I was extremely fortunate and honored to be a cinematographer and video storyteller with NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries for several years out of Silver Spring, MD before returning to the Great Lakes to focus on issues here by launching Great Lakes Outreach Media. I also felt that one could do more for the administration - its people, their work, and the communities they impact - from the outside than from within. Further, I wanted to tell stories about more aspects of the ocean, atmosphere, Great Lakes, and climate and how humans interact with the planet than I thought was possible working for one line office in a huge agency doing and funding all kinds of fascinating work.
I have a deep respect for public servants. Most are incredibly dedicated to their professions and quietly do the work of the people - including protecting life and property - with little to no fanfare from the public they support. If citizens had a greater understanding - indeed a basic understanding - of how these talented individuals are contributing to the greater good on a daily basis, perhaps the conversations we have about what government is and what it actually does for people would be very different. They don't always get it right. They don't always have the best leadership signaling commands. But their work - especially in science - does trend toward a greater understanding of the planet, which benefits all of us.
As an aside, I highly recommend reading this great book, The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis (Moneyball, The Big Short) as he does a wonderful job exploring some of the many important roles government agencies play in daily life we take for granted.
So when I was asked to create the videos for NOAA's 50th Anniversary, I was both incredibly honored and eager to use this opportunity to create something that - if seen by enough people - might actually shed some light on who these people are, what they do, and how the work they do directly impacts our lives on a daily basis. I hope this first (of two pieces) I'm working on with a small team of folks at NOAA is a step in that direction. This piece was launched January 14, 2020 and a second longer piece should debut sometime in March.
The goal is to highlight all six line offices and briefly showcase their work: National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS); National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); National Ocean Service (NOS); National Weather Service (NWS); Office of Marine & Aviation Operations (OMAO); Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).
Thanks so much. Please take the time to thank a public servant. And hopefully you get a kick out of this short sizzle reel celebrating 50 years of NOAA.
And if you have the time, check out some of our recent work for NOAA's Office of Education HERE.
Ad Oceanum,
David Ruck
President/Producer, Great Lakes Outreach Media