#TheRiverIsMyOffice

Join us in celebrating the people who can say #TheRiverIsMyOffice! A nationwide community of professionals work to ensure the health and wise management of our rivers: dedicated advocates, legislative leaders, agency planners, and field staff... along with river guides, engineers, legal experts and YOU. 

Help us to tell your story in a selfie video! Dozens of others have already shared their stories, so we encourage you to check those out on our #TheRiverIsMyOffice YouTube Playlist. We'll share your video on this playlist and on our social media using the hashtag #TheRiverIsMyOffice. 

Now let's share your story!

Our goal is to showcase exactly what your job is like and why it's so important. We hope to inspire future generations of river professionals and to cultivate an appreciation for the people that study, protect and manage our rivers. To participate, we'll ask you to record a video, which can be shot entirely on your phone. We will do the editing for you! The video will consist of two parts: an interview with you and footage from the field (your river office). 

• Find a well-lit area that is relatively quiet. If you want a river in the background, be sure to be far enough away that the noise won’t overpower your voice.
• It’s really helpful to write out answers to your selected interview questions. Practice them, but not to the point where it sounds scripted! Remember this is a fun selfie video!
• Sometimes it’s helpful to have a second source capturing sound, like a phone's voice recorder app, just out of the video frame. Be sure to keep track of which takes are the right ones.
• Record your entire interview in ONE take, without moving the camera.

1. Record Your Interview 

In your video interview, please respond to one or more questions from each of the categories below in this order: start with what you do, then why you do it, and close with the message you want to share. Please do not exceed 5 minutes. One continuous recording is preferred, but it's okay to pause and repeat yourself. We can work with a separate recording for each category but prefer one shoot if possible.

Introduce Yourself

• Share your name and title.

Category 1: What You Do

• What is a typical day like for you?
• Was there a precise moment when you knew you wanted to dedicate your life to river management? If so, describe the circumstances and what you did to pivot, accelerate or reframe your life plan.
• Consider where you are now. What piece of advice would you give yourself back when you just started your career in river management? 

Category 2: Why You Do It

• How does your work benefit or impact the public (whether it be on the river, in the lab, in the classroom, in the biz, or in public service)?
• What is an example of a struggle or problem the rivers face that you help manage/make better?
• What is one positive shift or outcome you’ve seen from the river work you’re involved in?
• How have you worked to inspire the next generation and welcome diverse users to your river?
• How has your role positioned you to become better connected within your community / with peers, and how has that network empowered you with new knowledge or skills?

Category 3: The Message You Want to Share

• What actions would you encourage colleagues, students and fans of outdoor pursuits to take in order to support our rivers?
• What is one easy thing anyone can do or begin to practice today that would help you in your area of river work?
• What is one change that might be a challenge to implement, but would make the biggest impact on the rivers you work to manage or protect?

2. Record Your B-ROLL: A Day in the Life Footage from the Field

Consider the questions and answers you recorded, and determine a few key things in your daily routine you can capture on video (or photos) to really elaborate and support the information you’re offering. This footage may play in the background while your recorded interview (main footage and sound) is used for the voice over - so you don't necessarily need speaking in B-ROLL footage unless it’s to explain something helpful or interesting. Be sure to get wide shots of your work space (office, river, etc). Please do not exceed 5 minutes.

3. Send Us Your Footage

We will do the editing for your video! All you need to do is shoot the footage and B-Roll and send it over. Please email bekah(at)river-management.org to determine the best way to share your files. 

Check out these Stories from our State River Managers

You may be one of the millions who enjoy the outdoors each year by visiting rivers, to wade, skip a stone, fish, float, or simply walk along side and enjoy the view. Your hosts are river managers, park rangers and other town, county, state or federal staff who know and provide facilities, information and the means to keep folks safe on and off the water. We thank them for their skill and commitment to rivers and further, to the expertise and care necessary to manage them wisely. (Video stories of Lisa Machnik, Colin Maas, Larry Freilich, Lisa Byers, Lynette Ripley, Shana Stewart Deeds,  and Ryan Turner) View Stories from our River Managers