Potsdam to help produce promotional videos

POTSDAM — The town soon will help produce a series of videos about Potsdam with the aim of attracting businesses and residents.

Supervisor Marie C. Regan sat down recently with representatives from CGI Communications Inc., Rochester, who offered to produce the videos for free. The town will help choose filming sites and what footage to use.

"It encourages businesses and people to move into the area," Mrs. Regan said. "It's very slick, very professional. They would produce one about Potsdam, including the village of Norwood. We would help choose highlights."

CGI Communications also would work with the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce to solicit area businesses for advertisements that are placed along the video border. The videos are provided free to the town and a promotional video is cut, for a price, for each advertiser.

The Town Council voted 4-1 at its meeting Tuesday to help produce the video.

Councilwoman Judith R. Rich declined to support the production because she "didn't want to sully the town's good name" by being associated with a private operation seeking money from area businesses. She also said she didn't see why the municipality was needed to help with the video.

Mrs. Regan said the town "wouldn't have to pay a cent" for three years. After that, the municipality has the option of paying CGI to update the video.

Potsdam would follow two other north country municipalities in working with CGI.

The city of Watertown put 10 themed videos, consisting of footage and still photographs on topics like Fort Drum and education, on its revamped Web site last year. The village of Massena helped produce its own videos through CGI in 2007.