Michael Ayjian and Stephen Skeel, two ambitious juniors in Tisch’s film program, have successfully created their own film production company, 7 Wonders Cinema.

As CEOs of their own company, Ayijan and Skeel are in full control of their work, directing, producing, screenwriting, shooting and editing all of their content. They take their work seriously. So far, they have set up their own website, made an imprint on social media and established their Limited Liability Company (LLC) just last year.

Skeel commented on how they had to adjust their mindset in order to bring 7 Wonders Cinema to fruition.

“When we first started out the company we were thinking in the mind of a filmmaker, but then you realize you have to start thinking in the mind of a business person,” Skeel said. “For example, getting our LLC established, doing our taxes, hiring a CPA — we have to hire all these people and that’s stemming from filmmaking at the core and then learning to be a business person at the same time.”

Their work includes music videos and branded and original content, while often collaborating with critically acclaimed and award winning professionals. Their clientele varies from renowned talented artists such as musician Raymond Angry from The Roots, actress Queen Latifah and their most current advertisement campaign for Loopit earbuds by Re.Design Studio. 

Vanessa Chan, the creator and chief designer of Loopit, hired 7 Wonders to create a video campaign to promote her latest invention. The stylish earbuds have magnets on both ends, allowing for them to never get tangled. The headphones come in two different styles: a lightweight aluminum chain wrapped around a wired cable that could be worn as a necklace, or a black stitched leather cord for more casual attire.

It was up to 7 Wonders Cinema to make a campaign that would appeal to the consumer, investor and, most importantly, properly advertise the product. Skeel and Ayjian worked in collaboration with director Justin Kroma to produce a video that was not only visually appealing, but sold the headphones. The duo designed chose to write a comedic skit for the commercial, in which a girl carelessly walks through New York with her untangled Loopit headphones, as others around her strive to get their earbuds untangled.

The video was launched on the 7 Wonders Cinema Youtube channel and posted on Loopit’s Kickstarter campaign, which had a goal of $15,000. The video has appealed to many investors and has now exceeded the initial goal, reaching upwards of $31,000 since the video advertisement was posted.

In a cutting edge industry where students can be seen as amateurs, Ayjian and Skeel break the stereotype by providing professionalism and originality to all their clients.

“It’s really about making everyone happy, and making sure that we are representing the product in the best possible manner, while still entertaining people because our job is to sell the product,” said Ayjian. “If we’re not entertaining people, then they’re not going to watch the whole video to find out what the product is.”

A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 22 print edition. Email Andrea Aniceto-Chavez at [email protected].