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Emotional video showcases how 'Distance Brings Us Together'

Hugh and Ned Ingalls have been in business for five years and the challenge of showcasing the positives of the pandemic may be their toughest yet.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Like many small business owners, Hugh and Ned Ingalls faced unprecedented challenges when coronavirus forced Michigan's stay at home order. Before it was issued, the brothers were using their company, Ingalls Pictures, to showcase businesses, sports, schools, weddings and music.

"We were picking up business left and right and then just like everything else, it was like that," Hugh said with a snap."All productions pretty much ceased. We had scheduled travel out west that was canceled or postponed until further notice. We had a wedding coming up in May that was just rescheduled."

The staff of eight still met over Zoom every morning, looking for ways to keep their video production skills sharp, and spread an inspirational message at the same time.

"The big thing that came up was I’ve talked to more friends that I haven’t talked to in years because of this," Ned said. "I’ve had FaceTimes and Zoom chats with people that have otherwise been out if my life just because we’re going through the grind of everything."

The theme for the video was born: "Distance Brings Us Together."

Over the course of two to three weeks, the group collected phone call audio from friends and family members reaching out to their loved ones to talk about how life has changed since the pandemic began.

"One side of it knew this was going to be source for a video and the other side found out afterwards," Ned said. "So a lot of the dialogue you hear is real dialogue with real conversations happening."

The narration comes from a wide swath of people including single mothers, nurses, and people who are now without a job.

"We tried to get all those different voices, all the stuff you’re hearing on social media, and try to get this wide net of dialogue that’s happening around the world," Ned said.

Then crew members captured video from parts of Grand Rapids that have been notably affected by the pandemic.

"You’ve got a lot of empty restaurants, empty bars, empty event spaces," Ned said. 

"The editing was just kind of structured around the voiceovers that we got from people."

The Ingalls brothers think any piece of video you share with your family and friends is a way to connect, and they hope their video will be a way to generate positivity during a trying time.

"It's about togetherness," Hugh said. 

"Life is still happening behind closed doors. When you're watching the empty streets and you’re seeing these images of schools and places in Grand Rapids that don’t have people in them, you’re hearing the voices of what’s still happening."

How others are helping during the pandemic:

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