Mission Control Season 6: The Mentor Behind the Mission – Dave Ellingson and the Roots of UnoDeuce Multimedia
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Twenty-five years is a long time to do anything.

For UnoDeuce Multimedia, it represents 25 years of helping nonprofits, community organizations, and businesses tell stories that matter. It represents thousands of interviews, countless hours of editing, and a commitment to amplifying missions that make communities stronger.

As Mission Control enters its sixth season, we’re taking a different approach.

For the first five seasons, the podcast focused primarily on nonprofit leaders, executive directors, and changemakers. We explored the journeys behind the organizations serving communities every day. This season, however, we’re turning the camera around and looking inward, exploring the people, experiences, and moments that helped shape UnoDeuce Multimedia into what it is today.

There’s no better place to start than with one of the most influential people in that journey: Dave Ellingson.
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The Person Who Helped Start It All

Ask Paul Schmidt where his passion for storytelling began, and you’ll eventually hear Dave’s name.

Mentor. Instructor. Boss. Friend.

Over the years, Dave has worn all of those titles. Long before UnoDeuce Multimedia existed, Dave was helping young storytellers discover the power of video, connection, and community. The impact of that mentorship is still visible today.

When Dave joined Mission Control, the conversation wasn’t simply a reunion between former colleagues. It was an opportunity to trace the roots of an idea that would eventually grow into a company dedicated to nonprofit storytelling.

The stories UnoDeuce tells today can be connected directly to lessons learned decades ago.
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A Different Kind of Retirement

Dave doesn’t really believe in retirement. Instead, he describes this stage of life as his “third act.”

These days, he calls himself the Paddle Pilgrim, a title earned through years of kayaking adventures across the globe. From Norway’s fjords to waterways around the world, Dave continues to combine exploration with storytelling. His travels have led to books, films, and speaking opportunities, including his award-winning film Coming Home: Kayaking the Fjords of Norway.

While the locations may have changed, the mission remains familiar.

Find a story. Connect with people. Share something meaningful. It’s the same philosophy that shaped a generation of storytellers.
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Evergreen Youth TV: Where It Began

Long before YouTube, smartphones, and social media made video accessible to everyone, producing quality video content required significant resources and specialized knowledge.

Dave saw an opportunity. As technology began shifting from analog to digital, he envisioned a program that would teach young people how to use video as a tool for storytelling and service.

That vision became Evergreen Youth TV. The program brought together talented young videographers from around the country and immersed them in hands-on production training. But the goal wasn’t simply learning how to operate cameras or edit footage.

The goal was to tell stories that mattered. Participants worked directly with nonprofit organizations, helping them communicate their missions through video. They learned that powerful storytelling isn’t about flashy graphics or expensive equipment. It’s about people.

For Paul, it was a life-changing experience.
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Learning to Tell Stories Visually

One of the biggest lessons Dave taught was simple: Video is a visual medium.

Too often, storytellers rely on words to carry the narrative. Dave challenged students to think differently. How do you show a story instead of simply talking about it? How do you create emotion through imagery, action, and authentic moments? Those lessons remain foundational to the work UnoDeuce does today.

When we’re filming a nonprofit event, interviewing a community leader, or producing a fundraising video, the goal isn’t to manufacture emotion. The goal is to capture real moments and allow those moments to speak for themselves.

That’s a philosophy that traces directly back to Evergreen Youth TV.
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Building Something Sustainable

As the program grew, so did its ambitions. Equipment upgrades were expensive. Opportunities for participants were expanding. There was a growing desire to create pathways for young storytellers to continue developing their skills beyond the summer program.

A nonprofit structure provided a way forward. The organization evolved into a year-round operation where participants could gain real-world experience while continuing to serve community organizations.

It became more than a training program. It became a launching pad. Many alumni went on to careers in filmmaking, writing, communications, education, and nonprofit work.

For Paul, it became something even bigger.
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An Unexpected Leadership Lesson

At one point, Dave stepped away on sabbatical. Suddenly, responsibilities shifted.

Paul found himself leading staff meetings, preparing for board meetings, and helping guide the organization’s daily operations. It wasn’t part of some grand career plan. It was simply the next thing that needed to be done.

Looking back, those experiences provided an invaluable education in leadership, management, and organizational development. Without realizing it, the foundation for UnoDeuce Multimedia was already being built.
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Discovering a Calling

When Paul eventually returned to Michigan, he found something familiar: a thriving nonprofit community. Organizations filled with passionate people working every day to make lives better. The same type of stories he had encountered through Evergreen Youth TV were everywhere.

The mission became clear: help nonprofits tell those stories. Help communities understand the impact happening around them. Help organizations connect with the people who believe in their work.

Twenty-five years later, that mission remains unchanged.
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The Power of Mentorship

One of the recurring themes throughout this Mission Control conversation was mentorship.

The truth is that none of us arrive where we are alone. Someone teaches us. Someone encourages us. Someone opens a door.

For Paul, Dave was one of those people. His vision for storytelling, his commitment to community, and his belief in the power of relationships helped shape not only a career but an entire company. The ripple effects continue today through every project, every nonprofit partner, and every story shared.
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Looking Back—and Forward

Season six of Mission Control is ultimately about reflection. It’s about recognizing the people who helped make the journey possible.

As UnoDeuce Multimedia celebrates 25 years, the conversation with Dave Ellingson serves as a reminder that meaningful work rarely happens in isolation. It happens through mentorship. It happens through collaboration. It happens when people invest in one another.

Twenty-five years ago, a young storyteller learned that stories have the power to change how people see the world. Today, that lesson still guides everything we do.

And it all started with someone who believed in the power of a story and the people willing to tell it.