There’s no question Healdsburg is a magical place where small-town charm meets cosmopolitan sensibilities. The city also happens to be a hotbed of creative thinking where a preponderance of local entrepreneurs are women.
Mill District is proud to celebrate these neighbors with a new film series aptly named “Why Healdsburg?” shot and directed by Kim Carroll. These films comprise six short films of roughly 2 minutes apiece.
We kicked off the series with a private screening earlier this spring on the Mill District Site—a rollicking invitation-only party with A. Rafanelli and Harris Gallery wines and cocktails from the team behind Lo & Behold. Fittingly, the screening was the last public party at the former mill site before we raze the old buildings and begin building our new neighborhood.
All six films are now available on the Mill District website by clicking here.
Specifically, the films feature Katina Connaughton, co-owner of SingleThread Restaurant, Inn, and Farm; Melissa Yanc, co-owner of Quail & Condor Bakery; Shelley Rafanelli, winemaker at A. Rafanelli Winery; Sarah Opatz, co-owner of Young & Yonder Spirits; Laura King, professional athlete and brand ambassador for Mill District; and Marne Dupere, co-owner of Plank Coffee (see this months spotlight).
The films were shot and produced by Kim Carroll, who has produced most of our still images and films to date. “The women in this series are so amazing, the biggest challenge in putting the films together was deciding which material to use,” he said.
As the name of the series suggests, the films are short vignettes during which each of the women explains why she chose Healdsburg to ply her craft. Community is a theme that ties them together; all six of the women noted that Healdsburg is a place where people support each other.
David Hill, managing director for Replay Destinations, Mill District’s parent company, said he also appreciated the films for the way they captured the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurialism that makes Healdsburg special.
“This is a special place,” he told the crowd at the April 5 premiere. “We’re glad to be a part of it.”
In addition to participating in the films, each of the women stars worked with Mill District to put together a “playlist” of their favorite places and activities in and around town. Those lists, along with short bios and links to each of the individual films, will appear on Mill District’s Instagram over the course of the next few weeks.
Later this year Mill District will roll out the next phase of a campaign to spotlight local women leaders—a website profiling dozens of woman entrepreneurs and creatives around town. Stay tuned.
