Durango Motor Company – Winter Adventure

For the next winter adventure in this year’s advertising campaign for Durango Motor Company, we headed to the snow white slopes of Purgatory. Durango Motor Company really wanted to focus on a skiing adventure because it is such a classic past-time for people in the area.

We began shooting the car heading to Purgatory resort on one of the coldest mornings I can remember this winter. My thermometer read -7 degrees prior to sunrise. We actually shot the “morning” shots of the family getting ready at sunset the same day, in order to avoid shooting on multiple days. It was certainly a challenge shooting a black Ford Explorer against a bright winter backdrop; it was a true test of the dynamic range on my camera.

A big Thank You to Purgatory for giving us permission to film on the Columbine lift for this fun commercial. We couldn’t have done it without their help. Also a big thanks to the energetic and adorable Frazier family who were the perfect fit for this commercial.

Look for six more installments in the “Your Adventure Starts Here” campaign from Durango Motor Company throughout the year! Production will pick up again this Spring.

KSUT Capital Campaign

KSUT is celebrating 40 years of radio service to the region. Initially established in Ignacio to serve the Southern Ute Tribe the station has grown to serve the broader Four Corners area as “One station, with two signals,” serving tribal communities over Southern Ute Tribe Radio as well as the broader general audience over Four Corners Public Radio. Over those 4 decades, however, the station has been confined to small deteriorating century-old brick building that originally served as a tribal medical clinic. KSUT has long since outgrown this building, and the station is in dire need to replace aging equipment, and as a result the station has initiated the Eddie Box Jr. Media Center Capital Campaign.

KSUT has become a cornerstone of the Four Corners community, as a hub for community information and events, unique music programming, as well as our source for public radio programming including NPR news. When KSUT approached me about producing this video, I was excited at the opportunity to help promote this wonderful non-profit organization and help move the station into the modern age.

KSUT wanted to include a lot of information in a short amount of time. They wanted to speak to the history of the station starting with its roots as a Southern Ute Tribe station, they also wanted to touch on the legacy of community radio with interviews from listeners and supporters, and finally they needed to lay out a comprehensive three-phases fundraising campaign that would span the next decade.

We decided to drive the video with a mix of narration and interviews, while sprinkling in the recognizable voices of KSUT radio. The narration lays out the specifics of the campaign in a time efficient manner, while the interviews provide sincere testimonials to the importance of investing in the future of community radio. We also wanted to emphasize how the KSUT service area spans the entire Four Corners area, truly serving as a community hub for this unique area in the Southwest. In order to visually demonstrate this, we wanted to incorporate voices of many of the hosts and shows on KSUT along with iconic b-roll of landmarks and locations throughout the region where KSUT could be heard over the air.

Durango Motor Company

Durango Motor Company wanted to take a new approach to their TV marketing in the new year. They wanted to distance themselves as far away as possible from the cliche of the local car dealership ad template. We’re all familiar with these ads: the obnoxious voiceovers that sound like they are echoing down a metal hallway, the charismatic car dealer telling you that you can “sign and drive today, no credit necessary.” Well, Durango Motor Company didn’t want to touch any of that with a twenty-nine and half inch poll.

Specifically Durango Motor Company wanted to “get off the lot” altogether, so I sat down and worked with the local car dealer to help them come up with the 2016 “Your Adventure Starts Here” ad campaign. For the first winter spot we decided to focus on the popular and highly competitive adult recreational hockey scene in Durango. I decided to write the ad with no dialogue, limit voiceover to a simple tagline, and focus on capturing fast-paced action accompanied by natural sound and a non-traditional sound track.

The shoot was scheduled just days prior to the winter solstice, and it was probably one of coldest mornings in December, especially when as videographer you end up laying on the ice for multiple takes. Thanks to Cameron Kautzman and his hockey buddies for being at the rink early in the morning for the shoot. Let me just say Cam didn’t miss a single shot on goal and kept each shot tight in the upper left of the goal.

Below you can watch the 15 second version of the ad. This is the first of 8 commercials that will be produced over the year. The next ad will feature a Durango favorite winter past-time, hitting the fresh powder with family.

The Tax Pro

It’s that time of the year again. It’s tax season! The Tax Pro in Farmington, New Mexico enlisted my services to produce a television commercial to promote their tax filing services. The problem with making an ad for a tax service, is, well, trying not to make it cliche, and finding a way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

I sat down with Becky Schritter, founder of the Tax Pro, and as we were brainstorming a concept for her and she told me a story about the first time she had her taxes prepared after moving to Farmington many years ago. As a young single mother, she went to a big brand tax preparer for help with her taxes, and she recalled her terrible experience. She felt like she was treated like a number, the environment was unwelcoming, and there was no privacy. She could hear everything about the taxes being filed by a man in the next cubicle over.

Looking back on this experience Becky decided to open a tax service that offered a completely different type of service, a service with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, private individual offices and a staff that treated each and every client like a real person. When she told me this story, I was immediately convinced that this personal story could be turned into the basis for a unique ad. It was a story that lays out her business philosophy when it comes to serving clients. Additionally, it allowed us to visually draw a stark contrast between the experience at the Tax Pro compared to other large-scale tax-preparer operations.

Grease Monkey

The Farmington Grease Monkey was purchased by new local ownership, with the goal of offering the best service model in the area. A large investment was made in upgrading the facilities, including adding one of the most advanced automated drive-thru car washes in the Four Corners. They’re focus was offering exceptionally fast and quality light mechanical services that allow the customer to get in get what they need and get back on the road as well as a robust self-serve car wash service.

When they needed to get the word out they decided to advertise on Cable and came to me about producing a video to promote their brand new model for service. Some of the exceptional offerings include free vacuums, 15-minute oil changes, a spacious waiting area with a flat screen TV, and their unique Monkey Business Dog Spa, the only self serve dog wash in the Four Corners. The clients wanted to inform potential customers of their wide range of service offerings in a high energy commercial, but also wanted to add in a little humor, and together we authored a script that did just that.