It’s Not About Who You Are, It’s What You Can Be
Tags: West Virginia, Small Town America, Photography, Brand Storytelling, Community Engagement

I’m Darren Hartwell, a broadcast journalism student from Princeton, West Virginia and a first-generation college student. I graduated with 48 people from Montcalm High School, but I always wanted to go to a larger University with more opportunities to grow. The Reed College of Media has become my home over the past three years, but everyday that I’m here I still think about home. It shaped me into the person that I’ve become, and I wanted to give back to my community area. I didn’t know of a way that I could give back until I heard about BrandJRNY.

BrandJRNY is a grant-funded community rebranding initiative working with communities in West Virginia. When the university announced that Pineville was selected for this year’s project, I knew I had to be part of the project. Pineville is around an hour away from Princeton, and I had been to the town numerous times on ATV trips with family and friends. With the Hatfield-McCoy Trails running throughout southern West Virginia, it provides a boost in tourism for towns like Pineville.

Caitlin Cuomo and I trying out the social media face filters before the Wyoming East Vs. Westside Basketball Game. | Source: David Smith

I am a photographer on the BrandJRNY brand storytelling team, meaning you can find me with a camera in my hands 90% of the time I’m in Pineville. I’m constantly running around trying to get various shots to tell the story in different ways. When we think about branding typically some product or service is what comes to our mind. Working with real people in a small community gives us a chance to share the love, passion, and the hard work that goes into making the community run as smoothly as it does. Photography helps brands, like a town, grow on social media and appeals to audiences that they normally wouldn’t attract.

When we made the first trip down to Pineville, I was extremely nervous. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to talk to community members and I wouldn’t produce quality work. But I couldn’t let that anxiousness show. All of those nerves were gone when I focused on just being myself while talking to people in the community. The southern hospitality and the kind-heartedness just made me so comfortable and honestly helped me become more confident in my work. I couldn’t stop talking to everyone, I couldn’t stop taking pictures, I was so excited to feel that I was home and doing what I loved to do. I didn’t feel that I was different since I moved away, I felt that I never left the area.

Maddie Alqutub shows members of the community 360° video footage using the AR/VRheadset. | Source: Darren Hartwell

Pineville may not be my hometown, but I feel like I’m at home every time we visit. I’m more excited for each trip because towns like Pineville are irreplaceable. The history, the people and the love the town holds is one of a kind. I believe everyone deserves a chance to visit Pineville and feel that feeling as well. It’s been an amazing experience working with the BrandJRNY teams, along with Professor Smith and Dr. Colistra. This project has helped me give back in ways I never thought were possible, and I’m excited to see where the semester takes us.

My name is Darren Hartwell, and I’m a photographer for the BrandJRNY brand storytelling Pineville Project. My favorite Golden Girls character is Dorothy. Follow me through our journey–@Dhartwellmedia