Orange County’s Jewish infrastructure not only plays an important role in providing for religious needs, but it often creates connections that help to further the social and economic needs for Jewish entrepreneurs and business owners. These hard-working professionals have opportunities to join social groups to encourage growth for their businesses and personal endeavors resulting in synergy. For three young professionals in particular, belonging to Temple Beth Sholom in Santa Ana helped to establish a fortuitous, synergistic relationship.
Giselle Frixione, is the owner and designer of UrbanSak: a stylish solution for discreetly carrying money, a phone, keys or other small personal items on your wrist while enjoying an active lifestyle. Frixione had a need for a professional video to promote her product and reached out to Josh Friedman Productions, an Orange County-based digital media company that provides professional video, audio and photography services. Josh Friedman Productions has created professional videos for many Orange County Jewish organizations including Jewish Federation & Family Services, Tarbut V’Torah, Jewish Community Foundation, The Merage JCC, The Jewish Historical Society of Orange County, Temple Beth Sholom and Heritage Pointe.
Simultaneously, educator and screenwriter Sandy Sternshein asked Friedman if he would visit his classroom as a guest speaker to his industrial film class at Orange County School of The Arts. Sternshein currently teaches at Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College. Friedman quickly realized that all parties involved would be able to benefit from working together.
The three immediately saw the value of synergy in our Jewish community and started their two-month project together. They assigned a contest for the students to create a pitch for a video for UrbanSak. In groups the students pitched thirteen different concepts. Friedman, Frixione and Sternshein would select the winning pitch, which would be turned into a promotional video for UrbanSak by Josh Friedman Productions and Sternshein’s class. The resulting video would also become a valuable portfolio piece for the students, who will soon be applying to film schools for college.
After two months, 30 UrbanSaks, a bunny used for the shoot (rescued from the jaws of a python), a magician and a classroom full of energetic teens, UrbanSak’s video was released online. This collaboration is a quintessential example of how OC’s young, Jewish professionals can work together to develop projects that springboard their businesses through synergetic relationships established within the Jewish community.
See the resulting video by searching on YouTube for “UrbanSak” or with the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO8JAcMC11o.
