From the Idaho Business Review
The Idaho Department of Commerce unveiled a new promotional video on March 25, meant to expand viewers’ perceptions of the state beyond its “Famous Potatoes.”
Entitled “Idaho… Business is Easy Here,” the six-minute film features interviews with officials from Hoku, which is building a polysilicon plant near Pocatello; Areva, the French-owned nuclear services firm that hopes to build a uranium enrichment facility outside Idaho Falls; Eagle-based robotics company Ugobe; and others. The video also includes a few computer generated potato characters to provide a little comic relief.
“We want to round out the image people have of Idaho and help them discover the reason this state has topped a number of national rankings for business and entrepreneurial growth,” Commerce Director Don Dietrich stated in a release. “Many states have economic development videos; we wanted to have a little fun with ours and make it memorable,” he said.
The film was produced by R Squared Digital Media, Eagle; Peppershock Media Productions, Nampa; WideEye Productions, Boise; Area O2, Eagle; and the commerce department. Shot in high-definition, the film cost around $16,000 to produce and was paid for with about $10,000 from the Idaho Potato Commission and $6,000 from the commerce department.
(Editorial note…script written by Travis Swartz…Olson Johnson played by Travis Swartz…voice by Travis Swartz)