Phocus Video Communications

10/20/2023

Don't forget to attend the US Oyster Festival in St. Mary's County THIS WEEKEND!
Saturday from 10-6pm & Sunday from 11-6pm
See you there for some family fun!! 😁

10/18/2023

The fastest Oyster Shuckers from across the United States gather at the US Oyster Festival in St. Mary's County, every third weekend in October, to compete in the U.S. National Oyster Shucking Championship Contest. Contestants are timed on how fast they open 24 oysters. But in oyster shucking contests, neatness counts. A contestant's tray of oysters is then judged on presentation and time is ADDED to their opening time. Men and women compete in separate divisions. For the championship, the women's champ and the men's champ go head-to-head for the U.S. crown. The winner gets bragging rights, of course, and an all-expenses paid trip to Galway, Ireland to compete in the International Contest representing the United States against champs from countries around the globe.

The fastest Oyster Shuckers from across the United States gather at the U.S. Oyster Festival in Leonardtown, MD every third weekend in October, to compete in...

10/16/2023

Watch the top Oyster Chefs compete in the National Oyster Cookoff at the US Oyster Festival in St. Mary's County. Contestants compete in 3 separate categories and prepare their dishes for a panel of culinary experts. Each division has a winner, plus an overall champ is determined and awarded cash and the title National Oyster Cookoff Champ. Visitors will have an opportunity to watch contestants prepare their dishes and TASTE TEST each scrumptious recipe. They can then vote to determine The-Peoples-Choice Award. You don't want to miss it!

07/06/2023

The procession for fallen firefighter, Brice Trossbach, winds its way through Lexington Park, Maryland. The procession traveled from the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, then to the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department, and made its way north past the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department.
Our deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and extended firehouse family. What a wonderful tribute to a fallen hero 🖤❤️🖤

The procession for fallen firefighter, Brice Trossbach, winds its way through Lexington Park, Maryland. The procession traveled from the Hollywood Volunteer ...

06/12/2023

Congratulations to the 2023 St. Mary's College of Maryland Graduates! Hope your future is bright and good luck in all your endeavors ahead! 🎓

Congratulations to the 2023 St. Mary’s College of St. Mary’s Graduates! May your future be bright and good luck in all your endeavors!Filmed and edited by Ph...

05/30/2023

Last week we were notified we won two Silver “Telly Awards” for programs produced in 2022. This honor marks our twelfth Telly Award. One program produced for the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) is titled, “Challenges and Tactics for Fighting Row House Fires.” The national distributed training video highlights tactics that firefighters should follow when fighting row house fires and makes them aware of the potential dangers based on features specific to row houses. The second program was produced locally for Historic Sotterley and is titled, “Sotterley: Talking and Walking Common Ground.” The production highlights Sotterley’s Common Ground Initiative and the Descendants project. It explores the various perspectives between the diverse descendants as they discuss Sotterley’s past and its impact on their lives.
The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council—an industry body of over 200 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks.

“Challenges and Tactics for Fighting Row House Fires": https://youtu.be/_PcCPK53xBY

“Sotterley Talking and Walking Common Ground.”: https://youtu.be/GhRE9dJ8zw8

05/15/2023

Check out this recent PSA we completed for St. Mary’s Community Development Corp. Sign up to be a part of the change on Saturday, June 3rd for the Second Annual Great Mills Road Community Cleanup!

05/04/2023

We recently filmed and edited a unique, musical piece for St. Mary's College of Maryland. The PING Vocal Ensemble includes a group of 12 talented SMCM students, under the direction of Professor Larry Vote. They performed Guastavino’s Three Lullabies. The performance was featured at the 2023 Sonus International Music Festival.

The PING Vocal Ensemble of St. Mary's College of Maryland, under the direction of Professor Larry Vote, performs Guastavino’s Three Lullabies. Composed in 19...

03/20/2023

We recently completed 2 more videos for J.F. Taylor, Inc. They explore this local business’ unique engineering and manufacturing abilities. The first showcases their extraordinary capabilities and highlights the brand-new facility and headquarters for the corporation. The second is a short-form piece by company President, Wayne Taylor, welcoming visitors to the JF Taylor website. Thanks to Wayne Taylor, David Lowe, Dave Hesse, and everyone at JFTI for facilitating the production. Watch them here!
Company Overview: https://youtu.be/eFEC5q0UCKg
Website Welcome: https://youtu.be/GNATfOtiVec

01/09/2023

Three time US Oyster Festival Champions Deborah Pratt from Virginia and Honor Allen from Florida demonstrate their winning techniques for shucking oysters fast! Pratt and Allen compete regularly at the US Oyster Festival in St. Mary's County
https://youtu.be/XvbeGFRD9LY

Three time National Champions Deborah Pratt from Virginia and Honor Allen from Florida demonstrate their winning techniques for shucking oysters FAST. They ...

12/05/2022

The completed Historic Sotterley documentary, Walking and Talking Common Ground, is now live on YouTube. This documentary highlights Sotterley’s Common Ground Initiative and the Descendants project. It explores the various perspectives between the diverse descendants as they discuss Sotterley’s past and its impact on their lives.
https://youtu.be/GhRE9dJ8zw8

Phocus Video recently completed this project for Historic Sotterley. Walking and Talking Common Ground highlights Sotterley’s Common Ground Initiative and th...

10/04/2022

Make sure to mark your calendars for the 56th Annual US Oyster Festival in St. Mary's County, happening on October 15 - 16th at the St. Mary's County Fairgrounds!

Make sure to mark your calendars for the 56th Annual US Oyster Festival, happening on October 15 - 16th at the St. Mary's County Fairgrounds.

09/20/2022

We have been producing a new series of videos for J.F. Taylor, Inc. They highlight this local unique engineering and manufacturing business. The first showcases their capabilities and highlights the beautiful Southern Maryland region. Thanks to Wayne Taylor, David Lowe, Dave Hesse and everyone at JFTI for facilitating the production. Watch it here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nckG9y4wQ0E

09/07/2022

It was a honor to be among the first passengers on the maiden voyage of the Historic St. Mary's City Dove! The Dove is a brand-new replica of the original 1634 ship which carried Maryland’s first settlers. The Phocus crew filmed onboard departing from Dennis Point to its destination at St. Mary’s City. Stay tuned for the final product!

07/14/2022

Our crew had the opportunity to film a production for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which is a part of the CDC. This 3 day shoot demonstrates the various techniques to attack a rowhouse fire. Check out the news article Phocus was featured on!
https://wtop.com/dc/2022/06/dc-firefighters-tapped-to-debut-in-nationwide-training-video/

06/19/2022

Happy Juneteenth! Check out this video we created for the celebration last year for UCAC Organization. The video shares the brief history of the national holiday while showcasing Southern Maryland locations.

The UCAC Organization celebrates this years 2021 Juneteenth with a brief history of the national holiday, shot on location at historic sites around Southern ...

06/08/2022

The St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation is taking action along Great Mills Road for a neighborhood clean-up. The event will take place this Saturday, June 11, 2022 from 9am-12pm. Check out our video we created for the event. Don’t forget to sign up to volunteer!

05/11/2022

Our crew was busy at Historic Sotterley recently filming a documentary exploring their Common Ground Initiative. This two-day event featured various interviews, discussions and presentations from knowledgeable diverse descendants, community members and partners.

04/22/2022

It was great to be back at the US National Oyster Festival last October for its 55th annual celebration! We produced a short-recap of the National Oyster Cook-Off. This event features 9 contestants with unique oyster recipes from across the nation. The best part..the audience gets to taste their dishes and vote on the People’s Choice winner!

Highlights of the 12 contestants competing in the 2021 Oyster Cookoff held in conjunction with the St. Mary's County National Oyster Festival.The Cookoff fea...