Of The Cities

10/03/2022

A Ouija Board, depression, a su***de attempt, crystals, readings, enlightenment, and Jesus.

This story is UNREAL.

We invite you to check it out (abridged version here with full-length version here: https://youtu.be/vjOQiidznl0). And more than checking it out, we invite you to share it. We’re big believers in Jesus offering hope for people who have spent all their time, energy, and money chasing after what they believe to be the thing that heals them. We want to share that and we’d love for you to share that too!

Redeemer Church

08/03/2022

Our most recent project has been editing an unreal testimony of an inspiring friend. We typically don’t have to come up with titles for our projects with the majority of the videos we make being wedding trailers or advertisements for non-profits, real estate, and ministries. We thought through what title we would give this video. We’re firm believers that the way our brains are attracted to catchy titles is as much a part of God’s creation as anything else. This testimony is full of darkness, but (spoiler alert) there’s plenty of hope at the end. We decided on “The Woman Caught In The Dominion of Darkness” because we wanted it to play off of The Woman Caught In Adultery. More than anything we wanted this title to be a reminder that Jesus is still pulling people out of darkness and into His light.

25/02/2022

20/02/2022

I spent the summer creating videos in the Dominican Republic several years ago. There was one night I was talking with my mom through FaceTime. The room I was in had no lights on and it was dark outside, but there was still strong daylight in Knoxville. My mom was sitting next to some windows while she was talking to me. I noticed that when she would turn her body to readjust the way she was sitting, the front camera on her phone would catch the light from outside the windows she was sitting by. It was astonishing how quickly my room in the Dominican lit up because of the light that was shining in Knoxville.

That moment has stuck with me ever since. I fell in love with video very early on in life and never really wanted anything outside of it, but there are days where I wonder how good it actually is. I have a strong passion for people doing and experiencing amazing and life changing things. For how expensive gear is and how rapid technology grows, wouldn’t it be better to just give that money rather than create a video about something? It’s then that I’m reminded of that night in the Dominican and how evident it was that video captures light and shines that light wherever it’s shown.

24/01/2022

If you don’t do anything else today, please listen to .jaredb pray over his and .bowling21’s marriage. It’s the sweetest.

24/01/2022

This has been my go to motivation quote for years - through times of questioning, uncertainty, or growing pains. I have always come back to these words. It’s great to have a phrase to ground you in times like that.

What are your go to words of wisdom? Share them with us below! 👇🏻

21/01/2022

20/01/2022

We had such a blast filming and ’s wedding!

Everything we do revolves around nonprofits, ministries, and other organizations serving their communities. In exchange for this teaser, the couple made a donation to , an organization we’ve done several videos for.

We cannot wait to share the rest!

20/01/2022

We may be biased, but we believe there are endless reasons to have video on your wedding day. Reason #247 to get a wedding video is the evolution of emotion. Emotion is captured through photos though, right? Yes, but you don't get to see the evolution of emotion in photos as you do in video.

Here are some examples:

You may see the groom's face during the first look in a photo, but you don't get to see him go from 0 to 100 in .2 seconds the first time he sees his bride.

You may see someone crying in a photo, but you don't get to see how their chin was quivering for an excessive amount of time.

You may see the bridesmaids' reaction to the bride in her dress in a photo, but you don't get to see their jaws drop as they turn around to see her.

You may see the audience staring at the bride as she walks down the aisle in a photo, but you don't get to see them taking quick peeks of the groom's face.

A lot of people have asked us if a wedding videographer is worth it, but we've had more people tell us one of their biggest regrets is not getting video of their wedding. We can all agree that a photographer is a must. We just happen to believe that a videographer is a must as well.

Of The Cities offers freelance videography services with each project going to sponsor a free video for a non-profit, ministry, or organization doing good.

15/12/2021

If you haven’t heard of , I’m here to save your life. Not only is she a great cook, she’s one of my favorite people. She’s been so supportive and encouraging in starting my own business, she’s full of great advice, and she’s so fun to work with. Please, please, please check out her page!

09/12/2021

How crippling are mistakes? I’m not sure if anyone else feels this, but this rings so true for me. If I’m honest with myself, making a mistake is probably one of my biggest fears. That and eels (Just me? Cool). I often feel paralyzed when I make a mistake, especially when creating something. The shot wasn’t bright enough, the camera wasn’t steady enough, the subject was out of focus for .00001 second. It can be terrifying. For what reason, though? I’ve yet to figure that one out. What I do know is that a mistake is not the end. I hope this quote can be as helpful for someone else as it is for me.

03/12/2021

It’s unreal to think of how many people have been talked into buying something simply after watching a video on it. The same study also found that 69% said they’d prefer to watch a short video on how to use a product or service. Statistics also show that video has increased traffic to their website, helped increase the average time someone spends on their page, increased understanding of their product or service, and increased leads. Showing off your services or products through video has an enormous impact on your audience.

01/12/2021

Hands down one of the coolest projects I’ve ever been a part of. It was a blast filming this house! So thankful for and for this opportunity!

Filming gigs like this go to sponsor a free video for a nonprofit, ministry, or other organization serving their city. We’re already communicating with a few organizations and we’re excited to share those projects in the future!

17/11/2021

.bowling21 and .jaredb got married one day and I had the honor of filming it. It was hands down one of the cutest weddings ever. Enjoy the teaser!

11/11/2021

Ashlie and I used to sit across from each other at work. During one of our conversations, I said the word "surely.” She repeated to me, confused, "Shirley?" I responded, "Yeah, surely." Ashlie asked, "Who's Shirley?" and I blurted, "You know, surely!" We went back and forth for way too long. That will always be one of my favorite memories. 

Enjoy the teaser film from one of my favorites. Surely you'll enjoy it. 

10/11/2021

We have ran across some of the best wedding ideas since we started filming them several years ago. This is one of our favorite ideas we've come across!

25/10/2021

The “Aren’t I Beautiful” is the best part!

23/10/2021

21/10/2021

This video gets us in our feelings way too quick. This is why Street Hope is one of our favorites and why we love sharing who they are and what they do.

21/10/2021

We’ve only had two blog posts so far, butttttttt this one is kind of our favorite! Please go check out our latest blog about Street Hope TN at https://www.ofthecities.com/post/street-hope-tennessee

21/10/2021

We spent the last month working with Crayons to Computers and, man, was it fun! This is such a cool nonprofit! We stumbled across Crayons through following on Instagram and were amazed at what they were doing. It was awesome to reach out and work with them. Watch this video to see the good that Crayons is doing.

P.S. Did you know that videography services go to sponsor free videos for nonprofits?! Not only does it sponsor free videos for nonprofits, but we often provide a free service in exchange for a donation made to one of the nonprofits or ministries we’ve worked with. Check out the link in our bio to see all of the nonprofits and ministries we’ve worked with. Everything we do revolves around serving these nonprofits, raising awareness about them, and encouraging our followers to support them in whatever way possible.

21/10/2021

This past summer, we worked with Redeemer Church. Redeemer is a new church plant in Saint Albans, Vermont. OTC spent nearly a month in Saint Albans and loved every second of it. Above is one of the videos we did with Redeemer.

P.S. Did you know that videography services go to sponsor free videos for nonprofits?! Not only does it sponsor free videos for nonprofits, but we often provide a free service in exchange for a donation made to one of the nonprofits or ministries we’ve worked with. Check out the link in our bio to see all of the nonprofits and ministries we’ve worked with. Everything we do revolves around serving these nonprofits, raising awareness about them, and encouraging our followers to support them in whatever way possible.

21/10/2021

We recently took a trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. It’s hard to say our visit was good or enjoyable, but it was a much needed trip. In one of the exhibits is carved the above poem.

It’s sad that slavery never ended. In fact, it’s bigger than it’s ever been.

Talk to us about our work for five minutes and you’ll hear something about Street Hope Tennessee. There is not another nonprofit we’re as passionate about as Street Hope.

I recently heard a sermon talking about the filth and the grit that often comes with serving others. The pastor mentioned two different people during this sermon: Princess Diana and Mother Teressa. I’m too young to know everyone’s reaction to Princess Diana, but according to this pastor, everyone wanted to be Princess Diana. She won the lottery, so he said. She had the money, she had the looks, she had the health, she had the fame, and she had everyone wanting to be her. The pastor then brought up Mother Teresa who did not win the same lottery that Princess Diana won. He gave examples of how these two were so opposite, but he ended by emphasizing that everyone wanted to be Princess Diana. Not everyone wanted to be Mother Teressa. The interesting thing is that not everyone can be a Princess Diana, but everyone can be a Mother Teressa.

Street Hope is the Mother Teressa. They are the ones getting dirty when many of us today are too scared or too nervous. They are the ones serving even though it’s messy.

We’re asking you to share. Whether that’s through social media, conversation, or financially, we ask you to share. If you want to help put an end to modern day slavery, even small acts such as a social media share or having uncomfortable conversations with others can have a large impact. Street Hope will have some cool things coming through social media over the next several weeks. If you don’t already, please go follow them.

P.S. Did you know that videography services go to sponsor free videos for nonprofits?! Not only does it sponsor free videos for nonprofits, but we often provide a free service in exchange for a donation made to one of the nonprofits or ministries we’ve worked with. Check out the link in our bio to see all of the nonprofits and ministries we’ve worked with. Everything we do revolves around serving these nonprofits, raising awareness about them, and encouraging our followers to support them in whatever way possible.

21/10/2021

What a crazy few months it’s been! It’s hard to believe Of The Cities is only about two months old! In those two months, we’ve been able to serve five different nonprofits and churches in three different states. And we’re just getting started! We invite you to join us on this journey. Our passion and our purpose is to share about these Action Partners and we would love you to be a sharer! Share in your conversation with friends, in your finances, or in your social media feed! Help us share what’s being done. You never know who could be inspired and to what extent.

09/10/2021

KAPOL, Kontakt Apologetics, is a ministry that Of The Cities has been working with for over two years. Founded by Brett Seybold, KAPOL is focused on Christian apologetics, providing reasons to believe to skeptics and equipping Christians with responses to doubt. Brett and OTC started working together to create apologetic videos that have been translated in numerous languages. This past week, we uploaded our 50th video! Not only has our work with KAPOL pushed us into pursuing video full time, it has led us in all different directions all over the country! We’re excited to continue working with KAPOL and growing our apologetic library! Check out KAPOL’s YouTube channel from the link in our bio!

04/10/2021

Of The Cities exists to showcase memories, passions, and actions. Everything OTC does revolves around creating free videos for non-profits, ministries, and other organizations doing good in their own cities. Every paid gig, every blog post, every social media post is done with the intention of getting the word out on these organizations we’ve been able to work with. We’re excited to keep you in the loop on everything through social media!