WOW! We made it through more than half the year, and what a ride it's been already. Over the last year, we have felt production slowing down a bit, we've heard it from our crew members and other Heads of Productions at Agencies and Production Companies. Times are tough! Indie films and commercials are under stress from shrinking budgets, rising pay rates for crew, inflation (don't even get me started on the cost of avocados nowadays), canceled contracts and the aftershock of the union strikes from last year. Many crew members have left filmmaking/production all together to find something more stable.

Here at Hsubox Productions we are GRATEFUL for the partnerships and work that we have done because of people like you who have worked with us and know us! We continue to receive great referrals and WORD of MOUTH! In turn, we get to employ the amazing directors, producers, PAs, production designers, makeup artists, sound engineers, editors, etc. so they can pay their bills. Honestly the best part of the job is sending out checks to our amazing collaborators and crew. We are thankful for our team!

Let's Make Some Commercials!

The first half of the year unexpectedly kept us on our toes! We line produced a COX Commercial with director Augusta Dayton out in Laguna Beach as the kick off to our year. We got to work with the Boys and Girls Club to see how COX communications tech donations have impacted their lives.

We were able to check off something on our bucket list in March where we made our first (and hopefully not last) #RUBEGOLDBERG Machine for Clean Creatives! SO FUN! It was directed by Sami Kriegstein Jacobson and Kate Dearing....who were also the creative directors of the project. Big Thanks to Noah Fowler who DP'd the project! We got to partner with old friends in production at Windmill Studios to design the machine, and also to provide the studio space for us to play! Brad Go helped us with the edit. Here's the spot which increased their sign ups by 5% within the first week of the launch! Full credit list in the description of the Youtube link below:
Clean Creatives Rube Goldberg Machine | 1,000 Agencies Signed Celebration

This year, we are thrilled to partner with new agencies, where a growth mindset and aligned values has been at the forefront of our collaboration so we can better serve clients' needs together in the evolving times we are in. Without sacrificing quality and results, we were able to put together a quick one-day shoot for a teething relief homeopathic ointment, Camilia. We made a cute and whimsical spot called "You are the teething Fairy" and c'mon.... shoot with super cute babies??? Sign us up!

We are always inspired by the people we work with on and off the screen. We had the privilege of following the life a living legend and revolutionary barrier breaker for women's sports, Kathrine Switzer. She was the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon in 1967, back when “No dame ever ran the Boston Marathon!”. On top of working with an icon as our key talent, we were able to pull off an international stunt-- as in working with a phenomenal Dutch director, Mea Dols De Jong, directing remotely from across the world, with agency and clients tuning in from China. All while our New York crew made the magic happen right here in the Hudson Valley. If we didn't say it enough, we love working with our teams here on the ground and afar across the globe.

Films

We have several exciting projects cooking in the world of filmmaking. Here is a glimpse:

We are producing Encore, a feature film written by Stefanos Tai. We had an opportunity to pitch at the Hong Kong Film Festival where we won the TAICCA film fund prize. We are planning for a Taiwan co-production to shoot in the US & Canada mid-2025.

Hsubox Productions will be working with Director Wendi Tang, winner of Tribeca's Through-Her-Lens program, to produce her new film When the Moon Sets, which is slated to shoot in NYC during Winter 2024-2025. We are in the process of location scouting, casting and hiring for key crew!

Jennifer Zhang (Fetish, Charon), is set to direct sci-fi feature length anthology, Trüebadour. Based on the sci-fi short Autopilot, Trüebadour follows an enigmatic engineering prodigy who introduces the bombastic founder of a tech start-up to an innovative “storytelling” device that scans its wearer to generate an original work of fiction. Written by Zhang, the film stars Gina Su (Autopilot, Blue, Transpo), and Daphne Qin Wu (The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, Beacon) serves as the cinematographer.

Jonathan Hsu and Stefanos Tai at HKIFF 2024 Film Market

Looking Ahead

As we move forward into the rest of 2024, our focus remains on pushing the limits of storytelling through various mediums, raising artists voices and building partnerships. We're excited about the projects lined up and can't wait to share them with you. If you're interested in collaborating or have an idea you'd like to bring to life, we'd love to hear from you. Let's make magic together!

Stay Connected

You're receiving this newsletter because our paths have crossed at some point. If you prefer not to receive updates from Hsubox Productions, we understand. You can easily opt out by clicking here. But if you're as excited about our journey as we are, stay tuned for more Hsubox content coming your way!

Hsubox News

NY Creative Award in Experiential - Events Award by LE BOOK

Hsubox Productions Inc. had the pleasure of attending Connections hosted by LE BOOK in June at The Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC! This premier event sets the stage for an immersive and inspiring experience, where agencies and creatives connect, share ideas and explore the latest trends in our industry.

We were thrilled to meet many amazing people in the industry and are incredibly proud to announce that we were awarded the NY Creative Award in Experiential - Events! A big thank you to all the attending jurors and LE BOOK for this honor.

Our award-winning project was a fun collaboration with Netflix last year on Squid Game: The Challenge in Real Life. We set up a mysterious telephone in Washington Square Park, inviting passersby to become part of a real-life Squid Game challenge. Hidden cameras captured their participation in stunts, dares, and games, offering them the chance to win cash on the spot.

Greenwich Entertainment acquired the rights to Starring Jerry As Himself, which won both the Audience and Jury Award at Slamdance 2023 in Park City, UT. The film is slated for release in select New York theaters and on home entertainment platforms beginning in October!

“Starring Jerry as Himself was one of the true festival sleeper hits of last year and we’re delighted to offer general audiences the same dizzying and poignant experience thousands of festival goers have had,” stated Greenwich Entertainment Co-President Edward Arentz.

Continue to follow us on our journey on our Instagram @StarringJerryAsHimself! Special Filmmaker Q&As, virtual panels, and BTS will be posted there as well as on @Hsuboxproductions

Join us this TODAY Monday, July 22nd, on the lawn in Fort Greene Park for GROWING PAINS: COMING-OF-AGE STORIES, a new, genre-spanning short film program that showcases stories as deep and varied as adolescence itself.

RSVPs are available now and it's FREE, via tinyurl.com/43mem9xw. Secure your spots today!

Presented in partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy and NYC Council Member Crystal Hudson.

Stay in touch with our Closing Dynasty adventures on Instagram @closingdynasty!

Join us every FRIDAY for That's A Wrap! on Instagram LIVE
@hsuboxproductions

Let’s Make Magic Together!

Hsubox Productions creates commercial and film productions, VR/AR, streaming live videos, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, TwitterX, SnapChat, Twitch, Pinterest, QQ, and anything else the future wants to throw at us.Hsubox Productions - More Than Halfway Through 2024!