Ascender Creates Main Title and Motion Design Sequences for 'The Breakdown' Digital Series on BET+
The Breakdown takes a deeper dive into lesser known aspects of African American history and culture from an African centered viewpoint. The show was created by Len Burnett (@lennybuptown) and Darnley Hodge (@darnleyhodge) and hosted by @Klarity
Ascender's Founder, Creative Director Receives '2020 Special Recognition' Award from The Balm In Gilead, Inc.
We are Grateful to have received this 'Special Recognition Award' last week from The Balm In Gilead, Inc. during their annual 'Healthy Churches' Conference. I'm equally proud that content we produced almost ten years ago has remained a source of education, inspiration and fundraising for their critical work to help communities of faith to improve health outcomes among African/ African-Africans throughout the United States and across the Diaspora.
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
It's Time: CDC releases new slate of World TB Day (2020) PSAs produced by Ascender Films
Even the middle of a pandemic related to novel Coronavirus COVID-19, Ascender Films team is pleased to continue to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the production of TB messages for World TB Day 2020. This is our fourth year doing this work and we are always thrilled to work with the talented team at the CDC Division of Tuberculosis Elimination as they document the stories of U.S. TB survivors.
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 Earns two TELLY AWARDS for "Making Gumbo Jubilee" and "Shaka's Story"
MAY 21, 2019
Ascender picked up two bronze TELLY AWARDS this year. Our short-film "Making Gumbo Jubilee: Triumph of Howard Conyers" brought home the first bronze award in the "Social Media, Food & Beverage category." The second bronze statute was earned in the "Social Media-Public Health & Wellness" categories was earned for 'Shaka's Story", a 3-min segment from an ongoing digital series of testimonials from TB survivors. The series was produced in 2018 for the US Department of Health & Human Services/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"We are thrilled for both projects!", says Senior Producer, Paul Grant,"Making Gumbo Jubilee as our first film highlighting black foodways. We believe this is true testament that more of great stories exploring African/African American diaspora cooking can be told with premium production value and will be well received. While our win for "Shaka's Story" again proves that we are truly mastering how we tell public health stories that resonate and make a difference."
Take a look at both projects here.
CDC World TB Day Messages (2019)
This week the CDC released a series of World TB Day (2019) video PSAs produced earlier this year by Ascender Communications, Inc.
We are proud to assist the efforts for the wonderful team at the CDC Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE). According to the CDC web site,“This annual event commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis (TB). World TB Day is a day to educate the public about the impact of TB around the world. CDC, along with our partners and colleagues around the world share successes in TB prevention and control, and raise awareness of the challenges that hinder our progress toward the elimination of this devastating disease.”
We are proud to be a trusted member of their team. For more information about TB or World TB Day. Please visit:https://www.cdc.gov/tb/worldtbday/default.htm
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
UDC-TV Station Brand Identity
We loved design projects. Last fall, the Ascender team was thrilled to partner with Silhouette Media to design the new station ID/logo package for the University of District of Columbia Television Station.
It was a busiest time of the year for us–so that meant a lot of late nights, discarded sketches and concept work. But persistence and good design work, won in the end. Our client and partners were thrilled with results and that means everything to us!
What is the AHS? ( Animation|2017)
Animation for US Census Bureau / American Housing Survey
This summer the Ascender team proudly produced an short motion graphic / animated video for the US Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the US Census Bureau’s ‘American Housing Survey.”
The Survey is conducted in residences across the United States to collect data on how we live, average size and characteristics of our nation’s housing supply.
The project had a immensely short turn-around but we were up to the challenge!