If you’re a follower of social media or local history, you’re probably aware of Historic Hutchinson, the local preservation group. It’s known for a variety of accomplishments ranging from the preservation of the Harrington-Merrill House and the Main Street clock to the historic Episcopal Church and Great Northern Depot.
One way the nonprofit is getting the word out about its mission is through documentary films. The man behind the camera and directing the stories is Joseph Ullian.
The Hutchinson transplant taught in the communications department at Southern Connecticut State University for 33 years, attaining the rank of tenured full professor, and retiring as professor emeritus.
”At SCSU, I taught organizational communication and video production,” Ullian said. “At one time, I had over 100 students who graduated and got jobs at ESPN, including a multi-Emmy award winner. One of my former students is the head of original programming for the Hallmark Channel. Many others are working in the field.”
At the same time that he was teaching at Southern Connecticut State University, he also was a co-partner in a company called SEA-TV.
”We specialized in videos on nautical topics,” he said. “We did productions all up and down the East Coast and the Caribbean.”
As much as he may have been looking forward to retirement from his academic career, it only lasted 12 days. Things changed when Ullian received a call for a job as a full-time faculty member at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. After seven years, he retired again, but continues to teach an occasional class as an adjunct professor.
Ullian shares his thoughts about storytelling in this Leader Q&A:
Where are you from?
I grew up by the ocean on Long Island, New York, but I have lived in Massachusetts, Philadelphia, rural downstate Illinois, Connecticut, and now Minnesota.
Why did you become a filmmaker?
I grew up in a family of storytellers using various media. My brother was a short story writer and my sister is a visual artist. In college, I took many photography courses and found that I loved that visual medium. Then in graduate school at the University of Illinois, I took a job in Instructional Television, and worked on over 300 video productions. During that time, I came to see video as an engaging way to tell and preserve stories.
How did you come to retire in Hutchinson?
I met my wife, Maureen, at a wedding in Connecticut. During the reception, she developed an upset stomach. Someone told her that I had some charcoal pills. I gave her some, we talked, decided to keep in touch, and the rest is history. She grew up in Hutchinson, and was living in Gaylord at the time. After we met, she came out to be with me in Connecticut until I retired from Southern Connecticut State University. We lived in the charmingly New England town of Guilford, Connecticut, for 12 years. Then after I retired the first time, we decided to move out to Hutchinson to be closer to family.
How did you get hooked up with Historic Hutchinson?
I was looking to produce a documentary for Pioneer PBS, and I stumbled across an article about the ongoing work to preserve the Harrington-Merrill House. In doing research for this project, I met with various people involved in Historic Hutchinson, and somehow I found myself a member of that organization.
Why is storytelling important?
My academic background is in cultural communication. According to this approach, who we are, what we believe, and how we understand our existence comes from our interpretation of our experiences and the symbolic messages we encounter. Stories are but one of these symbolic messages. Others are sermons, newspaper articles, television shows, films, books, jokes, social media posts, gossip, and many others. One kind of symbolic message is architecture. Buildings tell a story. So, for instance, the Harrington-Merrill House tells a strong message. It has withstood Indian attacks, pestilence, fire, and attempts at demolition. It stands as an enduring monument, a story so to speak, about the resilience and fortitude of the people who founded this city. My goal in documenting historic structures in Hutchinson is to help spread and preserve the stories that these buildings tell. We come to know ourselves as members of this community partly through these buildings. Being attuned to their stories can help guide us in the future.
What other filmmakers have inspired your work?
Ken Burns, his deep research, his techniques, and his storytelling genius has inspired my work.
What has been your favorite film you’ve worked on and why?
My films are like my children. I love each of them for different reasons.
Anything else you’d like to share?
One venture I want to pursue is to create a partnership, a collaboration, with a number of media stakeholders in Hutchinson to bring local broadcast television to the city. Currently, we get our local news from television stations in the Twin Cities. Occasionally they will do a story in our area, but not on a regular basis. Through the use of citizen video journalists, we could set up an organization that could be the source of local news and stories. As a start, I would like to hear from people in Hutchinson who would like to learn how to create documentaries. These days, making documentaries is not a matter of expensive equipment. Smartphones, some inexpensive equipment, some basic techniques, and some understanding of how stories are made are really all one needs to get started. Anyone interested can email me at ullianj1@southernct.ed and learn by working with me on future productions.
For more information about Historic Hutchinson, visit www.facebook.com/HistoricHutchinson/ or historichutchinson.org.
