One way the organizations have worked together is on the promotional video for the Fitton Center’s upcoming “Summer Party” Season Launch party on Friday night. The Fitton Center will host the 2022-2023 Season Launch party this evening. The event is free and open to the public.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have them here in Hamilton. Other communities don’t have this type of team to work with and promote the City and promote things we’re trying to achieve here in Hamilton,” Ian MacKenzie-Thurley said. “It’s always been a really successful partnership that we look to develop further.”
The “Summer Party” Season Launch at the Fitton Center will include an open house, along with live music by the Marty Connor Band. Other features will include class demonstrations, an art exhibition opening, and a presentation of the 2022-2023 season of performances, exhibitions and events. There will be food from Two Women in a Kitchen and a full cash bar. For more details about the “Summer Party” Season Launch or the season, go to www.fittoncenter.org.
The Fitton Center has also worked with TvHamilton and the Hamilton Vision Commission on other projects.
“For instance, during COVID-19, all our virtual programming was done with TvHamilton. They would come in to take video or help us produce video that would be directly streamed on YouTube, Facebook and TvHamilton,” MacKenzie-Thurley said. “They’ve been great partners in helping to promote what we have going on here at the Fitton Center.”
They have been incredible with our promotional activities, particularly leading into things like the Season Launch, what we have going on during our season, and promoting special events, here at the Fitton Center, but you see it all over. It’s not just at the Fitton Center, he said.
“You see them at Operation Pumpkin, you see them at the Hamilton Fairfield Antique and Classic Car Parade, and on the Fourth of July. You also see them at ribbon cuttings and business openings, and the promotion of Spooky Nook, and what’s been going on there, and you also see them involved in the day-to-day civic activities, such as at the school board meetings, and city council meetings…they are everywhere,” MacKenzie-Thurley said.
They always have smiles on their faces, and they bring energy to the room, he said.
“Our relationship with the Fitton Center goes back several years now. We became a media partner with them. Our goal in our mission statement is to promote Hamilton and to promote things in Hamilton that would bring people in from outside or to our area, and that would fall right in line with what the Fitton Center is trying to do,” said Steve Colwell, producer and director at TvHamilton.
So, that’s how the relationship began. We were covering some of the events at the Fitton Center, he said.
“The goal is the economic impact. If somebody comes in for a show, they are probably going to have dinner here, or go out after the show,” Colwell said.
The partnerships also extend throughout the community to the schools and in neighboring communities. For example, TvHamilton partners with the City of Hamilton, Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Hamilton Community Foundation, Hamilton City School District, and Middletown City School District, among others.
Colwell said TvHamilton was already positioned to help with livestreams and virtual programming when meetings were forced to go remote during COVID-19.
“We were able to be at school board meetings and city council meetings when the public had to watch remotely. Thankfully, we were able to provide that service. I don’t know what would have happened to us had we not been able to do that when COVID happened, because all the events that we covered were no more. So, I’m glad we were able to step in and be there,” he said.
The one mission that we were charged with early on was to help combat a silo mentality, Colwell explained.
“We’ve tried to help promote and show others working together,” he said. “…It’s that 17 Strong mission of ‘we being greater than me.’ We can help each other out and get a lot more accomplished than if we try to do our own thing, separately.”
We want to show how the schools work with the city, and vice versa, for example, and how the City and Chamber work with local businesses to promote them, he said.
“The rising tide raises all ships,” Colwell said. “We are in the position to promote all of that. We get to help show how the groups are working together.”
These types of partnerships continue to help Hamilton grow, while they showcase the City’s assets.
“The Hamilton Vision Commission was set up about 20 years ago to create a vision of what they wanted Hamilton to become with Vision 2020, and that pretty much hit upon most of those goals of what they expected and what they thought Hamilton could be, and we see what Hamilton is now through the work of a lot of people, quite a few people,” said Communications Strategist Jeff Archiable at the Hamilton Vision Commission.
In his role, he works with the City of Hamilton, TvHamilton, Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Community First Solutions, local businesses, organizations, the schools, and beyond — who can best convey a positive and honest opinion of what Hamilton is and what Hamilton will become.
“Working with them, they brought me on board to work with the City and the organizations to help spread the word about all the great things that are happening in Hamilton. What my vision and goals are lines up perfectly with what TvHamilton’s goals are, so we have a close working relationship. We’re trying to push forward all the great things that are happening in Hamilton, and what we think people should know about Hamilton, to not only residents, but people outside of Hamilton, Butler County and well beyond,” Archiable said.
He said the goal is to help elevate the City of Hamilton, the businesses, organizations, schools, residents, and to get the word out about all things that are happening in Hamilton. He also helps these entities connect with various news outlets in getting their messages out.
“I look at how best to get the word out about someone, to tell people the story of what’s happening in Hamilton. Then, I figure out how I’m going to do that. Is it going to be through my own video or working with a news outlet. Most of the time, it’s through both,” Archiable said.
When we’re looking at the Fitton Center, we’re talking about a fantastic arts center that’s right in the heart of downtown Hamilton, he said.
“That’s something we want to promote that Hamilton has, because when we look a city like ours, that has a great arts feel and vibe like the Fitton Center has, you want to promote that and talk about it, and let people know there are incredible things happening in Hamilton,” Archiable said.
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