A Revolutionary Take

When you think back to what you learned about the Revolutionary War in grade school, what comes to mind? You likely recall stories that happened in places like Philadelphia, Boston, and Yorktown. But what do you know about Morristown, New Jersey? Did you know how it earned a reputation as the "crossroads of the American Revolution?"

As part of an effort to showcase the lesser-known sites of the National Park System, we set out to make a video about Morristown National Historical Park. The result was a unique feature about the Continental Army’s winter encampment of 1779-80 and how 10,000 soldiers endured the coldest winter on record without access to supply lines for food and clothes.

We managed to perfectly capture Ranger Eric’s expertise, storytelling ability, and showmanship in this piece, making it one of my favorite projects. The combination of his performance in period-appropriate clothing and the animation brought the park’s story to life.

Though our video content about natural parks tend to perform better, this clip about historical Morristown bucked the trend with our online audiences. In addition to my responsibilities in producing the piece, I led the implementation of the digital strategy for its release.