Venture Description: We're a group of students from Souhegan High School that all have the shared interest of videography. We have been able to put our skills to work by helping give back to the community through creating FREE commercials for non-profit organizations. We have also been able to sustain our company by producing very inexpensive commercials for profitable companies.The money we make from these commercials goes back into the company and helps fund our non-profit commercials and videos. We believe in giving companies and organizations an inexpensive or even free way of getting their ideas known to the public through our commercial/video production

Venture Origin: All of us have been into film making since 2001. We started out with a cheap hand-held camera and wild imaginations, with our passions expanding through the various movies we created. By high school we began looking into a more professional area to apply our skills. With the help of Youth Venture, we were able to use these skills to create RDS.

Innovation: We see that it is a crime that local businesses are being charged so much just to create a 30 sec commercial. Not only that, but NON-PROFITS are also being charged just because they want to express their ideas out to the world. That is why we have innovated a new way for companies and non-profit's to get their ideas out there, in a cheap and painless way.

Impact

Impact: - Created a commercial for local lumber company helping them spread their ideas and attract new customers - Created a free video for the Souhegan Chamber of Commerce which contains over 70 different companies, and was shown to hundreds of clients at a business expo - Filmed at a Volunteer Conference for Youth in which the Starmight Foundation (non-profit) will be able to use the film in promotion of their organization and Youth Volunteerism

Engagement with the community: We have engaged many people in our community, but most particularly students. We've given presentations to hundreds of students informing them of the change that they can make and talking to them about our Venture. We hope that the students will see that they have the same power that we do and can help out the community in different ways while at the same time have fun.

Impact and engagement progress since launch: Already, we have worked with approximately fifty different businesses and non-profit organizations throughout New Hampshire. We are pleased with our success and hope for continued success in the future. At the start of our Venture, one of our main goals was to create a commercial and put it on TV by the end of the year, and we have successfully done that (twice)!

Impact and engagement strategy: In order to ensure our continued success, we will have to keep up the hard work. It just takes commitment to get things done, so as long as we sustain commitment, we will have the power to accomplish anything. The best way to keep people committed is to make sure that they are in it for the right reason, and if they are, they will be paid off by things such as this; things that honor our hard work

Awards: - First Venture at Souhegan High School - Various Newspaper Releases

Budget

Amount of Youth Venture seed grant: $974

Money raised: We've raised $1,000 from creating a few different commercials for profitable companies. We've been able to use this money to purchase new equipment to improve our final video products.

Creative ways of raising resources: We've gone out and talked to various profitable businesses, explaining to them who we are and what we do. By doing this, we create new customers for whom we can create commercials and thus acquire money to help fund our Venture. It's a mutually beneficial process!

Strategy

Expansion plan for next 6 months: We are going to try to find new customers whom we can help out by creating a video or commercial for them. This will in turn help us out because it will help get our name out to the public.

Plans for sustaining the project: The main focus is going to be for us to keep raising money by creating commercials for profitable companies. This money will then help pay for any needed items in the company, helping sustain it. Our Venture will maintain members by making sure that they have the right, positive commitment!

Vision for three years from now: Three years from now I envision us helping out not only local non-profit organizations, but NATIONAL non-profit organizations. Also, I hope we have continued success creating commercials for the local businesses and organizations. If we are able to help out organizations both locally and nationally, I feel that we will be helping out not only my community but communities throughout the nation.

Project impact: I think our venture has made life easier for people in my community because it has given them the option of a free or inexpensive way of getting their ideas expressed through our creation of video/commercial products. The organizations that have these video/commercial products can then use them for promotion throughout the community. Many members of the community will then be affected by our video and commercial products because they will hopefully be inspired to help out non-profit organizations that we helped promote. Not only will the people of the community help out the non-profit organizations, they will hopefully become new clients of local businesses for which we helped create commercials. If the people are helping support LOCAL businesses and LOCAL non-profit organizations, they are going to be helping out the LOCAL community. It makes me proud to feel that our venture team was able to not only make a difference, but to make a positive difference impacting the many people in the community.

Youth Venture movement - what it means and how you can contribute: I think that the Youth Venture movement is a very powerful movement and it is an honor to be a part of it. I think that my Venture Team and I can help contribute to this movement by using one of the easiest and yet most powerful tools; word. If we can spread the word of Youth Venture, I think many kids will join this movement, which will hopefully lead to the spreading of new word, promoting Youth Venture to others. It's almost like a giant chain reaction; a chain reaction that could start from just kids. Now more than ever is the time for youth to help out the community. Teens are usually stereotyped as negative and useless, a stereotype that I think needs to be stopped and proved wrong. That is why Youth Venture is such a great organization and that is why it is amazing to be part of the Youth Venture movement.

Author:
Spencer
United States
Website: www.freewebs.com/rubberduckycommercials