UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.— Travis Capacete and Justin Jarrett love a good story, which makes sense because they are a part of one. The Penn State classmates-turned-business-partners went from working out of an apartment without a single camera to leading an award-winning production company that has completed film projects around the world.

The origin story of Capacete and Jarrett’s company, JTWO.tv, has the elements of a compelling tale – adversity, camaraderie, tragedy and triumph. It also includes a long journey, which is chronicled in a full-length documentary that launched the company in 2009 when they were seniors at Penn State.

Over Christmas break of that year, Jarrett’s lifelong best friend Aaron Klinger died in a car accident. The friends had dreamed of biking across the United States together before graduating from college. Jarrett intended on keeping that promise and began working on “For Aaron,” a tribute that documents his 3,000-mile trek in Klinger’s honor. The film received many accolades, including awards at national and international festivals.

“That feature-length documentary was like a springboard,” Jarrett said. “Every single thing I learned as a young filmmaker, from the time I was 12 until the time I graduated film school, went into that film.”

Jarrett called Capacete, a fellow film major, for some editing help. Jarrett mentioned that he was running a production company by himself, and “For Aaron” would be the first project. Capacete wanted to be a part of it. The Penn State seniors met at a bar for a beer, discussed details, and have been partners ever since.

An early plot twist

As the two creative minds were set to graduate with film degrees from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, there was one problem — a rather big problem.

It was 2009. The Great Recession was at its peak. Money was tight and jobs were scarce. They admit, it wasn’t a great time to start a new business.

“When we were starting ‘For Aaron,’ we knew we were starting the company too, but it was going to be three months of time biking across the United States,” Capacete said. “So, I stayed back. I got a job at NFL Films as an editor, and I just tried to build up our client list and bank some money.”

They chose Philadelphia to set up shop. Confident in their skills, they felt being bigger fish in a smaller pond would benefit them. They both grew up in Pennsylvania, so they could rely on local connections and their roots to the area.

From there, “it was a steady increase,” Capacete said. ‘We started exponentially growing and growing and growing.”

JTWO has run hundreds of projects of all types in 50 states, as well as other countries, including Haiti and India. Despite the quick success, the duo says staying grounded will help them in the long term.

“I will always feel like the little guy with a hustler mentality, because that's where we came from,” Jarrett said. “When you jump from film school to running a company, you're always going to have the filmmaker-student attitude that everything is a grind. Everything is a hustle.”

Capacete and Jarrett never want to lose that spirit. It’s how, they say, they compete with multi-million-dollar Hollywood productions with crews of 100 or more people. Creativity, relationships and continuous learning have been integral to their success.  But the most important ingredient is storytelling.   

“Story is everything” is a maxim at the center of every JTWO project. From advertisements to long-form documentaries, from action shots to animations, the company weaves exciting storytelling into everything it does.

Watch a reel of JTWO productions.

“We knew we weren’t always going to have the tools to compete with other studios,” Jarrett said, “but we knew we could compete with our brains, our minds and our imaginations. If you really concentrate on the story, it doesn't matter what camera you're using.”

The power of a good story

Stories powered JTWO when it was two recent graduates sharing an apartment. Today, with a dedicated staff of producers, directors, writers, editors and designers, and offices in Philadelphia and Chicago, their mission statement has not changed — the story is absolutely everything.

JTWO’s list of offerings and breadth of clients and collaborators illustrate how important Capacete and Jarett’s values are to their company’s achievements. Lifelong sports fans, the duo has created content for ESPN, the NFL, Victus Sports and several pro teams. They have also worked with global companies like Johnson & Johnson, DC Comics, Comcast and more.

“We can work with anybody,” said Capacete, who oversees the business side of JTWO. “We tell clients to look at our work. Just because we haven’t done something, doesn’t mean we can’t do it. Talk to us. Let us know what your goal is, and we’ll make it happen.”

The Penn State alums have also put a lot of energy into nonprofit work and supporting causes dear to their hearts. With the initiative, “Projects that Matter,” they offer their skills and talents to organizations that address a range of causes, from health to safety to poverty to community needs.

“We try to lower our rates for some of these companies so we can still give them the same attention,” Capacete said. “These people work for such good causes, and a lot of the companies are so grateful for the work we do to support them.”

Campaigns from the “Projects that Matter” program include "American Nurse Heroes" and "Life Aid," both Discovery Channel shows, and many public service announcements with stars like Simone Biles and Shaquille O’Neal. Jarrett says they’ve worked with Shaq more than a dozen projects.

The company also supports young filmmakers. JTWO runs an internship program, and Capacete and Jarrett are always looking for ways to give back, including making special connections with current Bellisario College students.

Jarrett says many students think they’ll be the “next Steven Spielberg or Christopher Nolan,” but he likes to remind them that there are many other opportunities for those interested in a film career.

“There are a million and one ways to make a living as a filmmaker,” he said. “It isn't necessarily in Hollywood. There are so many people I graduated with from Penn State working in the film industry in various capacities all over the country.”

He added, “It’s a hard profession, but don’t give up. There are so many different ways to apply the knowledge you learn while you're in school.”

Just don’t forget, he said, “the story is everything.”