Santa Clarita resident Manzie Jones had dreams of filmmaking ever since the age of six. As time passed, he pursued his passion for creating stories by writing, producing and directing small films. Through a chance encounter at a birthday party, Manzie met a producer from the Lifestyle Network. After pitching the idea of his new series, The Art of Life was born.
The series premiered last October on Lifestyle Network. Each episode follows host Jennifer Besina, who is also a Santa Clarita resident and mother of four children. Expect the unexpected, and get ready for high flying adventure as Jennifer pushes the envelope to see how far she’ll go. “Jennifer is a real good sport and it’s great that she’s experiencing all these adventures,” states Manzie. “She has never said no to any of my show ideas, even if I text her that she has to jump out of a plane.” Her reply, “Awesome, sounds great!”
Manzie, Director and Producer, took a moment to talk with us about his television series.
What sparked you to create The Art of Life?
The concept of The Art of Life came about in 2013 on a flight from Boston to L.A.
Earlier that day I was running the Boston Marathon and closing in on the finish when two bombs erupted injuring hundreds of people and emotionally damaging thousands. My wife was waiting for me at the finish and when the bombs went off, chaos and panic ensued. The cell phones were cut off so I had no way of knowing if she was safe or where to find her. Later, on the flight home, I couldn’t stop thinking about all life has to offer. I wanted to create a way to inspire people to get out of their comfort zone and try new experiences so I came up with the show The Art of Life. My hope is that viewers are inspired to go out and live a great story, try new things and explore.
What can viewers expect from the show?
The Art of Life is a weekly adventure series where each episode follows host Jennifer Besina as she experiences a new exciting activity. Jennifer will meet with skydivers, Nascar drivers, trapeze artist, and a number of other adventure seekers. Each episode the audience will watch as Jennifer abandons her comfort zone and participates in a new exciting adventure activity. Watch as she skydives from an airplane or races at speeds surpassing a hundred miles an hour; hold your breath as she’s flipped through the air at trapeze school.
The message: “Live Your Passion” it’s never too late to live your dreams.
Where are the shows filmed?
The Art of Life is filmed all over Southern California. We went off-roading in the mud and snow of Big Bear mountain, Sailing in Marina Del Ray, Sky Diving in Elsinore, Hang Gliding in Sylmar and Paintballing right here in our SCV at Paintball USA. California has so much to offer that I don’t think we’ll run short on adventures.
What projects are you currently working on?
The Scarface, Ice-T film is still being shopped around and I have been getting a few calls to produce reality shows but that’s still up in the air. The Art of Life is currently in production wrapping up season one (at time of print) and we will go straight into season two.
The Art of Life airs on Fridays at 10 p.m. EST on LifeStyle Network. To learn more about the show, like their facebook page The Art of Life or follow The Art of Life on Twitter.
