AMLP premieres Real to Reel: Music History on Location spotlighting importance of movies in promoting + preserving music landmarks
- AMLP
- Jun 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 13
May was National Preservation Month and we launched a new initiative, Real to Reel: Music History on Location! Film is not only a vital medium in capturing history in real-time but when utilized as cinema it is the single-most powerful vehicle to transmit it.
As our biggest platform in promoting public awareness of music history, the movies are where truth and artistic license meet and lead our curiosity to the real people, places and events that played history's starring roles in creating the sounds that shape our lives. Real to Reel: Music History on Location will spotlight the films that do just that through exclusive events, giveaways, behind-the-scenes content and more. Subscribe to our free email list so you won't miss anything!
Thanks to our friends at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, we kicked things off by surprising our email subscribers with a Michael trivia contest for the chance to win a pair of tickets to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! Michael Jackson was a two-time inductee of the RRHOF, inducted first with the Jackson 5 in 1997 and then as a solo artist in 2001.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opened its doors September 1995 in Cleveland, Ohio, and is set to debut its new 50,000 square-foot addition this December.
The trivia contest was a multi-part question featuring select music landmarks depicted in the 2026 music biopic Michael: 1) identify the Jackson family residences featured in the movie where the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson spent the formative years of their artistic development as a group and as solo artists, 2) list which one was a filming location as a central character and silent collaborator in the creation of some of the best-selling albums of all time.
Congratulations to our contest winner Jace Bain, a rising filmmaker and radio DJ from Oklahoma! We hope he'll give us a shout from the Rock Hall during his future trip. Safe travels, Jace!
Read on for the answers to the trivia question highlighting select MJ and Jackson family landmarks:
2300 JACKSON STREET - Gary, Indiana
Newlyweds Joe and Katherine Jackson purchased this two-bedroom bungalow at 2300 Jackson Street in January 1950 and lived here for 19 years, building a family of 11 with nine surviving children (a tenth child, Marlon Jackson's twin brother, Brandon, passed away only hours after the premature twins were born). The Jackson 5 was formed in late 1964 and the group was developed through relentless rehearsal in the family's living room. Members of the original lineup consisted of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. After signing with Motown Records, the family relocated to California between the months of August and December 1969.
In April 2026, the Jackson family and cast members of Michael visited their hometown of Gary, Indiana, for a special screening of the film which included a stop at the historic 2300 Jackson Street residence that the family still privately owns. Michael leading actor Jaafar Jackson who portrays his famous uncle in the movie visited the original family home with his father Jermaine Jackson, uncles Jackie and Marlon Jackson, cousin (and Michael's eldest son) Prince Jackson and producer Graham King. Although the home is not open to the public, fans from around the world still visit and pay their respects from the gated perimeter.
HAYVENHURST - Encino, California
The Jackson family moved into a mid-century modern estate on Hayvenhurst Avenue in Encino, California, in 1971 after relocating from Gary, Indiana, in 1969. Here, the creative evolution of the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson continued and flourished, including the production of MJ's early demos and short film concepts for his iconic solo albums Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987). Hayvenhurst was also where little sister Janet Jackson, a 2019 RRHOF inductee, grew up and established her own creative identity.
Jaafar Jackson grew up at Hayvenhurst and it was where he prepared extensively for his role as his late uncle Michael, utilizing the recording studio, rehearsal spaces and grounds for training. He attributes his personal connection with the home and full access to its embodied history and energy as an essential opportunity in the development of his portrayal as the King of Pop. Go behind the scenes with Jaafar on location in the featurette, "Home Is Where His Heart Is: Behind the Gates of Hayvenhurst," available now by renting or purchasing Michael via Video-on-Demand platforms.
Welcome to Hayvenhurst!
Michael Jackson's eldest son Prince Jackson is co-founder of the Heal Los Angeles Foundation and hosts charity events at the historic family home such as the "This Is Thriller" annual Halloween costume party (now held at the Palace Theatre filming location of the legendary Thriller) and the "King of Popcorn: Movie Night Series." These events and others offer rare public access to Hayvenhurst in support of the foundation's focus on youth self-care and education.
Comments