New business in Niwot brings stories to life

Everyone has a story to tell, whether it’s personal or for a business, and that’s just what Pattie Logan hopes to capture.

The Niwot resident of seven years recently started her business, Wild Mare Productions, to help small businesses and individuals tell their life stories. Logan isn’t new to the video production industry though, she’s had numerous years of experience as a broadcast journalist, reporter, video producer and educator.

“I have always been a storyteller in journalism, television production, and magazine articles,” Logan said of her experience. “This is sort of a new iteration of doing independent video production and writing.”

With the passing of her father last year, Logan realized the importance of family stories, giving her the drive and passion to help others tell their stories. Through her stories, Logan believes she is able to convey more powerful messages for her clients.

“That’s what matters in the end of our lives: the stories, experiences, and the emotions,” Logan explained. “I appreciate how much I learn from other people and their stories. I think that’s a more powerful way to pass on information, understanding and wisdom.”

Through her business, Logan ultimately hopes to tell the story of small businesses and business owners today; what they believe in and what they’re passionate about. She offers a two to three minute long video for clients, which they can put on their website.

Logan said she usually conducts two to four hours of interviewing and shooting the footage with her clients, then writes and edits the story for them. In addition to the personal business stories, she can also do “any sort of video production, like video testimonials for websites.”

“Businesses are more interested in video, by and large, than ever before now that that’s become more pervasive,” Logan explained. “It’s a more effective marketing tool in a lot of ways because it allows us to convey emotions better than other mediums.”

Not only does Logan offer video production packages for businesses, which generally cost around $1,250, but she also teaches classes on how to write a life story. Through her program, people learn to write a couple stories from their life each week, then share them in small groups.

“People make deep connections with one another because they’re sharing the most meaningful or important stories in their lives with each other,” Logan said of the classes. “They’re for people who want to reflect on their lives or collect stories for future generations.”

Logan currently holds a class at her home in Niwot and will be teaching two classes this fall at the Longmont Recreation Center. Her life story writing class costs $150-200 depending on the length of the class, and her class on capturing your family story is $65 for a half day workshop. Logan also offers general video production for $75 an hour.

In addition to Logan’s background as a broadcast journalist and storyteller, she spent seven years teaching broadcast journalism at the University of Colorado-Boulder. The classes she taught included t.v. reporting, writing classes for radio and t.v., and multimedia journalism.

Through her new business and video production services, Logan hopes she can help businesses make a more human connection to potential customers.

“The main idea is to help small businesses make those connections to increase their business,” she explained. “It’s connecting businesses to clientele in a more human way.”

As for her life story writing classes, Logan said hearing people share important stories from their lives is touching, stirring up her passion for her business.

“That is hugely satisfying to see people write about things that have been very difficult, important or joyful in their lives,” she said about the classes. “I’ve had people share some really meaningful, powerful stories that they’ve never written before. To reflect on their lives in deeper ways, and to share their experiences and life stories with people they love—I love to see that.”

To learn more about Wild Mare Productions, visit wildmareproductions.com or call 303-641-3103.