Head into any eatery of note and you’ll see patrons not just eating and imbibing, but also snapping pics of their photogenic foods. The the proliferation of sophisticated smartphones has ushered in dramatic changes in the way we capture those photos and the myriad of ways the tasty images can be utilized. Given forecasts that fully 2.53 billion people will own a smartphone by 2018, more and more diners will be capturing those precious “food porn” shots on these helpful handhelds. As easy and convenient as this is, the result of a gastro-travel oriented trek is hundreds of pictures and videos from a given “victual vacation.” That’s the upside. The downside is figuring out what exactly to do with all of those image assets.
Enter UrLife, the brainchild of Jack Giarraputo—a prolific Hollywood producer of blockbuster films at Disney, Paramount, Sony, Fox and Warner Bros. that have grossed over $3.5 billion at the box office worldwide (to include 14 films with his producing partner Adam Sandler). Understanding that throngs of people have thousands of photos and videos on their phones, but often have no idea how to parse out the important ones and effectively share those key images with family and friends, Giarraputo set out to solve this problem Hollywood-style. So he also enlisted Ryan Hegenberger, who has created campaigns for some of the most profitable films in Hollywood history. His movie trailers for major Hollywood studios have helped to generate over $15 billion in worldwide box office. And so UrLife was born.
You may be familiar with those automated Facebook summaries celebrating friendship anniversaries and other special milestones, where moments are randomly pulled from your photo archive and integrated into a presentation template that can then be shared. Unfortunately, you may have found that some of those precious robot-populated memories were of moments you didn’t care much for at all, and may have been underwhelmed by the cookie-cutter graphics in the video template. And, of course, those clips are relegated only to the Facebook platform, specifically.
With the UrLife website and smartphone app, Giarraputo has taken this concept to incredible new heights—but using humans instead of a bot—and in a way that also resolves the issue of “what to do” with all of those wonderful images and videos that would otherwise languish on your device. This A-list caliber service utilizes both pics and vids from a given trip or event, as well as a bit of background or contextual information that you provide, to make slick Hollywood-style mini-movies that are entirely customized—complete with crafty storylines, graphics and professional voiceover—to ensure only the most desirable moments are included in spectacular, social media-shareable form.
Most impressively, UrLife is not an automated robo service. Rather, it adds in real-life editors who understand the difference in “value” between a photo of you and your loved one in front of that epic winery and a photo of your favorite cookbook cover to personally handcraft the trailer, ensuring the result is top notch. In fact, UrLife’s team is made up of highly skilled and experienced movie and television editors, voice artists and editors with Hollywood “flair”. They’ll curate the very best moments from your foodie-forward vacation or other special event and make certain they’re presented in their best light so you can reminisce about the tantalizing trip for years to come—and share across any social media platform.
Prices range from $295 for a 1-minute Short Recap, to $595 for a 2.5 minute Mini-Movie, to $995 for a full 5-minute UrLife Movie. Customized packages are also available. For inspiration, sample videos are available online at www.urlifemedia.com.
Of course, there are many different uses for this technology. Not only is UrLife stellar for those cuisine-centric travel photos, but it’s also a perfect solution for holidays and other special occasions sparking a litany of foodie photographs, like a wedding, anniversary, graduation or a milestone birthday that you want to preserve in fabulous form forever.
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As the Executive Editor and Producer of “The Luxe List,” Merilee Kern is an internationally-regarded consumer product trends expert and hospitality industry voice of authority—a travel, dining, leisure and lifestyle expert who spotlights noteworthy marketplace innovations, change makers, movers and shakers. She reports on exemplary travel destinations and experiences, extraordinary events and newsworthy products and services across all categories. Reach her online at www.TheLuxeList.com, on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/LuxeListEditor, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheLuxeList and on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/LuxeListReviews.
***Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above may have been provided or arranged at no cost to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way.***
