Scribble Jam: The Documentary

About Us

My name is Tyler Brune, and I’m the director of an upcoming documentary, Scribble Jam: The Documentary. Being from Cincinnati, I became fascinated with Scribble Jam’s story and decided it would make a great topic for a documentary film. I formed a crew of eight other filmmakers, and we’ve since worked hard to tell Scribble Jam’s story the right way, and capture the essence of what made it so special.

Story Synopsis

Scribble Jam was a hip-hop festival in Cincinnati, OH that ran from 1996-2008. It was founded by “Fat Nick” Accurso, Jason Brunson, and DJ Mr. Dibbs as a celebration for the launch of the graffiti magazine, “Scribble Magazine”. The first Scribble Jam was a small party in the back of a parking lot, but as word spread around the event skyrocketed in size. Scribble Jam gained popularity as being one of the first festivals to celebrate every aspect of hip-hop culture, including rap battles, DJ’s, graffiti, breakdancing, and beatboxing. It has even been dubbed by some as “America’s largest hip-hop festival”.

Act 1: Hip-Hop in Cincinnati

What is hip-hop? It’s more than just rap music. Rap is the spoken word, graffiti is the written word, and breakdancing is the physical expression. It has deep roots in places like Chicago, NY, and LA. Unlike those major cities, Cincinnati isn’t known as an epicenter for hip-hop culture. In this way, it stands out from the rest. Although it’s sometimes overlooked, the hip-hop scene of Cincinnati is rich with passionate people.

Act 2: The Founders

Scribble Jam would’ve never existed without Scribble Magazine. But what was Scribble Magazine, and why was it created? Nick Accurso answers this question and more. The celebration of the magazine’s launch became the first ever Scribble Jam, but it was never their plan to create a world-renowned hip-hop festival. We tell the story of Scribble Jam’s evolution from a small backyard party to one of the largest hip-hop festivals in the world, and the challenges that came with it.

Act 3: Scribble Jam

With the help of people like Pase Rock, Tony Heitz, Kevin Beacham, and more, the three founders were able to maintain Scribble Jam’s success for over a decade. What was Scribble Jam like in its prime? How were they able to balance growing the festival in size, while still retaining its identity of a simple celebration of hip hop culture? Finally, we bring everything forward to the modern day. Scribble Jam is over, friends have passed, and life has moved on. Scribble Jam was more than just a celebration of hip hop culture, it was a celebration of three friends who stayed true to their passion. In the end, what effect did Scribble Jam have on their lives, and the lives of hip hop fans everywhere?

Featured Characters

We’ve interviewed twelve people so far, all of whom are crucial to the story of Scribble Jam. We’ve just scratched the surface of people we’d like to interview, and there’s much more to come.

“Fat” Nick Accurso - Nick Accurso was a skateboarder and graffiti artist who created Scribble Magazine with Jason Brunson. He’s the primary owner of Scribble Jam.

Mr. Dibbs- Mr. Dibbs is a renowned DJ/turntablist who met Nick Accurso and Jason Brunson through Scribble Magazine. He suggested throwing a party to celebrate its launch, which became the first ever Scribble Jam. He helped them run Scribble Jam, and played a huge role in bringing notability to the event.

Kevin Beacham - Kevin Beacham is a hip hop connoisseur. He's an mc, producer, writer, and documentarian. He was one of the lead organizers for Scribble Jam.

Dana Brunson - Dana Brunson is an expert tattoo artist who operates the “Designs By Dana” tattoo shop. He’s the father of the late Jason Brunson. Dana helps tell Jason’s story, including his involvement with graffiti and Scribble Jam

Dot Brunson - Dot Brunson helps operate the “Design By Dana” tattoo shop. She’s Jason’s mother, and helps tell the story of Jason’s life, graffiti, and involvement with Scribble Jam alongside her husband Dana.

Tony Heitz - Tony Heitz is an accomplished skateboarder from Cincinnati. He's good friends with Fat Nick, and eventually began helping him run Scribble Jam. He was a promoter for the festival, and played a big role in extending its reach.

J. Rawls - J. Rawls is a professor of hip hop at The Ohio State University, as well as a renowned DJ and Producer. He helps explain Scribble Jam's impact on hip hop history.

G-Fresh - G-Fresh is an mc and producer from Cincinnati. He hosted the radio show "B-Boys Underground" alongisde Mr. Dibbs, and helped run Scribble Jam in its formative years.

“When” - “When” is an accomplished graffiti artist, and a part of the DF, TA, and TSC graffiti crews. He helped run Scribble Jam, and gives an insight into the graffiti aspect of hip-hop. He was also one of Jason Brunson's best friends, and helps tell his story.

“Scribe” - “Scribe” is a prominent graffiti artist and from Kansas City, and a part of the ATT and DF graffiti crews. He was another one of Jason’s best friends. He helps tell Jason’s story, as well as the art of graffiti.

"Devious" - "Devious" (AKA Devi) is a an expert graffiti artist and member of the legendary Cincinnati graffiti crew, TSC. He assisted with graphic design for the Scribble Jam festivals, and was another one of Jason's best friends.

Slug - Slug is the lead mc for the legendary hip-hop duo Atmosphere, alongside DJ/producer Ant. Slug participated in mutiple mc battles at Scribble Jam, and put on numerous performances at the festival as Atmosphere.

DJ Presyce- DJ Presyce is an accomplished and skilled turntablist, and 3x Scribble Jam DJ competition winner.

Crew

Director - Tyler Brune

Producer/Lead Editor - Jacob Lightner

Assistant Director - Zoey Desmond

Assistant Producer/Assistant Editor - Emma Tallent

Director of Photography - Zach Schutte

Sound Mixer/Audio Engineer - Abby Spears

Story Editor/ Production Assistant - Will Iles

Production Assistant - Cameron Hollstege

Social Media/BTS Photography - Abby Murphy

Executive Producers:

Mr. Dibbs, Nick Accurso, Jason Rawls, Bobby Sparks

What’s In it For You?

All the money that is donated will be used exclusively for the production/distribution of the documentary. This includes travel, lodging, advertising etc.

Any donation is appreciated! You’ll be a part of spreading the story of Scribble Jam to a wide audience and giving it the recognition that we all know it deserves. In addition we’re offering the following donation tiers:

People who donate $10 or more will receive their name in the credits.

Expected Timeline of Completion

We plan to have the final edit of the documentary completed by Fall 2025. However, the official release date will be based upon our means of distribution, and could vary based on multiple factors. We’re excited for you to be able to watch the film, and we’ll announce an official release date as soon as possible!

Our End Goal

Our goal with this documentary is to tell the story of Scribble Jam through the eyes of the people who were most involved with its history. This includes the lives and friendships of Scribble Jam’s founders, its relationship with the city of Cincinnati, and its monumental impact on hip-hop history.