We are honored to share that Meriane’s Story, a film we produced for Aid for Women, received an Emmy Award at the 66th Chicago/Midwest Emmy® Awards.

This powerful short film follows Meriane, a 20-year-old woman whose courage and joy shine through as she shares her decision to choose life and the loving support she received along the way.

Her story is a testament to the strength of motherhood, the dignity of every life, and the life-changing impact of organizations like Aid for Women.

Watch the full video, share her story, and continue praying for mothers everywhere who are walking this journey.

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Twelve years ago, Spirit Juice Studios was filming a musical performance by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist while the conclave was taking place to elect a new pope.

In the middle of our filming session, someone told them that there was white smoke at the Vatican—a sign that a new pope had been chosen. We kept the cameras rolling and captured this heartwarming video of the sisters reacting to the announcement of Pope Francis as the new successor to St. Peter.

Watch the video above to hear Spirit Juice CEO Rob Kaczmark’s memories of that moment as well his other experiences being up close and personal with Pope Francis while filming projects at the Vatican.

We join the worldwide Catholic Church in praying for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul and for the Holy Spirit to guide the cardinals in their selection of the next pope.

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that artificial intelligence is everywhere. ChatGPT and other AI tools are helping people accomplish everything from writing emails and creating recipes to generating new images, music, and videos. It’s truly astounding how quickly this technology is evolving and improving.

Last October, Spirit Juice Studios’ Branden Stanley was blessed to attend the Builders Artificial Intelligence Forum at the Vatican, where he joined other Catholic creatives, thought leaders, investors, and researchers for a series of panel discussions about the ethical use of AI and how it can be used to develop tools to serve the Church’s mission.

Watch the video above to hear Branden’s take on the conference and his thoughts on how AI technology intersects with the Church.

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Spirit Juice Studios has worked with the March for Life Education and Defense Fund for several years to promote the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.

This event is a beautiful witness to the strength and vitality of the pro-life movement in the United States. Spirit Juice produced both the recap video above as well as the Why We March promotional video that is shown at the event.

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The feature-length documentary spotlights the life and work of Father Edward J. Flanagan, founder of the groundbreaking child welfare organization Boys Town. He is known to many for the Oscar-winning 1938 film in which Spencer Tracy portrayed him, but his true legacy is the thousands of children whose lives he saved through the creation of Boys Town and his international work in reforming child welfare laws after World War II.

Heart of a Servant premiered October 8 in a one-night-only Fathom Event screening across the country. Now it is available for anyone to rent or buy through Amazon Prime Video.

Narrated by Jonathan Roumie, best known for playing Jesus in the hit TV series The Chosen, the film was produced by Spirit Juice Studios for the Father Flanagan League Society of Devotion, a Catholic nonprofit devoted to supporting Father Flanagan’s cause for sainthood.

 The movie was filmed on location in Ireland, Germany, Austria, Japan and throughout the United States.

“We are thrilled that Heart of a Servant is now available to stream so more people will come to know the story of this future saint,” said Rob Kaczmark, president and CEO of Spirit Juice Studios, who served as an executive producer of the film. “Father Flanagan’s steadfast commitment to providing a safe upbringing and bright future for thousands of at-risk children is an inspiring example that still resonates today.”

Father Flanagan gained influence and admiration over the course of his life from presidents, CEOs, celebrities and more, in the U.S. and as far as Germany and Japan, but none mattered more to him than that of the children for whom he tirelessly worked. A sobering reminder of this was during World War II, as Flanagan saw droves of former Boys Town citizens go off to war. In fact, so many former Boys Town boys named Father Flanagan as their next of kin that the American War Dads Association named him as America’s No. 1 War Dad.

He was named a “Servant of God” by the Archdiocese of Omaha on March 17, 2012, the first step in the canonization process for the Catholic Church to declare him a saint. Father Flanagan was a hero for his times, and for ours, as well: his approach to child welfare remains a top influence in the field, and his frequent outspokenness against injustice showed he was always willing to tell the truth, regardless of risk.

For more information on the film, visit: https://www.fatherflanaganfilm.com/

To view on Amazon Prime, visit:
https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Heart-of-a-Servant-The-Father-Flanagan-Story/0U6DE3Y6LO546T34HN0OI9NBGO

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We were honored to receive an Emmy Award at the 66th Annual New York Emmy® Awards for a video that we produced for the Knights of Columbus entitled “Hero on the Hudson”.

This is a compelling story of Captain Vince Lombardi, a ferry captain for the New York Waterway, who helped rescue the passengers and crew of US Airways Flight 1549 when it made an emergency landing in the Hudson River in 2009.

For nearly two decades, Vince Lombardi has been a ferry captain for the New York Waterway. January 15, 2009, was like any other day for Vince, ferrying passengers to their destination. That is until a passenger jet came to rest in front of his vessel in the Hudson River. Knowing that every second mattered, Vince mobilized his crew and helped rescue 56 passengers from the wing of the submerged plane. He credits God and putting faith into action with helping accomplish this harrowing feat.

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More than 4,000 people attended this public witness to showcase the source and summit of our faith in the Eucharist.

The Eucharistic Revival will culminate in the National Eucharistic Congress. This event will be an historic gathering for the Catholic Church in America from July 17-21 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. With an all-star lineup of Catholic speakers and activities, it is not to be missed.

We were proud to partner with the Eucharistic Revival and the Napa Institute to produce this video that we hope will lead others to embrace and proclaim our belief in the real presence of the Eucharist.

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The Gabriel Award-winning Juice Box channel exists to create high-quality, entertaining, and educational videos to bring the Catholic faith to life for children and families.

“Other Christian denominations have lots of educational and entertaining online content, so it’s time for the Catholic Church to catch up,” said Rob Kaczmark, founder of Spirit Juice Studios. “As the father of two young sons, I want to pass on the faith to my kids and I realized that Spirit Juice is uniquely equipped to fill the hole in quality Catholic video content for kids.”

The Juice Box YouTube channel features a new episode each Friday that uses popular toys, stories, games, crafts, and more to introduce faith-based topics on a level that young children will understand, engage with, enjoy, and (most importantly) remember.

Since the channel is not relying on ad revenue, Spirit Juice has set up a Patreon site for viewers to support it. 

“I’m hopeful that parents, grandparents, and others will find value in Juice Box programming and sustain us in this effort,” Kaczmark said. “We believe in the necessity of this program and its ability to positively impact the next generation of Catholics and bring families together in faith.”

Funding is especially needed to cover costs of the channel’s flagship show, hosted by seasoned Catholic performers Steve Angrisano and Melinda Simon. These thematic longer episodes feature original songs, full sets, costumes, and animation. The first episode, “How to Pray,” received a 2023 Gabriel Award and can be viewed below:

Visit www.spiritjuicekids.com to learn more about this exciting project and be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel!

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More than 2,000 people have already signed up at 52stories.com and it’s not too late! You will receive a year’s worth of stories starting from the day that you subscribe.

“Spirit Juice is blessed to work with so many inspiring Catholic clients who are making a positive impact on the world, and these stories deserve to be shared more widely,” said Rob Kaczmark, president and CEO of Spirit Juice Studios. “I’m so excited for people to start receiving these weekly videos that reveal the unsung heroes of the Catholic Church who act as God’s hands and feet on earth.”

The videos featured in 52 Stories are all original productions of Spirit Juice Studios, which has been producing award-winning multimedia content for an international lineup of clients for more than 15 years. The 52 Stories series features videos produced for the Knights of Columbus, Word on Fire, FOCUS, the USCCB, religious orders, dioceses, parishes, schools, non-profit organizations, seminaries, and more.

“You’ll see stories about the life-changing work of pro-life women’s centers, learn about the work of an NFL chaplain, hear the stories of holy men and women who are on the road to sainthood, and get an inside look at huge events in the life of the Church like World Youth Day, NCYC, and the FOCUS SEEK conference,” Kaczmark said. “The 52 stories that we have chosen are as diverse as the Church itself, but they all have Christ at their center.”

Learn more and sign up at https://52stories.com.

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Watch our new Enter the Sacred video series to get a sense of the possibilities of virtual reality video. The videos below were shot at the Shrine of Christ’s Passion in St. John, Indiana and at four majestic Catholic churches in Chicago: St. Stanislaus Kostka, St. John Cantius, Our Lady of the Angels, and St. Mary of Perpetual Help.

Spirit Juice Studios is embracing the technology behind the recently released Apple Vision Pro to create new video content that demonstrates the beauty of the Catholic faith through the power of immersive, virtual reality video features.

For its new Enter the Sacred series now streaming on YouTube, Spirit Juice filmed high-quality video of the majestic interiors of three Catholic churches in Chicago: St. Stanislaus Kostka, St. John Cantius, and Our Lady of the Angels. Another video in the series showcases Eucharistic Adoration at St. Mary of Perpetual Help in Bridgeport.

Paired with sacred music and the chanting of Catholic prayers, the series provides a widescreen virtual retreat for any viewer, but will be especially powerful when viewed through a VR headset device like the Meta Quest or the Apple Vision Pro.

“With the release of the Apple Vision Pro, we are one step closer to VR headsets and VR content becoming mainstream technology,” said Rob Kaczmark, president and CEO of Spirit Juice Studios. “Like it or not, I believe we are headed toward a future where most people are wearing devices like this for work, play, and everything in between. As with any new technology, the Catholic Church would be wise to become an early adopter and see how it can best be used for evangelization and the enhancement of our faith lives.”

The videos can be viewed with or without a VR headset on this YouTube playlist.

“While this is no replacement for actually participating in Eucharistic Adoration or visiting these beautiful churches, this video project is a fun way to test the limits of VR technology and provide an immersive, prayerful experience for people who may never get to see them in person or who are seeking Catholic video content on YouTube,” Kaczmark said. “We hope to produce more content like this and would love to partner with other Catholic organizations that are interested in harnessing this exciting new video format.”

Contact us to learn more about the possibilities of VR content and get started!

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