Our Team

Jamie Jacobs

Business Development, Musician, DJ

Jamie Jacobs is a Native of North Carolina....literally! He is a member of The Lumbee Nation, the biggest Native American tribe on this side of the Mississippi River. His passionate love of music and God stem from his native roots there.

When he was six, he moved to Baltimore, MD, where he developed a love for all kinds of musical genres and was exposed to a new world of culture, grasping onto creativity in the forms of singing, drawing, song-writing and poetry. 

In his early 20’s he worked and lived in Baltimore City, notably with the Historical Preservation Society of Fells Point & Federal Hill. During his time there, he was excitedly involved in beautification, revitalization and preservation projects, along with event planning, which would soon become one of his niches. During that time, he also learned to navigate through Baltimore’s legal system, as pulling permits and trips to city hall became a regular part of his job description. 

At the age of 24, Jamie taught himself to play the guitar & synthesizer keyboard and from there got involved in Baltimore’s underground music scene. Unbeknownst to him in the beginning, the music scene allowed an entrepreneurial seed to grow inside of his spirit, through coordinating gigs with venues, and embarking on marketing campaigns, both on social media as well as in the streets to get the word out about his events. He held performances at Baltimore venues like the Recher in Towson, Baltimore Soundstage, the 8x10 & Sonar. 

In 2008, Jamie organized his first outdoor Music & Arts Festival called My Friends Massive. The event was a one day campout where he hosted bands, DJ’s, live painters, food, vendors and other performers. After My Friends' success, he knew he wanted to continue throwing events in some way, shape or form. 

Jamie met his future wife Ali in 2014, when they connected over their love for God, people & art. Shortly after, they were married, and decided to focus their efforts on a serious business venture and opened a creative entertainment studio in Ocean City, MD, which is now an award-winning paint party service, venue, and their event booking headquarters. Jamie is the business development director of T.C. Studios, and is dedicated to advancing what it means to be a working artist, and making a living using your God-given talents. 

He is dedicated to the Ocean City community, as a member of the Ambassador Committee of the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce, and involved with the Chamber’s Young Professionals group. In 2017, Jamie was one of 7 nominees for the Maryland Capital Enterprises Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and in 2018 was awarded a Key to the City from Mayor Meehan, Governor’s citations, and the Volunteer of the Year award through the Chamber.

Ali Jacobs

Creative Director, Creative Coach

Born and raised in Baltimore County, Ali grew up in a family full of artists and had been drawing and painting as long as she could remember. During high school, she took advanced placement art classes, participated in scholastic art shows, and started taking non-credited painting courses at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore. She later received a scholarship to MICA, where she received Dean’s List honors as a painting major for 2 years before taking a break from her undergraduate studies and eventually finishing the general education program at community college. 

During her time off from school, she started participating in art festivals/shows and displayed her work at local coffee shops. She navigated the waters of being a “working artist” solo until she met her future husband Jamie in 2014, and the 2 relentlessly used their creative talents to try making a living through art in any ways they could: commission work, more art festivals/shows, murals, and more. Only 8 months into their marriage, and after lots of research and prayer, they eventually moved to Ocean City, MD to pioneer the creative entertainment industry there, and T.C. Studios was born. 

Ali is the creative director with T.C. Studios, specializing in painting instruction, mural painting & live event painting. With hundreds of hours under her belt, Ali leads guests step-by-step through the painting process during Painting Experience events, focusing on patience and encouraging creativity. Through her instructing, or “creative coaching” as she calls it, guests can expect a fun, clear, thorough and animated painting process. 

Additionally, offering clients a limitless option of styles, Ali also paints commercial and residential murals, as well as offers live event painting as a form of creative entertainment. You can learn more about those at tcstudios.org/murals & tcstudios.org/livepainting. 

Ali is passionate about art and sharing the God-given gift of creativity with those around her. 

Jean Frank

Creative Coach, Artist

Born Jean Noelle Frank, Jean is a self taught artist. Her work includes pastel drawings mainly done on black charcoal paper, more recently she has been working with acrylics on canvas.

She has been in the art industry for over 25 years, having owned a gallery and managed a gallery in the Frederick County Md. area.

 Jean is now semi retired and enjoying living on Maryland's beautiful Eastern Shore. Keeping her creativity flowing she especially enjoys working at TC Studios,

 " The atmosphere and the people are great - we always have a good time whether small group or large events!"

She also sells recycled jewelry pieces at the Center for the Arts Ocean City Md.. Please look for more works to come.

You can view her work at: www.jeannoelart.com or Facebook at Jean's Art - (the one from Berlin Md.)

You can reach Jean at:
jeannoelart@gmail.com

Teresa Van Sice Smith

Creative Coach, Artist

Sara Towles

Creative Coach, Artist

Jen Backof

Hospitality & Communications Administrator

Jen is a teacher who loves to express her creativity through bringing community organizations together.  Originally from Carroll County, she moved to Ocean City, MD in 2015 with her husband, two children, and her “happy yapper”, Dasher.   To better get to know the community and help her kids acclimate to a new school, Jen volunteered with a variety of organizations before going back to teaching.  

It was through volunteering through these organizations that she came to realize the ways Eastern Shore organizations could help support each others’ missions.  With this understanding, she became involved in helping organizations to share resources, fundraise, achieve their goals, and grow.  Some of the organizations Jen has worked with include Scouts BSA, the Worcester County Humane Society, Kindness Matters Rescue Inc, Diakonia, and the schools her children attend.  She has also served as a PTO president and is currently serving on the board of directors for her neighborhood HOA.

Jen loves coffee, walking, time with her family, reading, and the beach.  She is excited to assist T.C. Studios with their community outreach goals as the Hospitality and Communications Administrator.  Her planning skills will be put to use in a new way since she has worked with Ali and Jamie on a variety of projects since they opened their 15th St location!  

Zoe Goad

Baltimore Hospitality Administrator