Irish students work with stars of film, music in The Sync Report
Jason P Rothberg, the Kenmare-based host of the Sync Report, a new online talk show featuring global stars of music, film, TV and entertainment as live 'Xavatars'.
Fans of film, TV and music will love The Sync Report, a new livewire talk show featuring some of the biggest personalities in entertainment, all appearing as live animated 'Xavatars'.
The images with this interview show these synched Xavatars in 2D. The accompanying video with the online version of this article is an excerpt from a Zoom interview with Sync Report's two lead creators, show host Jason P Rothberg and director Kevin Sharpley. Kevin joins from the US, Jason from Kenmare in Kerry. Jason appears as a live Xavatar.
As dazzling as the synchronised digital animation clearly is, the content is even more inspiring. The first season of The Sync Report brings us Reeve Carney (songwriter, Broadway 'Spiderman' and star of 'The House of Gucci'), singer Charlotte Church, rock goddess Suzi Quatro, comedian Jackie Martling, music producer Danny Saber, publisher Rob Bozas and film producers Byron A Martin and John Eyres.
A bit like X Factor meets Dragon's Den, the show is also a platform for musicians and songwriters to engage with content creators in order to have their music placed, notably in indie films.
The first Sync Report podcast has just gone live. The show is the brainchild of Jason P Rothberg, a music supervisor and former Sony Epic executive. Jason co-hosts with Rose Ganguzza, the independent film producer widely known as the “Godmother of Indie Film”.
Of local interest, six students of Kerry College of Further Education at Cappanelea, near Killorglin, have just started work as interns on this show. By the time the podcast becomes a TV show in the US in March 2022, these interns will be active players in a jaw-dropping digitised network of some of the biggest names in modern entertainment.
How do these Kerry College students find themselves in such elite company? Well, the fact that Jason P Rothberg now lives in Kenmare is certainly part of the story, as emerged in this interview with Jason and Kevin Sharpley.
“We're looking forward to the six Kerry College interns joining us. I got a call from the Kerry Local Enterprise Office, who have been great. They put us in touch with the Film Department in Kerry College,” said Jason. “We are getting so much support and making great connections. Dr Stacy Montgomery is our director of college programming.”
The interns will feed into the ongoing development of the Xavatar app. The work on the app is being led by Dean Lyon, best known for his SFX credits on films like Lord of The Rings and Armageddon. Gianfranco Bianchi, a globally respected animator, is the lead visual artist on the project.
“We are working with a team in New Zealand, the same team that worked with Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings series,” said Kevin Sharpley. “The bigger picture in relation to the Xavatars is that we are working on this in three tiers.
“We are working towards the Xavatars being fully autonomous. It's like you are right in the middle of an Aeon Flux film. Jason's prototype was the first version, working from the neck up.”
Jason intervenes: “From the waist up,” he says, raising his coffee cup.
“Yes, from the waist up,” smiles Kevin. “Later, the Xavatar will have full-body movement. The bigger ecosystem will allow the Xavatars to react with one another. The studio also changes to reflect what people are discussing. You mention a jungle, then the guests are in a jungle with animals walking by.
“We knew that Facebook's Metaverse was coming, among others. There are a lot of advances in graphics technology, which are allowing us to connect in different new ways.
“The timing is good. With Covid, a lot of us have been forced to become more insular. These graphics will also allow us to connect in new ways.”
In terms of Sync Report, of course, this graphics evolution is adding extra colour to the digital platforms bringing together creative people like indie filmmakers and songwriters, for whom Covid has been very challenging.
The competitive side of The Sync Report adds an edge to the show. The new songs are judged by a panel, which includes Kevin Sharpley and Milfredo Seven of EMF, whose song 'Unbelievable' was one of the biggest hits of the '90s.
“Milfredo is also our DJ and one of our hosts on the show,” said Kevin. “He's such an enigmatic and funny character. His quips are really sharp and add a lot of humour to the show. And, of course, each episode opens with a joke from Jackie Martling, who was a former lead writer on the Howard Stern Show.
“And Rose Ganguzza is a great host. She really pulls out all of the personality from the guests. In her interview with [English director, music composer and playwright] Claire van Kampen, who broke down a lot of walls for women, you really get a sense of the trials and tribulations that she went through. That interview really blew me away.”
Jason and Kevin have already enjoyed huge success with The Clubhouse. Jason is also a very successful music supervisor, and a film and documentary producer. Kevin is an award-winning filmmaker, director, writer, producer and marketing expert, as well as also owner of Kijikmultimedia.
What becomes clear from talking with Jason and Kevin is that their shared personal histories provide them with an incredible book of contacts to draw upon. While now living in different continents, Jason and Kevin are also clearly friends.
And, you'd imagine, they're calling upon their dizzying book of contacts to populate their podcasts and TV shows. The Sync Report will also feature Danny Saber, Steve Vai, Brian James, Glen Matlock, Carmen Rizzo, Derwood Andrews (Gen X) and Tony Montana.
The list of stars is endless. Then add in the stunning tech and animations being created by Dean Lyon, Gianfranco Bianchi and their teams. Exciting times, not least for those six interns from Kerry College of Further Education.
The first episode of The Synch Report went live on Thursday, November 18.
For more, visit: www.2sensemusic.com
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