15 Jan 2014
The NEW Monarex.com
Hello and welcome to the new world of Monarex!
Chris and I (JJ), are very happy to be opening our doors to you. We have worked together for over 7 years, but Chris has been running Monarex for 50 years as of 2014! It is on this momentous anniversary that we are renewing Monarex as a 21st Century company, with lofty goals for the future.
JJ and Chris in Nanjing, Jiangsu of China November 2012
What do we do?
We are a documentary production company that is currently focused on opening the doors of China to a Western audience. Most of our films are cultural explorations, with a bit of travelogue tied in. These are the core films of the Mysterious China Series. However, recently we have been moving towards mixing in some harder hitting films that shine a light on China’s historic relations with the West and Japan that leave you asking “Why was I never told this!?” In short, our goal is to expose a different world to you. We enjoy that discovery process ourselves and its a dream job for Chris and I.
What is the purpose of this website?
To offer a platform by which to share our work with an interested community. You may be interested in China, or Asian history. Perhaps you are a filmmaker and want to see what ‘these guys’ are doing. A graphic artist who thinks I don’t totally suck. Or maybe you are just happening upon us after some strange disaster of a web-search. Whatever the case, we hope something we are offering is up your alley. This whole concept is pretty daunting for a small company like us, so growing pains are probably in our future. I’d love to offer a forum, for example… but as of launch, I have NO idea if anyone would ever it. So along those lines, please tell me your thoughts. I am happy to hear from you, whatever you have to say.
Can I buy your films?
Yes! …almost. We plan on offering most of our content completely free, and our films are available for varying amounts, between $3-$12. They will be available through Vimeo, in HD when available, for rent or download. To view our films on a television screen, streaming will work if you have the correct television or interface, such as Apple TV (this is a great option). If not, the full download off of Vimeo allows a number of options for viewing via hard drive through a TV or media server. For those who may not know this, most recent Blu Ray or DVD players offer a USB port to plug in a thumb drive. You can load our film onto that drive and watch it as though it were straight off a disc.
