The oldest city in Kane County, this is the story of “The Windmill City”, “The City of Energy”, a vibrant community committed to education, innovation and preservation as told by the businesses that make Batavia thrive in 60 second videos.
FEATURED: A new podcast recapping City Meetings like you’ve never heard before, hosted by Batavia High School Students interested in government.
This website is managed by Batavia High School Marketing interns and owned by the businesses that post their stories here.
Batavia Street Stories with the Mayor is a captivating video series where Mayor Jeff Schielke delves into the rich history of Batavia by exploring significant streets and landmarks.
Each episode highlights the unique stories behind street names and local sites, such as Bellevue Place, where Mary Todd Lincoln sought treatment, the Donovan Bridge, which symbolizes federal investment in the community, and streets named after notable figures like Johnny Ozier, a former slave turned Civil War veteran, and Craig Sager, a nationally recognized sports broadcaster.
The series offers a blend of personal anecdotes, historical insights, and the Mayor's reflections, providing a unique window into Batavia's past and its ongoing legacy.
We created 17 videos for the City of Batavia to help explain the Road Diet.
We also used ChatGPT to re-write real negative (and positive) social media comments into fictitious versions and gave them to the city administrator to read. She did great!
Discover the unique charm of the Boardwalk Shops of Batavia this Saturday from 9-5, where you can explore a variety of exceptional businesses, from handcrafted copper jewelry and vintage treasures to affordable, stylish sunglasses, and delicious family-owned eateries, all offering personalized and friendly experiences that will make you feel right at home.
Saturday morning, unannounced, we walked in and started filming.
We walked into 14 businesses and offered a free social media video if someone would answer two questions and let us film with our 360 camera. These snippets are from the question “what other local business do you admire”.
Our mission is to be as authentic, fast and efficient as possible.
No planning, no meetings. What we captured was real and genuine.
Featured Batavia Businesses
Spotlight: Riverwest Family Fitness
Riverwest Family Fitness is like no other gym in the area.
It’s a real gym where the community comes together and cheers each other on in changing each other’s lives through fitness.
They offer the most economical pricing in the area with no hard sell or hidden fees.
They specialize in weekly bootcamp classes where members universally say it has changed their lives.
Click through to learn more and take a virtual tour of their facilities and amenities.
Spotlight: Waterstreet Studios
Batavia's Gary Ricke debuted his first art show at Waterstreet Studios, displaying ten pieces inspired by his 15-year Fox River bike ride documentation. Originally taken with an iPhone 6, each image was transformed via AI into unique artistic renderings. The collection includes varied themes—from enjoying a Blue Moon beer at a local eatery and paying tribute to Japanese garden designer T. R. Ōtsuka, to a cherished memory of his daughter dancing by the river. The exhibition highlights how everyday moments can be transformed into art, promoting accessible artistic expression and fostering connections.
The Easiest, Most Economical and Powerful Marketing for Your Batavia Business
Short Videos — Period.
Captured, produced and distributed by local high school and college students.
Meet our Batavia Marketing Interns
Established in March of 2020, one day before schools were shut down for the pandemic, Riverbank Marketing Interns didn’t miss a beat and went on to work with local Batavia companies supporting their marketing efforts.
Several interns continued helping businesses with their marketing from college after graduating and in summers during breaks.
On September 12, 2017, just one week before Fermilab’s 50th anniversary, Fermi scientist Erik Ramberg took his neighbors: Writer / Artist Richard DeVeau, Photographer Andrew Schones and Marketer Gary Ricke on a 5 hour tour and we recorded the entire experience and a group of Batavia Marketing Interns want to make a movie and podcast from it.
Fun in Batavia
Sometimes we just like to make videos for the fun of it and to practice and push this art and see where we can take it.
These are those videos where Batavia is the center of the story.
Spotlight: Signature Consulting and Psychological Services
Signature Consulting & Psychological Services embodies a transformative approach to mental health and organizational development. This premier practice, based in the heart of our community, is renowned for its unwavering commitment to improving lives and enhancing team dynamics.
Special Feature: The Trades
20 x 20
Five Batavia High School Marketing Interns gave 20 BHS students $20 to tell them their honest opinions about their thoughts on joining the trades.
The interviews were conducted for a Batavia organization called Epoch Work who’s goal was to educate and mentor high school students on the benefits of considering a career in the trades.
The interns conducted the interviews with their phones and then used AI tools to edit the videos and produce engaging visuals to coincide with the stories they were capturing.
The result? High school students interviewing high school students revealed information about Epoch’s target audience in ways they were not easily able to.
Special Feature: BPS 101
BHS Incubator teacher and Coach Dennis Piron and his daughter Alex Piron, a new teacher at BHS, agreed to be guinea pigs for a new video interview style.
The method is a walk and talk interview using a typical smart phone while simultaneously filming the interview with a 360 video camera so that all the video footage (A-roll plus B-roll) is captured at one time by a single person.
The interviews were also shot quickly — 5-10 minutes in length on average, proving that amazing stories can be captured quickly and effciently.
