Fieldstone Media's blog

Maine's commercial fishermen learn how aquaculture can become a new way to make a living on the coast while at the same time preserve Maine's working waterfronts. This is the subject of The Cod Academy, a documentary that will be airing on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network's Community Film Series on May 3rd, 5th and 14th.

Featuring four Maine fishermen, The Cod Academy explores the viability and opportunity of cod farming off the coast of Maine. Due to the collapse of the wild cod fishery and the continuing economic struggles with preserving Maine's working waterfronts, aquaculture may be one way for commercial fishing families to continue their maritime heritage.

In 2010, the Maine Aquaculture Association received federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to launch a pilot program on cod farming for the commercial fishermen of Maine. Over a period of five months, Fieldstone Media documented the program and produced a compelling story that details what it would take for fishermen to start their own cod farms.

Kyle Hockmeyer, owner of Fieldstone Media comments, "It's always fascinating to travel to different regions of Maine, record the various ways people make a living, and understand the issues that they face everyday. This documentary shows the changes that are happening with fishing and how a new industry could begin to influence the communities along the Maine coast. Hockmeyer has directed other Maine-based documentaries including Can-Am Crown and NorthRunner.

The Cod Academy will be airing on television during MPBN' s Community Film Series on Thursday, May 3 at 10:00 p.m., Saturday, May 5 at 11:00 a.m., and Monday, May 14 at 12:30 a.m.

The Maine Aquaculture Association and Fieldstone Media invite you to be our guest for the documentary premiere of The Cod Academy. A short film featuring four Maine fishermen as they begin to learn about aquaculture, a new way to make a living along Maine's coast.

Watch The Cod Academy Trailer here.

Free Admission and Cash Bar

Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Location: Governor Hill Mansion,136 State Street, Augusta, ME
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Join us for an evening of mingling, film and discussion on the preservation of Maine's working waterfront.

The Cod Academy
Maine's traditional cod fishery has collapsed. Working waterfront communities along Maine's coastlines are changing as fishermen struggle to continue their maritime heritage. Aquaculture may be one way for Maine's commercial fishing families to continue their way of life. Featuring four Maine fishermen, The Cod Academy explores the viability and opportunity of cod farming off the coast of Maine.

About the Production
In 2010, the Maine Aquaculture Association received federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to launch a pilot program on cod farming for the working waterfront fishermen of Maine. Over a period of five months, Fieldstone Media documented the program and produced a 27-minute piece called The Cod Academy.

Fieldstone Media, in conjunction with the Maine Aquaculture Association(MAA) and its affiliates, is producing a video documentary titled: The Cod Academy. In 2010, the MAA received federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to launch a pilot program of cod farming for the working waterfront fishermen of Maine.

Over a period of five months, the Cod Academy offered free training for fishermen in all aspects of cod aquaculture and will now raise funds to help graduates launch their own pilot-scale cod farms. The program has been named "The Cod Academy" and is the subject of this upcoming documentary.

Details on a premiere and where to view the documentary will be posted in January 2012. If you'd like additional information, feel free to contact Fieldstone Media.

Whether you manufacture, create, bake or harvest your product or service, the voice behind your business is just as important as the quality of the product. We recently completed a six-segment marketing video for the Bolduc Technology Group*. This high-tech company manufactures driving devices that can be installed in all types of transportation vehicles that are found on air, land and sea. But like you, they must be the very best at what they do and they must have a "real voice" behind their product.

Your customers demand quality and part of giving them the best is to offer a compelling story about your business. Click here to view our "real voice" piece with Scott Bolduc, Founder and CEO of the Bolduc Technology Group, as he shares his company's journey from the past, present and into the future.

*Bolduc Technology Group, headquartered in Augusta, Maine, designs and manufactures "drive by wire" Electronic Mobility Controls called Advanced Electronic Vehicle Interface Technology (AEVIT). These high-tech adaptive driving devices can be installed in nearly any style vehicle to allow operators of all abilities to drive.

Fieldstone recently launched a blogging website for George Smith, www.georgesmithmaine.com , which offers access to all of his columns, blogs and TV shows. The site is a source for the most in-depth and timely news, information, and analysis about outdoor issues and Maine travel.

George wanted a simple site that he could manage and easily upload his own articles and photos. It was important that we clearly display his three blogs, two published columns and TV show as well as provide space for advertisers and links to his preferred social networks.

We chose to power the site with Drupal, an open source content management system. In addition to hosting www.georgesmithmaine.com, we trained George on how to use his site, provided written instructions for content loading and continue to make ourselves available for follow-up questions. After the site went live, we assisted in posting a press release to announce his new endeavor, and the site was also announced in his Kennebec Journal column – The Native Conservative.

Working with George was a breeze. He proved to be instrumental not only in the timely launch but in chalking it full of content so that readers knew instantly how to navigate the site.

Just finished a video featuring NextEra Energy's hydro facilities in Maine on the Kennebec, Saco and Androscoggin Rivers. NextEra Energy Resources is a leader in clean energy and the largest renewable energy provider in North America. More than 90 percent of NextEra Energy's power generation comes from clean or renewable resources.

Working on a video project with some high school students to get Maine kids more active, it's called i225. The idea is to be active for 225 minutes a week, about 30 minutes a day. Sounds easy, right?

Fieldstone Media was there to capture video of two-time Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott's homecoming party at The Rack Brew Pub. This was Wescott's first public appearance since winning his second gold metal in snowboard cross at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, BC. Fieldstone will soon be featuring the footage in a project for The Rack. Wescott is co-owner of The Rack which is located on the access road to Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, Maine.

Fieldstone Media produced a 3-minute highlight video of the Maine Governor’s Conference on Tourism Awards Dinner. The dinner was right here in the Governor Hill Mansion (where our studio is located) so we didn't have to travel far for the shoot. The catch with this project was that the video was scheduled to be featured the following morning at the conference. Kyle (our producer) pulled an all night editing session in order to make it happen.