A local filmmaker and writer is putting his experience to work for businesses and nonprofits to help them tell their stories through video.

Paul Santomenna started his company, Strategic Narratives, Aug. 1.

The venture is a way for a businesses and nonprofits to use a creative narrative to tell their stories, said Santomenna, 46, who lives in Freeport with his wife and two children.

“These are primarily 3- or 4-minute videos,” he said. “It helps attract people to a website through a creative story.”

Santomenna first developed his narrative skills studying English and theater at Macalester College in Minnesota, and sharpened them while earning a master’s degree in narrative film directing at the California Institute of the Arts. He has worked as a public health media producer for the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Johns Hopkins University Center for American Indian Health. At Baltimore’s Megaphone Project, Santomenna produced dozens of advocacy films for social justice campaigns in Maryland. He and his wife moved to Freeport five years ago – his parents live in South Freeport – from Baltimore to raise their two sons.

With the popularity of video on the Internet through websites like YouTube, Santomenna feels the visual medium is an effective way to define or refine a message, whether it be for marketing purposes or grants. So far, he has mostly worked with nonprofits such as the Freeport Conservation Trust, and health-care reform advocates. Ideally, Santomenna hopes to work with members of Freeport’s business community.

“I offer a chance for a business to tell a story and present what makes them unique,” he said. “For example, the Maine Beer Co. has a short video on their website with interviews of the owners and video of their brewing process. Although I did not produce this, it’s a good example of what can be done in a short-form piece. It goes behind the scenes and puts a face to the message.”

Strategic Narratives is a one-man show, but depending on the complexity of a project, he will hire additional staff.

“On occasion I will hire extra camera people or sound people, but for now it’s just me,” he said.

According to the business magazine Fast Company, short-form video marketing is rapidly becoming the go-to method for businesses. The report cited a number of factors, including an eager audience – Americans watch an average of 22 hours of online video per month, according to a 2012 study by ComScore – the abundance of avenues for dissemination via social media sites and the low cost to produce the material.

Santomenna said he will work with businesses so that his services are affordable, and the price depends on the complexity of a project. His method involves meeting with a client and determining what the core message of a video should be.

“We build the video around that,” he said. “It could be the founder of the business or an organization. It’s about narrowing down all the possible stories to one. Videos carry a great emotional message and I try and build a narrative around that.”

The Strategic Narratives website is www.strategicnarratives.net.

Strategic Narratives owner Paul Santomenna, attending a recent Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce gathering, uses his writing and filmmaking background to help businesses and organizations market their message through short-form video.