Small towns across the country hold incredible history, unique businesses, and tight-knit communities. However, these destinations often struggle to attract outside visitors and compete with larger tourism hubs. Without modern marketing and engaging visual content, vibrant local economies remain hidden from the broader public. Communities need compelling ways to showcase their distinct character to drive foot traffic and economic growth.
Richie Treadway solves this visibility issue through focused visual storytelling. His recent video project highlights New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, showcasing the town as a premier destination for small-town tourism. In this interview, we discuss the inspiration behind the video, the unique appeal of New Cumberland, and how visual media drives local economic development.
Q: What specifically drew you to New Cumberland as the focus for your latest tourism highlight video?
Richie Treadway: New Cumberland is where I live and work, so this was personal for me. I grew up in the Baltimore area, and on family trips we would often drive through small towns. I always liked the feeling of those places: the shops along the main street, the sense of community, and the way local businesses and residents seemed to work together.
New Cumberland has that same feeling for me. It has independent businesses, local history, community events, and a real identity of its own. But unless you live nearby, you may not realize how much is here. I wanted the video to introduce New Cumberland as a place worth visiting, rather than simply a town people pass through on their way somewhere else.
Q: Small towns possess a specific type of charm. How did you capture the authentic feel of the community on camera?
Richie Treadway: I commissioned the video and hired a professional videographer to handle the filming and production. My role was identifying what the video needed to communicate and which parts of New Cumberland should be represented. We wanted the town to look like itself, not like a polished tourism commercial that could have been filmed anywhere. That meant focusing on recognizable places, independent businesses, and the everyday character of the community.
Q: Highlighting local businesses is a major part of this project. What feedback have you received from the business owners featured in the video?
Richie Treadway: The feedback from the featured businesses was positive. They appreciated being included, but more importantly, they understood that the video was promoting New Cumberland as a whole. It was not designed as an advertisement for any one business. It showed how the town’s shops, restaurants, public spaces, and community organizations work together to give people a reason to visit. More than a year later, the video is still something that can introduce new people to the town and remind residents what they have in their own community.
Q: Video marketing moves quickly today. How does this kind of focused visual storytelling benefit smaller municipalities compared to traditional advertising?
Richie Treadway: Traditional advertising usually tells people that they should visit a place. Video can actually show them why. That distinction is especially important for smaller towns that do not already have widespread name recognition. A relatively short video can introduce several businesses, show the physical character of the town, and give viewers a sense of the experience they could have there. It can also be shared repeatedly by the municipality, local organizations, residents, and businesses, allowing one piece of content to reach several different audiences.
Q: What was the most surprising thing you learned about New Cumberland while filming this project?
Richie Treadway: Because I hired someone else to film the video, I was not the person behind the camera. What the project reinforced for me was how much New Cumberland has within a relatively small area. When you see the businesses, public spaces, history, and community activity presented together, the town feels much more like a destination than people may realize. Sometimes familiarity prevents residents from seeing the full value of what is around them.
Q: Now that this video is circulating, do you plan to create similar spotlights for other hidden gems in the region?
Richie Treadway: I would like to. Central Pennsylvania has many towns with strong identities and independent businesses that receive very little attention outside their immediate communities. This project demonstrated a format that could work elsewhere, but I would want each video to be built around the character of that specific town rather than reproducing the same formula in a different location.
This conversation shows the direct impact of high-quality visual storytelling on local communities. By capturing the daily life and unique businesses of New Cumberland, Treadway brings necessary attention to a deserving town. The video proves that small municipalities can compete for tourism when they present their history and culture through modern media.
Attracting visitors to smaller towns will continue to rely on digital presence and engaging content. As travelers increasingly seek out authentic, community-driven experiences, video marketing will remain the most effective tool for discovery. Projects like this one provide a clear blueprint for how small towns can successfully share their stories with the world.
The full video, along with additional background on the project, can be viewed here: https://www.richietreadway.com/new-cumberland-highlight-video