Austin, TX
UT Austin students and childhood friends create production company
AUSTIN, Texas – A couple of entrepreneurial 19-year-olds from Austin created a production company that they continue to run in their spare time in between classes at UT Austin.
Like every great business startup story, theirs started in college while they were both sitting on the couch.
Creating JHMG Productions
What they’re saying:
John Houston and Mark Greenberg are childhood friends, fraternity brothers at the University of Texas, roommates, and business partners.
“Mark and I are actually lifelong friends,” said John Houston. “I’ve known Mark since I was probably third or fourth grade.”
Greenberg and Houston combined their initials and connections to form JHMG Productions last year as freshmen.
“We were just like sitting on our dorm room couch and just going back and forth,” said Mark Greenberg. “So this past summer, kind of at the end of June, we had our first concert with him down on Sixth Street, where we sold out roughly 700 tickets.”
As social chair of his fraternity, Houston already had experience booking events and venues.
“Live music is crucial, like to that Austin social scene, and it was kind of missing from the UT social scene,” said Houston.
They both wanted to breathe life into the art of live music.
“You might think, ‘Oh, that’s obvious, you would need to get insurance,’ but to a 19-year-old kid in college, that’s not as obvious as you would think,” said Greenberg.
The pair took an idea, turned it into a company, and are learning along the way.
“We had an idea. We didn’t have any money to start it,” said Houston. “If you’re driven, if you put whatever you have into that, good things will come from it.”
With their next show only weeks away, JHMG Productions expects their largest crowd to date.
“49 Winchester really is the pinnacle of what JHMG is supposed to be; that’s going to be our biggest show thus far,” said Houston. “This venue is a lot bigger than, you know, 750 capacity. You know, we could fit 3000 people in here.”
The next show is on April 10, 2025, at the Far Out Lounge in Southeast Austin.
They are giving out a discount code for viewers. If you use the code “FOX7” at checkout, you will receive 10 percent off your tickets.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Katie Pratt
The Texas Longhorns are less than two months away from starting their regular season slate of the 2026 schedule.
Just like last season, the Longhorns have been given unrealistic expectations by some, but will look to avoid the slow start that had everyone counting them out in September. On paper, the Longhorns should be a lot better than they were last season.
A national championship run should be on the table for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his team. One of the reasons that is a possibility is due to the Longhorns have something in common with previous national championship winners.
Legacy Year
Last season, the college football world was enamored by the Indiana Hoosiers. A program that no one saw ever winning the national championship, was hoisting the trophy at the end of the season.
Now, the Hoosiers had a talented roster from top to bottom. But the play of starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the leading factor in this team reaching the mountaintop.
Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has the chance to make that same impression this season. After his first full season as the starting quarterback in Austin last year, there is a growing confidence that Manning is going to be on another level in 2026.
Last season, Manning threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdown passes. If you were to compare those numbers to Mendoza’s last season, the Hoosiers quarterback threw for 3,535 yards and an impressive 41 touchdown passes.
Those numbers make it clear that Manning will have to elevate his performance this season. With a revamped offensive line, the Longhorns quarterback may have the time to rival the numbers of Mendoza from this past season.
But another key piece to the Longhorns’ 2026 roster is a massive wide receiver addition.
It’s going to take the whole village, and Coach Sarkisian went out and got one of the most talented wide receivers in the transfer portal with Cam Coleman.
Coleman had two solid years with the Auburn Tigers and now will look to be the deep field threat for Manning and the Longhorns. The junior receiver’s addition to the roster could take this offensive unit to being one of the top units in the country.
All championship teams have a quarterback who could lead them to victory. Manning could very well be the next elite quarterback to hold a national championship trophy.
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Join several Austin labor unions and community members to honor Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s life and the countless immigrants who have been impacted by ICE.
The community vigil will take place at the Wildflower Church on Saturday, July 11th starting at 6 PM. All are welcome to bring flowers and candles as we honor the loss of life and grieve the separation of families.
Community Vigil Details
🗓️ July 11, 2026 | 6:00 – 8:00 PM
🗺️ 1314 E Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704
🚗 Public transit and rideshare encouraged! Limited parking available and overflow parking may be available at Travis High School.
Please consider donating to the family’s GoFundMe if you are able: https://bit.ly/atx4lorenzo
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A report released by the think tank Texas 2036 claims that ten state laws implemented between 2019 and 2025 led to “one of the nation’s most comprehensive strategies for connecting education to careers.”
The report is titled “The Next Generation of the Texas Miracle.” It can be read below.
Mary Lynn Pruneda, Texas 2036’s director of education and workforce policy, said in an announcement accompanying the report that the reforms have been steps in the right direction.
“Texas has a bright economic future ahead of it, but we have to make sure that Texas students are equipped to share in this prosperity,” she said. “Texas needs to double down on improving and investing in high-quality career pathways so that all Texas students can take part in the Texas Miracle. Thankfully, due to the Legislature’s great work over the past four sessions, we are on our way to that critical goal.”
The report gives several data points, such as a 532% increase in high schoolers earning “post-secondary credentials” since 2018, or that community colleges awarded 140,000 “credentials of value” in 2024.
It paints a rosy picture of the future Texas economy, but doesn’t source its data or explain how it reached these conclusions. It’s apparent that the think tank wants further laws related to Texas’ workforce and education.
“Texas 2036 is actively engaged in that process, pushing for data modernization and interoperability reforms that would allow the state to track whether credentials are meeting real employer needs in communities across the state,” said the think tank in its announcement.
Grace Atkins, policy advisor of postsecondary education for Texas 2036, called the think tank’s report “encouraging.”
“The early results are encouraging: more students are earning credentials that can help them move into good jobs, and that is real progress,” she said. “For students and families, these pathways can be the difference between getting by and getting ahead. The next step is making sure more Texans can earn credentials that lead to strong wages, real career options and greater economic mobility.”
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