Touching “Strong as Stone” video hits home

By Stewart Grant
A video, created and edited entirely in St. Marys for the people of our community, has already been seen and shared by a population far exceeding our town borders.
Within 48 hours of Tuesday’s release of the “Strong as Stone” video on the Town’s Facebook page, it had already been shared nearly 300 times and had been viewed over 12,000 times.
“Our purpose for the video was simple, we wanted the residents of St. Marys to have something to be proud of, to provide a moral boost at a time when we needed it most and we wanted people to see the beauty of where we live,” said Kelly Deeks-Johnson, Tourism and Economic Development Manager at the Town of St. Marys. “We wanted a positive message and tone, leaving people to feel energized. But also, we hoped it would be shared, inspire others, encourage others, and show how truly awesome this community is.”
Jason Clarke of Fate Fury Creative was the visionary behind the project. He drafted the script and pieced together a stunning series of video clips. The running time of the completed video was 86 seconds.
Fate Fury Creative is a creative content agency based out of St. Marys, owned by Clarke along with friend Krista Dodson. Many of their other standout videos, such as those for Snapping Turtle Coffee and St. Marys Healthcare Foundation, can be found on their website at www.fatefury.com.
“We’re excited to look at what’s next for businesses and find new ways of approaching this new world. Marketing and advertising video is going to be a big new normal and we’re excited to step into that space and provide solutions for businesses, when we get there,” Clarke remarked to the Independent.
“We are very pleased with how the video turned out,” said Deeks-Johnson. “The addition of Emm’s voice to the imagery is absolutely stunning. The voice was the final piece we hadn’t fully nailed and her name was the first to come to mind, she jumped when asked and we couldn’t be more grateful to her. This is a piece we will have forever and we hope it leaves residents feeling united.”
Strong as Stone
When the world shut down
We showed what we are truly made of
Even though we were told to be alone
We were alone together
And it never stopped us
from showing our respect
for those who put our safety
above their own
And now as we begin to recover
We have the opportunity
to explore and engage
with people and spaces
we may have taken for granted
for so many years
This is far from over
But it has shown us that
no matter what happens next
We are strong as stone
(“Strong as Stone” video, produced by Fate Fury Creative for the Town of St. Marys)