NationalFishHabitatPartnershipMiniMatters enjoyed our role in the National Fish Habitat Partnership‘s first video production, a moving piece entitled “Bringing the Brook Trout Back, One Stream at a Time.” Partnership communications coordinator Ryan Roberts has filming experience, so MiniMatters incorporated footage he had taken from several visits he made to a stream undergoing restoration into a video demonstrating the key role of the Partnership in bringing highly diverse partners together. The video is to be the first in a series that addresses different programs with which the Partnership has been involved, an key piece in their campaign to articulate the Partnership’s role around the country in restoring fish habitat. As Mr. Roberts commented, “use of video is very important. It will certainly be a focus of what we do going forward in terms of our plan for marketing.” He also spoke warmly of his collaboration with MiniMatters, saying, “It really worked out. The relationship, and working everything out with Elissa worked out great.”

Creating your organization’s first video addresses a number of goals

For the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP), there were a number of crucial goals they could obtain through producing their own video, including:
  1. Promoting their brand and distinct identity. The Partnership re-branded in 2011, and the video and video series are part of an ongoing campaign to let people with a professional or hobbyist interest in conservation know about their work. The video publicizes the Partnership itself, and its distinct role bringing diverse agencies and groups together to protect water-dwelling wildlife.
  2. Supporting organizational morale and boosting fundraising. In showcasing a project that’s had remarkable success in bringing the brook trout back, this first video project has an upbeat message that will appeal to partners and funders alike.
  3. Raising awareness. NFHP was thrilled to have this first video picked up by Orvis and OutdoorHub. Orvis is an extremely popular site with anglers, and OutdoorHub has strong appeal for conservationists; the video brought welcome attention and PR placements that other media would not have.

Storytelling makes your first video—and every subsequent video—powerful

Here’s the video. It tells a compelling story by connecting the partnership’s work to things that directly impact business and anglers. As it describes, bringing back brook trout will encourage fishing, which has economic effects that radiate outward. As Mr. Roberts said about his satisfaction with the video, “When we have stories like this that let us show people what we’re doing it really does make a difference in the scope of things. We’re ensuring that future generations have a great world to enjoy too.” MiniMatters is looking forward to working on—and sharing on this blog—additional videos in NFHP’s stream preservation video series in the future. If MiniMatters can help you with business video, fundraising video, association video, or other video production needs, we’d love to provide an estimate through our online form, talk with you at 301-339-0339, or communicate via email at [email protected]. We serve associations, foundations, nonprofits, and businesses primarily in Washington, DC, Maryland, and northern Virginia.