Short Films, Starring Loudoun

Documentaries Promote Tourism

Jeremy Harvey sat in the conference room of the Loudoun County Convention & Visitors Association and played a series of short videos on the large television at one end of the room.

"We debated if we should have a disclaimer saying, 'These are real events and real people,' " joked Harvey, the association's marketing director, referring to the goal of capturing the people and places of Loudoun County as authentically as possible.

In the nearly 50 videos that the association is displaying on its Web site, there are no actors or scripted voice-overs. Each segment, two to five minutes long and focused on a unique Loudoun attraction, features only the music of local artists and the voices of residents and visitors.

A video on the Mom's Apple Pie bakery in Leesburg, for example, has footage of a wide array of desserts and characters. A couple from Kentucky, "here for a weddin'," tastes a slice of pie and comments on the flavor. Outside the shop, a mom shopping for fresh vegetables at the bakery laughs as her daughter makes a face of disgust at the mention of green beans.

The short features are part of the association's new strategy of using documentary-style storytelling to lure tourists to Loudoun.

It's an approach that won industry recognition this month, as the agency received an Emmy Award from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The five videos singled out for the award describe the Waterford Fair, White's Ferry, Ball's Bluff Battlefield, Morven Park steeplechase racing and Great Country Farms.

Beyond the praise bestowed by the academy, officials at the Loudoun association think the videos, which have been online since August, are having a strong impact on visitors to the agency's Web site, Facebook page and Twitter and YouTube accounts.

"People can picture themselves here," said association President Cheryl Kilday. "It's believable and it's beautiful."

Harvey said the emphasis on social networking sites is also a key part of the new marketing strategy.

"We know social networking outlets allow us to reach young people," he said. "The average age of visitors to Loudoun County is 51. The baby boomers aren't going to travel forever. Who's going to be the next Loudoun visitor? Generation X and Y."

The videos were shot by Electro-Fish Media, a production company in Austin. Loudoun officials decided to work with Electro-Fish after seeing its film "Barbecue: A Texas Love Story," which focused not only on the food but on the people and the stories behind the meat's flavor.

The visitors association selected local professionals with diverse backgrounds to decide which Loudoun sites, businesses and events the videos would feature. Then, with a cargo van and a film crew, Electro-Fish went to work.