The Client
The City of Schertz is one of the fastest-growing communities in the San Antonio metro — a city with deep roots and a strong sense of civic identity. Their 4th of July Jubilee celebration has been a cornerstone of that identity for five decades. It's not just an event. It's something residents plan around, come back for year after year, and pass down through generations.
The Brief
The city wanted more than a highlight reel. With the 50th anniversary, they needed a video that honored the weight of the milestone — something that could capture not just the energy of this year's celebration, but the spirit of 50 years of community tradition. The challenge was making a two-day public event feel personal.
Fifty years is a long time. Most events come and go. The Schertz Jubilee kept coming back — through economic downturns, through a global pandemic, through everything. The residents who show up every year aren't just attending an event. They're maintaining a ritual. That's what the video needed to capture.
The Event
The 50th Jubilee opened on July 3rd with the carnival and a live performance by Josh Abbott Band. July 4th brought a full day of programming: a 5K run at dawn, the parade down Main Street, a pie eating contest, live music, carnival rides, food trucks, and a fireworks show to close the night. Two days. One community. Fifty years in the making.
The Approach
Rather than narrating the event from the outside, we let the community tell the story. We conducted interviews with residents along the parade route — asking what this celebration meant to them, how long they'd been coming, what they remembered from years past. Those voices became the backbone of the piece, threading 50 years of personal history through the footage of this year's celebration. The result is part event recap, part oral history.
The Crew
It was a lean production: Joel + the City of Schertz Public Affairs team. Getting two full days of coverage — carnival, parade, resident interviews, fireworks — with a small crew requires planning and hustle. But it keeps the operation nimble, keeps costs down for the city, and keeps us out of the way of the celebration itself.
What We Delivered
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