We focus a lot in our society today on those who make their living in front of the camera, whether acting or influencing or prognosticating on important things. But those who shoot those images and videos have equally interesting stories to tell, and businesses they have built doing it. They also have a unique perspective that comes from looking into that two-dimension view-finder that informs their work, and in some instances inspires them to do bigger things with far-reaching impact.
John Jackson is co-founder of Launch Media, a full service multimedia production company that offers video production and creative services from brand development to scripting, casting, post production and corporate communications.
John Jackson and Stephanie Riegel – John has one foot in the real world with his Creative Bloc shared workspace and the other foot in the virtual world with his content company Launch Media
The company’s suite of services has evolved from their origins back in 2005, when it was called Green Screen TV and focused on making short videos. Over the years, as the company has grown, John has become active in historic preservation the redevelopment of downtown Baton Rouge. In 2014, he bought a historic building in the heart of downtown, renovated it and opened it as a co-working space for creative companies called the Creative Bloc.
Marie Constantin is one of the region’s most accomplished photographers and photo journalists. Marie became internationally known for her photographic works of the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta when the Vatican chose one of her photos to hang in St. Peters Square for Mother Teresa’s 2003 Beatification Ceremony.
Stephanie Riegel and photographer Marie Constantin – Marie has made a name for herself shooting the late Mother Teresa in the slums of Calcutta and piles of trash in Baton Rouge
A native of Hartford CT, Marie came to Baton rouge to attend LSU where she studied journalism and in the decades since her work has taken her around the world – including to the slums of Calcutta, where she documented the work of nuns there who serve the poor.
In 2018 Marie became alarmed at the buildup of litter and trash around Baton Rouge, particularly in the Baton Rouge Lakes, one of the city’s most prized assets and natural resources. She used her photography to capture images of some of the most extreme examples of the trash – which catalyzed the community and helped her grow a grass roots cleanup effort into a nonprofit, the Louisiana Stormwater Coalition.
John Jackson, Stephanie Riegel, Marie Constantin, Out to Lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard
Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the Boulevard.
