Jonathan Walczak's Page

To Judy Krant and John Sisti, “Made in China” means two very different things.

Krant wrote and directed a film of that name which premiers at HATCH Asheville tonight at 7 p.m.

Sisti, on the other hand, fears the impact outsourcing might have on the survival of the American film industry.

“I hope the country takes some initiative in keeping this an American industry,” he said. “Right now, we know how to do it better. I don’t know if that will last.”

Outsourcing and independent distribution we… Continue

The woman smiled as flames danced around her.

As audience members jokingly told her she was on fire, VJ Robb Pope quickly adjusted his software and the projected video of a forest contoured itself to her body.

“VJing is freeform, spontaneous and fluid,” Pope told a crowd of about 25 at an afternoon presentation.

VJing, the art of mixing video live at an event, originated in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and often was abstract and psychedelic, Pope said.

Using relatively simple equipment, primarily a la… Continue

Entrepreneurs and business professionals speaking this morning as part of a marketing panel echoed FDR, saying the top thing that inhibits creativity is fear itself.

“Make a mistake and you’ll learn from it. It will show the world you’re not afraid,” said local artist Jonas Gerard. “The most important thing is to be free and to let creative energy use you for whatever it wants.”

Gerard began exhibiting paintings in the streets of New York City when he was 16. In 1975, he presented what became… Continue

Singer/songwriter Gary Jules jokingly answers his phone after it rang at this afternoon's songwriting panel.

-Jonathan Walczak, journalism groundbreaker

Speaking to several dozen people at HATCH Asheville’s inaugural panel this afternoon, singer/songwriter Gary Jules described an impressive YouTube discovery he made three weeks ago.

The musician, who recently moved to Asheville from Los Angeles, told the crowd he found, for the first time, a cover of one of his songs that blew him away.

“This kid knocked my block off,” Jules said. “He did it better than I did.”

Jules discussed his songwriting process as part of a panel that also included fell… Continue