Gibbs Media Group

Empowering women and People of Color with the confidence and education they need to live wholly authentic and fulfilling lives through non-fiction digital content.

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July 17th was another BUSY day for Gibbs Media Group!

Last weekend was the second film shoot for Women's Holistic Wellness. Six peri-postmenopausal women got to share their stories of "The Change" and alternative healthcare. The day's schedule was packed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with amazing interviews and officially marked our launch into postproduction. Stay tuned for the first look!

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Sunita Tarkunde, RN is an accomplished healer with a Master's Degree in AYURVEDA, the ancient and leading herbal medicine science in the world, as well as being a certified Yoga instructor. Tarkunde has practiced her specialties for 25 years, including Wellness Counseling, Body Constitution, Pulse Reading, Herbal Remedies, Lifestyle Management, Stress Management, etc.

Sunita’s hallmark is her gentle and thorough way of working with clients to maintain or regain full vibrant, radiant health of body, mind, and spirit!

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The least enjoyable part of media work is having to BE PATIENT. I want things to happen as soon as possible, but you have to be clear and focused to help pull it through.

"You have to articulate with the team what the goals are. You have to really plan and plan and plan in order for things to be organized and be successful. Setbacks still happen, but I try not to focus on those thoughts. I know that everything that I’m doing is something that’s going to make a difference!" - Linda Gibbs

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Gibbs Media Group was lucky enough to interview this lovely lady for the first season of our upcoming digital series: The Change! She has officially classified herself as an Expert Contributor to this holistic wellness docuseries. We can't wait for everyone to see what she has to offer to women all over the world!

Eve Kandiyoti is a registered nurse with over 15 years of experience, with certifications in medical cannabis, as well as being the Founder of MC Wellness Group. Her career history ranges from Emergency Care to Women's Health, including leadership roles. Kandiyoti is also an advocate in expanding medical cannabis state programs, access, and patient protections.

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Happy National Wellness Month!

What better time to have launched the first season of our Women's Holistic Wellness show: "The Change!" This season will highlight the physical and emotional challenges peri-post menopausal women face and offer alternative holistic solutions to these issues. Saturday, May 15th is officially marked as the first day of production with a full schedule of distinguished experts and interviews. We can’t wait to see where this goes! Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes of our summer film shoots, and updates for the upcoming trailer!

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Annette Lawrence had her own fascination when it came to film production! She'd spent the entire afternoon watching our DP: Julye Newlin, and the rest of the crew set up equipment and rearrange her studio. Lawrence was no stranger to documentaries, but we're more than happy to see that she enjoyed our process. We were ALL artists: working, learning, and building "Life Through Art" together!

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Sending a BIG shoutout to the Greater Denton Arts Council for their support of our Life Through Art docuseries! They were generous enough to open their doors to our film crew for Annette Lawrence's 2019 exhibition: MORE TIME, where Annette's paper data and code accounts hung for view. "Installation Art" wouldn't be the same without their contribution. Thanks again to the GDAC!

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"You don't have to keep asking: "HOW TO?" Why don't you try and do it yourself? You may find that you have some talent that nobody else has. Don't think you always have to get everything from others. It's good to respect people. We all have different talents....but we don't know until we try something, if we'll do it the same way someone else does it, or if we'll find a NEW WAY."

Mattie Young, Daughter of Folk Artist: Ezekiel Gibbs

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Christopher Blay had no problem suiting up for his interview! Both he and Annette Lawrence described their relationship as long time friends and admirers of each other's work...so we got great material on both ends! Blay became a prominent voice alongside Elisa Durrette in advocating for Annette's installations, and gave good advice for how viewers should experience Installation art in general. Christopher Blay is an accomplished artist, writer, and curator with a 2003 BFA from Texas Christian University. He is currently a News Editor at The Glasstire, an online art magazine in Texas, and still active in the art community. We can't imagine "Life Through Art" without you, Christopher. Best wishes for your career!

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Installation Views of "Midway and Counting" at Vaudeville in Fredericksburg, TX, June – July 2014. Transparent photo prints, metal, and wood (46 x 44 x 144 in). Image Copyrights to Annette Lawrence.

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Our first interview after two decades of rest gave real anticipation to the production! Set up was underway and every light, prop, and angle was poured over for the big start. Here, Mattie Young — Ezekiel Gibbs' Daughter — adjusts her microphone wires, while Director Linda Gibbs oversees Lovell Banks' cinematography.

Finally, Life Through Art was back in action!

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Even though our featured subject was technically Ezekiel Gibbs, renowned Folk Artist: Bill Traylor, was mentioned TWICE in our "Folk Art" documentary! It appears no professional can speak to Folk Art without giving respect to Traylor's legacy.

So thank you, Bill, for paving the way for American Folk Artists like Ezekiel Gibbs. We're so glad our docuseries was able to pay tribute like you both deserve!

Photograph by Horace Perry, Courtesy of the Alabama State Council of the Arts

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What Annette Lawrence does, how she communicates with the world, is magnificent...but nothing is more MAGICAL than an artist who LOVES what they do. Lawrence was able to find joy and meaning in each day...LITERALLY. She turned the most common events into one-of-a-kind stories using overlooked materials. So let's take a page from Annette's book, and fall deeper in love with our own creative voice!

Citation: Flowers, Brad. Concentrations 36: Annette Lawrence [Photograph DMA_1588-16, DMA_1588-11], photograph, 2000; University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History; crediting Dallas Museum of Art.

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We'd like to give a HUGE SHOUTOUT to Austin's Blanton Museum of Art (formerly known as the Huntington Art Gallery) for giving us rights to their 1989 documentary: Black History Black Vision: The Visionary Image in Texas!

This film featured Folk Artist Ezekiel Gibbs alongside other influential Texas artists. We're so fortunate to have been given access to such exclusive footage of the late artist. Ezekiel's clips were an amazing addition to our Life Through Art docuseries, and especially to the "Folk Art" episode. Thank you again, Blanton Museum of Art!

Photograph courtesy of the Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin. Contributed by Jonah Camberg

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Our fourth interview for "Installation Art" with Christopher Blay had a challenging location, but Julye kept her cool! After some furniture arranging to find the right angle, she locked the visuals and triple checked the sound. Audio recording, cinematography, camera operation...Julye Newlin handles it all.

So lucky to have this woman on our team!

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Mattie Young is the youngest child of Ezekiel Gibbs, a retired social worker, and still a supportive advocate of her father's artwork. Even at 92 years old, Mattie remembered plenty about Ezekiel, his climb to fame, and its effect on the family. We couldn't have done this without her! Thank you so much, Mattie, for contributing to the "Folk Art" episode and our Life Through Art docuseries!

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Reverend Gary Gibbs delivered all the way! We could not have chosen a better family representative to articulate the story and context surrounding his grandfather: Folk Artist Ezekiel Gibbs!

Gary flew all the way from Brooklyn, New York to give his interview for "Folk Art," and stood proud at its first official screening in the Glassell School’s Favrot Auditorium. He has since returned to Brooklyn and currently ministers a church there.

We can't thank you enough, Gary!