The Sultana Disaster Museum

Capital Campaign on an Epic Scale

The Sultana Disaster is “the worst maritime disaster in our nation’s history, yet it’s probably a story you have not been told.”

These words open a capital campaign film with a unique challenge: in order to ask for money - $7.5M - to build a museum about the Sultana Disaster, first we need to educate our audience about the Sultana Disaster in an emotionally compelling, immersive manner befitting the vast human tragedy this story involves. To accomplish this, we aimed for a short film that tells the disaster narrative with emotional impact, as well as a short visually-driven pitch for the museum.

Ultimately, we produced four versions of varying durations to customize the viewing experience for different situations. Here is the longest version, featuring the full narrative and museum pitch:

“I was skeptical that the story of the Sultana disaster could be told in a compelling way in less than 4 minutes, until I saw Cherry Street do it. I truly could not be happier with their work.”

— Judge John Fogleman, President of the Sultana Historic Preservation Society

Clint Brewer | PHOTO: Groundwork

Artistic Collaboration with Stunning Results

We love to collaborate with other producers and production companies when we have the opportunity. Of these collaborators, none are closer to our team than Clint Brewer PHOTO, based in Dallas, TX.

For this project for Groundwork, Clint set a clear vision for what he wanted to create for his client. To help accomplish it, he hired us to write the script, co-direct the local filming and edit the final piece, while separately, he hired a Swiss cinematographer to film at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

 Clint did an excellent job producing a complex piece that spanned two continents, and we are proud of the work we pitched in to help achieve its final result.

“Nolan’s experience, creativity, and professionalism make him one of our premiere partners for narrative filming. He’s been a lucky charm for our more complex and creative projects for well over a decade.”

— Clint Brewer, Producer

Inspiration: Virtruvius

The Roman Architect Vitruvius, in the first century BC, outlined three principles of good architecture:

Firmitas (Durability) – It should weather the elements, withstanding the test of time.
Utilitas (Utility) – It should function well for the people using it.
Venustas (Beauty) – It should delight people and raise their spirits.

Is it not the same with good storytelling?

Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Helena AR. Photo by Nolan Dean

A good story withstands the test of time and changing of trends. They are timeless.

A good story is useful to the people watching it (or reading/listening to it), as well as for the storyteller — the artist, company, musician. People are thankful they watched your story, and they want to engage deeper with you afterwards.

And a good story raises spirits the moment we cross its threshold. It entertains as it educates. It instills hope. It answers questions. It satisfies the soul.

Everything we do at Cherry Street Productions is aimed to satisfy these three requirements: durability, utility, beauty. We hope you find our work for you to age well, do what its supposed to do, and delight your viewer for years to come. Let’s Get Started.