Building the Future: How A Video is Helping a Small Town Grow

With a rich tradition and a vision for the future, the Fairfield County, Connecticut town of Monroe is on the move. So when the members of its Economic Development Commission wanted to share the town’s appeal and economic advantages with the world, part of their plan was to have a video produced.

Hands down, they chose Geomatrix Productions to take the wheel on their journey.

The EDC’s goals were to ignite commercial development in their business and industry zone and attract skilled workers and families, thus increasing the tax base to continue to provide the town with a stable economy.

Monroe First Selectman Kenneth Kellogg:

“We wanted to have a robust marketing plan and I view this video as a key component of the bigger picture. For families and businesses deciding where to locate, this video tells our story. It showcases what we as a town have to offer and how we are changing with the times while retaining our town’s charm and character.”

In a collaborative effort, Geomatrix’s team wrote and produced a three minute video that captures the real essence of the town, from its history and heritage to its population, award winning schools, quality of life, neighborhoods, architecture and the arts. It highlights Monroe’s strong retail and corporate base and proximity to highways, large cities and the beautiful Connecticut coastline. And it concludes by referring to steps the town has created to make a move there easier for businesses – a new era in economic development.

The pace of the video combined with a welcoming voiceover and uplifting music evokes confidence and opportunity, as it encourages viewers to “stop and spend a day or two” to discover the town’s wealth of benefits for themselves.

The video is on the town’s web site, and has been shared with prospects on an ad hoc basis. It has been shared with the State Department of Economic and Community Development, and distributed on flash drives to commercial brokers.

“I’ve yet to hear anything but positive feedback on it,” said Kellogg. “It has helped us in more ways than we probably even know”.

Kellogg shared the process of working with the professionals at Geomatrix:

“When we went to that first review of the script, I said to myself, ‘Wow, they covered all the main points that were important to me and that we wanted to make sure were covered.’ We had a few ideas to maybe refine things a little, but they really did a great job in making sure that the message we were trying to get across was there, and it was all done within a limited amount of time. Additionally, they did so in a way that flowed really well. I was very impressed in their ability to get that script done as well as they did.”

As for the video itself, Kellogg said Geomatrix was right on target:

“It was important to get across the type of community we are. We have a farming history and a desire to not lose that New England charm and character but at the same time we understand that we need to grow our commercial and industrial base. The things like our parks and education system and farmers’ market – the things that show how engaged people are in the community and the fact that we have a lot of opportunity here with undeveloped land were key, along with the fact that we recognize responsible growth. The folks at Geomatrix hit it on the mark. It was an extremely positive experience. All of our interactions with them were excellent and professional and they listened and they delivered.”

You can build the future of your town or city with a video as well. Contact the professionals at Geomatrix to talk about how we can help.