‘Cow’ flick a real hit, Miss. dad discovers
By Gary Pettus, Jackson, MS Clarion-Ledger
May 31, 2004
Watching his young son stare wide-eyed at the large animals grazing in roadside pastures, Robbie Coblentz realized you can get more than milk out of a cow.
An education, for one thing.
“Our son David, who’s almost 3 now, was about 18 months old when this started. He thinks cows are the greatest thing in the world,” says Coblentz, of the video production company Broadcast Media Group in Starkville.
“So his mother and I looked for a video about cows that we wouldn’t mind hearing and seeing over and over.
“But we couldn’t find it.” So Coblentz made it.
He calls it Oh Wow! Cows, a 28-minute production that attempts to “educate and entertain without being obnoxious.”
“It started as just a fun thing for me to do,” Coblentz says. “I shot video on a car trip to a family wedding. I was going to put something together real quick for David.
“Then my wife Bonnie wrote a script for it. I took it to some of my guys at the office, and before you know it, we have a bona fide kids’ video.”
Cows was named a finalist this month in the national, Cincinnati-based 25th annual Telly Awards, which honors outstanding video and film productions, along with local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs.
Featuring David’s “favorite animal,” the video is designed to educate kids about cows and teach them how to spell a few rural-related words: “cow,” “moo,” “hay,” “calf,” “milk” and “farm.” Narration reinforces each word with bovine facts.
Only Mississippi cows appear in the video, says Coblentz, 33.
“We have tons of images from across the state with cows in the field, close-ups of cows, wide shots of cows. A lot of greenery. Calves in a nursery. We visited a dairy outside of Starkville, and show cows getting milked.”
Their son, David, gives the production a thumbs up, says Bonnie Coblentz, a journalist with Mississippi State University Agricultural Communications.
“We figured if David likes it so much, it’s something other kids would enjoy watching, too.” Their younger son Mark, 14 months old, bore them out.
“He’ll crawl from one end of the house to the other whenever he hears the music on the video,” Robbie Coblentz says. “When kids hit that age, animals fascinate them.”
The music, “upbeat classical pieces,” are for adults, as well as kids, Robbie Coblentz says. “We used classical music because of a study about the Mozart Effect kids are supposed to learn better when classical music is played. It’s also something adults can enjoy.
“It’s not happy, bouncy music with silly words to it. “Not that there’s anything wrong with happy, bouncy music.”
The music of Oh Wow! Cows, says Linda Breazeale of Starkville, “is special for me as a parent.
“It’s easier for me to listen to, over and over. And I think the children enjoy it, the combination of seeing the animals and seeing other children on the video. The kids hold up letters as they spell out different words. Given that (Coblentz) had unprofessional child actors, I thought he did very well.
“My daughter (Debra Ann) is in it, though. So that may rule me out as an unbiased source.”
Oh Wow! Cows is a departure for Broadcast Media Group, which produced, among other films, One Night in March, a documentary about the 1963 Mississippi State basketball team’s flight from the state to play integrated Loyola of Chicago.
While this is his company’s first foray into kids’-video territory, it’s not the last, says Robbie Coblentz.
“We hope to have another one out in mid-summer, about horses. We may call it Horse, Of Course.”
First published May 31, 2004 in the Jackson, MS Clarion-Ledger.
Oh Wow! Cows garners national award
Released: May 25, 2004
“Oh Wow! Cows,” a children’s video that explores a child’s fascination with cows on the farm, was recognized as a finalist in the 25th annual national Telly awards.
The Telly awards were established in 1980 to recognize outstanding non-broadcast TV programming. Recent winners have included Walt Disney Studios, ESPN, HGTV and TNT. Winners were selected from a pool of over 10,000 entrants this year.
“We’re very excited about this award,” said Broadcast Media Group, Inc. President Robbie Coblentz, project producer. “It is an honor to be recognized on a national level for this project.”
Only about 20 percent of the total Telly entrants receive awards. Winners represent a cross-section of creative professionals from across the country.
Using educational spelling segments and beautiful scenery set to classical music, “Oh Wow! Cows” explores a child’s fascination with cows on the farm. It is targeted for children age 2 to 5 years, but designed to be parent-friendly as well. Total running time is 28 minutes.
The video teaches children to spell six words, “cow,” “moo,” hay,” “milk,” “calf” and “farm.” Narration between the exercises reinforces each word with pertinent educational facts. Six classical music selections accompany the video.
The video, produced by Starkville-based Broadcast Media Group, Inc., is available online at www.Godscreationvideo.com or by calling 1-888-324-2489. It is also available at Amazon.com.
Broadcast Media Group, Inc. is a full-service video production company serving clients across the state of Mississippi and across the Southeast. Broadcast Media provides video production, CD-ROM development and DVD authoring.
-30-
Contact: Robbie Coblentz, 662-324-2489, Robbie@broadcastmediagroup.com
For more info on the Telly Awards: www.tellyawards.com
Cows star in a new kids’ video
Released: April 8, 2004
Broadcast Media Group announces the release “Oh Wow! Cows,” the first in a series of educational children’s videos under the God’s Creation Videos name.
Using educational spelling segments and beautiful scenery set to classical music, “Oh Wow! Cows” explores a child’s fascination with cows on the farm. It is targeted for children age 2 to 5 years, but designed to be parent-friendly as well. Total running time is 28 minutes.
“ We tried to create a project that kids would love and parents wouldn’t mind being in the same room with repeatedly,” said Robbie Coblentz, president of Broadcast Media Group. “While the narration is a bit simplistic to adults, our research found that they enjoyed the music selection and kids absolutely love it time after time.”
The video teaches children to spell six words, “cow,” “moo,” hay,” “milk,” “calf” and “farm.” Narration between the exercises reinforces each word with pertinent educational facts. Six classical music selections accompany the video.
“Oh Wow! Cows” began as a labor of love for Coblentz’ two boys, both under the age of three and very interested in cows. “David, my oldest son, is fascinated by cows,” Coblentz said. “We thought we could produce a video that he and other kids would enjoy, but still teach them interesting things.”
Broadcast Media Group, Inc. is a full-service video production company serving clients across the state of Mississippi and the nation. Broadcast Media Group provides video production and DVD authoring.