For Walter Backerman, seltzer is more than a drink. It is the embodiment of his family.

As a third generation seltzer man, he follows parts of the same cobblestone route his grandfather began in 1920’s Manhattan.

Walter maintains a collection of more than seven thousand antique bottles that he circulates to his customers. Many bear the family name, a tribute to his father and his grandfather before him.

Now, after 90 years of the Backerman’s being in the business, Walter knows all too well that he may be the last of the family’s seltzer men.

Remember These Days is a product of the MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop, where participants work alongside MediaStorm staff to create an intimate, character-driven documentary in just one week. Learn more about upcoming MediaStorm workshops and online training at mediastorm.com/train.

Frederic Menou, Video and Photography

How often do you get to learn directly from people whose work you admire? How often do you get to work side by side with some of the best in their field? The MediaStorm multimedia workshop gave me those opportunities.

On the first day, Brian and then Rick gave us an intense full day lecture on the interview, video, photo and audio techniques necessary to make a good multimedia piece. The following days we went out in the field and did our best to mix our own style of storytelling with what we had learned on that first day. It was challenging, it opened new horizons. The last few days we spent in the editing room watching and learning from the maestro Eric Maierson.

More than anything else the workshop reminded me that good team work is priceless. Each participant had different skills and when brought together under the leadership of the MediaStorm players, the result was exhilarating. Watching our project on the final night, the quote;"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," kept ringing in my ears.

I would definitely recommend the workshop to anybody who wants to perfect their multimedia skills.

Galen Clarke, Interview, and Video and Photography

You really hit the ground running in this workshop and learning starts right away. Even just the process of finding a story before arriving gives insight into what drives the work at MediaStorm and how they approach storytelling. The instruction spoke right to my experience level and covers topics ranging from technical skills to what makes a great story and how to tell it effectively.

Not only was it a great chance to learn from the guys at MediaStorm but also from my teammates and fellow workshop participants. We had a diverse group and everyone brought different skills to the table. In the end, we have a product that I think we are all proud of and everyone went home with new skills.

Also, it really is a lot of fun.

Marian Liu, Editor

I applied for MediaStorm wanting to round out my experience as a reporter, but what I gained was so much more. I was immersed into the world of filmmaking.

Brian spent a day going over details - what to do, what not to do and how to build a narrative. Then, we dived into our project - 3 days of shooting and a week of editing. Eric was wonderfully meticulous down to the music choice. He was like a pianist over the keyboard - every stroke was intentional. There were the obvious choices in cuts, but we also set actions to beats. He gave me the eyes and ears of an editor. 

This was an experience I'll never forget. Not only did I learn how to be a filmmaker, but I gained lifelong friends and was able to impact the life of our subject. All our lives were changed.

RANDOMISCONTEMPORARY: Storytelling, no slick rick.

Huffington Post: Walter Backerman, Seltzer Man In New York, Works A Nearly Extinct Trade

MediaStorm online training videos provide essential tools and techniques proven to enhance production and post-production. Created from years of live training experience, the online training videos provide useful tips no matter what your role.

MediaStorm's award-winning team of producers and cinematographers lead the online training videos with lessons learned from their experience producing films and training groups and organizations around the world.