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THE REDESIGNED REKON NEWSLETTER:
A QUARTERLY RECONNAISSANCE
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It’s been over a year since the last regularly scheduled ReKon Newsletter was released. For four years from 2012 to 2015, our original newsletter went out (almost) every month with the ReKon team’s updates and highlights. We haven’t forgotten our quirky periodical and are happy to announce the revival of the ReKon Newsletter as a quarterly update instead of monthly. A reconnaissance of sorts full of inspections, observations, and surveys on the state of affairs of ReKon Productions during a season. For more frequent updates follow our series of ReKon Reports on our website blog, and of course any of our social media feeds.
In this inaugural issue, the Spring Recon brings you all the news of ReKon Productions from the first quarter of 2017. The new design is divided into three sections, an overview of ReKon Headquarters introducing new faces and sharing non-production news. The second section focuses on the heart of ReKon, its productions, giving details on the shows of last quarter from who produced to where you watch the show and everything in-between. The final section shares all the notable shows and guests that have been hosted by ReKon Studio.
We hope you enjoy the new newsletter and we appreciate everyone’s continued interest and support for ReKon Productions throughout the years!
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The structure of ReKon Productions has been doing a lot of shifting and growing over the course of the last year. ReKon internal has moved into developing focused divisions, led by our always production savvy ReKoners newly minted as Directors. Currently, the company’s active divisions are Creative Development, Studio Operations, Business Development, and Post-Production.
Long time ReKoner, Jon Blue is our Director of Creative Development. Blue has been spearheading the efforts to expand ReKon’s internal storytelling and creative voice. While Adrian Wittenberg is coming to the end of her 6-month contract as our temporary Director of Studio Operations. She has helped establish ReKon Studio’s brand guidelines and client service goals for the future and will remain a part of the studio team. We are pleased to introduce the new faces of Peter Frintrup as the Director of Post Production and Jillian Stein as the Director of Business Development.
Since last summer, ReKon Productions has been establishing a new post production partnership. ReKon HQ now houses a post-production suite powered by Flickering Duck, led by the talented Peter Frintrup. Originating from New York, Peter has over 20 years of post-production experience ranging from being the VP of Creative Operations at mOcean creative advertising agency to an executive role at Focus Features. The new partnership has allowed ReKon to expand our services into post productions, providing post services to about 40% of our 2017 projects so far.
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At the beginning of the year, Jillian Stein joined our team as the Director of Business Development. Hailing from Florida, Jillian is a seasoned film executive with more than 15 years of experience in the development and production of independent and studio films. As an active member of the Producer’s Guild of America, Jillian brings a unique blend of production experience and business development acumen to ReKon Productions. Jillian has kicked off the year working to establish new systems and practices to expand the reach of ReKon Productions while also maintaining our current and past client relationships.
Working within Business Development and under the direction of Jillian, familiar ReKoner Kristina Kondrath has grown into her role as Client Relationship Specialist. Kristina seeks to promote and maintain relationships with all the clients and projects ReKon has worked with over the last 8 years.
Another new addition to the ReKon team is our Social Media Specialist, Sammy Ashe. Sammy joined the ranks last year soon after finishing up his MBA in Marketing from California Lutheran University. With experience as an independent filmmaker, Sammy pushes to combine his understanding of filmmaking to marketing for the social media community of ReKon Productions.
As ReKon continues to expand, we will strive to maintain a team of production savvy individuals who contribute to our filmmaking community as well as our internal corporate growth.
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In Quarter 1, ReKon provided 14 projects with production services.
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We kicked off the year, by partnering with a new creative collaborator Rebecca Mooney (creator/ executive producer) on the digital series THE MOTHERS. Produced by Lesley Lopez the series explores motherhood on the West Side of Los Angeles and stars Sasha Alexander ( Dating Daisy), Julie McNiven, and Jenica Bergere ( Ending Up). Full cast and news and updates are available on our blog, including release dates and future episode production.
In January, we also worked alongside ReKon favorite Justin Bell on a launch for Miranda Lambert's new fashion line IDYLLWIND. The project introduced a new ReKoner to the ranks, Bridgette Lindgren as Production Coordinator. The winter also saw us jump into our first exclusively post production project with AWAKENING THE GODDESS, a documentary on Kundalini awakening.
We started February on a farm with SwipeMarket for the digital spot for Nimble Storage entitled Cloud Farmer. Meanwhile, ReKoner Kristina Kondrath produced two short live action films for upcoming episodes of Sesame Street season 48 for Director Paige Morrow Kimball and Makazan Films. More details will be released about the segments when the episodes air. |
At the end of the winter season, John Thomas Schrad jumped on the set of AILERON as an associate producer. A science fiction short film written and directed by A.J. Wedding and produced by Lisha Yakub.
For March Madness (less basketball and more delicious deliverable food style), Jon Michael Kondrath produced the social media launch for the UberEATS #MENUTOLOGY challenge. The spot featured contending menu items from Bay Cities, Halal Guys, and Umami Burger.
Continuing our relationship with New Form, ReKon joined forces with two talented storytelling teams to produce two new shows for Series 5 of New Form's Incubators. Jon Michael Kondrath led production for the Manon Mathews and Jason Zumwalt project, ANTI-SOCIAL. Kondrath was joined on set by familiar ReKon friends Dave Gross (1st AD) and Nicole Rivera (Script Supervisor). While Lesley Lopez worked with Cody Ko and Sunny Tripathy on BOY TOYS. Lopez brought Production Designer Christian Snell (Full of Grace) and ReKoner John Schrad (1st AD) onto the team. Both shows are finishing up in post production and we hope to announce their releases soon!
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From January to March, ReKon Studio hosted 13 shows.
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ReKon Studio has been hosting everything from documentaries to television, actors to musicians, and digital shows to test shoots.
Notables of ReKon Studio in 2017 so far:
DOCUMENTARIES:
We welcomed back filmmaker Tommy Walker and his team for interviews that will be part of a new Toni Morrison Documentary.
The studio space was transformed for the re-enactment sequences of an upcoming documentary THE HEART OF THE DREAM. With authentic props from World War II.
TELEVISION:
Our studio hosted a team for a new Cinemax show TALES FROM THE TOUR BUS.
We were happy to have Lincoln Square Productions back at ReKon Studio working on interviews for an upcoming ABC Special on Princess Diana. Keep your eyes open for news on when it will air in May.
GUESTS:
Edward Norton, actor, lent his talents to promote the iMentor Challenge in a PSA, directed by ReKon's own Jon Michael Kondrath.
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Roger Deakins, Director of Photography, joined ARRI for a special interview on the 100 Years of ARRI.
A band with the Frontier Records Label stopped by to perform a song and have a photo shoot.
DIGITAL SHOOTS:
ReKon Studio gained a one-day pet fish (Gideon) from a promo shoot for Go90's Tawk Show.
All of ReKon Headquarters might be seen featured in the digital show pilot PERFECT from the lobby to the kitchen to white cyc.
CASTINGS:
THE MOTHERS, a ReKon produced digital series, did all of the show's casting on site.
Short Film HURT directed by Peter Frintrup and production designed by Adrian Wittenberg was cast from the ReKon Studio. The short film premiered over the weekend of April 21st at the Silicone Beach Film Festival.
Follow ReKon Studio on Instagram to see live updates from studio guests, follow #ReKonToday to see set builds, unique equipment and more fun.
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