Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Matthews.
Hi Stephanie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
My name is Stephanie Matthews and I’m the Executive Director and head of creative production for A Tribe for Jazz.
Professionally, I’ve been a photographer and creative director for more than 15 years. I lived in New York City for a while, working there as well as freelancing all over the country and abroad before resettling back here in Columbus, Ohio. Through my work, I’ve been fortunate to work and become friends with some truly exceptional creative talents in the areas of cinematography, makeup, hair, styling, and more.
Stepping into this role as Executive Director has been a blessing. By nature, I’ve always been inquisitive and open to new people, experiences and opportunities, so when I met my future business partner, Bruce Halliburton quite by chance, I was happy to sit down and listen to his ideas. He had seen my work and was impressed by the artistry as well as my personal character. I can remember his first email — he wrote, “I think I have something we can work on together.” Sure enough, less than a week later we were discussing his vision over lunch, and the rest is as they say —“history”.
What Bruce had come to realize through his close relationships with New York-based jazz musicians is that the digital profiles and marketing assets of many were of poor quality and the musicians needed professional support in such areas to upgrade.
It was clear there was an opportunity here. As lovers of jazz, we knew the art form was waning, which meant new ideas and collaborative relationships needed to be generated for the benefit of both the musicians and marketplace.
As such, “A Tribe for Jazz” was formed in April 2021 and our initial work began with a full rebranding and cinematic performance film for acclaimed saxophonist and first-generation Filipino-American Jon Irabagon who is both a recipient of the Philippine Presidential Award (the highest civilian honor an overseas Filipino can receive) and previous winner of the Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition (the most prestigious jazz competition in the world). Bruce knew about Jon through his relationships with trumpeter Ralph Alessi and pianist Andy Milne who all toured together as members of Ralph’s band “This Against That”.
The cinematic performance film Legacy Jon Irabagon, A Solo Tenor Odyssey premiered through Stellar Tickets on October 15, 2021.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My expertise in production and related processes combined with Bruce’s expertise in corporate strategy has made for an amazing partnership and smooth road. It’s interesting because we hail from distinctly different professional worlds so that meant adapting our communication styles so we could truly hear, elevate and help one another grow. This partnership is a blessing on so many levels, and I love that I’ve been able to increase my understanding of strategy and apply a more macro view to our vision. On the flip side, he’s been embracing his creative insights. As Bruce would say, “Don’t box me in.” LOL. It really is a win-win all around! We love this work!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We’re passionate about elevating jazz music and jazz musicians which speaks to our Mission to preserve the legacy and advance the future of jazz through visual storytelling, live and virtual performances, education, and community engagement.
We believe “our stories connect us”. And so, we seek to discover and reveal the jazz musicians’ story through their music, through their familial and cultural experiences, through their joys and disappointments. Storytelling really is fascinating because it can flow through everything — from the way we present a live performance, educational programming, and engaging the community.
Conceptually, A Tribe for Jazz is a platform for inspiration, positivity, and elevated thinking.
Our vision is to advance the future of Jazz for generations by producing content, events, and activities that transform, educate, and lead to purposeful actions and impactful conversations surrounding the preservation of the genre. We use a creative formula to tell stories that reach global audiences by assembling a team of diverse and inclusive creative voices who are aligned with our ideals of producing the highest level of content that inspires, elevates, and educates.
Our world-class talent in areas such as cinematography, lighting design, sound engineering, fashion styling, photography, public relations, social media management, and graphic design combined with a deep expertise in jazz music allows the execution of our work to match the high-level standards of the musicians with significant market impacts.
Our service offerings in working with musicians include:
Storytelling to create unique cinematic content and performances that are compelling and complex; infusing the human element of each story with the goal of mass universal appeal that resonates with existing jazz fans as well as a whole generation of new ones.
Rebranding to help artists differentiate themselves in the marketplace by providing creative support that encompasses a gamut of marketing and branding elements including refreshing their visual, digital, and virtual content as well as offering social media management and engagement.
Artist booking leveraging our digital content and rebranding to provide no-cost booking to musicians seeking to expand their brand into the marketplace with a focus on tours, performances, residencies, and lectures, at secondary schools, colleges/universities and performing arts centers.
Our objective is to produce superior quality, story-based content that’s hopefully fresh and innovative and reveals these musicians in a new and powerful light. No other organization is doing this in the marketplace.
Our inaugural project with acclaimed saxophonist Jon Irabagon showcased our brand excellence. In addition to a complete rebranding with photos, website, and digital content we leveraged these efforts to create the cinematic performance film Legacy Jon Irabagon, A Solo Tenor Odyssey which featured Irabagon completely solo, in a beautifully lit, artistically shot black-box theater environment and premiered through Stellar Tickets.
What do you think about happiness?
Happiness is a goal and reward of life especially when achieved through servant leadership and working in one’s purpose. I feel great joy in seeing others release greater levels of their potential and even more so when I have an opportunity to play a part.
Contact Info:
- Email: SMatthews@atribeforjazz.org
- Website: https://www.atribeforjazz.org/
- Instagram: atribeforjazz_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/A-Tribe-for-Jazz-106009871780133
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrjQ9Kbfs-btbMsg3t68LaQ
- Other: https://www.jonirabagon.com/
Image Credits
Stephanie Matthews
Kenny Harris Jr.
Steve Muza
Ben Ayettey
