OTA 2014 Video Spotlights - Round 2

(photo courtesy of Penny Burns www.northern-stories.com) 

For the fifth year in a row, Passenger was proud to partner with OTA to provide content for their conferences. OTA expanded their scope to encompass multiple events in the three OTA states during 2014, so we decided to create a series of short documentaries profiling subjects that exemplified the core values of OTA throughout the region.

We premiered a series of 9 videos for their Sioux Falls, SD event in April, and completed an additional 5 new spotlights for their Fargo, ND conference which took place on September 12, 2014. Like the first round, the entire process from pre-production through final delivery was handled internally by Passenger, and we think they ably demonstrate our ability to complete projects across a wide variety of distances, logistics, subjects, and stories, all while creating visually interesting pieces that communicate an authentic story.

Three of our favorite stories from this new round are below, and watch for more to be released in the coming months.

We got the pleasure to meet Steve Zwinger while working on a project featuring the nine 2013 Bush Prize for Community Innovation Winners for the Bush Foundation out of St. Paul, Minnesota. His personal story of the loss of his son and his efforts with the Farm Breeder's Club in Carrington, North Dakota was so compelling that we wanted to find a way to tell it more fully, which we thankfully had the chance to do in the OTA spotlight above.

Josh Rieck is an instrument builder and musician based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. His story of working with wood to create beautiful instruments and finding peace and focus in that creative process is told in the above film. You can see more of his work at stringtheoryluthiery.com.

Eliza Blue lives on the outskirts of Bison, South Dakota, where she makes music and takes care of her small ranch. She shares her story of music, growth, city-life, and the shift to living on the prairie while finding joy.