Tell us a bit about your organization and what your specialty is in the film and video space.

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) supports local planning efforts by providing technical assistance, data resources, and fostering intergovernmental collaboration. Their work enhances water quality across the region, improves the safety and efficiency of the transportation system, helps revitalize communities, and supports long-term economic development. As their in-house video producer, I create all of their video content and direct any larger projects, such as Driving Store, which is what we won the Telly Award for.

What is your organization’s ethos and how does it set you apart from industry competitors?

SEMCOG is a voluntary association of local governments dedicated to fostering regional cooperation and advancing Southeast Michigan. SEMCOG is the only organization in Southeast Michigan that brings together all governments to develop regional solutions for both now and in the future.

How can people join or learn more about what you do?

Check out more of our work at semcog.org

Tell us about your Telly Award winning piece. What’s the story behind it?

The video is called Driving Store and it’s a short, satirical piece about speeding on the road and dangerous driving behaviors. It is meant to cause people to laugh but then reflect on their driving habits. Hopefully we can encourage them to slow down and treat others with respect when driving.

What are you most proud of about this piece? What was your biggest challenge during production and how did you solve it?

I’m proud of the fact that it points out the absurd behavior of drivers on the road. Driving is one of the few activities where it’s all too normal for people to act erratic and speed. I really hope it reminds people to slow down out there. Our biggest challenge during production was getting the shoot wrapped in a timely manner, which I’m happy to say we did. We had a great crew who was very efficient.

Do you have any advice to other filmmakers based on your career or your team’s approach to work?

I would say your idea or script doesn’t have to be overly complicated. It’s all about how you tell the story. You can do a lot with a little.

Can you share a behind the scenes story or fun fact about the making of your piece?

The grocery cart our lead actor had to push around the store was very heavy because a camera was attached to the end, but he was a champ and did multiple takes where he was running and pushing the cart quite fast. Also, we had a lot of fun dumping groceries all over the floor for the crash scene. We only had two takes to get that right, because we couldn’t keep throwing groceries around everywhere, as it took a while to clean up.

Tell us about the most memorable response you got from this work.

We had a lot of positive feedback and when we play it for folks in meetings, there is always a big laugh at the end.

Complete this sentence: ‘Great video storytelling is…’

… getting people to care about your message.