Tell us about your organization. How big is your team? Where are you based? What is your organization’s specialty in the film and video space?
The Overland Collective is a Montana-based media and adventure company specializing in authentic, cinematic storytelling rooted in exploration, travel, and the outdoors. Our flagship production brand, XOVERLAND, was founded in 2010 by filmmakers and adventurers Clay and Rachelle Croft and has produced award-winning documentary series and expedition films distributed through YouTube and Amazon Prime. Our work combines high-end filmmaking with real-world expedition, automotive, and adventure expertise, capturing stories in some of the world’s most remote and challenging environments. We are a lean, highly collaborative team based in Bozeman, Montana, with an extended network of filmmakers, photographers, editors, producers, and creative partners that allows us to scale production based on the project. Our specialty is creating credible, visually compelling stories that bring audiences into the experience rather than simply documenting it.
Why do you do what you do? Was there a transformative moment that solidified your career choice, your org’s success, or your commitment to storytelling?
We do this because we believe a good story can change the way someone sees the world, and themselves. When Clay and I started XOVERLAND in 2010, we weren’t trying to build a media company; we simply wanted to explore, document the experience, and share what we were learning along the way. As the expeditions became bigger and the stories reached more people, we realized the most powerful part wasn’t the vehicle, the destination, or the adventure, it was what happens to people when they step outside what is familiar and discover what they are capable of.
That realization has shaped everything we’ve built since. We’ve seen firsthand how a story from a remote road can inspire someone to take their first trip, pursue something they’ve been afraid to try, reconnect with their family, or discover something new about themselves. Storytelling is a way of creating that spark. Our commitment is to tell stories honestly, with the challenges and uncertainty left intact, because the struggle is what makes the journey meaningful. Ultimately, we want people to finish watching one of our films feeling something, and believing they can start somewhere, too.
Tell us about your Telly Award winning piece. What’s the story behind it?
The Spirit of Adventure Series is one of our most personal projects. The series follows Clay (my husband) and our three boys as they travel, explore, face challenges, and experience the world together as they drive overland vehicles north to Alaska. Clay and I have built our lives and careers around exploration and storytelling, and as our boys grew older, it was time for them to step into their own journeys and have that Father-Son experience together. The series is all about teaching them resilience, curiosity, responsibility, and the value of getting outside their comfort zone to see what they were capable of.
Can you share a behind the scenes story or fun fact about the making of your piece?
This series was supposed to be filmed in the summer and fall months. Due to a delay from receiving one of the first, production models of the 250 Land Cruiser from Toyota, they couldn’t leave until September and ended up filming as winter started setting in up North. It made the series a bit more complicated with living out of vehicles in the snow.
You won a Telly Award for this piece. Why is recognition important for you, your team or your work?
Recognition is meaningful because it validates the kind of storytelling we believe in; authentic, human stories that inspire people to get outside, explore, and connect with the people they love. The Spirit of Adventure Series was deeply personal to our team and our family, so having it recognized by the Telly Awards was especially rewarding. It encourages our team to keep taking creative risks and telling stories that are honest, relatable, and hopefully leave people feeling inspired to create their own adventures. Thank you Telly Awards!
Tell us what you’re up to! If there’s a new project, launch, or milestone you’d like us to celebrate with you, let us know, and we might share it with our community.
Our newest series, Milestones is out on our YouTube channel and we just completed filming another 5-part series through Africa with our family.
