Meadow Brook Hall sings along
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The Pure Michigan Statewide Singalong, filmed by Status Creative Co-Founders Jeff Barrett and Rob Bliss, premiered during Sunday’s Detroit Lions football game at halftime. The video featured stops in 50 Michigan cities, with groups of local residents singing “Good Time,” a song by Owl City.
“Michigan really is a good time,” Barrett said. “[Good Time] is a fun, vibrant song that matches the energy of the state.”
After their success with the “Grand Rapids Lip Dub,” the two wanted to take the idea and recognize the entire state. When Barrett and Bliss contacted Pure Michigan about making the video, they agreed, on the condition that the two traveled across the state in just one week, visiting 50 cities on the way. Status Creative did just that.
“I always wanted to do something that showed off our state and I felt this was the most natural way to express it,” Bliss said. “The song and video show how much Michigan has to offer.”
With “no sleep and a fast car,” the two completed the trip and filming from Aug. 19 through 26, according to Bliss. After six weeks of planning, Status Creative teamed with local convention and visitor bureaus each place they went, making the production process run smoothly with most places set and ready to film when they arrived.
The plans allotted an hour to each location, according to Barrett. Visiting everywhere from Mackinac Island to Detroit and even Frankenmuth, one of the team’s stops was close to home.
Part of the video features Meadow Brook Hall, with people dressed in black tie apparel, holding champagne glasses at a dinner party and singing along. Shannon O’Berski, marketing and communications manager for Meadow Brook Hall, played a big role in the planning and execution.
After being contacted by Bliss about participating, O’Berski became project manager and sought out local talent, including staff and many members of the community. Emerald City Designs provided décor for the mansion room, while President Tuxedo of Rochester dressed the participants.
The day of filming, everyone arrived at 8 a.m., and though it was a little overwhelming at times, everyone was very enthusiastic, according to O’Berski. Bliss and Barrett had a vision in mind and finished filming in about an hour.
“It was exciting to be a part of the Pure Michigan Campaign,” O’Berski said. “Rob and Jeff were great to work with. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from both the community and people involved.”
It was Barrett’s first time visiting the mansion and he liked what he saw.
“It was so cool to visit Meadow Brook,” Barrett said. “Rolling up the driveway and stepping into the mansion is like walking into a period film. It’s in a nice area and was one of the coolest experiences of our project; I definitely want to go back sometime.”
The video has already reached over 150,000 views as of Monday, Sept. 10 and was recognized by many people, including the original artist, Owl City, who tweeted, “I LOVE YOU MICHIGAN,” sharing a link to the video and attributing it to the Pure Michigan campaign.
“We really just wanted to show how diverse Michigan is,” Barrett said. “This video shows almost all of the state. When people ask where you’re from, this gives a deeper background than just pointing at your hand.”