One of the hot topics circulating amongst industry members and leaders these days is how exactly our industry can come together to mount some type of national advertising/promotional campaign. As has been mentioned by others, including my friend Vance Gillette, other competing industries, such as boating and RVs, have done a great job promoting the experiences associated with their products, and they’ve done it by focusing on the consumer experience.
By contrast, the pool and spa industry has no such program aimed at staking out territory in the minds of consumers. So far, most everyone agrees we as an industry need to somehow promote the aquatic lifestyle, but as of yet, we have no direct path toward that goal. No doubt, it’s a discussion that will continue into 2014 and beyond.
In the meantime, a good friend of mine, Doug Johnston, a Dallas-area designer and builder, decided to take matters in his own hands and establish a grassroots effort using the power of video and social media to spread the word about the power, beauty and ingenuity of the aquatic experience.
Earlier this year, using his own resources, Doug established Artistic Visuals, a production company currently in the process of generating viral video pieces that comprise a channel called WATERtv.
Last summer, Doug spent the better part of two months filming pieces with industry luminaries including David Tisherman, Randy Beard and others. Mark Holden, another good friend, designer/builder and educator, and I have had the pleasure of advising and encouraging Doug in his ambitious efforts.
So far, it’s been quite a ride.
What we’ve learned is that Doug has a massively creative vision about what these videos are all about and, in particular, how they look. Over the years, I’ve been involved in the production of a number of videos for this industry and others and consider myself fairly well informed about the process, especially how time-consuming and costly video production can be these days. Based on my experience, I was slightly skeptical about what Doug was up to — videography is a tough business — while at the same time cautiously optimistic.
Fortunately, Doug has thrown caution to the wind and has begun creating a body of work unlike anything I’ve ever seen in terms of covering this industry. He hired an ambitious team of recent college grads who share Doug’s ambition and creative vision, and the results are nothing short of astounding.
Using state-of-the-art equipment and editing software, WATERtv carries remarkable production values used to express a veritable wild fire of creative sparks. In some cases, the pieces are purely artistic intended solely for distribution through social media and sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. In others, the pieces promote and celebrate the work of individual practitioners and companies. But according to Doug, there’s one theme woven through every video.
“It’s all about the passion,” Doug says. “We want to show people just how amazing the aquatic experience can be.”
In working with Doug, I’ve come to appreciate his complete sincerity and wildly creative instincts. He practically vibrates with excitement as well as firm confidence that the work will, indeed, promote the sterling benefits and experience of all things pool and spa.
Where exactly all of this leads is unknown at this point, but that’s part of the beauty of the ongoing project. Doug is surging forward undaunted confident in his and his crew’s ability. And, he’s firm in his belief that when people see what he’s doing, WATERtv has the potential to change the way people think about pools and spas.
I for one, plan on staying tuned!
Check out this WaterTV video that explains the philosophy of the channel:
A Look At Doug Johnston Executive Producer Of WATERtv from WATERtv on Vimeo.
And take a look at one of WaterTV's more artistic approaches to pool videography — this video is absolutely stunning.
