Caroline Paxton
President, Paxton Productions, Inc.
Writer/ Creative Director for Miss Nancy Minds Their Manners

Throughout my childhood, I was always ‘making up stories and directing my friends’ in some impromptu version of theatrical storytelling. As a Radio, Television & Motion Pictures major at UNC- Chapel Hill in the mid-eighties, I gained a solid base to build my now twenty year career in video production, and I joyfully merged a life-long passion with a rewarding career.

What Captures my Creative Spirit….
Some of my favorite work over the years has involved shooting interviews about peoples’ lives, hearing their stories, then creatively weaving their thoughts and feelings with dynamic visuals and music, into a whole piece that moves an audience. It is a form of story-telling, and usually only as compelling as the richness of its characters. But true documentary film making is new to me. Yes new, but the creative territory and technical aspects are all familiar. I am finding my work on Miss Nancy to be truly invigorating, unlike anything I have experienced in my career before. The difference? I am so driven and compelled to share with the world this truly unique and special person, in an idyllic southern place, and a time soon to pass by.

Seeking Martha….
From the moment I saw Martha’s 15-minute clip on the web, I knew that this was something special, something I felt personally drawn to, something I could not stop thinking about. I wanted to see more. I wanted desperately to be involved. I collected my thoughts and called Martha, my long time business acquaintance, with whom I had not talked with in at least a decade.

So here I was, out of the blue, sitting in a convenience store booth eating a hot dog (Martha’s favorite) sharing with her my passion and vision for her two year in the making film on the manners camp. She listened and took it all in. It was obvious we both clearly saw and shared the treasure of this story. Collaboration… hmm… can be a good thing. Perhaps the timing was right, and re-energized by my excitement, she welcomed me as a documentary partner, gave me courage to buy a fancy camera of my own, and off we went shooting boys and girls at the manners camp this summer .Those shooting days were the absolute all time highlight of my professional career. We could feel our documentary’s story grow stronger, even better than we could have written and hoped for.

But perhaps the greatest silver lining for me as I am working on this project, is the remarkable connection Martha and I share. Way beyond professional respect, inspiration and support, I’d dare to say we could be kindred creative souls, both with the same deep appreciation of a sense of humor, remarkable characters, and not afraid to think and step out side the box. Her energy and positive approach to life and what she does truly motivate and inspire me. The fact that we have a 20 year age difference makes us a pretty dynamic duo, and the fact that we were both Chippewas at Camp Yonahlossee, makes it all make sense.

Years of Experience, Laying a Foundation…….
Wilson , NC became my home in the early 90’s, and working for a small, local production company kept me on my toes. From all night shoots deep within the heart of in the world’s largest turkey processing plant (Carolina Turkeys) to frigid production days in remote West Virginia saw mills for Coastal Lumber Co., our production crews embraced these jobs with gusto. A “mock” robbery shoot for Texas Steakhouse was a career highlight for drama. Perfectly cast, shooting ‘til dawn, we created realistic and valuable training scenes for Boddie-Noell’s Texas Steakhouse employees.

In 1996, I made a break, ventured on my own, and with little overhead, and a hearty list of exceptional shooters and editors to call on, I started my own company, Paxton Productions, to provide comprehensive video production services. For the past decade, I have had the privilege of producing, writing, and directing videos for colleges, hospitals, businesses and organizations throughout North Carolina. I also work as scriptwriter and director for other production companies. The scope of our projects includes training, recruiting, marketing, public relations, and orientation presentations.