New Video Documentary Series to Answer Questions of Why Organic

May 29, 2008 - PRLog -- USA    In the rapidly changing world of foods and their origins, most people know that products labeled “Organic” and “Natural” are good for them and the environment.  But many people don’t know why.  This is the premise of a new video series, Discovering Our Organic Planet - USA, produced by Wide World HD Productions, Seattle, WA.

The series is being created to bring the public up close and personal to develop a better understanding of organic and natural farming practices, foods and products that are produced in harmony with nature.  Enthusiasm for the series has been extremely positive, but securing sponsorship funding from the organic community has proved to be a challenge for the producers.

“A better informed public will make smarter choices for the food they consume and for the environment we live in…,” states John Wehman, producer for Discovering Our Organic Planet – USA  ”…and we believe that one of the best ways to reach a larger audience is to create an intriguing and entertaining documentary series that will explain the basics of organics so all can understand.”

As an independent production company, creating a documentary series of this scale is a massive undertaking.  “It’s definitely a challenge, but well worth the adventure.”  states Wehman.  “The support for our series, from the organic and natural food community has been tremendous.  But raising funds to cover production costs has been a constant frustration for us.”

Discovering Our Organic Planet – USA, a not-for-profit project, is being funded solely by tax-deductable sponsorship contributions from companies, farms and organizations active in the organic community, philanthropic foundations, and from individual contributions.

The series development team, headed by John Wehman, has found that the rapid growth in organic and natural farming has created tremendous expenses for everyone in the industry.  And since so much of the organic community is made up of smaller farms, co-ops and small organic businesses, there seems to be little money left over to provide financial support for projects that could help educate the public about organics, such as Discovering Our Organic Planet - USA.

The central theme of this 13 X 30 minute video series, is to relay ideas and experiences from throughout the USA by meeting with people active in the organic community.  An interaction of people, practices and products is intended to help build the public’s understanding of the benefits of organic and naturally grown foods and to demonstrate the positive environmental impact of ecological farming.

“Working people talking about what they do, will be the voices for the shows.” states Wehman.  Each program segment will focus on specific subjects such as vegetables, fruit, wine, nuts, honey, dairy, poultry and livestock.  Topics will be diverse and each will focus on the positive aspects of organics.  Filming of the series will take place in a variety of locations ranging from independent family run farms to larger co-op groups and related organic businesses.  

The series will also follow experiences of volunteers on farms as they work and learn about organic farming.  These volunteers come from all walks of life.  They connect with organic farmers in the USA and internationally through volunteer organizations such as WWOOF-USA (World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) (http://www.wwoofusa.org ).  People of all ages join these organizations to find temporary work on an organic farm in exchange for room, board and knowledge.  Many of these volunteers have never worked on farms before and find the experience tremendously educating and rewarding.  The series will meet up with a number of these volunteers as they discover and learn about life on organic farms.

By utilizing broadcast, internet, DVD and other electronic media formats, the video series will extend its reach and effectiveness not only with viewers at home but for educational use in libraries and schools and for use as a media resource for the organic community.

Production phase for the video series is planned to begin by the first half of 2009, once sponsorship funding is secured.  National and international release of the series would be 2010.  The video series is being produced for public broadcast, internet and DVD distribution.

Wide World HD Productions, which is handling both development and production of Discovering Our Organic Planet – USA, is an award winning video documentary production company active in international culture, travel and outdoor adventure programming.   Wide World HD Productions is working in conjunction with support partners Documentary Educational Resources (DER), Watertown, MA (a non-profit organization for independent producers), and national PBS affiliate KCTS Television, Seattle, WA.

For additional information about the series and to obtain sponsorship details contact John Wehman, Producer, email: DiscoveringOurOrganicPlanet@comcast.net , call 206-427-4978 or go to http://www.wideworldhd.com (click Current Projects).   To make tax-deductible contributions for the series go to http://www.der.org/donate (scroll to: Discovering Our Organic Planet - USA).

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About:  Wide World HD Productions, Seattle, WA, is an award winning video documentary production company active in international culture, travel and outdoor adventure programming.  The company and Producer John Wehman are working in conjunction with support partners Documentary Educational Resources (DER), Watertown, MA (a non-profit organization for independent producers), and national PBS affiliate KCTS Television, Seattle, WA. to produce Discovering Our Organic Planet - USA.