Pop Culture And Other Cool Stuff | T2 + Back Alley Blog

Pop Culture and Other Cool Stuff

February 10th, 2012
by Pete Meyer
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Pete Meyer: Radio Personality

They probably won’t be giving me my own radio show any time soon, but I did manage to bluff my way through an hour of live broadcasting on our local NPR affiliate KCUR during their annual recap of Super Bowl spots.

You can listen to it here as long as you promise to perceive my (brief?) moments of incoherence as folksy and charming.

And since I’ve now been able to gaslight a portion of Kansas City NPR listeners into believing I’m an “advertising expert”,  I figure, why stop there?  There are other media channels to conquer.  The internet is not going to fill itself with blinding wisdom. So, here are my top five spots that ran in the superbowl.

Everyone seems to love the Twinkie reference, but Barry Manilow and the raining frogs are what really make me love this commercial.

So many of this year’s spots weren’t fun.  This one was.

The fact that the right-wing blogosphere is convinced this is a thinly-veiled Obama campaign commercial seems crazy to me.  But the fact that this controversy has kept the spot in the news cycle running over and over for free makes me think Chrysler knew it would play out like this.

Rodeo Rhino recurs in my dreams, too. I don’t feel so alone now.

This only ran in North Platte, Nebraska during a local pod.  It makes me want to drink Old Milwaukee.

January 10th, 2012
by Linda Buchner
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“Risk Taker” A Requirement for Urban Hero Award

Teri Rogers was recently honored in a HUGE way, being named a 2011 Urban Hero at the DowntownCouncil of Greater Kansas City’s annual meeting for her contribution to making downtown a more vibrant place to live, work and play with her company T2 + Back Alley Films.

Teri has been operating T2 in the Crossroads since 1988 when there was nothing but tumbleweeds and dark, scary parking lots surrounding her business. She believed in the potential of the area and set her roots there in 2005 when she purchased her building at 1906 Wyandotte and designed a beautiful, modern, inspirational work space for her creative staff and clients. Since then, the area has transformed around her with restaurants, retail boutiques, coffee shops, event spaces and now, the crown jewel of Kanas City ~ The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts as her neighbor to the north.

“Being honored in this particular year, when Julia Irene Kauffman was presented the J. Philip Kirk Urban Hero Award is very special to me since we were involved in the two-night launch party celebration of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Her vision, guidance and commitment to the revitalization of Kansas City’s downtown has been an incredible inspiration,” says Rogers.

Nominees for this award were required to be “risk takers” and founders of small but mighty, fast-growing businesses helping to grow Kansas City’s downtown economy.  You had to be brave enough to believe in the vision, and to carry your own unique vision, of fitting into the revitalization process that Kansas City has been undergoing for many years.

Teri was the Executive Producer of the documentary film “The Next American Dream”, which conveyed that very theme, using Kansas City as the business model for how to build back the urban core of a city whose residents had fled to their cozy suburban homes, only to return because of their yearning for pop culture, the arts, and a vibrant dining and entertainment experience.

This is a group with whom anyone would be proud to share company ~ the other Urban Hero Award recipients are: Christopher Elbow, Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates; Danny Gosserand, Danny’s Big Easy; August Grassis, III, Handmark; Shaul Jolles, Office Port; Sam Meers, Meers Advertising; Keith Novorr, Michael’s Fine Clothing For Men; Danny O’Neill, The Roasterie; Ryan Sciara, The Cellar Rat; and Emily Voth, Indigo Wild…all GREAT businesses that work, play and create wonderful cultures for their staff and clients in the downtown of Kansas City.

July 28th, 2011
by T2 + Back Alley Team
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Fringe Film Festival

Looking to fill your artistic quota in Kansas City this week? Look no further than the Kansas City Fringe Festival, an annual summer festival featuring the works of local, regional, and national artists. The Festival features art forms such as theatre, performance art, dance, visual art, spoken word, puppetry, fashion—and of course, what really gets us excited is the film.

This year, there are a few opportunities to get your film geek on at Fringe—a couple individual projects will be airing throughout the week, and larger organizations will feature multiple film showings.

The Art Institutes International of Kansas City is showcasing several short films created by students in the Digital Filmmaking & Video Production program. The photography, film, and mixed media pieces will be screened daily at The Wine Gallery (1911 McGee), absolutely free (with your Fringe Festival button of course) for the rest of the Festival—go see what these budding filmmakers are creating!

And the Independent Filmmaker’s Coalition of Kansas City has three more night showings of its own “Best of IFC Short Films,” featuring the best films produced by members in the past several years. At least twenty different IFC members will be showing their films, so you’re bound to get an eclectic, exciting variety throughout the evening. The films are showing Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening at Fringe Central (1730 Broadway), and admission is $10 with your Fringe button.

So get your artsy on and check out these film screenings! We at t2 love supporting local filmmakers and artists of all kinds, so go on, check out all there is to offer this week at the Fringe website. And if you’re truly inspired by what you see, attend the weekly IFC meeting at the Westport Coffee House, every Wednesday at 7:30 pm. Maybe you’ll see your own name up on the screen next year!

 

June 9th, 2011
by T2 + Back Alley Team
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Newton.

What is Newton you ask? Well, it’s the first physics engine for After Effects developed by Motion Boutique.

In real terms, it is a system to apply realistic movement and physical attributes in animation.

According to Motion Boutique’s website, “Newton interprets each 2D layer as a rigid body in a real environment. Once simulation is completed, animation is recreated in After Effects with standard keyframes.”

Motion Boutique released a video with demos to give onlookers a quick glance of what Newton can do. It mostly shows some text effects and flying beads, but nonetheless, it’s unique and happening in After Effects.

There has been no word so far on how much Newton will cost or when it will be released, but by subscribing to Motion Boutique’s newsletter, you can stay informed on pricing and release dates.

We here at T2 + Back Alley Films see Newton as a big game-changer in the graphics world.

February 23rd, 2011
by Lindsay Howgill
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Picasso In the Digital Age

Picasso, Virginia Museum of Fine Art

With the help of QR codes, augmented reality and marketing in Starbucks stores, even Picasso is making the leap into the digital age.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) unveiled its highly anticipated show, “Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris” on February 19th. Art shows of prolific artists like Picasso seem to draw a decent crowd on their own – so why use technology to promote the show?

Accessibility. VMFA was the only east coast venue selected for the exhibition’s seven-city international tour. By leveraging QR codes and virtual galleries, VMFA is able to share this exhibit with thousands that otherwise might not have been able to see the exhibit.

To pull off this feat VMFA teamed with Martin Agency, a Richmond-based advertising agency that helped them create virtual “galleries” in Washington D.C., New York and Philadelphia. To create these virtual galleries Martin tapped Layar, an augmented reality app developer.

How does it work? Simple. If you’re in the vicinity of these select locations, your phone will detect it, and the app will allow you to view one of Picasso’s works hung virtually in your surroundings. In addition to the augmented reality app, they also provided QR codes to 33 Starbucks locations, enabling coffee seekers to scan the code and view Picasso’s works while waiting for their coffee order.

We here at T2 + Back Alley are pretty excited about this clever and innovative promotion of the Picasso exhibition. For us, art is something that can transcend time and societal limitations and inspire.

In our book, smart digital marketing is proving to help make so many aspects of life – including art and music – more accessible to consumers.