Ascender Communications commemorates 10th year East of the Anacostia River with 'Celebrate Southeast DC' merchandise collection
Our company company is releasing an exclusive brand and collection of merchandise to commemorate our 10th year of being located East of the Anacostia River, in Southeast DC. Celebrate Southeast DC is an online store with premium athletic and street wear that celebrates the best of communities in SEDC and beyond. Our goal is simply to show love back to the community that embraced our family and our business. See for yourself at www.celebratesoutheastdc.com
"Harriet's Approach" Framed, Still Image Accepted into Collection of Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center
Exclusive Print "Harriet's Approach" Donated to Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center
On Saturday, June 25th we were honored to have this framed, giclee print titled ‘Harriet’s Approach’, a still image from our film ‘The Visit,’ accepted into the collection of the Harriet Tubman Museum and Education Center in Cambridge, MD. It’s depicts Tubman, standing before a massive plantation home. It’s symbolizes the long struggle for women and people of color against massive systems of social, economic, and political power. The Ascender team attended a hike through historic Thompson plantation where Harriet Tubman was enslaved and co-hosted a screening of our award winning film “The Visit” at the museum, later that afternoon.
It was truly a remarkable day, learning about and discussing our shared American history. Thanks to all who joined us in Cambridge, MD for the morning hike/tour of the former Thompson plantation (where Harriet Tubman was enslaved) and our film screening at the museum!
#filmart #filmstill #limitedediton #giclee #prints #gicleeprint #art #artwork #film #indiefilm #women #filmmaking #justice #interpretative #history #community #museum #ascenderfilmsinc
Ascender Films is a Proud Sponsor of Association of African American Museum's (AAAM) 2020 Virtual Conference
he work we have done with African American museums and cultural organizations has been some of the most meaningful and important work that our firm has done. That's why the Ascender team is very proud to be a sponsor of the AAAM 2020 Virtual Conference, taking place this week, August 5-7th. It is important to support these organizations. But it's also crucial that we keep our finger on the pulse of great work all across the country. There are so many stories that need to be told and these institutions do the best job of preserving those stories for generations. Here's to a great conference week!
#AAAM2020 #blackmuseumsmatter #history #culture
Ascender Films, Inc. Mourns the Loss of Legendary NOLA Chef Leah Chase (1923-2020)
This weekend we loss a giant of the American culinary world: Chef Leah Chase, Queen of Creole Cuisine. Ms Chase, 96, was also the Executive Chef/ Owner of famed Dooky Chase Restaurant in New Orleans. The legendary restaurant is noted for being one of the oldest upscale, black-owned southern/soul/creole restaurants in the United States. It has hosted civil rights leaders during the 1950s and 60s, when no other establishment allowed African Americans, and survived to host U.S. Presidents and world leaders. Ms. Chase remained at the forefront of opening doors for people of color in the restaurant industry and continued leading her kitchen staff for around 70 years.
We were blessed to have been invited to film her as she advised room or black chefs, food writers and culinary historians during a private luncheon at Dooky Chase. Ms. Chase incredibly overwhelmed by the sight of three generation of African American chefs who stood before her–eager to take in every bite of advice, encouragement and instruction that fell from her lips. That love was reciprocated many times over by those in the room who represented the next generation of black culinary leaders. We edited this short piece in honor of her and that special exchange.
Our team wishes our condolences to the Chase family, their friends and her community in NOLA.
Ascender Launches its' First Factual Series: 'Adrian Miller's Soulful Bites'
Ascender Communications, Inc. proudly presents our first factual series featuring James Beard Award-winning author and lecturer, Adrian Miller, ‘The Soul Food Scholar’ as he shares tasty morsels of stories from the history and evolution of Soul Food–America’s first fusion cuisine.
‘Adrian Miller’s Soulful Bites’ series takes fun, colorful approach to some seriously tasty—and controversial—facts about African American contributions to American cuisine. features James Beard Award-winning writer, lecturer Adrian Miller, ‘The Soul Food Scholar’ sharing tasty morsels of stories—three minutes of less—that you’ve never heard about food you have probably always loved.
“Black culinary history and stories about the damaging effects of cultural appropriation of black cooking traditions are still not fully in the plain view of most African Americans,” says Senior Producer, Paul Grant. “More and more has is being written almost daily on the subject. Yet, mainstream broadcasters are still resistant to invest in any series that explores the subject–even with the extensive amount of research and perspective that is being offered by black culinary historians. This project to fill that void by introducing short, entertaining factual stories into people’s social media timelines that might inspire them to take a deeper look.”
Adrian Miller’s first book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time was published by the University of North Carolina Press in August 2013. Soul Food won the 2014 James Beard Foundation Book Award for Reference and Scholarship. His second book, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washington’s to the Obama’s was published on President’s Day, February 20, 2017. The President’s Kitchen Cabinet has been nominated for a 2018 NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Literary Work–Non-Fiction.”
Adrian recently received the “2018 Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame” Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) for his work on African American foodways and he is currently working on Black Smoke, a history of African American barbecue culture.
To follow ‘Adrian Miller’s Soulful Bites’, visit:
- On Facebook: www.facebook.com/soulfbites.series
- On Instagram: www.instagram.com/soulfulbites.series
- Follow Adrian E. Miller” on Facebook: @soulfoodscholar
Visit his website: www.adrianemiller.com
ACRIA PSA series feat. Legendary Dionne Warwick
ACRIA PSA Series featuring the legendary activist, singer-Songwriter, and Dionne Warwick
Executive Producer: Deborah Levine (ACRIA)
Senior Producer / Director: Paul Grant
Producer : Tracey A. Grant
Director of Photography: Yul Sean Simmons
Post-Production & Motion Graphics: Ascender Communications, Inc.
Client: ACRIA / Black Women’s Health Imperative
Animation ‘At War With Ourselves’ screened at 2015 ‘NextNow Fest’ and PGAAMCC Gallery
The animated short ‘At War With Ourselves: The Battle of and for the Black Face Boy’ written and voiced by renown poet Nikky Finney screened at 2015 ‘NextNow Fest’ at the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Center and as a featured in a recent exhibition of the same title at the Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center in North Brentwood, MD (PGAAMCC).
This early version of the video was co-produced with students from Cultural Keepers, PGAAMCC’s after school arts education program at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts at Suitland High School.
When you are alone
You will remember the people more than the place.
When you are alone for days or weeks at a time, you eventually become drawn to people. Talking to randos is the norm. I’ll never forget the conversation with the aquarium fisherman, forest ranger, and women at the Thai market. It’s refreshing to compare notes on life with people from vastly different backgrounds.
When you meet fellow travelers, you’ll find they are also filled with a similar sense of adventure and curiosity about the world. Five days of friendship on the road is like five months of friendship at home. It’s the experiences that bond you together, not the place. A rule I followed that worked well: be the first to initiate conversation. I met some incredible people by simply being the first to talk.
Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.
Travel can be affordable.
Long term travel is different than a luxury vacation. The point is to see the world, not stay in a 5-star hotel. During the trip, I stayed on a strict budget. The goal was to spend no more than $33 per day on accommodations. After a year, I was able to spend only $26.15 per day by booking through HostelWorld and Airbnb. When I wanted to meet people, I’d stay in a shared room at a hostel. When I wanted to be alone, I’d book a private room with Airbnb.
Take the cost of your rent or mortgage + food per month and divide it by 30. This is how much it costs per day to live at home. You will find that it’s possible to travel the world for roughly the same amount. Or, if you live in an expensive city like San Francisco, far less.
English is a universal language.
I was surprised how many people spoke English (apparently 1.8 billion people worldwide). Places where English was less prevalent, I made an effort to learn a handful of words and phrases in the local language. Even though it’s passable, I do desire to learn another language fluently. You can only take the conversation so far when all you can say is: “¿Esto contiene gluten?”
It’s possible to communicate a lot without saying a word. For instance, I left my phone at a restaurant in Chile. I pointed at the table where I was sitting, put my hand to my ear like a phone, then shrugged — 2 minutes later, my phone had been retrieved.
Trust your intuition.
I learned to trust that tiny voice in my head a bit more. When you are alone in a foreign country and your phone is dead, you are forced to trust your intuition. Is this neighborhood safe to walk around? Is this person someone I should interact with? Am I heading the right direction? Intuition is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. It’s feels like a sixth sense when you’re able to read between the lines of a situation.
The world is endless. The world’s a tiny neighborhood. My fav people are the ones who can hold two impossible ideas in their heads.
Me Myself and I
Many years ago, I worked for my parents who own a video production company. Because it is a family business, you inevitably end up wearing many hats and being the czar of many different jobs. I mainly managed projects and worked as a video editor. On production, there were times that I was called on to work as an audio tech and was made to wear headphones on long production days. In those days, having a really good set of headphones that picked up every nuance of sound was essential to making sure the client got what they needed.
First impressions.
Naturally, my first impression of these headphones is based off of the look of them. They have a classic over-the-ear style that is highlighted by a blue LED light that indicates the power for the noise canceling. The padding on the ear pieces seems adequate for extended usage periods.
They are wired headphones, but the 3.5mm stereo mini-plug cable is detachable. Something else I noticed right of the bat was the very nice carrying case that comes with them. It has a hard plastic exterior with a soft cloth interior that helps to protect the surface of the headphones from scratches. I never truly appreciated cases for headphones until I started carrying them from place-to-place. Now I can’t imagine not having a case.
A perfect fit.
Once I gave the headphones a thorough once-over exam, I tried them on. As I mentioned, they have a classic over-the-ear style and just looking at them, the padding on the ear pieces seem adequate and the peak of the headband seemed to be a bit lacking, but you don’t really know comfort unless you try on the product. So, I slipped the headphones on and found them to be exquisitely comfortable.
It’s safe to say that because of my unique professional experiences, I’ve tested out a lot of headphones.
Quality.
Now that I had the headphones on my head, I was finally ready to plug and play some music. I plugged the provided cable into the jack on the headphones and then the one on my iPhone 6. Then I called up Pandora. I tend to have a very eclectic music purview and have many stations set up for different moods. From John Williams to Fallout Boy, the sound quality of these headphones was remarkable. There is an amazing depth of sound and incredible highs and lows that make listening to music a truly breathtaking experience.
In order to test how voices sounded, and the overall art of sound mixing, I pulled up Netflix on my iPad Air 2 and watched a few minutes of a movie to hear all the nuances of the film. None of them were lost. In fact, I ended up hearing sounds that I hadn’t heard before. Echoes…birds chirping…wind blowing through trees…breathing of the characters…it was very impressive what the headphones ended up bringing out for me.
I would highly recommend these to any sound mixing specialist.