Winneshiek County Development & Tourism (WCDT), in partnership with Visit Decorah Tourism, the City of Decorah, the Decorah Area Chamber, Decorah Jobs, and the Decorah Community School District, has released a new video series called Life in Decorah. The video set is a unique approach to small town rural economic development and workforce recruitment – placing real residents at the forefront and leading with art instead of data.
Under direction of award-winning Midwest Film Director & Storyteller Sam Fathallah , Life in Decorah strives to offer an authentic look at everyday life in Decorah. The families who volunteered to share their stories came to Decorah in a variety of ways and for a variety of jobs. They share their spaces, activities, and community perspective. And because school district quality is often at the heart of relocation community searches, each family talks about how their children’s education is strengthened by being here in the Decorah Area.
“People want to know what it’s really like to live in a community before they make the decision to move there,” said WCDT Executive Director Stephanie Fromm. “These videos allow people to see Decorah through the eyes of people who already call it home, people who did the same research to make their decisions. We were excited to work with Sam for the video set because his style is grounded and personable and because his skill level ensured a series that could honor how special it truly is here.”
Project development for the video series started in 2025, inspired by a conversation between Decorah Community School District staff and the Winneshiek Co. Development team regarding school enrollment numbers. Fromm shaped a lifestyle-focused campaign to help attract and retain professionals and, ultimately, their families in the community. The project was expanded into a multi-tiered tourism and talent attraction strategy.
WCDT and the project partners hope the campaign which follows the release will accomplish several goals over the next couple of years: 1) Encourage visitors from outside of Iowa to discover the Decorah Area 2) Increase name recognition for the town 3) Offer businesses, institutions, and organizations another tool for their workforce toolbox.
“We know our large employers already have industry-specific and thoughtfully-tailored approaches for their employee recruitment,” says Decorah Chamber Director Jessica Rilling, “what makes this project so valuable is that it adds high quality creative content that feels comprehensive. It adds a specific perspective, a real voice, real emotions from a person who feels like a friend. We’ve talked with several major employers who are ready to add the series into their community profile packages.”
The Life in Decorah videos are available to watch online through Visit Decorah’s digital channels.
Winneshiek County Development & Tourism works to strengthen the economic vitality and quality of life of Winneshiek County by supporting business development, workforce initiatives, community development, tourism and efforts that make the region a great place to live, work and visit. WCDT partners with communities, businesses, schools and organizations throughout the county to promote opportunities and build a strong future for Northeast Iowa.