October/November

Carleton’s Steven Poskanzer and St. Olaf’s David Anderson enjoy similar rewards, face similar obstacles

By JERRY SMITH

David Anderson has spent a lot of time on the Carleton College campus lately.
That might seem odd to some people, as Anderson is the president of cross-town rival St. Olaf College. But to many in academia, welcoming the newest member of the college presidents club, especially when he is in the same town, is the prudent thing to do.

As more films are shot here, the state’s motion picture industry has become a big business

By JERRY SMITH

Lights. Camera. Action.
Those three words have been repeated more and more in the state of Minnesota in recent times as filmmakers have taken notice of the state’s pristine Main streets, its rolling meadows and abundance of lakes, and most notably, the work ethic of its film crews.
Lucinda Winter, the executive director of the Minnesota TV & Film Board, said Minnesota has a lot to offer when filmmakers are considering locations.

By JERRY SMITH

On a dark, rainy June day, Jeff Traxler had an idea that has changed his life forever.
As he watched the heavens open up and soak any chance of his annual World War II re-enactment being a success, he was struck with the look of the film the Twin Cities video company that he hired, 185 Media, had shot that day.
“It had that ‘Saving Private Ryan’ look and I loved it,” said Traxler, owner of Traxler’s Hunting Preserve in Le Center. “Then it hit me. What if we scripted this?”

By JERRY SMITH

Almost every aspect of our lives is governed by energy.
From the appliances and computers we use at home to the lights and machinery used in manufacturing firms all across the I-35 corridor and Minnesota, energy, and the electricity produced from it, is very important in our everyday lives.
While that is true, we take electricity for granted, knowing that on most days we will be able to get up, flip on a switch and begin our day much as we did the day before and the day before that.