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Friends and Neighbors

Our latest Fareway ad campaign hit the airwaves on Superbowl Sunday. It consists of two commercials that tell the story of the blossoming friendship between an elderly woman and her young neighbor. Our goal for the campaign was to reinforce Fareway’s motto– that our community is a family– and illustrate why it’s important to foster those relationships.

The ads star a legend of the Des Moines Playhouse, Ruthanne Silverstein. We were so honored to work with her. We hope you enjoy these ads as much as we enjoyed creating them.

Fareway — Neighbor from 515 Productions on Vimeo.

 

Fareway — Makeup from 515 Productions on Vimeo.

Our First Decade

We’ve reached an important milestone here at 515 Productions:  a decade in business. Ten years ago this month, Ian launched the business in the basement with his very first camera. It was exciting and scary and stressful. There were ups and downs. Days when we claimed victory and days when we were ready to declare defeat. But at the end of each year, the blood, sweat and tears added up to growth over the previous year. And we’re so grateful to our crew and clients for making that possible. We couldn’t have made it this far without you.

To celebrate, here’s one of Lynn’s all-time favorite 515 videos featuring BilT Guitars and music by Iowa’s own The Envy Corps. It’s an appropriate pick because BilT Guitars is also a small business based in Des Moines that has seen tremendous growth in recent years. The co-owner, Tim Thelen, is a good friend. And we want to congratulate BilT on its amazing success. Rock on.

 

BilT — kid gloves directors cut from 515 Productions on Vimeo.

Get Pumped

 

What are your New Year’s resolutions? If you’re like most Americans, losing weight/getting in shape is near the top of the list. Trying to get motivated to actually do it… well, that’s often another story. Here’s a little inspiration to help get you fired up to get ripped. Courtesy of Crossfit Des Moines coach Rian Moe.

 

Crossfit Des Moines from 515 Productions on Vimeo.

Another year flies by…

We’re celebrating the season with a throwback to 2014. Jack, then age 5, made his debut appearance in a 515 video. Can’t believe a year has already flown by. It’s a good reminder for us to stop and smell the roses once in a while. Life can get so hectic. What’s the point of working hard, if you don’t take time to enjoy moments with family and friends? Hope you’re able to do that in 2016. We’re making that our resolution for the new year.

Cheers!

Fareway Christmas 2015 from 515 Productions on Vimeo.

Badass

Overcoming adversity. Inspiring others. For one woman, it’s just normal life. She doesn’t want your sympathy. Instead, she wants to kick your butt in the gym. Specifically, the Crossfit Des Moines gym.

Katie Long was born without an arm. She hated going to the gym, because people stared. Her husband got her to try Crossfit. And now she doesn’t let anything stand in the way of doing what she wants to do.

Crossfit Des Moines: Katie Long from 515 Productions on Vimeo.

Iowa Pays the Price

Iowa Pays the Price Iowa is at the epicenter of Presidential politics. Every four years, the race for the White House comes barreling through the front door. And it creates some incredible opportunities. Democrat or Republican, we’ve had the chance to work with politicians from all walks of life.

This year has been especially exciting. We were tapped to work on a campaign called Iowa Pays the Price. It’s mission is to get big money out of politics. No matter what your political persuasion, that is a mission most people can get behind. And we’ve had a lot of fun creating videos for this cause. Here are a few of them so far:

Iowa Pays the Price from 515 Productions on Vimeo.

Best Buddies

It is football season. And, once again, Allen Lazard is showing his talent on the field. But, perhaps more importantly, the ISU sophomore is also known for just being a nice guy.

Here’s a video we shot two years ago, when he was a stand-out at Urbandale High School, for the non-profit Best Buddies Iowa.

It creates cool opportunities for kids with disabilities. It’s a great cause. And the message seems to carry more weight when it comes from a football star, now rising through the ranks in the Big 12. So we thought we’d take advantage of the season and put this video back into circulation, to spread the word about a great organization. And also a football player who continues to be a great role model.

 

 

Best Buddies Iowa from 515 Productions on Vimeo.

RED goes to space

We get it. All the tech jargon can be confusing. For some, deciphering the difference between 4k and 1080p can be like trying to determine the difference between unicorns and leprechauns. So when we drone on and on about how much we love our RED Dragon, we don’t blame you for rolling your eyes.

Now you don’t have to take our word for it. Even NASA loves the RED. And as astronauts often do, they have a great way of explaining things so the rest of us can understand them. This summer, they gave a demonstration of just how awesome this camera is, from space. Enjoy!