By Andrea Busche
We’ve all heard the adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” But, in today’s digital world, a high-quality photo or video can equate to much more than that. If we updated this quote to reflect the modern age, the content’s “worth” would undoubtedly include the number of views, clicks and dollars received in ad revenue.
Old Saw Media (OSM), based at 728 E. Superior St. in Duluth, is a full-service video production company that seeks to help its clients with their videography and photography needs, including all stages of production. And, yes; these projects help their clients’ bottom line. But it’s so much more than that. OSM is purpose-driven, first and foremost.
Tom Deschenes, OSM’s founder and creative director, shared, “I always wanted to tell stories that had an impact; those that had a mission to make the world a better place. And, we are so fortunate in that a lot of the projects we create are truly stories that matter. We help create that impact through a cinematic storytelling model and purpose-driven partnerships.
“But we’re not just creating videos,” he added. “It’s more than that. Storytelling film helps create an emotional belief that can move your ideal audience to become active participants in what your business is trying to achieve.”
Background
Deschenes was born in Elk River, Minnesota. He moved to Duluth in 2008 to attend college, while also seeking to pursue a more “outdoorsy lifestyle.” He earned an associates degree at Lake Superior College (LSC), followed by a bachelor’s degree in environmental sustainability from the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD).
“While I was in college, I became very involved and passionate about sustainability issues, including climate change,” he noted. “I was part of the Sustainability Club at LSC, and did several research assistantships at UMD. But ever since I was young, I did camera work on the side as a hobby – both photography and videography.
“One day, I brought my camera to an event at the UMD Food Farm, and everyone was really impressed with my photos and video. People said that’s what I should do, professionally. I began to see how my photo and video skills could make money, and how I could also use my storytelling ability to make an impact on the sustainability space.”
Before starting his own business, Deschenes did some media/video work for the St. Louis River Alliance. Later, he began working at Canal Park Brewing as a server/beertender. When the business found out about his work in the content creation sphere, they leveraged his experience, and asked him to create photos, videos and handle their social media marketing.
Ultimately, he decided to go out on his own. He founded Old Saw Media in 2014.
Early Days
Deschenes explained the meaning behind his business’ name. “Old Saw is an English proverb that means ‘good story’,” he said. “I also liked how, with this name, there was a duality that described the work we do.
The saw blade represents cutting and video editing. So, there’s a lot of symbolism there.”
And, his clever tagline, “Ready to roll when you are,” is also quite apt.
Deschenes originally started Old Saw out of his home office, where he operated from 2014-2018. In 2018, he opened a brick-and-mortar location.
He credits his wife, Molly Deschenes, for much of the successful marketing and branding of his business in OSM’s early days. While she now has a career with another company, Molly remains a consultant for OSM.
Employees
Old Saw Media’s team is small, but mighty. In addition to Deschenes as founder and creative director, he has two regular employees. One serves as a post-production coordinator. This individual handles video editing, on-set camera work, lighting, audio and directing. The other employee is an operations manager.
Additionally, OSM relies heavily on the talents of a variety of independent contractors. These skilled freelancers handle everything from sound technology, cinematography, lighting, grip/gaffer work, editing and more.
Client Base
As noted, OSM seeks to serve mission-driven leaders and values-aligned brands who believe their story matters, but need the right partner to help them tell it with authenticity, depth and purpose. A few of the business segments Old Saw Media serves include:
Purpose-Driven Institutions – nonprofits, hospitals, universities and foundations rooted in service and legacy. The leaders of these organizations typically see storytelling as a strategic investment in connection and community.
Values-Aligned Businesses – Regional and mid-sized companies who care about purpose as much as profit. These leaders typically see storytelling as a tool for culture, trust and belonging.
A few of OSM’s clients include:
- Halvor Lines
- Microsoft
- Delta
- Costco
- Sappi
- Saline Landscape & Design
- Superior Choice Credit Union
- University of Wisconsin-Superior
And many more
OSM doesn’t necessarily have specific geographic parameters when it comes to their client base. They travel to their clients, and their clients will also travel to them; as was the case with global behemoth, Microsoft, whose representatives came to Duluth for their project.
“Most of the work happens regionally – I would say 80-90 percent – but we definitely do travel,” Deschenes said. “The remaining 10-20 percent is either out of state or international. We’ve gone all over the U.S., and even to Guatemala.”
And when it comes to OSM’s client acquisition, it’s mostly “direct to client.”
“The most common scenario is a potential client comes to us and says something like, ‘We want to make a TV commercial’,” Deschenes explained. “And, we also get a lot of referrals and people just finding us through SEO.
“But we also work with a lot of local creative agencies, including wonderhorse and Swim Creative, and they will sometimes contract their video work to us. We’ve had to do little to no marketing over the years.”
The Old Saw Media Experience
Deschenes explained that Old Saw Media’s content creation process follows several distinct steps. “The first service is strategy,” he noted. “We don’t just make videos. We offer a strategic storytelling model.
“We start by identifying a problem our client is trying to solve, and we help them reverse engineer this problem,” he noted.
At this stage, the company’s brand and audience are identified. Locations are scouted and, sometimes, additional talent will be sourced. Sometimes scripts are written, but usually the videos are shot in more of a documentary, story-telling style.
During the actual shoot, it’s the full “lights, camera, action” experience. Interviews and B-roll are filmed, using cinema cameras, drones and a full suite of lighting and sound equipment. A typical shoot lasts one to two days.
Deschenes and his team take pride in making everyone on set feel at ease. “We’ve gotten really good feedback on how comfortable we make people feel, despite all the lights and cameras,” Deschenes said. “Often, people will say afterward, ‘That was so fun!’ We try to create a safe, fun space where people can relax and just be themselves.”
Finally, the process moves to post-production, where the editing magic happens. Sound effects and music can be inserted at this point. And, some of the high-tech software OSM uses can remove unwanted background noises – such as a refrigerator humming or a siren blaring – with the simple click of a button. Client feedback is also sought and incorporated during the editing phase.
Testimonials
Several happy customers generously offered to go on the record about their positive experiences with Old Saw Media; one of which is National Bank of Commerce (NBC). Old Saw Media created three projects for NBC in 2022: a brand story video, titled “Make More Possible,” plus 15- and 30-second TV spots. After these successful collaborations, NBC hired them again to create some testimonial projects last fall.
Hannah Willis, NBC’s AVP – Marketing Director, said, “Working with Tom and his team was truly seamless from start to finish. Tom is responsive, thoughtful and consistently goes the extra mile. As a video partner, they’re incredibly trustworthy – and that means everything.
“He’s also genuinely easy to connect with, which made for a strong, collaborative working relationship,” she added. “One aspect of the process that really stood out was the review phase. Even though there wasn’t much to critique, the workflow for providing feedback was exceptionally smooth and efficient.”
Another satisfied (and award-winning! But, more on that later.) customer is Nisogaabokwe Melonee Montano, the owner of Ethical Embers, LLC. Montano is also a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and a grad student at University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
Her short documentary film, A Wilderness Act, which she created in collaboration with Old Saw Media, tells the story of a professor and an Anishinaabe student who come together to redefine our understanding of wilderness and call for the return of fire to our forests. The film’s intent is to educate people about the accurate history regarding the removal of fire from the landscape and Indigenous People, and the harm that was caused by acts and policies such as the Wilderness Act.
Another goal of the film is to educate people about the need for the return of fire, and that it is needed for the healing of people and the land.
Of working with Old Saw Media, Montano said, “Words cannot describe how wonderful it has been working with Old Saw Media and crew. Everyone involved in the making of A Wilderness Act was extremely skilled, professional, compassionate, patient, kind and sincere. They went above and beyond providing the technical support to create a film by also leaning into the unique needs of all those involved. They embraced our challenges when discussing sensitive topics that brought about intense emotions by holding a safe space for us to express them, which led to not only production of a short film, but healing for our souls.
“Tom’s approach in facilitating planning meetings and working with our group from different experiences and perspectives was also extremely beneficial. I highly recommend Old Saw Media for your next media creation adventure.”
Yet another satisfied client is the Essentia Health Foundation. Old Saw Media helped them create two promotional videos connected to their premiere events: the East Gala, and the West Gala.
The Foundation’s Chief Development Officer, Matt Piede, shared, “From start to finish, the team at Old Saw Media demonstrated exceptional professionalism, creativity, and a deep understanding of our mission and vision. Their ability to tell a compelling story, combined with stunning visuals and editing, really brought the message to life, and resonated with our audience.
“Their work not only elevated our event, but really connected with our supporters,” Piede added. “In fact, Tom and I have already been talking about bigger ideas, and some more future work together. I’m so glad we found them. They’re a local treasure, and I would highly recommend Old Saw Media.”
Awards
Old Saw Media has been recognized with a variety of awards and nominations for their beautiful films and videos. For instance, a video Old Saw created for Rock Ridge High School won a prestigious award last year: the 2025 James D. MacConnell Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE).
This recognition reflects the success of the project’s ambitious, community-driven planning and design process, and its commitment to educational excellence, student well-being, and long-term regional resilience. Presented annually, the James D. MacConnell Award acknowledges comprehensive educational facility projects that demonstrate exceptional planning, respond to the district goals, reflect the needs of the broader community, and promote active, student-centered learning.
In another example, a few years ago, the organization Ride The Range engaged Old Saw Media to produce a collection of videos that would showcase the diverse range of mountain bike trails available throughout the Iron Range during the winter season. Explore Minnesota Tourism selected the Ride The Range marketing collaboration as the 2023 recipient of the “One Minnesota Award.” Recognizing collaborative efforts of three or more organizations or entities, this award is presented to an outstanding tourism project, initiative or campaign which was designed to advance tourism for a community, area or business district.
And, last, but definitely not least, the aforementioned short documentary film A Wilderness Act is doing incredibly well with audiences nationwide. The film has been screened at 12 film festivals in eight different states across the nation, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Tennessee, Vermont, California, Virginia and New Mexico.
The film won Best Short Film at the Freeland Film Festival in Wisconsin, and Best Film at Equinox Film Festival in Vermont. It also received the award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the Red Nation International Film Festival, on Nov. 16, 2025.
On a Mission
Deschenes truly has a heart for promoting purpose-driven organizations. And, supporting these types of entities is how he prefers to give back, too. On occasion, he does some pro bono work, to help support organizations whose values align with his own, such as The Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores (COGGS).
“Old Saw Media exists to help mission-driven organizations tell stories that matter,” he said. “Through cinematic storytelling and purpose-driven partnership, we move people, inspire action, and strengthen communities — one story at a time.
“I just love having a positive impact on my community,” he added. “It’s so cool to be able to do what you are passionate about. But to see it also have an impact on the community you love is deeply rewarding.”
Andrea Busche is a Twin Ports-based freelance writer and small business owner.
