Sending out the Fleet

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, an Ole Miss alum and former Mississippi Governor, was the featured speaker at the 2010 commencement ceremony.  Secretary Mabus challenged the Ole Miss class of 2010 to to always be ready …  ready to learn, ready to serve, and ready to give back as they go their separate ways.

CUT/CHOP/COOK "debuts" at Charleston Food & Wine Festival

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On March 6th, MDP & the Southern Foodways Alliance gave folks at the Charleston Food & Wine Festival a sneak peek at their latest short documentary. The film CUT/CHOP/COOK, a profile of pitmaster Rodney Scott of Scott’s Barbecue in Hemingway, South Carolina, was produced and directed by MDP’s Joe York in association with the Union Square Hospitality Group and will  officially debut at the 2010 Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in New York. We’d like to offer a very special thanks to the good folks at Jim ‘N Nicks Barbecue, who hosted the event which featured the sneak peek. Though we weren’t able to attend the event, the reviews have been amazing. Here’s a great one from Libby Wiersema of SCNow.com:

“The Pee Dee was the unexpected star of the show when the Charleston Wine + Food Festival presented the Pitmaster’s Bourbon & Q Dinner at Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q on March 6.
Sold-out themed dinners were packing dining rooms throughout the historic district and this popular eatery in the heart of King Street was no different. Guests were greeted at the door with sugar-rimmed glasses of bourbon and led to their assigned seats. In less than half-an-hour, every table and booth was brimming with fun-loving foodies. New friendships were struck and laughter abounded as the bourbon flowed and diners nibbled on pickled shrimp, boiled peanuts and pork rinds.
I was seated across from cookbook author Ted Lee, who was dispelling myths about Bobby Flay’s arrogance (apparently Flay is the “nicest, kindest” food personality on the planet, according to Lee) when the first hint that some home flavor was on the menu came parading through the dining room. The front door swung wide, and two brawny men in red T-shirts advertising Scott’s Bar-B-Que in Hemingway made their way carefully through the narrow aisles bearing a sizzling hog. All eyes were fixed upon the scene. Mouths gaped. Applause rang out. Then they disappeared into the kitchen.
About that time, platters of Jim ’N Nick’s garlicky pork hot links, pimento cheese and liver mousse with wood-grilled bread were laid before us and we dug in, the meat parade forgotten for the time-being. That was followed by trays of freshly roasted Folly River oysters, tender and sweet. All that shucking called for another round of tasty bourbon cocktails, artfully concocted by two of the evening’s guests, Greg Best of Atlanta’s Holeman and Finch Public House and Julian Van Winkle of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery in Kentucky.
A rowdiness was pervading the atmosphere by the time the course ended. The decibel levels were stretching the limits, and conversations were being shouted. A bluegrass trio was in full swing — if there’d been room to dance, I’m sure some clogging would have accompanied. I noticed a couple of guys struggling to erect a projector screen in front of the door. They didn’t seriously think they could rein this crowd in long enough to show a film, did they? Oh yes they did. But it wasn’t until the first few frames flickered that things started to quiet down. There on the screen was one of the meat bearers from Hemingway. His name is a familiar one in the Pee Dee — Rodney Scott — and the film was a documentary tribute to the way he does business.
I am not kidding when I say that there was perfect silence in that dining room as we witnessed what I can only describe as Scott’s amazing labor of love. As we watched him harvest wood with a chainsaw, stoke fires and flip hogs on his custom cookers, there was a palpable sense of awe developing amongst us. When Scott applied sauce to the hog using a kitchen mop, the entire audience erupted into mad applause. They were tickled by the down-home testimonials of local Scott’s Bar-B-Que patrons. Scott, who was watching from a corner with us, laughed as well, clearly caught up in the building enthusiasm of his newest fan base.
The film faded to black, and as difficult as it was in the cramped space of the room, the awestruck diners leaped to their feet, roaring and shouting and applauding this Pee Dee pitmaster. Crowds of people — many of whom have never heard of the Pee Dee — moved in to shake this man’s callused hands. They hugged him, pounded his back like old friends, asked for autographs, took photographs. When I asked Scott how it felt to be the star of the show, he beamed and said, “Man, it’s unreal. I never thought I’d be here in Charleston and be part of this festival like this. I just can’t believe it.”
Minutes later, plates of Anson Mills grits topped with heaping portions of Scott’s succulent pig were served. Our empty plates seemed a fitting expression of the love we all felt that night for this local barbecue phenomenon.

Crunch Time!

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The Media and Documentary Projects team hit the field today with Coach Houston Nutt to shoot “Crunch Time.”  This spot, featuring the partnership between Coke, the University of Mississippi Athletics Department, MDP, and the campus Green Initiative will play on the giant screen at the beginning of the 4th quarter in an effort to fire the crowd up for the last quarter and promote recycling inside the stadium.  When you see coach Nutt on the big screen, pick up an empty plastic bottle, crunch it loudly, then find one of the new recycle bins on your way out of the stadium.

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Are you ready for more?

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We were at the Desoto Campus today shooting footage for three new spots in the “Are You Ready?” campaign series. These spots will feature current students at the University of Mississippi Desoto Campus who are all working and taking classes full time. Look out for these spots highlighting a Detective, a Teacher, and a Social Worker. It was a long (and rainy) day but we got a lot of nice footage for the spots. Check back soon for the finished cuts.

Up in the air

If you’ve seen Terrico White play basketball, you know he spends a lot floating above the hardwood.  Here’s version #2 of his “Are You Ready?” spot.

Shad Attack

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Here are a few pics from today’s shoot with recent Ole Miss grad and Rhodes Scholar recipient Shad White. Shad is participating in a video we’re producing for the Ole Miss Momentum Campaign as well as a new “Are You Ready?” spot featuring the Honors College. Be sure to check out our other “Are You Ready?” spots here and let us know if you think of other people or programs on campus that should be highlighted.

RIP – Bluesman Willie King

williekingliberateHighway 61 Radio was sad to learn this morning that Mississippi bluesman Willie King passed away this past weekend. Over the years Willie has been a great friend of the show and we have featured him on the program many times. He will be greatly missed.

A few years back Highway 61 producer Joe York and Preston Lauterbach produced a short film about Willie called “The Real Baptizing”. We hope it brings back good memories for you as it does for us and we ask that you keep Willie, his family, and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

For more information visit highway61radio.com


The Real Baptizing from Highway61 on Vimeo.

"Are You Ready?" Campaign in the Tad Pad

Momentum continues to grow with the Media and Documentary Projects Center Ole Miss “Are You Ready?” campaign. And while the Rebels couldn’t hold off the Crimson Tide’s hot shooting, the crowd enthusiastically welcomed David Huertas on the big screen.

David Huertas "Are You Ready?" in the Tad Pad
David Huertas "Are You Ready?" in the Tad Pad

Get Ready to Research

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Here are some pics from our recent shoot at the Thad Cochran Research Center for the upcoming “Are You Ready?” Research Center spot we’re producing. On the left, Producers Micah Ginn and Matthew Graves set up for a dolly shot in one of the labs. In the shot on the right, Graves sets up for a trick shot we’re hoping to use where the scientist pours liquid into a beaker right on top of the camera. Stay tuned for the final spot and look for the finished beaker shot.

"Are You Ready?" campaign spot: Gametime…

This ad is comprised of two very different elements. I took our camera out back during August practices and captured some sights and sounds of season preparation, then a month later I was in the tunnel under Vaught Hemingway Stadium as the team made their way onto the field amidst the screams and cheers of loyal fans. The reality that championships are won during the off-season was the inspiration for this ad. We generally never get to glimpse the hard work and sacrifice that goes into top-level performance on game day, but you can’t have the moment in the winner’s circle without spending the grueling hours earning it. The 2008 Rebel football squad earned it.

Produced by Micah Ginn

"Are You Ready?" David Huertas Spot

Recently Matthew Graves and I spent some time in the Tad Smith Coliseum,working with Robbie Coker of the basketball coaching staff and players David Huertas and Terrico White, to produce a couple of spots in the “Are You Ready?” campaign. Check back in a few days for the high-flying Terrico White spot. We had a lot of fun working with these talented student-athletes, and we thank them and Robbie Coker for helping us keep the “Are You Ready?” campaign going.

-Micah Ginn

Producers: Matthew Graves, Micah Ginn, and Dr. Andy Harper.