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
There was a significant reduction in the number of antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island in 2025, according to a national Jewish advocacy group.
According to the Anti-Defamation League’s latest Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, there were 26 antisemitic incidents in the state last year. That’s down from the 52 incidents counted by the group in 2024.
Samantha Joseph, New England regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, says a big reason for the reduction is a steep decline in antisemitism on college campuses.
“It shows that campus administrators are taking their responsibilities very seriously to provide a safe environment for all of their students,” said Joseph.
Brown University had over $500 million in federal funding frozen by the Trump administration last year following investigations into alleged antisemitism on campus. The funding was restored after Brown reached a settlement with the administration.
The reduction in antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island reflects a wider trend in New England as a whole. According to the ADL’s report, there were 400 antisemitic incidents in the region in 2025, compared to 638 the previous year.
While she’s pleased about the overall drop in antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island, Joseph says a number of concerning trends continue to persist. In particular, the state is still seeing more anti-Jewish incidents than it did prior to the October 7 attacks on Israel that launched the Gaza War in 2023.
Joseph is also concerned about the violent nature of local incidents of antisemitism.
“Even though overall incidents are down, assaults are up and assaults with a deadly weapon are up significantly,” said Joseph. “Our communities remain concerned for their safety, and our work is far from done.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Severe thunderstorms are possible Sunday evening as a cold front arrives in Central Texas. KXAN’s First Warning Weather Team will keep you updated on the weather coverage.
Risks to be aware of are damaging wind gusts that could reach as high as 60 to 75 mph and large hail up to quarter size.
Weather Resources:
Live Updates:
5:22 p.m.: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is issued for all counties except for Milam County.
3:51 p.m.: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for Mason, San Saba, and Lampasas County until 9:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m.: The primary risk for Sunday’s severe weather is damaging wind gusts which could cause power outages.
3:26 p.m.: Storms will likely move toward the I-35 corridor around 6 p.m. Most of the storms will enter the Hill Country around 6 p.m. and the Austin metro counties after 8 p.m.
Video of new Texas Tech System chancellor home at historic Lubbock property
The Texas Tech System is acquiring the historic Tudor Revival ‘English Home’ in Lubbock to serve as the new chancellor’s residence.
Money and rankings don’t make a great university. Providing opportunities for disadvantaged students and protecting academic freedom, however, do.
Case in point: Michael and Susan Dell recently surpassed $1 billion in giving to the University of Texas at Austin, launching a plan to build a new medical center and advanced research campus in north Austin.
To be sure, this is a magnanimous gift that will fund important initiatives. While enormously grateful for this contribution, I am disappointed that this gift was not accompanied with a strong message from Michael Dell admonishing the University for gutting DEI and infringing upon academic freedom.
As a colleague of mine astutely observed: “Good luck recruiting doctors and med students. The attacks on DEI and political climates will mean a lot more than rankings and money long-term.”
UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife, referencing the Dell gift, is right: “We are transforming this site into a new campus the world has never seen before.” Yes, never seen, but in a very negative and dangerous way!
Last week, I received a message from the Texas Exes: “This is your last chance to show your support during 40 Hours for the Forty Acres, UT Austin’s Texas-sized fundraising event. Can we count on you?”
My answer: “No, absolutely not. I won’t give one dime to a university that no longer is committed to diversity and preserving academic freedom.”
Having proudly taught at UT for 41 years, I am sad to say this.
– Richard Cherwitz, Ph.D. is the Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial Professor Emeritus, Moody College of Communication and Founding Director, Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium (IE) at The University of Texas at Austin.
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