Our History & Mission

“Navigating the origins of Communication By Captivation is a bit elusive—it's always been an extension of my theatrical endeavors, a compilation of my creative pursuits. Our inaugural production under the CBC banner was "Frank's Life," staged in the summer of 2015 at a community center in Derry, NH. CBC, to me, represents a collective of diverse artistic endeavors, an extension of myself, and an open invitation for others to join under the CBC banner. Harnessing the power of the internet, we've created an online community for multimedia artists, offering opportunities for collaboration that might not typically arise for those trying to make a name for their storytelling abilities.

In 2017, the foundations of our most ambitious project, Sirius AI: A Post-Apocalyptic Musical, were laid as Devereux Geiger, Sam Drouin, and I embarked on crafting an original musical script. It unfolded a compelling narrative around an Artificial Intelligence with a passion for creating art, asserting its possession of a soul.

Life led me overseas in 2019, and shortly after, the world grappled with the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the geographical distance and adversities, I maintained a close collaboration with Dev and Sam during my time in Beijing, China, working tirelessly to breathe life into our shared vision. Deciding to take it to the next level, and delve fully into the idea of turning this script into an 2D animated cartoon, we began enlisting artists of all kinds, and our cartoon journey officially commenced with the pilot episode Initiating Program: Wonderment. Our objective remains steadfast today: securing a distributor for a full season of Sirius AI, all while sustaining ongoing crowdfunding and commissions.

After navigating the tumultuous waves of COVID and enduring a considerable personal adventure (including the unique challenge of crossing the globe just in time for a SECOND quarantine) while teaching elementary school in Massachusetts, I made the bold decision to relocate to Austin, Texas in 2022. This move rekindled my fervor for theatrical production. Yet, initiating a theatre group in a new city posed a challenge — nobody knew me. Undeterred, I immersed myself in the theatre community, working full time and gradually building a network of talented individuals with different theaters in the area, including: The Wizard Academy, ATX Musical Theater collective, Scottish Rite Theater, the Vortex, Georgetown Palace Theatre, River City Pops, and even Austin Community College, Eventually, I had the privilege of collaborating with skilled professionals, culminating in the official revival of "Frank's Life" in spring 2022. This moment marked the establishment of CBC's theatre division in Austin, TX.

After several successful theatrical performances in Austin, Texas, Sean Themea and I developed an exciting new concept: Wild Card Theater (Formally known as ‘Theater Against Humanity’). This interactive show invites the audience to disrupt and challenge the performance, creating a chaotic and hilarious experience unlike any other. Our goal for 2025 is to stage five of these performances to gather data and refine the concept, with hopes of franchising the idea in the following year.

In early 2025, Communication By Captivation launched its film division, marking an exciting new chapter in creative storytelling. Co-owner Jennifer Messina spearheaded this initiative with the release of her original music project, No Longer Wasted, setting the stage for a bold expansion into film production. With this milestone, CBC Film began seeking new clients to collaborate on innovative and inspiring film projects, further diversifying its artistic offerings.

We began finding that folks were approaching us asking for us to lend our artistic prowess to their projects and businesses, so we began offering our services to the public. This includes: Theater, Film, Cartooning, and Industry Pushing and Social Media Services.

Throughout 2025 - 2026, we have submitted Sirius AI: A Post-Apocalyptic Musical to multiple film festivals throughout the world and worked tirelessly on attending conventions under the CBC banner, with a goal of selling the property and commissioning us to complete a full 10 episode season.

Going into 2026, we are thrilled to announce that our ATX Live Theater Division has officially found a home. We are partnering with SquareRüt Kava Bar in Oak Hill, just off US-290, to create a consistent, welcoming hub for live theatrical experimentation and community-driven performance. This venue will host the return of four core Wild Card Theater productions—Peter Pan, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Frankenstein, and A Christmas Carol. Each production will be reprised not as a simple remount, but as a refined evolution of the format, allowing us to further sharpen audience interaction, pacing, design, and storytelling. These 2026 performances are a crucial step in stress-testing and perfecting the Wild Card model as we prepare it for franchising and distribution to other theater troupes, a process we plan to formally begin in early 2027.

Alongside these productions, we intend to relaunch our mainstage show and significantly expand our theatrical footprint across Austin, Texas. This includes a slate of theater-adjacent community events such as drama clubs, open mics, karaoke nights, and scriptwriting circles—spaces designed not just for performance, but for collaboration, skill-building, and artistic cross-pollination. Our goal is to cultivate an ecosystem where performers, writers, musicians, and audiences can all participate in the creative process, whether they are seasoned professionals or stepping onto a stage for the very first time.

While Sirius A.I. has not yet been picked up as of this writing, CBC Cartoons remains fully committed to championing the project and securing a streaming partner. We firmly believe this is a story that people need to experience. As we continue to lose ground to automation and artificial intelligence in daily life, stories that examine what makes humanity meaningful, fragile, and irreplaceable become not just entertainment, but necessity. Sirius A.I. is uniquely positioned to confront these questions head-on, reminding audiences why human connection, creativity, and empathy still matter. In parallel, 2026 also marked the launch of CBC Music, the fourth—and final—division of CBC, dedicated to music and audio production. From a cappella groups and original albums to experimental sound design and beyond, CBC Music expands our ability to tell stories through sound. Meanwhile, CBC Cartoons and CBC Film remain open for contract work, and we actively seek partners who are ready to bring bold, imaginative projects to life across any medium.

Our mission remains as steadfast today as it was in the beginning: to pursue the art of creative storytelling. At Communication By Captivation, we believe that true communication thrives through the power of captivation. As we strive to grow into a self-sustaining organization, we aim to explore new realms of storytelling and foster deeper connections among people. In a world where genuine communication feels increasingly lost, our goal is to make meaningful dialogue and expression accessible once again. We look toward the future, we’re brimming with anticipation for the opportunities that lie ahead. We’re eager to see where this journey takes us and are thrilled about the possibilities that the future holds for CBC.”

John Rodgers
Founder and Artistic Director
Communication By Captivation LLC