A couple of local artists are exposing the world to the beauty of Tampa, and to a catchy beat! Musician Johnny Maio and videographer Caleb Oosterling, both 22, have produced an exceptional music video which showcases many of the sites and scenes of Tampa, all to an upbeat, infectious original song, Hometown.
Maio, a multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter, moved to Tampa from Chicago with his family in 1997. He graduated from the USF School of Music in 2017 and has worked as a Busch Gardens musician for three years. Oosterling, a Tampa native, began his award-winning videography career while a student at Wiregrass Ranch High School. He and wife, Gabrielle, own and operate Oosterling Videography.
In the manner of Owl City’s Adam Young, Maio played all the instruments and recorded the Hometown song in his Carrollwood bedroom on his Mac. Then he and Oosterling hit the road to capture the beautiful images of Tampa. Next the Oosterlings worked their production and editing magic in their home studio.
The resulting music video is reaping widespread praise and attention, most recently in the form of film festival accolades. Less than one month since its release, Hometown has been named “Film of the Month” for May 2018 at New York’s Oasis Short Film Festival and will be featured in Denver at the Intendence Film Festival in June. Hometown has also been accepted by international festivals, so worldwide audiences will see the beautiful lights of Curtis Hixon Park, the Bull Fountain of USF, the Florida Aquarium, the gigantic Bucs flag, the Lightning bolts, the lovely Hillsborough Bay, the Kumba at Busch Gardens, and many other unique local treasures. Maio and Oosterling are happy the video is bringing attention to the Tampa area, as the guys are both proud of their city.
“One of the festivals asked us what our budget was for the music video. Their lowest category was $5000.00. All it really cost was a tank of gas and about $35.00 in Chick-Fil-A drive through,” said Maio. Truly a labor love from two very talented young artists dedicated to their hometown, Tampa.
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