Welcome Back! single released to radio

October 23rd, 2008

Chris Cummings released his country cover of the John Sebastian single Welcome Back! to radio airplay on October 22nd.  Local country music fans are already responding well to Chris`s lyrical version of the song, and are eagerly waiting for the release of the corresponding music video on CMT.

Saint Johners, ex-pats and fans alike are encouraged to request the song and video once it`s released in their markets.  The more play the video receives, the more exposure we`ll see for our wonderful community.  We`re confident that the more people get to know our community, the more they`ll want to relocate to Saint John!

Official Worldwide Release of Music Video will take place in Saint John

Sept 18, 2008

On Friday, September 26th Enterprise Saint John is pleased to present the official worldwide release of Chris Cummings’s latest music video Welcome Back! at a free event for the entire Saint John Community!

Filmed in the Saint John Community (Grand Bay-Westfield, Rothesay, Quispamsis, Saint John & St. Martins) the video features Saint John and area residents welcoming the hometown recording artist home.

“When I lived abroad I met a lot of people who had outdated ideas about what life is like on the east coast.” says Cummings. “I wanted to do something that would counteract that.  Something to show the world that life in Saint John is fun, beautiful, full of opportunity – and hopefully convince people to move back home like me!”

The video was filmed over the course of a week in August by local production house Hemmings House Pictures.  It features the five area municipalities that are partners in the Life on Your Terms initiative, which promotes population growth in the community.

“Enterprise Saint John is so proud to be part of this project.”  says Sara Stashick, Life on Your Terms Coordinator. “The promotional value of the finished product is massive – this will be used in everything from our recruitment missions across the country to online promotions that will reach a global audience!”

The video will be officially launched at a free general admission event at Harbour Station on Friday, September 26th.  Doors open at 6:30pm and seating is limited!  Along with the presentation of the video the event features a mini-concert from regional talent as well as Chris Cummings.
  

Congratulations Saint John, it`s a Music Video!

August 26th, 2008

See behind the scenes images from the filming of Chris Cummings`s latest music video, which took place August 19th-22nd in the Saint John Community.

Editing of the hours of footage shot for the video is projected to be completed at the end of September.  Stay tuned for information on a Community Video Release party and release to CMT!

 

Filming Locations and Working Schedule Announcement

August 14, 2008

The wait is almost over – filming for Chris Cummings’s newest music video, Welcome Back! begins in Saint John next week!

Sara Stashick, Life on Your Terms Coordinator with Enterprise Saint John invites the community to participate in the video.  “As much as this is Chris’s product, it also belongs to the Saint John Community, and so we really want area residents to join us during the shoot.  That’s why the team has taken the unusual step of releasing the details of their schedule to the media – this way we can all join in, have some fun and show off our great community together!”

The team will be scouting locations early next week.  Outdoor scenes will be filmed late Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday, August 20th, with a rain date of Friday, August 22nd.  The following is a tentative schedule with suggestions of how residents can participate:

Uptown Saint John evening location shots – Tuesday evening (~8:00pm)

Grand Bay-Westfield – Wednesday (~8:00-10:00am) - UPDATED

Uptown Saint John – Wednesday (late-morning to ~3:00pm)

  • Saint John Market: grab lunch / coffee; shop; etc.
  • Random Saint John locations will also be shot during this period to create an homage to the Welcome Back! Kotter series intro

St. Martins – Wednesday afternoon (~3:30-5:00pm)

  • Beach by the Sea Caves: picnic; walk on the beach; fly a kite; kayak; etc.

Rothesay & Quispamsis – Wednesday evening (~6:00pm+)

Concert Scene @ Imperial Theatre – Thursday afternoon (doors open at 3:30pm, ticket required)

  • This shoot also includes a massive group scene after the concert (~6:15pm), where everyone at the Theatre and in the area can join Chris in a “pied piper” shot through King Square and down King St. to the Boardwalk!
  • Additional footage will be filmed during Chris’s performance at the Kent Country Star finale on the boardwalk
  • Photography will be allowed at specific times (to be announced by video director/production manager) during this concert

Saint John Airport (AT THE SJ FLIGHT SCHOOL ENTRACE) – Friday afternoon (1:00-3:00pm)

  • This is the big Welcome Back Chris! scene so the more the merrier!  Homemade signs greeting Chris are welcome, as are extras who would like to dress up like “the press”.
  • Please respect the SJ Airport operations – use appropriate parking, don’t block entrances and exits, etc.

“This is our working schedule at the moment but you never know how weather, lighting and all kinds of other variables will affect us.” says Greg Hemmings, owner of Hemmings House Pictures, the local production studio working on the project. “You can plan and plan, but when it comes time to film things always change!”

Anyone hoping to be an extra in the video should dress appropriately for their pretend activity at each location (ex. if you come to the Sebastian Café shoot, dress stylishly; if you come to the airport shoot, bring signs that say “Welcome Back”, or bring your cameras; etc.) and bring their own props.  And avoid clothing that sports large logos and/or neon colours as both of these guarantee you won’t make the cut!

 

Ticket Availability for Chris Cummings Music Video Shoot

August 5, 2008

Tickets for the concert scene in Chris Cummings’ upcoming music video Welcome Back! will be available to the public starting Thursday August 7th.  Tickets are available at the following locations:

Tickets to the event are free, with a maximum of six per person.

The concert is general admission, and also includes regional artists Jessica Rhaye and Dominique Dupuis.

Filming of the concert will begin at 4:00pm, and doors will open at 3:30pm.  The mini-concert runs until approximately 6:00pm, followed by the filming of a “pied piper” scene that will include everyone attending the event.

Chris Cummings will also be performing at the finale of Kent Country Star on the boardwalk, where additional footage of Chris and the crowd will occur.


 

Hey Saint John, here`s your chance to be in a music video!

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Well known country recording artist Chris Cummings has chosen to complete his next audio/video project, a cover of John Sebastian`s Welcome Back!, in the Saint John Community.  The first single to be launched from his upcoming new album, Cummings chose the song for a variety of reasons.

"It`s a great tune that I`ve always loved, and I think the lyrics have special meaning to Maritimers, who generally leave home for western Canada only to return for a lot of the same reasons they left." says Cummings.  "It`s a song that appeals to a whole generation because of Welcome Back Kotter, and when we update the sound we think it will be have a whole new following in the next generation!"

Cummings partnered with Saint John Life on Your Terms, a community initiative focused on promoting relocation to the Saint John Community.

"We were thrilled with the idea when Chris came to us." says Sara Stashick, Life on Your Terms Coordinator.  "Using a medium like this that has no boundaries helps us get our message out to our target audience around the world.  And Chris is a perfect example of a young, entrepreneurial person who has realized that he can live, work and play on his terms in Saint John!"

Audio recording of the project is already underway, with local recording studio the Boom Boom Room working on the majority of the audio production.  Filming of the accompanying video - which will be done by local production studio Hemmings House Productions - will start in late August and will include locations in all of the five Saint John municipalities.  According to Cummings, "This is such a beautiful area - we can`t understand why it hasn`t been used on film more often."

Area residents are invited to participate in the filming of the video by watching for the camera crews during the scheduled filming in August.  They can also take in a free mini-concert and be part of the concert scene shoot at the Imperial Theatre on August 21st (registration details to be announced).