Michael Conti Productions

Category: Presentation Videos

  • Colorado Pollinator Highway gets buzzing!

    Colorado Pollinator Highway gets buzzing!

    Colorado’s Pollinator Highway

    An unanimous Joint House Resolution named Interstate 76 from Denver to the Nebraska state line the Colorado Pollinator Highway. Now, the Colorado Department of Transportation is starting the work to get the highway to live up to all that buzz.

    Obtain the education you need to know about Colorado’s Pollinator Highway.

    A Michael Conti Video Productions was contracted to initiate filming activities associated with the establishment of the pollinator highway. This process took over six months in order to cover two planting seasons, one in the spring and the other in the fall. After which, the editing process commenced in order to have three CDOT approved videos to share with the public.

    pollinator highway
    CDOT Pollinator Highway Discussion

    New CDOT Pollinator Videos and Plan

    The CDOT Headquarters Landscape Architecture Section (CDOT HQ LA Section) is pleased to provide three new Pollinator Program elements. The CDOT HQ LA Section exists within the CDOT Environmental Programs Branch to provide technical training and landscape architectural expertise for a variety of project and program needs including roadside restoration and native revegetation, stormwater management, visual impact analysis, specifications, erosion control, and statewide regional environmental design and planning support.  

    Please visit for more at: CDOT

    How it All Started with the Pollinator Highway

    All of this started with a 2014 presidential memorandum encouraging departments of transportation to “identify opportunities to increase pollinator habitat along roadways and implement improvements, as appropriate.”

    I-76 was chosen because it is a federal highway that runs through environmentally sensitive areas like the eastern plains, where agriculture is one of the primary economic drivers. It is also a key area for migratory butterflies.

    “Pollinators are vital to our ecology, our economy and our industry,” said Carol Parr, regional environmental manager for CDOT. “It just takes a small shift in how we regularly do our work to help provide an environment where they can thrive.”

    One of those shifts involves mowing. Crews will still mow the grass 15 feet from the roadway, but during the main pollinator months (April to September), the other grassy areas will not be mowed.

    Managing noxious weeds will also be more specialized along the corridor. In fact, CDOT will have a roadside manager for the corridor, who will also oversee the statewide vegetation management program. That program will promote genetically appropriate plants that support self-sustaining dynamic ecosystems, which are resistant to invasion by non-native or invasive species.

    “While I-76 is our designated corridor, we fully expect to take lessons learned here to other areas of the state where we can assist with pollinators,” Parr said.

    CDOT is also partnering with several other groups, like the Butterfly Pavilion, Colorado Pollinator Network and People Pollinators Action Network, to assist with mapping of existing roadside habitat, and helping to restore and improve those habitats.

    https://www.codot.gov/news/2018/july/i-76-is-buzzing-about-new-pollinator-highway-designation-1

    Here are some pollinators in Colorado:

    • Bees: Colorado has 946 species of native bees
    • Butterflies: Colorado has 250 species of butterflies
    • Moths: Colorado has over 1000 species of moths
    • Hummingbirds: Colorado has 11 species of migrating hummingbirds that arrive in April and usually leave in September
    • Beetles: Beetles are among the pollinators keeping nature vibrant
    • Bats: Bats are important pollinators
    • Flies: Flies are important pollinators
    • Ants: Ants are important pollinators
    • Birds: Birds are important pollinators
    • Plants: Some great pollinator plants for Colorado include indigo bush, antelope-horns milkweed, purple poppy mallow, white prairie clover, narrow-leaf coneflower, and Indian blanket

    To make a beneficial pollinator garden, To make a beneficial pollinator garden, you need a water source, a sunny area with windbreaks, and a garden that offers year-round blooms for pollinators to visit. Native Colorado flowers are great for native bees, and non-native flowers like sage will be smothered in bees come midsummer.

    Pollinator Highway
    Backyard pollinators

  • Be Colorado Video Shoots – University of Colorado

    In support of the University of Colorado’s campaign to introduce their employees to a new healthcare awareness program, A Michael Conti Video Productions was hired to shoot 10 short videos during the fall of 2011.

  • 5 Things to Ask Yourself Before Picking a Video Professional Partner

    5 Things to Ask Yourself Before Picking a Video Professional Partner

    If producing videos is part of your overall strategy, one of the most important decisions you’re going to have to make is who to work with, for doing the actual heavy lifting, is picking the video professional partner. There are literally thousands of video production companies out there, and finding the perfect fit can be daunting. You could find yourself swimming with sharks, who are more interested in what you can spend budget-wise than one what you actually need done. If producing videos is part of your overall strategy, one of the most important decisions you’re going to have to make is who to work with, for doing the actual heavy lifting, is picking the video professional partner. There are literally thousands of video production companies out there, and finding the perfect fit can be daunting. You could find yourself swimming with sharks, who are more interested in what you can spend budget-wise than one what you actually need done.

    Your instinct may be to watch a few sample videos and make a decision, but you should take the time to mindfully consider what an ideal video partner might look like.

    Ideal video partner

    While we can’t find the perfect fit for you, we can throw a life preserver to help you get in the right direction. Here are 5 simple questions to ask yourself before making your selection.

    1. Do they care about my company?

    Give them a call.  Don’t depend upon email, chat or texting.  Speak in person.  You’ll get a pretty good idea within minutes how much they care about your business versus just your money.

    Do they ask relevant, specific questions about your video concept?  Are they actively interested in knowing who your audience is, how you intend to reach that customer with the video, what your expectation is to determine if the video worked or not, or is the person just trying to nail down how much money you have to spend? You want to make sure that the video professional you decide to work with is going to be passionate about your project and invested in making your video a success.

    2. Do they have innovative and creative ideas?

    With so many video companies out there, everything can start to look and sound the same after a while (especially among more recent companies). And if it appears “same old” to you, chances are it will look old to your customers.

    Try to find a video professional partner that strives to create truly unique work and has experience in a variety of different types of work.  It will make your video more memorable and help it stand out from the pack. If you’re not sure, ask the company to verbally pitch you a few ideas first. This simple exercise will probably show you if they have the ability to come up with something special or not.    Most video professionals are not too concerned with kicking around some creative concepts if asked during a call,  but be mindful if you expect them to develop additional creative concepts with storyboards and scripts on spec to win a potential job.

    3. What are their Relationships with Existing Clients?

    Nothing is more telling than relationships with existing clients.  Do you know these brands? Can they back it up with testimonials?

    4. What is the production value?

    Production value is that extra special sauce that a seasoned professional can bring to a final product, it is why you are will to spend more dining out at a nice restaurant than taking the same ingredients home, to make a home cooked meal.

    Ask specific questions about a video they did that you like , and find out how they added production value without adding additional costs to the customer.

    5. Do they fit my budget?

    So a homeowner needs to do a remodel on their bathroom before putting their house on the market. You know you need to hire a contractor who already has the experience with this type of labor.  He is there to help you envision the bathroom based upon the budget you are willing to spend. Either way, you decide if you want nickel or copper plated faucets.   The end result when working with the right person is a new bathroom that increases the overall value of your property.  It is your budget.

    But to make make money, you need to spend money. Ask what is possible.

    Hiring the right video professional partner for your unique needs can be stressful.  So before you jump in,  make sure you have clearly define your goals and your budget.  Look at samples of videos you like in our portfolio and take the time to ask us about our production process. These tips will help you identify the right match even if you don’t select Michael Conti Productions.

    video professional partner