“Why Leelanau?” goes viral
Photo by Eric Munson of Suttons Bay
By Pat Stinson
Sun contributor
Empire resident Julie Weeks loves creating slideshows she posts on YouTube for family and friends to view. Using music and digital images of family members, vacation trips and activities she and her husband enjoy, Weeks produces a montage of gorgeously-framed and sometimes funny pictures and video she shares as a moving photo album to mark special occasions or to tell a story.
So when the Leelanau Conservancy put out a call a little less than a year ago for a volunteer to learn how to make some videos that would further the organization’s mission of conserving the land, water and scenic character of Leelanau County, Weeks was intrigued.
“I wanted to get into doing something from a video standpoint,” said the CEO and founder of Womenable, a research consulting firm for policymakers and stewards of women’s businesses worldwide. “I thought I could transfer my interest and donate my time and energy to something I enjoy doing, and show the neat aspects of life in Leelanau, like the beaches and trails.”
Carolyn Faught, the Conservancy’s communications director, said the Land Information Access Association (LIAA) in Traverse City contacted area nonprofits last fall, announcing its video capability and media training offered through UpNorth Media Center, housed with LIAA. Faught forwarded the news to members via email and Weeks responded.
“She knew a lot already but explored their equipment and took the training,” Faught said.
Weeks explained that she enrolled in the field producer’s class with a dual purpose: she was thinking of purchasing a small digital camera to use in her work as an international consultant, (see Glen Arbor Sun story from June 12, 2008: “Enabling women as business entrepreneurs”) and she also wanted to take the camera on docent-led hikes through a variety of natural areas, and include their natural and social histories, which might entice others to visit and take a hike.
Weeks, Faught and another Conservancy member put their heads together and decided that it would be easiest to use the many beautiful images already appearing on the Conservancy’s “Why Leelanau?” blog, an online compilation of favorite photos submitted by anyone who loves Leelanau County — residents and visitors.
Acting as a producer
Combing through more than 400 posted images, (the blog continues to accept photos), Weeks develops videos based on themes that recur in the collection, such as beaches, flora and fauna, barns, fall colors, spring and winter.
“I choose the photos based on which ones sing to me, evoke something,” she explained, adding that she looks for images in which the subject matter is framed, focused (not fuzzy), and relates to the theme. If it’s summertime fun, for instance, she said she might include photos of sunshine, people, splashing water, bikes, canoes – a variety of activities which showcase “what you can do.” She said she might also include photos of foggy days, or images without people that are “quiet and contemplative,” trying to include a “variety of paces: slow and thoughtful, and bouncy.”
Music is an integral part of the videos, and Weeks said she has been listening more to local musicians, going to their concerts and buying their CDs, to choose “placed-based” soundtracks from people who live and work in northern Michigan. Each time she has asked permission to use a local musician’s piece, the response has been enthusiastic.
“I really have to give credit to the musicians,” she said. “All have donated their music. Not one has said ‘no’ or asked for anything in return.”
Each two- to four-minute video requires about two days of work or 16 hours to complete. Individual photos are panned across or zoomed in and out and blended together in a way that won’t make people feel dizzy, she said.
“She wonderfully took to it and ran with it,” Faught said of Weeks’s efforts. “It’s her project. She put her own mark on it by choosing photos and music to fit a theme. It’s her stamp and because it’s her artistry, it really works.”
Plans for future videos include one about “Nature’s Bounty,” focusing on county-grown fruits and vegetables, and “Sunsets and Sunrises.”
Marketing to area outlets
In addition to posting the videos on YouTube for the Conservancy, Weeks sends them to UpNorth Media Center to use on its website and as filler or “interstitial material” between scheduled programs it airs on its cable channel.
Her videos are popular.
“I think that, visually, a picture tells a thousand words,” Faught noted. “When we sent out a video link, like the one about the barns, it got over 2,000 views.”
UpNorth Media announced in May that the video by Weeks entitled, “Why Leelanau? Beaches!” received the fourth highest number of views of all videos posted on its website.
“It’s gone viral,” Faught said. “We’ve become more visible. It’s confirmation for people who love and support us, a link between us and everyone out there who loves Leelanau. When our pictures are in front of people, they can escape. If they’re sitting in Indianapolis or Detroit, they can click on a link and be transported. When we send out a link, people are thrilled and we always get a lot of comments.”
Faught said the Conservancy also uses a Facebook site (with 1,100 fans currently) to reach out to the younger generation who might not be members now, in the hope that they’ll become future members.
“It’s another way of reaching out to those who love Leelanau County and want to protect it,” she added.
Visit Julie Weeks’ blog at www.theconservancy.com/blog2
And here’s the link to view Julie’s videos: