the project

3:30 a.m. call times never felt particularly rewarding - until this project.

As part of a larger content series featuring the generational farmers who grow Nature’s Way’s herbs, we travelled to the Alpine hills of Styria, Austria where many of the elderberries are grown and harvested for Nature’s Way Sambucus. Each morning for a full week, we woke up to the dark mornings of Graz, gathered in vans, and drove 2 hours into the mountains to capture the sun as it rose over the Joebstl family elderberry farm. A sight that still could take my breath away.

The Joebstl family has been harvesting elderberries for many generations, and they graciously invited us into their home and work to get an inside look at their way of life. The days began with a cup of tea on their cottage balcony. Followed by a short drive to the elderberry fields where they meticulously picked only the ripest berries. We learned how to spot clusters that were ready for picking, and how to evaluate soil for planting new elderberry trees. A home cooked meal, complete with elderberry juice, bookended our days.

One filming day included a trip to a national park, where we filmed two vignettes with local talent who represented our “consumers” of Sambucus, living an active lifestyle on the hiking trails.

This project had its logistical challenges, such as lengthy drive times between locations, significant language barriers, and finding resources in rurally remote places. But the final product made it all worth it.

Credits

Agency: Hawkeye Agency

Production Company: Picture North

Director: Martin Rodahl

Line Producer: Neha Datt Schultz

Agency Producer: Annie Varberg

DP: Cedric Schanze

Drone Op: Simeon Pratt

Asst Drone Op: Talia Pasqua

Creative Director: Greg Akouris

Editor: Andrew Maggio

Color: Tyler Roth, Company 3