Six years ago, I went to Eagle Butte, South Dakota to record the stories of the Lakota Elders so that future generations of Lakota would learn about their ancestors.

Working with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, hawkwing, Inc., and Tunxis Community College, we spent a week breaking down racial, ethnic, and cultural barriers to help bring their stories to more people.

This is more than a documentary. It is a living, breathing, historical record of what was important to the Lakota people, as passed down through the generations.

Finally, after several years of use by the tribe, by hawkwing, and by many educational institutions, we present The Lakota Elders Project: The Journey of the Generations to the world.

For more information on hawkwing, Inc. and how you can help acheive their goals, follow the link to hawkwing.org.

I recently had the absolute pleasure to work with Melissa Wildes, Jeff Corey, and Kathy Corey of Day’s Jewelers when they asked me to create three video business profiles for them. This homegrown family business emphasizes strong education and quality family values to create a positive work environment that all their employees love to come home to. Watch as Melissa, Jeff, and Kathy talk about the history of the company and what they enjoy most about being part of the Day’s Jewelers family.

This isn’t really a “case study”, but a good example of a company that really enjoys using video to talk about their love for what they do. Ignore, for a moment, what they do as a company (some people don’t like beer…go figure) and concentrate on what they say about who they are and what they sell.

Stone Brewing Company is a California based craft beer company that specializes in strong, unique ales. Their owner, Greg Koch, is quite a personality in himself, as are most brewery owners. Greg believes passionately in his company and in the beer industry as a whole, and he is constantly trying to push the boundaries of both beer making and the perception by the general public of the craft beer world. It’s not just a bunch of stuck up beer snobs. It’s not the stereotypical can crushing redneck. The craft beer world is full of wonderful characters who care so deeply about their craft that they’ll travel around the world to find the newest and best ingredients that raise the bar on beer. Yes, it really is all that.

But writing about this isn’t what gets people riled up and excited. It isn’t what shows the true personality of the people behind the beer. It isn’t what makes me want run to the liquor store as fast as I can and search the beer cave for an Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale. No, what gets me going, and what ultimately made me aware of and then a fan of Stone Brewing was the video blog. The engagement by Greg Koch, his personality shining through, his likability (with just a hint of arroga…..I mean, confidence) are what made me want to buy his beer.

See for yourself. The first videos I watched from Stone Brewing (shown in the embedded player above) were about a trip they took across the Atlantic to Norway and Scotland for a special limited edition collaboration beer with Nøgne-Ø. Produced by RedTail Media, these fantastic videos show not only the unique partnerships found only in the craft beer world, but also the passion and fun that these guys have when they’re making the beer.

Stone splits their videos (and duplicates many) between YouTube and Vimeo, likely due to the advantages of both services. Interviews, behind the scenes, Q&As, and even an apology make up the Stone Blog/Vlog portfolio.

What does this prove? I don’t know what kind of ROI Stone gets from the videos. I do know that they are one of the most popular breweries in the U.S. I do know that they keep pumping out videos of varying production value over, and over, and over. I do know they dropped some coin to produce a couple of their vidoes, including the one above. And I do know that I would likely never have tried any of their beer had I not gotten so invested in them because of those videos. Not only am I a fan of the beer, I’m a fan of the company too.

What’s that kind of loyalty worth to you?
 

Today my friend C.C. Chapman posted a link to some video and a blog post he created about video’s rise in the business world. At the South By Southwest conference this year, C.C. interviewed key influencers in the web content world (as a reporter for his client, OverlayTV), asking them what they thought the state of video in today’s business is. There are some good takeaways in the post, but to me, the answers are unsurprising: as the barriers to entry fall (e.g., smaller devices, lower cost of production) and the influence of video in SEO rises (i.e., Google owns Youtube), having video for your business has now become a key element to your marketing, public relations, and customer service plans.

But don’t take my word for it. Others are saying the same:

I recently had the privilege of shooting a Video Business Profile of Beth Fitzgerald at Blush Imagery in Portland, Maine. Blush is a wedding photography company that uses a fun, intimate style to create unique wedding photography packages with input from the bride and groom without being intrusive. The shoot was fast and furious, but Beth was a trooper and really had a ball once the camera started rolling.