment was spread across both sides of their lot. DJ Haze was spinning high energy music for the runners and spectators on one side while Marcus Santos & Anova Brazil Live gave a dramatic percussion performance on the other. There was also face painting, games, free ice cream, music demonstrations, graffiti lessons and sign making for families and fans to take part in.

We already have some fun ideas about how we can improve upon and evolve the event for next year. But while we wait for next year to come around, here are some of our highlights from the 2016 Boston Marathon:

120th Boston Marthon Runners 6 Mile Moment National Guard 6 Mile Moment Boston Marathon

Framingham Police Before the Boston Marathon

MediaBoss Team Middlesex Savings Bank Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon Sign

Spectators Boston Marathon

Rachel Seeker Holli Andrews Erin Hayes

Monica Duque Camera OP 6 Mile Moment

Fans holding signs Boston Marathon

MediaBoss Live Stream Production

This is our incredible @mediaboss team after a long day streaming the #bostonmarathon #6milemoment - I could not be more proud to come to work with these people everyday. They are talented, passionate, creative and dedicated and they are my family. The work isn't always easy (rarely easy) but our dynamic and our trust in one another always makes it rewarding. #gratitude #team #creativeteam #video #filmmaking

A photo posted by @erinehayes on Apr 18, 2016 at 1:31pm PDT

DJ Haze at the 6 Mile Moment Boston Marathon

Spectators 6 Mile Moment Boston Marathon

Families 6 Mile Moment Boston Marathon

Rachel Seeker Boston Marathon Spectators

Erica LeBlanc Rachel Seeker Erin Hayes MediaBoss

Monica Duque Camera Op Boston Marathon

DJ Haze 6 Mile Moment

Video production live stream boston marathon 6 mile moment

Making the Pilot: A No Nonsense Guide to Pilot Production

Erin Hayes October 27, 2015 Creativity, Production, Tips & Tricks Leave a Comment

Pilot production is tough.

There’s a lot riding on the pilot. This single episode needs to present all the unique characteristics of your production and sell sponsors or networks on your idea.

If you are talking to networks, they generally fund the pilot. You would have already attached a director and talent to the production and the network would generally set you up in one of their studios to create the pilot.

To be clear, this blog isn’t about that.

It’s about you.

You don’t have a network budget, but you do have a great idea and some money. And you really believe your show idea can go somewhere.

It’s time to put that script and that budget on the line and get it made. But where do you start?

First, let’s dig a little deeper.

Many show pilots go on to become the first episode in a series. ‘Great!’, you think. ‘One out of the way.’

Well, yes and no. Because of this, there’s quite a bit of pressure to immediately engage and capture an audience.

Now, Netflix released some interesting data this fall that shows the pilot is rarely the episode that hooks a viewer. In fact, according to their data, that magical episode is usually between episode 2 and 8!

However, that doesn’t mean that the pilot can be phoned in. A 22 episode story arc won’t mean anything if the pilot falls flat on its face. Because chances are, you won’t be given the chance to either:

a) produce the remaining 21 episodes or

b) air the remaining 21 episodes.

Another obstacle is that your pilot really needs to look as much like a typical episode as possible.

That means it’s necessary to work as hard as you can to nail talent, locations, costumes, props, lighting and camera all at the same time.

What’s changed about the business is that web series have become the new concept development hot bed.

This means you can make a successful web series and get the attention of anyone from Producers to Network Execs to the actual Agents who are looking for vehicles for their clients.

That’s how “Broad City” came to the attention of Amy Poehler. She stepped in as Executive Producer and got them their deal.

1. When do I know I need to make a Pilot?

When people approach us about producing their show pilot, it’s usually because people have expressed interest in their show idea.

Whether it’s an unscripted or scripted program, they need a pilot to fully pitch a network or sponsor and get the series funded.

Thanks to the rise of online video series, we’ve seen a spike in interest in pilot production in recent years. This is largely due to the fact that the number of outlets has gone from a few to hundreds.

And there is an entire business for branded web series (sponsored original content) outside of any network or distributor.

2. How much does it cost?

That’s always the first or second question people ask us, and we respond the same way every time:

How much does a car cost?

How much does a watch cost?

How much does a stroller cost? (new dad, here.)

It’s absolutely relative. But the important factors are the scale of the production: i.e. the number of days of shooting, locations, props, costumes etc.

What’s important is that your pilot looks like you are invested (read: you spent a lot of money).
Good production is absolutely the key component to making the people who watch your pilot go, “Wow” instead of “Ummm, we’re not interested.”

On our end we do everything on a fixed budget. This means you pay us and you get a guaranteed broadcast quality pilot that you can show to networks and sponsors alike, with no post-production surprises.

In addition, every element of the production will meet broadcast standards. This is critical, because in many scenarios your pilot becomes the first episode of the series.

You don’t want to do this twice. And in most cases, you won’t get that second chance, anyway.

3. What’s involved?

Well, MediaBoss is a production company that produces unscripted and scripted television shows. We have created hundreds of hours of television and we bring that experience to the client. Our pilots are award-winning and have resulted in broadcast programs.

That’s important because making a pilot is a lot harder than shooting an episode that is part of an established series.

Everything is brand new in a pilot: the music, the graphics, the shooting schedule, the actors and crew and their relationship with the director.

It’s really difficult to make it look like this is Episode 100 and not Episode One, or the first time everyone has worked together.

But that’s the job we love and it’s where our experience pays off.

First, you bring in your script and meet the team. The team includes the producer, director, production manager and staff writer.

After a reading we do a script breakdown and figure out what needs to be done to make it happen. That’s where our budget comes from.

5. When does the shoot happen?

The first shoot happens after the budget is agreed on, a production agreement is signed, and a deposit is delivered.

The production agreement will outline the shooting, editing and delivery schedule.

But first, we get into the pre-production stage. Casting, locations, makeup, props, legal clearances are just a few examples of things that need to be locked up before you can start shooting.

Then there’s the conversation with the MediaBoss production team about your show’s “look”.

How will it be lit, shot and edited. The color palette, acting style, production style, etc.

The whole team needs to be on the same page with all of these elements. In the end, that’s what the director is responsible for on set.

So when that’s lined up it’s time to shoot.

6. What’s the shooting like?

It’s hell on wheels. I think the fantasy of the ‘set life’ and the reality are pretty far apart.

Filmmaking is blue-collar work. Period.

You have a job to do and it has to be done to these specs. And it has to be good.

I’ve meet a lot of well-dressed directors on set and I have to say that on a managed budget production, you better see some sweat and a team of people hustling otherwise your not going to make your shot list for the day!

When you are shooting on a tight schedule with a lot of set-ups, you don’t have time to screw around.

You can’t afford one part of the production to hold any of the other parts up.

So, no you can’t take all day to light that cutaway. It needs to be lit and shot in 15 minutes. And you need to move onto the next thing and the whole crew has to be in synch with that.

Sets can go from chaos to ‘We are shooting this now, action!’ in a couple of minutes. It’s so important to have a good experienced crew, because they all know what’s needed and they do it.

The director also needs to get the best out of the actors and that rapport can’t take all day to develop. He also needs to know when to take an alternate shot or move on even thought something isn’t perfect, because time is the enemy and when you run out of that, there is no more production.

That’s not to say that the mood on set needs to be tense.

In fact, it should be the opposite and everyone should feel like they are on the same team working a very long series of days to an amazing goal.

A good director can make that happen, too. If you hear yelling on set, it’s not a good thing.

The best crews just know what to do instinctively.

7. What’s next?

Next is the post-production phase. This where all those pieces are edited together to create a program.

It’s important to remember that post-production is actually the bigger part of your budget.

There are no ‘simple’ edits. Everything needs to be done to the highest standard, from audio to color correction and effects to graphics.

It’s about a 5:1 ratio. Five days of post for every day of shooting. That’s not a fixed number. There are a lot of companies that can spend a month on a :30 second spot. But that’s not the world of pilot production.

Generally people want to start sharing a pilot as quickly as possible.

8. And then what?

And then it’s done!

Now you take meetings, put it online, share it in festivals and try to get the series made.

We are happy that all of our pilot work has been so well received, regardless of budget. When people see a MediaBoss produced pilot the reaction is always, “That looks great!” We never want to hear that someone lost a gig to a poorly produced pilot. And trust me, we have met more than a few people who blew a budget on a pilot that they couldn’t even share with anybody when it was finished. This extends to the network level.

9. How do you prevent that?

Do your research. Find a good team. Manage your budget and be ready to show it to everyone you can.

Ask questions:
Are they insured?
How many things have they done?
What kind of cameras will they be using?
Audio?
What do they use for post-production?
Do they rent or own?
Do they have a studio?

Ask to see a reel of their work.

We have over 400 television shows and nearing a thousand videos under our belt. We pride ourselves on producing award-winning products for our clients. We are fun to work with and we get the job done, on budget.

We’re really proud of what we do and we are dedicated to making each product better than the last.

Check out MediaBoss’ pilot for the show “Partners”.

Creativity Production Tips & Tricks

Monsters of MediaBoss: Our Creative Work Space Comes Alive

Erin Hayes September 15, 2015 Creativity, Design Leave a Comment

We built the ultimate creative work space when we moved into the 8,000 square foot industrial space MediaBoss now calls home. We have lime-pop support poles, a Koi pond, exposed brick and the Shoppers World sign hanging from our 13 foot ceilings.

But we can't stop there.

In the spirit of the upcoming Halloween season, I started to see the every day objects in our studio a little differently.

Here's a look at The Monsters of MediaBoss!

The Terror-able Trash Eater

This guy loves to munch on your paper towels and candy wrappers. Just don't get too close to his mouth!

Fluffy Glowing Ghouls

These three love to hang about our Koi Pond, keeping the fish and Domino the Turtle looking bright!

Goodbye-Bot

After a long day at the studio, this guy always says goodbye with a smile.

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If you need custom graphics or animations, I'd love to chat. Email me here:

Creativity Design

MediaBoss Television Pilot Partners Wins People's Telly Award

Erin Hayes September 09, 2015 Production, Press, Video Leave a Comment

Original Press Release Published Here

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Framingham, MA September 9, 2015 - The Telly Awards has named MediaBoss Television as a winner in the 36th Annual People's Telly Awards for their dramedy television pilot titled Partners. In addition to recognition from the Silver Telly Council, the judging panel that selects the Telly Awards winners, the Internet community helps decide the People’s Telly Awards winners. With nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, winning the People’s Choice is truly an honor.

Partners follows the career of a female detective in an all-male police station. The pilot was written by Matty Blake and directed by MediaBoss Creative Director & Producer, Ian Barrett. Blake and Barrett are producing partners under their partnership company, Let the Boy Watch. The pair have worked together on several other comedic pilots and a variety of other productions.

Partners was co-produced and edited by MediaBoss Television. A scripted, ensemble concept, the pilot was captured in Framingham, MA in a single day and featured actors, Jimmy Dunn (The McCarthys), R.J. Kelly (Political Animals), Betsy Beutler (Legit, Scrubs), Dan Schachner (Animal Planet) and Matty Blake (Mystic River, Boardwalk Empire).

"Filming Partners with MediaBoss and this cast was a like a writer/actor version of going to Disney World: Pure joy and magic,” Blake says. “We had so much fun but we also worked our butts off. A group of professionals getting together and playing our trade on our terms. Laughs yes, but we cared, we toiled, we strove. It wasn’t frivolous, it was rewarding. It’s the best kind of fun. It’s why we do what we do. We love the process!"

"It was a very fast paced set. We had a ton of set-ups to get through because we only had our cast for one day,” Barrett says. "Everything came together like magic, in the end we had more material than we could use! I can't say enough about how amazing the experience was."

“The Telly Awards has a mission to honor the very best in film and video,” said Linda Day, Executive Director of the Telly Awards. “MediaBoss' accomplishment illustrates their creativity, skill, and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great film and video production.”

To see check out more of MediaBoss’ productions check out their portfolio: http://www.mediabosstv.com/creative-video

About MediaBoss Television
MediaBoss Television is a full-service television and web video production company that produces compelling video content for broadcast, corporations and start-ups alike. MediaBoss Television is based out of an 8,000 square foot converted industrial studio in Framingham, MA.

Please contact Erin Hayes, MediaBoss Television, for inquiries: Erin@MediaBossTV.com or call 508-405-0323

-END-

Additional Resources:

Production Press Video

I'll Write You A Symphony: Behind Jared Dylan's Music Video

Erin Hayes July 30, 2015 Creativity, Production, Video Leave a Comment

By MediaBoss Team

Jared Dylan, 20, is going into his senior year at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, with more than a little bit of rock star credibility.

The aspiring singer/songwriter's music video for the single "Symphony" dropped last week and he's been getting 10,000 hits a day since it premiered on YouTube.

Not too shabby for an independent artist, but there is a lot more to the story than that. The first interesting bit is that he actually wrote "Symphony" when he was 16, and this overnight success has been four years in the making.

When asked about the song’s origin, Jared candidly admits that he wrote it for girl he met only once. [tweet_dis]"She asked me to write her a song and I wrote her “Symphony"[/tweet_dis]. I knew her for a total of 5 hours and she still doesn't know that I wrote the song about her." Dylan admits, laughing.

Inspirations aside, writing a song is one thing, and making a music video is an entirely different animal. When Jared and his manager Jimmy Walorz of Vizion Entertainment, decided it was time, they reached out to video producer Bill Millman (now at Atlantic Records) who tapped Godsmack director Ian Barrett at MediaBoss Television for the job.

The shoot was a whirl-wind two days on location in Miami. Barrett captured the video’s performance shots on site at the University of Miami, including the iconic stage sequence overlooking the fountain at the center of campus. Additional material, specifically the sunset finale and white room sequences were shot at Miami's famous, Trendy Studios.

While the shoot was fast-paced and hectic, Dylan was impressed by how smoothly the process went. "I don’t think there was a difficult part because they worked so well together,” he said of the crew. "MediaBoss is a group of professional veterans who have done it so many times that they knew exactly what to expect. They had it ready to go. We were moving from location to location seamlessly."

That’s not to say that the young artist didn’t have his nervous moments. The white room shots at Trendy Studios were a little out of his comfort zone.

“The entire time, I’m saying (to Barrett), 'You think it’s too weird that I’m doing this? Do you think people are going to respond to this or just think I’m a lunatic?! He just kept yelling over the playback and the next thing I knew I was jumping on chairs and doing karate kicks, it was fun."

In the end, the white room shots are Dylan’s favorite memory from the shoot. He had to put a lot of trust into the direction of Barrett, and according to him, it paid off.

“Ian (Barrett) is a visionary. He is a true artist,” he said. “He was doing things for the video that I just wouldn’t have even thought to imagine. That white room, again all those different costumes and everything, that’s where I think the chemistry between me and Ian really came out. Every one of those shots that we did was a single take."

“I’m so happy with how it came out,” he said of the final edited video. "I cannot express how much I love it, it’s awesome.”

Dylan found inspiration and support from every member of the team throughout the shoot.

“Bill (producer) is probably one of the most fun people to be around. It’s like you never know what he’s going to say next, but it’s going to be hilarious and you just want to be a part of it,” Dylan said, laughing. “He also played a huge part in pushing me throughout the whole process. I was just playing through the song and he was like ‘You gotta give it more than that!’"

“I don’t think the energy of the video would have been nearly as high and as fun without him there."

As for his co-star, actress Rachel Seeker, Dylan says " She's hot." He says reflecting on the beach shot they did together, “And...She’s a sweetheart and so down to earth and easy to talk to, She was there, every second of the shoot,” he added. “She did not leave set, She was alway there to give support...I mean we couldn’t have done the video without her."

Walorz served as the “all-seeing-eye” throughout the entirety of the shoot, according to Dylan. “Having such a seasoned opinion and such a well-versed influence on the video - we owe a lot of credit to Jimmy.”

Every shoot has an unsung hero, somebody who goes 'above and beyond' and this production was no exception. Jared's good friend, Andrea Lopez, became an impromptu 1st AD and started by wrangling shots, talent and locations. She even filled in as actress to play Jared's love interest when a conflict displaced the original girl.

“I don’t know if I want to let her know how grateful I am because she’ll just hold it over me,” he joked. “She is easily one of the most supportive and just selfless and downright, just inspiring people that I could possibly imagine to be on our team.”

The video provides more than a visual asset to a song, it’s also a captured moment of Dylan’s time at Frost Music School at the University of Miami, a place that has been fully supportive of the whole process. Including his fellow students who appeared in the video.

The school assisted by not only giving approval to film, but by agreeing to share "Symphony" with their social media community, “I think the coolest part is the University of Miami is going to share it cause that really shows how much they support the project.”

"The University of Miami is a huge part of who I am right now,” Dylan added. “But specifically, it will be a huge part of who I am forever."

Dylan has great expectations for the “Symphony” video.

“We’re shooting for 50 million views,” he says with his signature smile, “Gotta set the bar high. We’ve got a lot in store."

"Symphony" is available on iTunes and you can view the video here on YouTube.

Creativity Production Video

Erin Hayes

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Content Creation Blog

Erin Hayes

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What a rush! Sold-out screening raises $2K for educational programs

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Raised $2,000 for children's educational programs

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IMPROV ASYLUM AND MEDIABOSS PARTNER TO LIVE-STREAM ANNUAL 24-HOUR IMPROVISED CHARITY SHOW ON FACEBOOK LIVE

MEDIABOSS Wins Seven Telly Awards for Excellence

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Fluffy Glowing Ghouls

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MediaBoss Television Pilot Partners Wins People's Telly Award

I'll Write You A Symphony: Behind Jared Dylan's Music Video

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