Along with her husband Cory Cope, Jennifer Owen runs Flyspace Productions, a full service event management and production company. Together with their clients, they present some of the regionâs biggest festivals and special projectsâfrom the Three Rivers Arts Festival to public art installations. Passionate about the Northside, Jen and Cory have been working to renovate an old warehouse on Federal Street into their future home and love everything about their neighborhood.
Monday, April 6
Today Iâm returning home from six weeks on the road with Show Ready Events as an Event Manager for the First Robotics Competition. Iâve visited cities from San Antonio to New Orleans to Washington D.C., but none compare to Pittsburgh.
I will also be voting for the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival to be named the number one arts festival in the country, according to 10 best and USA Today. Voting ends on Monday, April 13, so I will keep it up each day to help Pittsburgh earn yet another number one listing!
Tonight is date night, and each week when I get home from being on the road, my husband Cory Cope and I head out for dinner and something fun. Tonight we are going to hit Row House Cinema and Nickyâs Thai on the Northside, one of our faves!
Tuesday, April 7
Tuesdays are planning meeting days. My company, Flyspace Productions, is responsible for the operations and production of many of the great festivals that take place in Pittsburgh each year. At the moment, we are gearing up for a number of events including the EQT Childrenâs Theater Festival, Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival and Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival.
In the morning, Iâll start my day by meeting with the team to finalize the details for the inaugural EverPower Earth Day Festival. This one-day event will take place in Market Square on Wednesday, April 22 from 11a.m. to 8 p.m. Itâs going to be an awesome day with great bands, fun activities, giveaways and the chance to learn about the organizations making a difference in our region.
Before I head home from work, I will get over to the PNC YMCA for a yoga class to help unwind for the day.
Wednesday, April 8
This morning, a railing will be installed at the house we are building on the Northside. Cory and I bought a power station that was built in the 1880s and weâve been working to renovate the building and vacant land around it for the past several years. When we are done we will have our dream home and will have done all of the work ourselves. Coryâs dad even drives in from Johnstown on most weekends to help this labor of love, which is on track to become a LEED for Homes Platinum Certified Project once itâs completed.
In the evening, Iâll be meeting up with some friends for fun and good food at Piccolo Forno in Lawrenceville where weâll enjoy the best pizza in town. We are also eager to enjoy the beautiful new wine bar next door, Grapperia.
Thursday, April 9
I will make my way down to Market Square at lunchtime to see the change to the Market Square Public Art piece, A Winter Landscape Cradling Bits of Sparkle, by artist Jennifer Wen Ma. Flyspace Productions had the pleasure of working with Jennifer and the Office of Public Art to create this installation, and it was an interesting task to ink all of these trees in the dead of winter! I love experiencing this space and seeing the transformation of the trees and the City as they both emerge from winter.
Friday, April 10
Today is our fifth wedding anniversary! On an unseasonably warm day back in 2010, Cory and I tied the knot on the Roberto Clemente Bridge while the sun was setting over the river. It was a magical and very Pittsburgh day complete with fireworks from Zambelli Fireworks Internationale. We love reliving the memories while looking back through pictures of our family and friends from that special day. Itâs hard to believe that itâs been FIVE years; it seems like it was just yesterday.
The Childrenâs Theater Family Series show Flat Stanley opens at the Byham Theater today. We will have some exciting announcements and fun activities about the upcoming EQT Childrenâs Theater Festival, which moved downtown last year and now activates the Cultural District from May 14-17 featuring world-class professional theater performances from around the world.
Saturday, April 11
This morning there are a few events scheduled in the Trust Arts Education Center on Liberty Avenue, a space we support downtown, including the Second Saturday Arts Workshop. This week will focus on making mosaics with Emily McMahon.
I love being downtown on a springtime Saturday. There is so much happening in our City! Iâm looking forward to partying with our friends from Attack Theatre at the Dirty Ball tonight. This event is always such a good time and a great kick off to a fun special events season.
Sunday, April 12
Today Cory and I will be visiting Stageline, a mobile stage manufacturer located in Montreal. They are going to be giving us a tour of their operation, and we will be heading home with our new mobile stage, the Stageline SL100. This stage will be added to our mobile stage rental fleet and will help us better serve events in Pittsburgh with safe, fast and affordable production options. We will begin the long drive home with our new equipment in tow and park it safely at our warehouse on the Northside, where Flyspace Productions has just relocated.
I always love returning to Pittsburgh, no matter how long Iâve been away. The beauty of the city, and the community of friends and neighbors make it specialâand home.
