THE STORY BEGINS…
In 2019
A woman by the name of Mary Megna set out on a Journey to tell a story. As an Alumnus of a College University where the Marching Band there was well know for a specific arrangement of a tune by the title “Amazing Grace”. Mary felt that the arrangements’ impact on the Band and its musicians was so profound, she wanted to share that story for the Band’s 100th anniversary in November of 2021.
The Following Year
Mary, almost a full year into thought and not a scene to show for it, with setbacks from the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic and disputes with her original Director, she found herself a new Director in Jarrell on set after she had her first consultation meeting with the VerbaTeam in September 2020.
Production Begins
Against not only the clock of time, but the watch of health and safety as the entire world tried to navigate a worldwide pandemic, VerbaMEdia and Mary created a plan of attack for how the production would be executed. Top Tier health and safety measures provided by the CDC and WHO were followed strictly and committedly. 17 Interviews would be conducted , spanning from 1981 Alumni to present era Alumni. The VerbaTeam traveled over 5,000 Miles spanning 4 different states
The 100th Postponed
We all know the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic have and will take a while to recover fully from. One of the things shifted in that process was the Reunion the Marching Band intended to hold for the 100th anniversary. When this happened Director Jarrell Verbecken had some decisions to make. Ultimately for the greater good of the film , it was chosen amongst the team they would stay in production and use the extra year of production to add some personal value to the film. In turn the film features real testimonies from Alumni in how Amazing Grace has even impacted their lives.
The Films Purpose
Producer Mary Megna had a vision that the story of how Amazing Grace came into her life could help tell the story of so many others, and in doing so would help so many in the future. From the beginning it was the intent that this project would help sustain help for the bands awareness and growth in the years to come. Director Jarrell Verbecken believes there is nothing like the pride that is felt from “service giving back to what helped you once before, it’s so full circle.”
The Team
Sustaining Grace is VerbaMEdia’s first Independently made film, and would not have been possible if it was not for the people involved on the VerbaTeam and sponsors from the IUP Marching Band Alumni. It is important to recognize that because of the efforts of all involved this film was created. The Producer Mary Megna and Director Jarrell Verbecken led the following team:
Corey Heckler
Michael Garbett
Reece Bower
Christopher Bittner
Sustaining Grace was debuted on November 5th at the Kovalchick Center Athletics Complex at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania… The Film helped frontline a historical weekend for the university, hosting over 900+ Alumni for the event.
Watch The Trailer
Make a donation.
If you would like to see this amazing story , all you have to do is click the checkout button! From there:
On Venmo donate the suggested amount of $30 for the film
Your information will be gathered by the producer Mary Megna , and then you will receive your copy of the film via Us postal system shipping.
You can also email Mary for more information at mary.megna@verizon.net
Your contributions will help the IUP Marching band as they continue to grow and carry on the tradition of being “The Beast of The East”.
