November 1, 2009 

 

For Immediate Release 

Contact:

Chuck Strinz

'651-686-0041

 

 

Museums Of Minnesota website launched to support state museum community, gather information for Museums Of Minnesota television series.

 

ST. PAUL – Back On The Mississippi, LLC (BOTM, Eagan, Minnesota) announced plans to produce a new public television series about Minnesota’s many museums and other attractions.

 

Four 30-minute programs are planned for Museums Of Minnesota, or MOM. The project is being mounted in broadcast partnership with Twin Cities Public Television Minnesota Channel (tpt MN, St. Paul, Minnesota). No air date has been set, and all questions should be addressed to the series Director, J. Charles “Chuck” Strinz, at BOTM.

 

The series will spotlight unusual, little-known, and otherwise notable museums throughout the state. A companion website has been established to collect information from museums that wish to be considered for the show, and help the public plan their vacations.

 

The website is now. For more, go to www.MuseumsOfMN.com. There is no charge to view or add data to the website.

 

According to Strinz, “This is an opportunity for every community in Minnesota to draw attention to what makes it special. It could be a museum, or a monument, even a unique building or mural. Let the world see it through the website. And let us see it for a possible TV series segment.”

 

 

 

The idea for a website to support a television series about Minnesota museums goes back to 1995, during one of Strinz’s many trips exploring the state.

 

“It seemed like a great way to drive tourism,” Strinz said. “Through the MOM website, travelers search the museum listings by county or subject. That way, they don’t miss something especially interesting to them that is close by or directly on their vacation route. The site also points the user to a museum’s own website for more information. But the MOM site can easily present museum hours, information about special shows, photos, audio clips, even videos! Whatever the museum or other attraction wants to share with the public.”

 

There is currently no charge to list any and all information. The producers do not plan to charge a fee, but that could change if bandwidth becomes too expensive. To address this issue, the website is rolling out a unique “Charter Member” program.

 

“Charter Members are the museum professionals who list their information now,” Strinz said. “They will be entitled to special considerations, like more bandwidth in the future at no additional charge, membership in professional groups, access to a free newsletter, inside information about the TV series as it becomes available, and various other goodies. The whole idea is to encourage museums to log in and tell us about themselves NOW, instead of putting it off.”

 

The benefits of being a Charter Member can’t be completely outlined yet, partly because they involve evolving technology. Museums Of Minnesota will push the envelope.

 

Strinz has a lifetime of experience creating and developing prototypical online businesses and services for a variety of organizations including the StarTribune newspaper, Minnesota Public Radio, WCCO-TV, tpt, and many others. He established his original online business in 1983, and is responsible for a number of “firsts” including the world’s first syndicated online humor magazine (what we now call a blog) in 1984.

 

“Just wait until they see what we’re planning to do with augmented reality,” Strinz said.

 

 

The Museums Of Minnesota television series will be available statewide on tpt MN and through the stations of the Minnesota Public Television Association, and likely on public television stations and networks on the perimeters of the state. 

 

Minnesota is full of undiscovered treasures. We live in the home of fascinating American history, culture and wonders. Much is woven into our lives that we can appreciate only when we take a step back and see what has made us who we are.

 

Each of the four 30-minute Museum Of Minnesota shows will feature four to six museums, presented in a fast-paced manner similar to that of Strinz’s most recent project for tpt, Back On The Mississippi. That program was part of the 2004 Grand Excursion event, the susquecentennial celebration of a largely forgotten but significant historical event in 1854 that essentially opened the eyes of the world to the possibilities of settling the “Great Northwest” along the Upper Mississippi River. 

 

Back On The Mississippi was seen locally and in over 30 other markets nationwide. The program won a Telly Award for best cultural documentary. For more information, including a video clip of the show, visit www.backonthemississippi.com. 

 

 

 

“It’s important that museum professionals and their communities realize that the MOM website is how we will research the series,” Strinz said. A museum, however fascinating, is unlikely to be seen on the television series if the producers are unaware of it.

 

“The website will help us learn about what’s out there,” Strinz continued. “And we will be publicizing the website heavily, so people everywhere will be able to discover the hidden gems that are scattered across our fine state.”

 

A number of museums provided the initial listings during the testing phase of the website. Here’s what some of the museum professionals had to say:

 

 

The TV series and website were made possible by generous grants from the Engdahl Family Foundation, BBS Press Service, and several small donors who wish to remain anonymous. More underwriters are needed to complete the project. Interested patrons should contact Strinz (see contact info above), or log onto www.MuseumsOfMN.com where they can inquire about becoming a major supporter or click a link to make a small donation. 

 

Here’s what the Engdahl Family Foundation wrote about supporting MOM:

 

“Our organization is interested in advancing cultural awareness across the state. In particular, we support efforts that focus on rural Minnesota. By opening doors to small museums in Minnesota, we believe your television programs and digital media products will instill pride in our communities, and encourage all of us to reach out to one another and embrace the qualities that make us uniquely Minnesotan.”

 

 

IFP Minnesota is acting as fiscal agent for the project. See www.ifpmn.org for more information.

 

 

 

Back On The Mississippi, LLC, is an independent production company established in 2003 and based in Eagan, MN. It is owned and operated by J. Charles (Chuck) Strinz, whose mission in life is to do neat new things, and do old things in neat new ways.

 

Strinz worked as a freelance copywriter until he discovered the opportunities presented by pre-Internet online communications in 1983. He helped communications through the 80’s and 90’s, then dropped out to raise a family. When his kids were in middle school, he returned to his love of video that was partly inspired by his graduate filmmaking work at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This resulted in the Telly Award-winning Back On The Mississippi public television program, which pretty much turned out the way he wanted it to.

 

Jim Maloney, a lifelong resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, directed and edited Back On The Mississippi and has written and produced a wide variety of audio and visual materials for over 40 years. He began his career as a musician, composer, producer and audio engineer, writing and producing materials for educational and industrial organizations, radio and television programs, commercials, and record albums.

 

 

For more information, send email to Chuck Strinz at cstrinz@MuseumsOfMN.com or call 651-686-0041.