About
Feel the Rhythm, see the Light.
We are a Chicago-based media company producing a variety of original work independently including dramatic films, documentaries, television programs, and podcasts. We are storytellers with the goal of enlightening the mind and lifting the spirit to facilitate a greater understanding of the world around us. As writer Alex Kotlowitz said on our podcast show, Rhythm of Life, “the centripetal force of great story-telling is empathy.”
As part our mission, our most recent documentary project is LEAPS OF FAITHS, which took on the subject of interfaith marriage, examining how couples navigate the sensitive terrain of raising children in two religions. The unintended consequence of making this film over six years is that a powerful paradigm for acceptance was revealed.
We also manage and develop projects around the most extensive Gospel Music television archive in the world from JUBILEE SHOWCASE…the Emmy-Award winning TV show that aired in Chicago for 21 years, that uniquely bridged the worlds of Gospel, Blues and R&B and was a precursor to modern Soul music. It was “church before church,” and Rhythm & Light produced a special for PBS (national broadcast) to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. Most recently we created a 36-song audio compilation from this ground-breaking show, that is distributed by Warner Music Group and was written about in Rolling Stone Magazine. A documentary and series about the show are also in development.
Rhythm & Light has also ventured into the paradigm of podcasts to tell stories in a unique and substantive way, most recently with the long-format interview show, Rhythm of Life. Guests have included the musical icon Mavis Staples, writer Alex Kotlowitz, actor Ernie Hudson, and most recently Fred Hampton’s attorney, Flint Taylor. We take an unflinching look at how Taylor and his colleagues were able to shine a light on the orchestrated assassination of Fred Hampton, which was part of a larger counterintelligence program initiated by the FBI.
Rhythm & Light also produced an intense neo-noir dramatic film called, THE MAN IN THE SILO. Ernie Hudson delivers a powerful performance in the lead role, having to confront his inner demons and push past his own unraveling after suffering a tragic loss. Indie Wire wrote, “Vet actor Ernie Hudson…A genuine tour de force performance.” An unconventional film from its inception, The Man In The Silo, is scored to Bernard Hermann’s music from the film, Vertigo, using a grander musical arrangement than the original recordings. And, we see a cameo performance by Billy Zabka, now starring in the popular Netflix series, Cobra Kai, and hear an eerie performance from Doug Jones who has appeared Hell Boy and Pans Labyrinth.
BACKGROUND
It all started over two decades ago when Steve's good friend, Jeremy said, “Steve, I'm curious to see how you are going to combine your passions for music and film & video production.” Well that is what has happened with the formation of Rhythm & Light.
Steve has always been passionate about music. He played drums at a young age, piano, violin, and participated in the Kenwood Academy High School choir led by Lena McLin, the niece of the founder of Gospel music, Thomas A. Dorsey. This choir turned out some amazing talent throught the years, and performed a wide variety of music including Classical and Gospel. Lena McLin also appeared on Steve's father's show, Jubilee Showcase, which aired on the Chicago ABC local affiliate television station, WLS-TV, from 1963 — 1984. Needless to say, Steve took in a lot of Gospel music as a kid, along with a wide spectrum of other forms of music.
He was exposed to artists such as Santana, Stevie Wonder, George Clinton, The Police, etc. and found himself being drawn to Jazz, specifically John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock, and Latin Jazz moving into adult-hood. He has since found his passsion with playing the congas, always feeling rhythm flow through him, hence the Rhythm in the Rhythm & Light.
Being the son of an Emmy Award winning producer and Civil Rights activist, Sid Ordower, Steve grew up with a sense of producing, along with a deeply felt desire to bring harmony and unity to the world. Steve is passionate about doing this through film and video production, especially through documentary work, since it is so powerful with bringing people into one another's experiences. It was Steve's good friend and colleague, Rollie Hudson, who came up with the name of Rhythm & Light as the two teamed up to work together on the Jubilee Showcase documentary project. Since then, they have shot several notable interviews, teaming up with Greg Jackson to shoot them, and Steve brought in Jan Muller to co-edit the trailer for this project.
While continuing to work on the Jubilee Showcase project, Rhythm & Light got involved with the Genesis Project (created to bring about unity through the arts with Jewish, Persian, and Arab peoples), and branched out into dramatic film working with Director Phil Donlon on Wrestled, and The Man in the Silo.
Since then, Steve has met several people in the industry that share his commitment to quality and integrity. Rhythm & Light is not merely a production company, but also a structure for seasoned professionals to empower one another.