The T.C. Studios Story
T.C. Studios was officially created in the Spring of 2016 after Jamie and Ali Jacobs spent most of their time trying to figure out how to turn their love of art, creativity, event-planning & community into a business & platform for themselves and other artists to join as well.
Rewind to the winter of 2014 when Ali & Jamie met at a small group at church and connected over their love for Jesus & the arts.
Jamie was passionate about music, played in a band and loved creating artworks like dream catcher sculptures & jewelry, both of which mirror his pure-blooded Native American heritage. He loved planning & throwing events, managing social media platforms and marketing of all kinds.
Ali grew up in a family full of artists and had been drawing and painting as long as she could remember. She received a scholarship to the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, where she received Dean’s List honors as a painting major for 2 years before taking a break from school and eventually finishing the general education program at community college.
The two quickly became a team, started to earn a living through using their gifts any way they could (selling artwork at festivals, craft shows, hosting live music performances, etc.), and made the unofficial art platform: Tribal Connections. Still trying to narrow down what they were called to do with Tribal Connections and continuing to pursue any art-related opportunities presented, the couple would travel to Ocean City, MD to set up an interactive music & art section at the convention center with the Metro MD Youth For Christ (YFC) conferences. Ocean City would later become a large part of their journey, but until then, some other doors were opening back “home” in Baltimore County.
Later that year, a friend was going full-time with YFC and hosting a series of fundraisers. She reached out to Ali and asked if they would be interested in instructing a “paint night” fundraiser. At the time, they had never even heard of a paint night but thought it sounded really fun and even better because it contributed to a good cause. After the event and a little research, the Jacobs’ realized that the paint night thing was actually a really popular social activity and more specifically, a newer industry, founded on fundraising in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The industry exploded across the country, giving groups a fun new way to socialize through art and raise money for good causes. The Jacobs were intrigued.
Following the first experience with the paint night fundraiser, the couple continued praying about their direction and capitalizing on art-related opportunities (commission artwork, residential & commercial murals, music, etc.). At church one week, one of the women’s group directors asked Ali to lead a paint night for the ladies as a fun social activity. The event was a blast and it felt great being able to combine art with community. To their surprise, the director handed them a thank-you note with cash enclosed, afterward. What they thought was a volunteer opportunity with the women's group was actually confirmation that they were on the right path. At the time, the couple really needed the money and felt as though God was affirming their direction - could this paint night thing be their business?
The Jacobs’ continued to host paint nights as fundraisers at local churches, then at some local restaurants/venues as well. Additionally, they took on handyman jobs, with murals being their favorite! In September of 2015, Jamie and Ali got married, not expecting what the next year had in store. During their next trip to Ocean City for a YFC conference, they started inquiring about potential art jobs in the town for both murals as well as paint parties. Considering there was not too much going on art-wise, other than at the Art League, they saw an opportunity to pioneer the arts in OC. They began asking local businesses what they would think of a paint party company coming to town and received positive feedback. Likewise, they connected with a few local businesses who were interested in murals at their establishments. Needless to say, doors were opening for Tribal Connections in Ocean City.
Before long, they started to make frequent trips to the beach, checking out Chamber of Commerce mixers and continuing to connect with local businesses. Back in Baltimore, Tribal Connections was officially transformed into T.C. Studios LLC, and a business plan was developed. They stumbled upon an open-floor commercial space for rent on 15th street in downtown OC.
Only eight months into their first year of marriage, the Jacobs’ signed the lease on 15th street, picked up their life in Baltimore County, and moved into an efficiency apartment right outside of Salisbury, MD. Through their faith in God, support from friends, a lot of hard work, sacrifice, tears and dedication, they were able to transform the space into a party venue/office headquarters to run their business, which is constantly developing. Despite hardships, like a massive sinkhole nearly condemning the building during their first year on site, among other struggles along the way, they have persevered and worked through the hard times, because they believe nothing great comes easily.
Since June of 2016, T.C. Studios has become an award-winning Paint Party company, which services OC, Delmarva and the greater Baltimore area. It’s open year-round for both public and private events, in the studio venue as well as partnered venues in 15 different towns (and growing). They also offer other services like beautification/revitalization through mural painting. The Jacobs’ have been awarded 2018 Volunteer of the Year by the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce, a Key to the City, Governor’s Citations, Organization Award by the OC Developmental Corporation for beautification of downtown OC, and Top 10 Wine & Paint Studios in MD. In 2017, Jamie was one of 7 nominees for MD Capital Enterprise’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
The Jacobs’ have been blessed with and are grateful for a growing team of amazing artists and thousands of dedicated customers, and look forward to serving you!
