A socially distanced audience watched the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce’s video spotlighting Syracuse and its businesses Thursday, Dec. 10, at Pickwick Theatre. Photo provided.

By Sarah Wright
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — On Thursday, Dec. 10, it was lights, camera and action as the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce rolled out the red carpet at Pickwick Theatre to debut a short film showcasing chamber members, local industries and the overall community of Syracuse.

Numerous people attended the video’s screening while wearing masks and observing social distancing in the theater. According to Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber Executive Director Renea Salyer, the video’s reception, both at the event and afterward, has been positive.

“Many love seeing their town displayed in the beautiful scenery. The chamber has had calls, emails and social media posts stating the same,” Salyer said, adding the video on the chamber’s Facebook has been viewed 8,100 times so far.

Filming on the video occurred during the summer, with Clear Vision Media manager partner Mercedes Sanchez serving as the lead videographer and producer on the project. Sanchez was aided in capturing the beauty and appeal of Syracuse with the help of her sister Alexandria Sanchez.

“We created the video to tell the story of our community,” Salyer explained. “Our goal was to give our residents more to be proud of and provide a recruitment tool for our local businesses in attracting talent. We are hopeful it will assist those looking for a place to grow a business, live, raise a family, work or visit. It is also a recruiting piece for chamber membership.”

The film serves as one piece of the placemaking and recruitment efforts the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber has been undertaking recently. During the summer, new benches, planters and trash cans were added to uptown. New banners were also commissioned in the shape of sails, depicting scenes that encapsulate the town of Syracuse.

For the video, Salyer said, “We were strategic in showcasing long-standing businesses, young entrepreneurs, large and small businesses, the school system, lakes and business district.”

Mercedes shared, “We saw the power of visual storytelling through media come alive for the town of Syracuse.

“Renea was such an active leader and a champion of all the small details. We were determined to capture her passion and character of this northern Indiana town in the video,” she added. “This community video created by Clear Vision Media and the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce will not only work as an amazing marketing tool but also celebrate the Syracuse community.”

Following its debut, the video was made available on the chamber’s website and its social media platforms. The chamber will share the video with any business wanting to offer a snapshot of Syracuse. It has also been entered into a national competition for membership-based organizations.

“As we continue to work on improving the landscape of Syracuse throughout placemaking plan, we will work toward creating a series of videos showcasing why Syracuse is a great place to be,” Salyer said. “We appreciate all our sponsors who allowed this vision to become a reality: Polywood; Interra Credit Union; Brook Pointe Resort; Bankers Life — Ryan Austin; Dan Buchman State Farm; Main Channel Marina; The Papers Inc.; Ritter EHPC; Goshen Home Medical; NIPSCO; and all the supporting businesses who participated in the video.”

Clear Vision Media’s website features the Syracuse video, plus business spotlight videos.