25 Years of Creativity: Paul Henderson and the First Employee Chapter
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Twenty-five years of UnoDeuce Multimedia is a story made up of a lot of stories. There are the clients, the projects, the big moments and the unexpected challenges. But behind all of it are the people who helped build the company along the way.

On this episode of Mission Control, we look back at one of those people: Paul Henderson, the first employee hired to help move the creative mission forward. Paul’s story is also a reminder of what can happen when someone is given an opportunity, trusted to do the work and encouraged to keep growing.
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It Started With an Internship

Paul’s path to UnoDeuce began in 2011 with an internship connected to the Speed Channel. The job posting had an obvious appeal: fast cars, video production and the opportunity to spend a summer creating content around racing. Paul was interested, and the connection was immediate.

His first assignments took him to Dixie Motor Speedway, where the pace was anything but slow. Friday nights meant shooting races. Saturdays and Sundays meant editing. Monday meant having everything ready to go. It was a crash course in production, deadlines and figuring things out as you went.

The experience also gave Paul something that would become important throughout his career: the ability to walk into different environments, meet different personalities and find the story.
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From Speedways to Full-Time Storytelling

After spending time at the Lansing State Journal, Paul returned to UnoDeuce in a full-time role.

The work quickly expanded beyond racing. There were roller derby events, nonprofit projects, foster care stories and community organizations with stories that needed to be told. Every assignment brought a new set of people, circumstances and challenges.

That variety became part of the education.

Paul remembers how working in so many different environments helped prepare him for the work he does today. After graduating from Michigan State University in 2011, he eventually found his way back to MSU, where he now leads the video and photography division for the College of Natural Science.

His work today can take him from laboratories to marshes, documenting research and telling stories about the people behind it. The tools may have changed. The environments may be different. But the foundation remains the same.

Listen. Learn. Ask questions. Find the story.
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When the Work Means Something

One of the projects that stands out from Paul’s time at UnoDeuce involved Living Water Ministries and its anti-racism camp. The project presented a different kind of storytelling challenge. It wasn’t simply about capturing an event. It was about understanding the people involved and creating something that represented the importance of the work.

The finished video received an incredible response from the client, who called it “the best video ever.” For Paul, that moment represented something bigger than a compliment. It showed what happens when talented people are placed in the right environment and given the opportunity to contribute.

That idea is central to the UnoDeuce story. The goal has never been simply to operate a camera or edit a video. The goal is to help organizations tell stories that matter to the people they serve.
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More Than a Video Agency

Over the years, UnoDeuce projects have taken the team into just about every corner of the community. There were stories involving nonprofits, environmental organizations, arts groups, sports teams and countless other community partners.

Paul experienced that firsthand. From the Lansing Derby Vixens to semi-professional football teams, from foster care organizations to camps addressing important social issues, every project provided another opportunity to connect people through storytelling.

“We were more than just a video agency; we were here to share your story, telling narratives that connect communities.”

That philosophy continues to shape the work. Video is the tool. The relationship is what makes the story possible.
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And Then There Was the Goat

Of course, twenty-five years of storytelling would not be complete without a few things going wrong. Paul remembers an SD card finding its way into a dock crevice. Then there was the goat that decided a microphone looked like something worth eating.

These are the moments that don’t necessarily make it into the finished video, but they become part of the stories people remember.

Production requires preparation, but it also requires adaptability. Things happen. Equipment fails. Animals have opinions. You learn, laugh and keep going.
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The Value of Being Trusted

Looking back, Paul identifies one of the most important parts of his experience at UnoDeuce: having a mentor who trusted him. That trust gave him room to take on responsibility, make decisions and develop his own voice as a storyteller. It also created an opportunity for leadership and growth that extended far beyond a single internship or job.

That may be one of the most important parts of the UnoDeuce story as the company celebrates 25 years. The work matters. The stories matter. But so do the people who are given an opportunity to learn how to tell them.

Paul Henderson came through the door as an intern interested in video production. Today, he leads creative work of his own, carrying forward the skills and experiences developed along the way.
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25 Years and Counting

The story of UnoDeuce is ultimately a story about people. People who trusted us with their stories. People who joined the team. People who taught us something. People who challenged us. People who gave young creatives an opportunity to find out what they could do.

Paul’s journey is one chapter in that larger story.

Twenty-five years later, the mission remains pretty simple: find good people, build relationships and tell stories that matter. And if a goat eats a microphone along the way, well, that becomes part of the story too.