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The Tamer Tewfik International Fan Club

Contributed by TTIFC.com


In 2000, Tamer came to New York to pursue a career in music. Among his audiences were a number of children who recognized both Tamer’s talent and his passion. By June 2001 they had formed a fan club. Within a year it had grown into the Tamer Tewfik International Fan Club.

Left, Tamer is presented with the official fan-club materials and told of the launch by Maggie (left) and Krista (right)

Membership has included the usual fan club perks: discounts on shows and CDs, Tamer memorabilia and exclusive events. In addition to regular performances the fan club has had the opportunity to participate in The Jazz Assembly, a unique program, created by Tamer, incorporating elements from all core-curriculum subjects to teach students the valuable history and tenets of jazz. With humor, fun and, most important, sincerity, Tamer continues to introduce new generations to Jazz and the Great American Songbook.

“Tamer is a remarkable musical talent with an amazing quest to unite children with the importance of Jazz music. He has a unique way of treating these children as equals, giving him the upper hand to prove how fun and educational music is.” - Krista Sarubbi, TTIFC co-founder.

The favorite fan club event has been the annual luncheon. Tamer and the fan club have shared oysters on the waterfront, Hibachi on Staten Island, even history at the 56th Fighter Group. Most importantly they have shared Tamer’s music and the passion they had seen on stage. Each lunch has been a celebration of music and friendship, of talent and passion and reaching for one’s dreams.

left, Tamer with Caity Sarubbi at the second fan-club luncheon having oysters on the waterfront.

“If you don’t know jazz, then your life knows no meaning. Listen to Tamer and he’ll give your day a warm start. Louis Armstrong said, ‘If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.’ Kids ask what everything is. Tamer lets us know.” - Caity Sarubbi, TTIFC President

Fan club support has hardly been a one-way road. Just a kid himself in many ways, Tamer has encouraged and actively supported the members while still maintaining all the joy and wonder too many of us outgrow.

Tamer's most recent CD, Second Chances, is a TTIFC production. Spearheaded by President Caity Sarubbi and with Tamer's full support and trust, the fan club has worked hard to produce Tamer's first collection of original material. They have chosen everything from the cover art to the songs and everything in between. Listen to Second Chances on iTunes.

Co-founder Krista Sarubbi recently graduated from Penn State University with her BFA in technical theatre. While still a student she was stage manager of a number of shows in which Tamer appeared; she headed the crew of Seascape with Sharks and Dancer which won the Spotlight On Theatre Award for Best Sound Design for a design that featured Tamer's original music, and has even appeared with him on-stage.

Co-founder Maggie Robinson is currently attending Molloy University where she is a proud member of the Molloy Vocal Ensemble while working toward her BS in Music Therapy, an established healthcare profession that uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals of all ages. Now a powerful stage presence with an equally strong voice, Maggie first performed in public when Tamer invited the shy teen to join him at the piano during a club appearance.

“Tamer is a true renaissance man. His passion for music is infectious, as is his passion for teaching. Knowing him on a personal level, and working with him professionally, is an absolute honor.” - Maggie Robinson, co-founder.

Left, Tamer with fan-club member Tim Sarubbi during a fan club meeting in 2002

President Clinton was in office, the Twin Towers stood majestically in the New York City skyline and Tamer's star was on the rise. The children that first formed TTIFC are young adults now; some have followed Tamer into show business, some into music, still others into education. As they continue to grow and follow their dreams they still share with Tamer that passion they saw on stage so many years ago.

Where is the Sound in "Lights, Camera, Action"?

We started out in this business as location sound engineers for film and television.

Professional sound engineering is a very big part of what we do and we continue to do it on a steady basis. Our biggest clients are NFL Films in Mount Laurel and NASCAR Images in Charlotte, North Carolina.

left, SQP president Tamer Tewfik with a Tim McGraw look-a-like at the NFL kickoff this past September in Pittsburgh. The reality episodes are now airing on NFL Full Contact on TruTV, Monday nights at 10pm.

In all the years we have been involved in sound we have worked for almost every major film studio and network you can think of.

You have heard the line "Lights, Camera, Action", right? We ask, "What about the Sound?" Why isn't sound included in that line? Isn't sound important? Have you ever had to hit mute on your remote control and watch an emotional scene in a movie? It loses all it's power. A quality still picture can stand alone to tell a story but add music to a slide-show and it's 1000% better. Moving pictures are powerless without quality audio.

We have always believed that sound is the most important element in telling "the story". It is no wonder that there are entire departments in quality production organizations that are dedicated only to producing quality audio and music. It has always been puzzling to me why some of our film interns who have graduated with a degree in film know so little about recording quality audio. We've also noticed that some of the smaller production companies we come across are very proficient with their graphic design, animation and camera movement but lack quality sound in their produced pieces.

right-above, SQP audio Engineer Andrew Miller mixing audio for a cameraman during a shoot for Versus.

left, SQP audio Engineer Brendan Krivda mixing audio for a sit-down interview for Nascar.

Achieving quality audio is not just a matter of buying any old microphone and throwing it up somewhere. It is also a matter of knowing which mic to use in each situation. There are many factors to consider: which mic will you use, where will you place it, how is the room or location space affecting your audio? What about external influences and ambient noise like air conditioners, outside construction, or the vocal timbre of the talent, etc. There are also many different mics out there: condenser, dynamic, shotgun (cardioid and hyper-cardioid), lavaliers and different wireless systems. Many different brands at different costs. A good sound-man knows which mic to use in a specific situation and experience in the field is the only thing that can teach you how to make good decisions in the midst of it all.

right, Artist Ben Folds during an interview for NFL Films. SQP supplied Ben with special mics specific for his piano and voice.

Quality sound engineers are included in every SQP shoot package that requires audio. If SQP is on the job, you can feel secure knowing that your project will sound as good as it looks. If you have a production crew assembled and you need a quality soundman, you can count on SQP to send you a true professional. All soundmen that we work with have many years of professional broadcast experience. Most have been on the job with us personally. We never send anyone to a job that we have not seen in the field working at a high standard. Contact SQP today to inquire about our first rate sound engineers.