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Yo!

Did You Know?!

Yo! Did You Know?! ® is a travelogue web series that follows Jen Farris, a seasoned Film and TV location scout, into film-friendly communities to reveal history ‘hidden in plain sight’, the artistry of architecture and oftentimes the change makers who made those communities special. Let’s virtually explore together!

FEATURED VIDEO:

YO! AFTER THE SHOW:

Herman Jerome “HJ“ Russell, Sr. of HJ Russell & Co.

YO! After the Show! Extended Content Segment features a dynamic man whose company positively impacted Atlanta’s skyline and because of his company, Atlanta can celebrate the FIFA World Cup inside of the Mercedes Benz Stadium. His company, HJ Russell & Co. served as the Benz’s core general contractor and program manager. The H.J. Russell & Co. built many of Atlanta’s most iconic structures, from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, 191 Peachtree Tower, Georgia-Pacific Tower, the Coca-Cola Headquarters, and just footsteps of historic Hotel Row, Phillips / State Farm Arena, and, of course, the Mercedes Benz Stadium. [extended from YO! EP: 1 Hotel Row]

Meet Series Creator, Jen Farris

Hi! I’m Jen, a Georgia Peach from Atlanta USA. For thirty years, I have worked in the entertainment industry, and in that time, for more than a decade, I have worked as a professional film and television location scout. I love exploration and have seen the coolest perspectives of locations from an eagle’s eye-view to under the ground. I’m excited to finally tell the stories of many places I have traveled. Hailing from a lineage of storytellers, writers and historians, it is no surprise that I believe storytelling to be something held in high regard. Building the foundation of stories through location scouting has been invigorating.

Fun Fact

I fell in love with architecture as a teenager, and was so good, my drafting teacher carved my name out of wood as a desk name plate for my future job at an architectural firm. Who knew that after all these years in entertainment, I would find myself back inside of a world of architecture.

IG: @msjenfarris

Welcome to Hotel Row – (s1, EP01)

On this 1st episode of YO! Did You Know?! ®, we share, Atlanta’s rich and historic railroad history. One historically preserved section of buildings inside the 200 block of Mitchell Street in downtown Atlanta, GA USA, Hotel Row, is the last surviving historically-registered structures on that somehow survived a devastating electrical fire. We discuss the grandeur of the former (railroad) Atlanta Terminal Station and why filmmakers love telling stories inside of this section of town. (click full video link)

Full video

YO! PRESS

YO! AFTER THE SHOW

Lenox and Parker Magazine’s June Issue, features Series Creator, Jen Farris as their AList section for Juneteenth. They take a deep dive into YO! DID YOU KNOW?! to discuss its origins, how the series relates to film and television locations, as well as details of Season One’s upcoming 11 episodes that fun May 26 – June 30. Season One features ATLANTA locations.

YO! ATER THE SHOW is an extended content segment allowing viewers additional facts about the featured web series’ episode. This PETERS STREET segment follows the S1 EP1 “Welcome to Hotel Row” episode and Jen Farris takes viewers down to PETERS STREET along a former Atlanta Terminal railroad junction adjacent to the Castleberry Community in SW ATL.

SERIES EPISODES

YO! and Historic Preservation

YO! Did You Know that?!

Historic West End Atlanta – (s1, EP02)

YO! Did You Know?! ® takes you into one of Atlanta’s oldest and most historically significant communities with almost 200 years of architectural greatness. Learn why a well-known legend, Aretha Franklin, was portrayed here inside of this perfect location.

Iconic Greenbriar – (s1, EP03)

Prince Hall Masons Bldg and WERD Radio – (s1, EP04)

Herndon Home Museum – (s1, DLX EP05, pt 1)

Herndon Home Museum – (s1, DLX EP05, pt 2)

Candler Building & Hotel – (s1, EP06)

Big Bethel AME Church (s1, EP07)

Before this popular film location, Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal, …

Clark University Brownsville (s1, EP08)

Odd Fellows Building (s1, EP09)

Odd Fellows Building YO! Did You Know?! ® EP 09: …

Haugabrooks Funeral Home (s1, EP10)

In 1929 a Spelman HBCU Graduate took $300, invested into …

Mechanicsville as Detroit

YO! EP: 11 Mechanicsville as Detroit Historically vintage Atlanta communities …

What Inspired YO! Did You Know?!®

YO! Did You Know?! ® travelogue web series is centered around historic preservation. As a seasoned Film and TV location scout for 16 years, film-friendly communities have morphed dramatically. YO! was birthed as a platform to reveal history ‘hidden in plain sight’, draw attention to the, often missed, structures and artistry of architecture, and educate viewers about the change makers who made the communities special.

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Series Episodes

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