Trust in your intuitions
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. 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.
If no one hates you, no one is paying attention. If attention is what you want for vanity, confidence, or, hell — to make a decent living — then know that it’s not instantaneous. Every single person that you’re currently paying attention to, at some point in their lives, was in your exact position.
You need to be
true to yourself
Just like every other human on the planet, I have epically awesome days and days when life just shits on my face. And while I can’t stand most self-help (see: tired quotes over stock photography on Instagram), sometimes I need a little pick-me-up. And most of the time, in order to get out of a slump (because my brain leans more into math/science than anything else), I need to drop a logic bomb on my ass.
Yes, this is a long article. But here’s the thing — if you’re reading this in your inbox and are already like, “fuck this!” delete it. No hard feelings. If you’re reading this in a browser on a website, and you see how tiny the scroll-bar is because of how far you still have to scroll to get to the bottom, close this tab and go back to 140-character tidbits of advice. Still with me? Phew. Just had to weed out all the folks from points: #1, #4 and #8. Welcome friends, onward we go.
Remember to
never give up
If no one hates you, no one is paying attention. If attention is what you want for vanity, confidence, or, hell — to make a decent living — then know that it’s not instantaneous. Every single person that you’re currently paying attention to, at some point in their lives, was in your exact position. They kept at it and worked enough so that others started listening. Also know that if no one is watching, you can experience true freedom. Dance in your underwear. Write entirely for yourself. Swear like there’s a going-out-of-business sale on “fucks” and “shits.” Find yourself — not in some coming-of-age hippie way involving pasta and ashrams— but in a way that helps you draw your own line in the sand for what matters and what doesn’t. Do what you want to do, just because you want to do that thing. This will build confidence that will come in handy later.
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. 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.
If no one hates you, no one is paying attention. If attention is what you want for vanity, confidence, or, hell — to make a decent living — then know that it’s not instantaneous. Every single person that you’re currently paying attention to, at some point in their lives, was in your exact position. They kept at it and worked enough so that others started listening. Also know that if no one is watching, you can experience true freedom. Dance in your underwear. Write entirely for yourself. Swear like there’s a going-out-of-business sale on “fucks” and “shits.” Find yourself — not in some coming-of-age hippie way involving pasta and ashrams— but in a way that helps you draw your own line in the sand for what matters and what doesn’t. Do what you want to do, just because you want to do that thing. This will build confidence that will come in handy later.
Top Deejay Headphones
First impressions.
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. 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.
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.
It’s safe to say that because of my unique professional experiences, I’ve tested out a lot of headphones.
John Williams
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. 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.
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.
Demo Reel
Spring 2014 is here. That means we are just nine months away from our 10 year anniversary. TEN YEARSof traveling the globe to tell amazing stories for so many of our amazing clients. So we paused to put together this fun demo of our video production work. Remember the format wars? Remember when 36megapixels and ANYTHING 1080P would cost you almost $30K? Remember when HD cameras were not for sale at Best Buy? Or, on your flip cell phone? Or, when nobody cared about your manual DSLR prime lenses sitting in the closet? Yeah.... that's how ten years can shake up an industry.
This video showcases an amalgam of our camera work, art direction, 2-D & 3-D motion graphics, animation, editing and it includes samples from our commercials, documentaries and dramatic features that were shot in SD + HD Formats, between 2004-2014.
Enjoy.
Desiline Victor Project
Client: Advancement Project, Inc.
Producer: Leila McDowell
Director/Editor: Paul Grant
Camera A: Paul Grant
Camera B & Audio Assist: Joshua A. Washington
Every now and again, our work allows us to touch history. It's an electrifying yet fleeting moment. But we are thrilled to work behind the scenes while great stories that define the times in which we live unfold in front of our eyes.
Desiline Victor, a 102 year-old, Haitian Immigrant, was told she had to wait up to six hours to vote in the 2012 Presidential Election at the polls near her North Miami residence. Desiline persisted through the heat, the long lines and having been wrongly returned from the front to the back of the line because it was though that she had the wrong paper work proving her residency. Three hours later, she emerged from the polls with her "I Voted" sticker and throngs of cheering people, to become the symbol of voter frustration and for much need revamping of the U.S. voting system/ process.
Ascender was tapped by Advancement Project, Inc., a non-profit civil rights advocacy group, to document her experiences in Washington immediately leading up to her being an invited guest at the 2013 State of The Union Address. Save for a few technical embellishments, this was story that ended up telling itself--and inspiring millions in the process.
US Coast Guard Recruitment Campaign (2012)
'This Is How I Serve'
This year, Ascender joined forces with the talented team at Washington, DC-based communications firm Penn Good & Associates to produce a series of :30-second commercials for the US Coast Guard. The campaign targeted women and returning veterans--offering an peek into a typical day in the work life of USCG civillian employee. See the full video campaign below:
Senior Producer / Director: Paul Grant
Producer : Tracey A. Grant
Director of Photography: Derek J. Allen
Second Camera: Sean Simmons
Hair/Make Up: Christin Birkhead
Production Coordinator: Joshua A. Washington
Video Production & Animation: Ascender Communications, Inc.
Agency: Penngood, LLC
Client: U.S. Coast Guard
SeatPleasantCityCenter.com (Event Web Site)
Ascender was awarded a contract to design the web site and print advertising for City of Seat Pleasant new City Center Groundbreaking event in September 2012. We were thrilled to serve. This historic and important event attracted nearly 3000 attendees and many more online viewers of the online video stream.
“A City of Excellence”
The City Center Project is a “Community of the Future”, an urban lifestyle in balance and harmony with the ecosystem that sustains life responsibly, organically and economically without sacrificing convenience. This project will integrate innovative technology with creative architecture in urban environments to establish local self-reliance and security. Yes, we are “Bringing Communities & Nature Together in Harmony.”
This development integrates innovative technology with creative architecture in urban environments to establish local self-reliance and security. To that end, this development is an integrated, distributed, renewable, sustainable infrastructure and energy production project. Enveloped within the project will be integrated photovoltaic (BIPV), micro turbine, combined cooling, heating & power (CCHP) buildings with geothermal micro turbine wind waste water and trash.
www.seatpleasantcitycenter.org
Ascender Wins 2012 TELLY AWARD for 'Enlisted: Conversations with Five Generations of African Americans in the U.S. Armed Services (2012)'
MUSEUM & CULTURE | ORAL HISTORY | DOCUMENTARY
ENLISTED: CONVERSATIONS WITH FIVE GENERATIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE U.S. ARMED FORCES (2012)
Our first museum video installation opened as a part of the Prince George’s County African American Museum and Cultural Center’s (PGAAMCC) ‘Coming Home’ World War II exhibition in North Brentwood, Maryland in, May 2011. ‘Enlisted’, is our 16-minute documentary featurette produced from oral histories of six African Americans who lived in the Washington, DC metropolitan areas that served in World War II, Korean War, and two Vietnam War veterans– and their collective experiences in service to their country.
The exhibition, ‘Coming Home: How the African American Experience in World War II Shaped the Culture of Prince George’s County’ explains how the full integration of the U.S. armed services during the second world war actually opened the a new widnow of opportunity for many African Americans to seek and pay for, higher education and gain new professional skillsets. This was eventualy contribute to making P.G. County, Maryland the most affuent, predominately black county in the nation.
Tagline
ORAL HISTORY & DOCUMENTARY
‘Coming Home: How the African American Experience in World War II Shaped the Culture of Prince George’s County’ explains how the full integration of the U.S. armed services during the second world war actually opened the a new widnow of opportunity for many African Americans to seek and pay for, higher education and gain new professional skillsets. This was eventualy contribute to making P.G. County, Maryland the most affuent, predominately black county in the nation.
The Gospel of Healing: Volume I: Black Churches Respond to HIV/AIDS
‘The Gospel of Healing: Volume I: Black Churches Respond to HIV/AIDS’ is an independent documentary film that profiles five outstanding models of faith-based HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care services, that target primarily African-American communities. It also features powerful commentary from renown pastors, theologians and HIV/AIDS advocates and educators, discussing stigma and discrimination, capacity building and the critical role of traditional black churches working to increasing access to quality health care.
Since it’s premiere in at the 2012 International AIDS Conference, the film has received national acclaim at invited screenings in more than 40 U.S. cities. It has also earned the producers, the Hildrous Poindexter Community Spirit Award from the Association of Black Public Health Workers at the 2012 American Public Health Association (APHA) 2012 Annual Meeting.