Hogpenny Studios began in 1975 as a community video outreach to the people of Long Beach Island and mainland communities. As home video was just beginning to blossom, Hogpenny produced early public service videos of the very first LBI Christmas Parade, historical documentaries and civic events.

Our present day imaging facility and Studio Center continues to be fulfillment of a personal vision of our founder, Jim De Francesco, a dynamic communications professional.

Throughout his stage and screen career, De Francesco has been a News Anchor and Feature Producer for WOBM-FM in Ocean County, a Feature Correspondent with the SandPaper and Leader Newspapers and Executive Producer of Hogpenny Studios on Long Beach Island, producing commercials and documentaries for the Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey markets. He has also served as Media and Community Relations Officer for Dover Township in Toms River.

Jim majored in journalism and broadcasting at Temple University and in motion picture production at the Philadelphia College of Art.

He has been a staff member of several Philadelphia stations (WHAT-FM, WPHL-TV and KYW NewsRadio) as an announcer, broadcast news reporter and on-air personality. He was also a Command Public Affairs Officer with the Defense Department for 34 years where he conducted national executive seminars in media relations and television interview techniques for the Defense Logistics Agency in Washington.

Never far from the arts, De Francesco has created numerous film and video productions over the past four decades, including a simply stated, yet poignant 20 minute short entitled "It's the Real Thing," which went on to win the Bronze Palm award at the Young Filmmakers Festival in Berlin, Germany. The film has been screened by PBS television as part of its "Filmmakers In America" series.

Jim's professional theater credits include appearances as the Constable in Fiddler On the Roof, Billis in South Pacific, Pseudelous the Slave in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Detective Brannigan in Guys and Dolls, Fagin in Oliver, and he even twice portrayed a powerful Wicked Witch of the West in Frank Baum's classic, The Wizard of Oz.

Jim has an enthusiastic interest in community involvement, having served as a Scout Executive and Media Relations coordinator with numerous civic organizations. He has been Publicity Chairman of the Philadelphia Federal Executive Board, Public Relations Coordinator for the Frontier Boy Scout District, Vice-Chief of Unami Lodge (Order of the Arrow), Coordinator of Youth Activities at Fellowship House and Media/Community Relations Officer for several Ocean County Emergency service organizations.

DeFrancesco resides six miles at sea at his barrier island home, "The HogPenny" on Long Beach Island off the coast of New Jersey. He has a daughter, Danielle Nicole, who is a theatrical scenic artist with Barnum's Kaleidoscape and an Off-Broadway stage manager, and a son, James Bonner, who has toured with Disney On Ice, as well as served as Backstage manager aboard Carnival Cruise Lines and whose technical motion picture production credits include serving as Key Grip and Best Boy on several area independent feature films.