Wilton has a new hype video, titled “Wilton: Where You Belong“, celebrating the best features, qualities and amenities the town has to offer.
First Selectman Toni Boucher issued an announcement about the “new short film about our wonderful town” on Dec. 17, after presenting it to the Board of Selectmen at a meeting the previous night.
The video was produced by MediaVision Creative, a Norwalk-based video production and digital communications agency.
“It does a splendid job of showcasing all the special and unique aspects of life in Wilton, and I hope you will share it with friends, loved ones and colleagues everywhere,” Boucher wrote in the announcement.
Boucher emphasized the nearly five-minute video came “at no cost to the taxpayer,” but did not indicate who paid for the work or provided the agency with the guidance to produce it — such as which businesses, individuals and town amenities were selected to be featured.
GOOD Morning Wilton reached out to Boucher with those questions, after the Board of Selectmen voted to accept the gift at the board’s Dec. 16 meeting.
Boucher, who abstained from the BOS vote, responded that she personally had funded the project.
“The cost was not in the budget, so I funded it,” Boucher wrote in a text message exchange, calling the video “a gift” and comparing it to the antique fire engine recently donated to the Town by Karl Dolnier. (GMW has a separate story on that gift also running today.)
Boucher also revealed she played an instrumental role in driving the video content.
“I helped to direct [MediaVision Creative] to the town’s main attractions and school and business leaders, and they set up interviews and content,” Boucher wrote.
Boucher credited the Wilton Library with providing space for interviews to be conducted.
“This took over a year to produce,” Boucher added. “It was difficult to get people to like Chris Brubeck to fit the interviews into his world tour schedule.”
In her own cameo appearance in the video, Boucher calls Wilton as “a destination of choice” for businesses.
“We have a saying around here, which is ‘Wilton is where you belong’. Our commitment to public safety, our educational system and our active and civically engaged population make Wilton a destination of choice for world class businesses.”
Beyond trying to attract new businesses, Boucher says the video is intended for a wide audience, including “new residents, parents looking for great schools, the Chamber of Commerce, realtors, the town’s Economic Development [Commission]” as well as for use by other town boards and nonprofits.
Boucher called the video “an essential market tool” which “positively brands a community.”
EDC Welcomes Latest Video
For the past few years, members of the Economic Development Commission (EDC) have debated whether and how to update earlier iterations of a Wilton promotional video. However, the commission didn’t undertake a new initiative, primarily due to lack of budget and focus on other priorities.
The current EDC welcomed Boucher’s announcement about the new video, which she delivered in person at the EDC’s Dec. 17 meeting.
“This is an incredible gift,” Commissioner Donna Peterson said, amid a chorus of praise from her fellow commissioners after watching the video.
Boucher also told commissioners she had already been contacted by an elected town official in a neighboring town who had seen the video and wanted to create a similar one for their town.