Hello ladies and gentlemen, and a happy and pleasant new year to you all! With the holiday season we figured we’d offer you all a respite from the constant barrage of wit and entertainment and simply let you enjoy time with your family. Like your “lovely” in-laws, or far-flung distant relatives whom you have never interacted with in your life but are somehow expected to forge a familial bond with in just a week’s time.
But fear not! We have returned to continue to enlighten you as well as provide you with a seemingly endless amount of puns.
Before we move forward into the new era of Trovedom that is 2018, we want to take a look back and acknowledge some great highlights, clients, and memories from the great year that was 2017, as well as take a look into … the future. So, without further ado, the year in Trove!
B2B or Not2B
2017 saw us meet a slew of new clients and make some solid new relationships, as well as further the strength of ones we already had! Pinnacle Fitness was one of the most enthusiastic clients we’ve had in a while, while we also made great pals with the folks over at the organization Migraine Again as we did a series of interviews for them to aid in coping with migraines. While technically we began working with them in December of 2016, we’re cheating and absolutely have to mention Theatrical Outfit, a local theater here in Atlanta who we’ve done tons of trailers for their shows! Speaking of theater, Serenbe Playhouse is another client whom we’ve been working with for several years now, and we went strong with them again this year, the highlight being a video we made for them with the American Theater Wing that is being used in classes at CARNEGIE-MELLON. Pardon us while we give ourselves a veritable toot of our own proverbial horn. Herff Jones, Siemens, Actor’s Express, RTI, Fracture, Google and all sorts of local churches helped us continue to be successful in 2017.
The early draft of our partnership ad with Theatrical Outfit. Check out the new ad design at any of their upcoming shows!
Persona Tons of Grata -- The Trove Crew
While obviously we’ve maintained and gained tons of clients, they would want absolutely nothing to do with us if we, you know … couldn’t actually make their videos. Which brings us to acknowledging some awesome arrivals and unfortunate departures in the world of Trove.
On September 7, 2017, a man walked in Trove Studio. He’s a short man, more of a bearded child than anything, but a man nevertheless. He was alone, a foolish traveler being tossed about on the merciless waves that was a recent move to the Atlanta area, yearning … hoping … for an anchor. That anchor … was Trove Studio. And that bearded man-child … is me, Miles.
Ben Wade took me in at Trove as his intern, and since has given me the honor of being his producer. After being rejected by a multitude of production companies, Ben gave me a Sally Field moment; “You like me! You really like me!” But I wasn’t alone, as Ben decided to foster another faux-child, little baby Addisohn Jones. At near infancy, Addisohn was just 20 years old. He had only been walking for about five months before he waddled into Trove, becoming the editing guru of the studio before he could even utter his first word. The Trove family welcomed me and Addisohn with open arms, Journey-style, and it helped that they are just wonderful people. Joe and Holly Peed continued to be a serious power couple for Ben as a videographer/editor duo, while Garrett Coyte in all his glowing sassiness continued to be a hell of a videographer himself. Perhaps their best contribution, though, is … friendship. (All together now, AWWWW).
But with arrivals come some departures, the most significant being the incomparable Edi Wade, the wife of the head cheese himself. The Lady Cheese, if you will. Acting as a producer at the onset of Trove, Edi was a truly pivotal piece of the puzzle as Trove was growing, and it could definitely be argued that it simply couldn’t have grown without her, as she is without question Trove Mom. Pursuing her own field in mental health counseling, Edi did everything she could to help Ben in his venture, and for that he is eternally grateful. Queue sweeping romantic score!
Enjoying the next door neighbor's salad!
A Series of Fortunate Events -- Notable Moments
We’ve traveled far and wide for Trove this year, from the jungles of Greenville, North Carolina to the soaring cliffs of Brooklyn, New York, to sparkling oasis that is Gainesville, Florida (that’s a figurative oasis, I’m a Seminole fan so I find that place to be truly abominable. Having said that, downtown has it charms.) We also visited the frigid tundra that is Marquette, Michigan, a portion of America that considers itself its own republic, filled with some incredibly kind people … who were subjected to our urban shenanigans. Shout-out to a couple other contractors who joined us on that trip, being the devastatingly charismatic Matt DeMarco (father of a Trove classic joke, but more on that later) and the ruthlessly efficient John Henry Ball (who suggested we eat Subway in the food utopia that is Chicago, but I digress).
But we didn’t have to travel around the world to have some good memories. We had the first snow day in Trove history, as a certain blogger was forced to be kept inside as Addisohn and Ben played in the snow … but it’s fine, whatever. We also discovered how many people can fit in the office, undoubtedly shattering fire safety violations as we jammed three editors, three camera men, and at least two or three clients at a time into what became an occupancy extravaganza the likes of which would make a clown look at his car with absolute shame.
J.R.R. Jokin’ -- Classic Trove Jokes of 2017
If you are habitual readers of the blog, or even if you’ve read one, or even one sentence of one of our blogs, one thing becomes clear; we are funny. It’s indisputable, inexorable, immutable fact.
Having said that, we do tend to recycle the same jokes on a regular basis, but good god man, they’re just too funny to not revisit! And now, we share them with you, our loyal readers.
Ziggy Donga: While at a bar during some downtime for the Marquette shoot, we stumbled upon a drink called a “ziggy donga.” Matthew DeMarco, like a man possessed, proceeded to suffer a psychological break of sorts, rhythmically and musically reciting “ziggy donga” on a habitual basis. The sickness quickly spread, and we soon set the phrase to popular songs such as Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA” and the theme song of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Thankfully the illness has since been remedied, but its legacy lives on.
You Like That?: This is a phrase which may have been uttered regularly but we didn’t notice how preposterously regularly until recently discovered by Joe Peed. This is Ben’s go-to phrase. If they ever made a Ben Wade movie, let’s say “Waders of the Lost Ark,” the tagline would be “You like that?” Delivered with a hint of mischief, it’s a Trove staple.
Prettaaay Prettaaay Prettaaay Pretty (Insert Adjective Here): Alright so obviously we stole this from “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” but as Larry David devotees it’s a very common part of our vernacular. While “good” is the common adjective, we tend to replace it with whatever we feel is applicable to the situation at hand.
Veritable and Proverbial: For some reason unbeknownst to any of us, our communal usage of these words has gotten just incredibly out of hand, to the point that I’ve actually gone out of my way to include both of them in every blog I’ve written in a form of subliminal influence.
Having Said That: Another common phase popularized by “Curb,” this is one that I am the patient zero for, as I will often say something terrible and use the phrase immediately after to save myself from social ruin. “This blog is way too long. Having said that, it’s just too funny.”
Darth Vader Pen: A memory from Ben’s childhood long since past that’s now a reality thanks to Addisohn’s shrewd eBay navigation, this particular writing implement has the Sith Lord’s head atop it, and four buttons below it that offer various sinister phrases i.e. “I have you now!” and “I want them alive!”
Profanity with Paddington: Undoubtedly our favorite of Trove jokes, we posted this on our Best Ads of 2017 blog, and it absolutely earns the spot, as the heroic English anthropomorphic bear shows a red-adorned burglar the true meaning of Christmas … only to be savagely verbally insulted with a most anti-Christmas fashion. An immortal joke to be carried down the generations of future Trovers. Speaking of ...
The Bunch of Future Things (Like “Once and Future King,” I Tried)
But as much as we love ziggying proverbial dongas and hanging with Paddington in 2017, it’s time to turn the page and head over to 2018, a year that Trove is hoping to be a serious game changer. On top of doing our typical duty of kicking posterior in producing, writing, directing, shooting, editing, and all that good stuff, we’re planning on getting ambitious and diving into waters we’ve only merely tested before. On the financial front, we’re looking to open up new revenue streams by working with an ad agency, renting out our veritable cornucopia of spectacular equipment and studio space, and filming ourselves some stock footage to pedal to the masses.
While we’re on the subject of filming, we’re looking to branch out of the subject matter on that front as well, as we hope to dive into making some awesome spec commercials and even dabbling in some short films to whet our creative appetites!
2017 was a great year for Trove, but did the Roman Empire stop when they had finished dominating most of Europe? No, they went out and pwned non-Europe as well. So this year, we’re pwning non-Europe.
And on that ridiculous note, that’s it for this week’s blog, the first of the new year! We’ll have a fresh one for you next week as usual, and if you dug what you read check out more blogs on our website! Thanks again!