From Classroom to Collaboration: Built for Mead Partners with Local Students to Put Mead Businesses in the Spotlight
Kicking off in early 2026, Built for Mead, the Town of Mead, and the St. Vrain Valley School District Innovation Center were proud to partner with Video Arts on a program that provided valuable real-world experience for students while celebrating our local business community. Throughout the school year, 15 students created a series of videos featuring a group of local businesses and the people behind them, offering a glimpse into the many businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations that contribute to Mead’s economy and community.
The project featured 15 small businesses from across Mead. The students were the producers, production crew, and editors. As producers, they were responsible for contacting businesses and developing the creative and logistical plans to produce the videos. The production crew would film all of the interviews and additional footage at the business location. Following filming, the editors organized the footage, selected music, and created graphics to produce the final video.
From the beginning, students took full ownership of the process. That hands-on experience gave them a taste of the professionalism and coordination required in real production work, skills that go well beyond the classroom.
The idea for the partnership came together at the end of 2025, when a representative from the Innovation Center attended one of the Town's Business Engagement Meetings to share how students could connect with local businesses for projects. That conversation led to a connection with Ginger Sheehy, the Innovation Center's Video Arts Manager, who helped create the project scope, set up the necessary documents, and connected us to the students taking on this project.
This project exemplifies the significant benefits of partnerships. It offered our local high school students valuable real-world experience while providing beneficial video material to the participating businesses. Students became more integrated into the Mead Business Community, allowing them to learn directly about local business owners, their inspirations, and the ins and outs of running a small business. It also assisted the cultivation of new relationships, opening up opportunities for other creative projects. One notable example is that a student was hired to film and photograph the Grand Opening Event for The Blushing Raven.
We are grateful to all the students who created these videos, made edits, and welcomed feedback to enhance future work. We appreciate the collaboration with the St. Vrain Valley School District Innovation Center and are excited about future opportunities to work together to support the growth of our local businesses and celebrate the Mead community.