DAVE FERRIS
For over 20 years Dave Ferris has owned and operated his successful Minneapolis based landscape design firm, Pine to Prairie. His "out of the box" thinking has fortunately brought him marketing success in a bad economy. The Pine to Prairie website has received compliments from around the country. From photo and video to website layout, Dave has honed his skills over the years as he became intimately involved with all aspects of advertising and branding Pine to Prairie.
What Dave brings to Chilibean is 20 years of marketing and management skills, and his 5 years of production work. He is not afraid to make his opinion known if he feels something is not right. "Part of Pine to Prairie's success has to do with surrounding myself with excellent people. If something will not meet our standards, the Pine to Prairie name will not be attached to it. I will turn work down if I feel it won't turn out right - I am following this same principal with Chilibean."
The idea of Chilibean productions came from Dave's hobby - scuba diving. "I remember the first time I dove in the ocean in Kauai, Hawaii and remember being on this boat with 10 foot waves coming at us. I was nervous because this was the ocean, not a lake in Minnesota, but when I went underwater, it was like this whole different world. The color, fish, rock, and coral formations were incredible. I felt an instant calmness. Almost as if I were in a sacred territory. I wanted to capture the beauty to show people what I was seeing underwater so I started doing underwater still photography. I then graduated to underwater video and production. I remember showing people my underwater videos, and them telling me I should get into the production business. I started shooting video for Pine to Prairie and found that I loved all aspects of the production business. Through word of mouth I was hired by a production company to help shoot a video of kite boarders in Bonaire in the Caribbean. The pay was next to nothing, but I jumped at the chance. I knew this was the beginning of something so I took the job."
After Bonaire, Dave was brought in to produce other productions. His local and international work spans from industrials, promotional spots, and more. With Chilibean Productions you get both an experienced producer and a successful small business owner.