Community voices from Chattanooga, Fargo, and Wichita come together in this documentary centerpiece for Heartland Summit.
Secret Sauce 2025
Client
Heartland Summit
Client
Heartland Summit
Client
Heartland Summit
Services
Cinematic Video Production
Services
Cinematic Video Production
Services
Cinematic Video Production
Style
Documentary
Style
Documentary
Style
Documentary
Focus
Local Stories
Focus
Local Stories
Focus
Local Stories
Project Overview
Commissioned for the 2025 Heartland Summit, Secret Sauce is a short documentary that explores the people and places driving innovation and community resilience across America’s heartland. In partnership with Markham agency, we traveled to Chattanooga, Fargo, and Wichita to hear directly from the people shaping these cities' futures.
The piece blends interviews, movement, and setting to tell a story rooted in local leadership and real-world progress.
Production Design
The goal was to let each city and voice speak for itself. We filmed in restaurants, city halls, innovation hubs, and classrooms, shaping each location to feel personal and specific. Every interview was designed to be both intimate and contextual, always placing people in their real environments rather than studios or setups.
By grounding the piece in real places, we allowed each city to be both subject and setting.
Cinematography
We traveled with a compact but high-quality 3-camera interview package that allowed us to move quickly without sacrificing polish. For supporting visuals, we shot aerials, gimbal b-roll, and slider moves using a Kessler motorized system to capture smooth, precise motion.
Lighting was practical and minimal, designed to enhance the natural light in each space rather than overpower it. The result is a documentary that feels grounded, human, and visually elevated.
Visual Storytelling
With so many voices across multiple cities, the edit had to serve as the glue. We shaped the narrative around common values and challenges shared between communities: economic development, creative entrepreneurship, education, and belonging.
The pacing lets each story breathe while maintaining momentum across all twelve minutes. Music, tone, and structure were all designed to honor the diversity of perspectives while still forming a cohesive message.
Outcome
Secret Sauce 2025 premiered at the Heartland Summit as a centerpiece of the event. It gave attendees a window into the real people behind the region’s progress and left viewers with a grounded sense of optimism and clarity.
By balancing polish with authenticity, the film stands as a powerful example of how intentional production can support meaningful storytelling.
Project Overview
Commissioned for the 2025 Heartland Summit, Secret Sauce is a short documentary that explores the people and places driving innovation and community resilience across America’s heartland. In partnership with Markham agency, we traveled to Chattanooga, Fargo, and Wichita to hear directly from the people shaping these cities' futures.
The piece blends interviews, movement, and setting to tell a story rooted in local leadership and real-world progress.
Production Design
The goal was to let each city and voice speak for itself. We filmed in restaurants, city halls, innovation hubs, and classrooms, shaping each location to feel personal and specific. Every interview was designed to be both intimate and contextual, always placing people in their real environments rather than studios or setups.
By grounding the piece in real places, we allowed each city to be both subject and setting.
Cinematography
We traveled with a compact but high-quality 3-camera interview package that allowed us to move quickly without sacrificing polish. For supporting visuals, we shot aerials, gimbal b-roll, and slider moves using a Kessler motorized system to capture smooth, precise motion.
Lighting was practical and minimal, designed to enhance the natural light in each space rather than overpower it. The result is a documentary that feels grounded, human, and visually elevated.
Visual Storytelling
With so many voices across multiple cities, the edit had to serve as the glue. We shaped the narrative around common values and challenges shared between communities: economic development, creative entrepreneurship, education, and belonging.
The pacing lets each story breathe while maintaining momentum across all twelve minutes. Music, tone, and structure were all designed to honor the diversity of perspectives while still forming a cohesive message.
Outcome
Secret Sauce 2025 premiered at the Heartland Summit as a centerpiece of the event. It gave attendees a window into the real people behind the region’s progress and left viewers with a grounded sense of optimism and clarity.
By balancing polish with authenticity, the film stands as a powerful example of how intentional production can support meaningful storytelling.