Story is essential.

Since the inception of 7group, stories – especially video stories – have been central to communicating our philosophy, process, and performance. Story has been integral to our projects, because story educates, informs, motivates, and inspires.  Story exports projects beyond place, extends their reach, and expands their potential influence.

The first 7group project is frequently called PA’s First Green Building – the South Central Regional Office Building for the PA Department of Environmental Protection. Jim Toothaker, the DEP manager of real estate had the foresight to commission a series of videos starting with a documentary, PA’s First Green Building, followed soon after with a video on integrated design, Lessons Learned. Both were incorporated into USGBC’s LEED Accredited Professional training and educational workshops.  Better Places to Learn, which focused on the benefits of green schools, soon followed.  Since those early video stories, 7group partners have produced dozens of videos often focused on client projects, while others were developed in partnership with organizations like Rocky Mountain Institute, the US Green Building Council, US Department of Energy, General Services Administration, West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund, and Arc Skoru.

Real people tell.

Our creative approach to our video work incorporates real people storytelling – allowing project owners, developers, designers, consultants, and users to serve as the story voices. Real people allow the energy, emotion, and experience to become integral to the story, in addition to authentically grounding the story.

Story is powerful.

Story communicates, educates, motivates, inspires.  And it is a powerful element in public relations and marketing efforts. Tell your story, extend your audience, inspire others.

When we asked a founder of a green school how he got onto the idea of green building, he replied “I saw a video”!

Story can be a change agent.

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