September 25, 2020
“After in person large productions were canceled in March, Live Events Producer and Entrepreneur Tchernavia Sessum, had to figure out the next steps to keep her production skillset engaged, and support her love of film. The idea of Pivot PopUp came to her after seeing a drive-in renaissance due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Like the name, Ms. Sessum had to change directions and figure out how to make these new set of circumstances an opportunity.
“My work for the year was now nonexistent. Live events require masses of attendees and COVID-19 has brought an end to large crowds for the time being.” Having worked on the film festival circuit for the last 7 years, Ms. Sessum thought of a way to differentiate Pivot PopUp from other Drive-Ins. Leveraging her contacts by working with film distributors, she is acquiring rights to recently released and independent films to screen to audiences who might not normally attend film festivals. Pivot bridges “festival films” to larger audiences that may have not come across these films before.
Additionally a community outreach element was added to support local non-profit organizations. 50% of this screenings proceeds support the Heartstrings Youth Village, a non profit dedicated to ending youth homelessness in Ft. Bend County.
Pivot PopUp Drive-In’s premiere screening is Friday, September 25th. The inaugural screening will feature Magnolia Pictures’ John Lewis: Good Trouble, which honors the late congressmen. Showing starts at 8:30 PM at the Fountain Life Center 14083 S Main St, Houston, TX 77035. Tickets are available via thetronisegroup.com/pivot.
“While figuring out what inaugural film I wanted to screen, Good Trouble was really the only choice. It’s an incredibly moving portrait of the late senator that didn’t receive it’s due on a theatrical screen in Houston.” This film is a great example of what audience members can expect from Pivot PopUp, focusing on feature documentary and narrative films that are inaccessible to non film festival attending audiences. Heartstrings Youth Village a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending youth homelessness in Fort Bend County. We equip and empower youth with tools to achieve stability and nurture resiliency. Visit www.heartstringsyv.org for more information. The T. Ronise Group is an event management company specializing in Guest Relations, Operations and Staffing for experiential marketing & live events. To book services email [email protected]. The T. Ronise Group was founded in 2016 to support the job growth in live event production and create opportunities for underrepresented freelancers.”
Artist talk: September 15, 2020
14083 S Main St, Houston, TX 77035
Houston, 77035 Texas
Get directions