Nate Kresge. Photo by Dani Fresh, www.danifresh.com
If you had the opportunity to check out Harrisburg Beer Week this past spring, you may have made it to Midtown Cinema for a screening of the documentary “Brewed in the Burg.” The one-hour film takes a look at the local craft beer industry in and around Harrisburg.
“Brewed in the Burg” was produced by GK Visual, a “boutique” cinema production house that has been operating for a decade in Harrisburg. Although it created a lot of buzz for the company, the feature film, made in collaboration with SaraBozich.com, really was just a side project.
“We found it interesting to explore the local craft scene,” said co-owner Nate Kresge. “In the film, you’ll see Sara Bozich not only interviewing the professional brewers, but also talking to home brewers, restaurant owners, beer distributors and, of course, the people who drink the beer.”
The company makes its real living creating video and photographic art for political, corporate and non-profit clients, earning more than 60 industry awards along the way. GK Visual has produced television commercials for political candidates and corporations like Penn National Insurance and web videos for non-profits such as Whitaker Center and the Salvation Army.
“Every day is a little different,” said Kresge, who, this year, was selected as a recipient of Central Penn Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40,” which honors young business leaders. “You never know what project you are going to be working on or who is going to walk into the door.”
Talented and Creative
Kresge began his career at Pennsylvania Cable Network and has always been heavily involved in politics, a perfect fit for a Harrisburg-based outfit. When he started the company, the bulk of his work was for political campaigns.
“Little by little, we have added corporate clients to the point where we now are doing more corporate work,” he said. “Next year, when we get into House and Senate races, the political work will really gear back up and take a lot of our time.”
Two years ago, Kresge took on a partner, Doug Metz, and, since then, has hired two additional staff members—Nick Chohany and Sean Purcell. They also work with freelancers.
“Everybody kind of has their own role,” said Kresge. “The nice thing is that everyone is just incredibly talented and creative and, if one of us doesn’t have the ideas to give a client, someone else always does.”
The company’s focus on storytelling follows a trend in marketing to seek out more meaningful ways to engage viewers.
“I think a lot of people are tired of the glossy sell,” he said. “Our videos are very professional and look great, but they’re made without a lot of flashy effects. So, often, I’m just looking for raw emotion.”
The Best Stories
Kresge says that clients come to see him with projects in all stages of development, from barely fleshed out concepts to fully written scripts. He and his staff love to try to help them figure out what they are trying to communicate and who the audience is.
“The biggest thing we’ve found is that it’s more effective to film the people who know the story. We rarely use actors,” he said. “So, we get them on camera, and we’ll just sit down and interview them. Then we’ll kind of chop that up and weave it back together to find what that narrative is. We look for what’s going to appeal to a client or somebody landing on your website for the first time.”
Besides “Brewed in the Burg,” another side project that has gotten GK Visual attention is “What’s on Tap with Sara Bozich,” a Web series focused on highlighting community leaders. Although the series is now in redevelopment, it featured a more informal interview style, with Bozich and her guest often relaxing with a cup of coffee or a pint of beer.
“The goal was to try to film a less guarded, less TV news-style interview,” said Kresge. “I feel this is how we were able to get the best stories.”
GK Visual didn’t receive any pay for either “Brewed in the Burg” or “What’s on Tap with Sara Bozich,” but Kresge says that’s OK.
“To be honest we don’t do much advertising, but we find, when we do these fun projects, people really latch on to them and enjoy them,” he said. “It seems to bring in much more work for us than if I had put our own TV commercial out somewhere.”
For more information about GK Visual, visit www.gk-visual.com. “Brewed in the Burg” will screen next on Sept. 21 at Tellus360 in Lancaster.
