“Our goal is to create innovative products that deliver results for our clients”
- Mark Collings, President of Destination HISTORY
Tell us about your company?
“We are a multi-media storytelling company and our core business is storytelling,” says Mark Collings, President of Destination HISTORY. “We believe stories are the most effective way to connect with tourists and attract them to destinations. Stories create an emotional connection that the visitor will carry with them long after their visit.”
“Stories carry far beyond the regions in which that are set. Stories have a life of their own. Stories can be easily shared with people, such as family and friends, piquing interest in the destinations from where they originate,” says Collings. “We find stories told in the first person by people connected to a destination to be most effective.”
Destination HISTORY brings thirty years of professional media production experience to its clients. This work has taken them to every province and territory in Canada. “We have produced and managed the production of television commercials, corporate videos, interactive media, broadcast documentaries and television series,” says Collings.
“Our experience includes the development of many interactive projects, most notably eLearning courseware for the federal government and public school boards. We also follow PMI guidelines for project management.”
Destination HISTORY works with top professional production people all across Canada, including Directors of Photography, Sound Recordists, Writers, Researchers, Directors and Software Developers.
“We also have an in-house film and video transfer service to utilize old film footage, photographs, audio recordings and video footage,” says Collings. “Our facility can transfer all consumer video and audio formats and several professional formats too.”
“We are active board members of the Central Alberta Historical Society and the Documentary Organization of Canada,” says Collings. “Our goal is to create innovative products that deliver results for our clients.”
What makes you different, unique or stand out?
Video Tour Maps
“Our approach to video production is tailored to the project,” says Collings. “For historic site videos, this can vary, from a narrative-driven presentation to a point-of-view presentation where a person connected to the site guides the story.”
Mark explains that each video tour cost is based on the time, tasks and resources required to deliver the product to their client's desires and they can also produce programs in both official languages.
“We offer video tour maps which can be created for both motor tours and walking tours,” says Collings. “We have created historic site walking tour maps for community awareness, city tourism and special events such as children's festivals.”
Research and writing services are available through Destination HISTORY’s in-house staff, as well as outside partners who specialize in this area outside of their organization. “Some clients provide their own research and written materials that can be used for the video production,” says Collings. “Our approach is determined by the complexity of the project and budget.”
Coordination of the map design, print and distribution is looked after by Destination HISTORY’s in-house team through outside sources, though clients are welcome to use suppliers of their preference. “We also suggest approaching local businesses to purchase ad space on the maps to help assist in production costs,” says Collings.
Documentaries
“Destination HISTORY produces documentaries for both institutional and broadcast markets,” says Collings. “These products are typically licensed to broadcasters and funded through financial facilities available to television producers or funded privately through organizational funding, donations and sponsorships.”
“The distribution of documentaries is changing and involves marketing, sales and media preparation,” says Collings. “Traditional broadcast outlets are becoming less while streaming services are growing. Documentaries speak to a worldwide audience, but the average “shelf life" of a documentary is ten years.”
“Most films and television programs today are shot on location and location managers are always looking for new places to shoot stories,” says Collings. To get their attention, Destination HISTORY suggests having your region documented for presentation to location managers. “It is one way to attract visitors and business,” says Collings. “While the shoot may only last months, the notoriety of having your area associated with a film or television production will last for years.”
Why do you do what you do?
“I have travelled throughout Canada, discovering our shared history and culture,” says Collings. “One thing I valued were the personal stories associated with historic sites I encountered.”
“Our goal at Destination HISTORY, is to capture and share these stories on historic sites across our great country, having them available for travellers to experience in the form of Video Tour Maps,” says Collings. “These maps are easy to distribute throughout tourist regions and are a tangible way to attract visitors.
What is new or upcoming?
“We have launched the “Central Alberta Film Office” to promote the central Alberta region to film and television producers,” says Collings. “We provide location management and production services to productions. We are actively documenting and clearing locations in and around Red Deer and throughout central Alberta.”
Is your business looking to add or update video assets? Then the team of multi-media storytellers at Destination HISTORY might have a service that will suit your needs. For more information or to request a free consultation visit DestinationHistory.ca to begin the telling of your story.
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