Horses providing therapy. Helping veterans of war with marriages. Nonprofit organizations throughout Southwest Florida have exciting success stories to share with the world, and a Sarasota video production company is on a mission to tell those tales to as many people as possible. Salt and Light Productions this week released its first videos of 2016 highlighting the work of organizations doing good in the region, one showcasing the work of the High Flight Foundation, the other on the Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy. “We just want to make people aware of what these nonprofits do for our community,” said Don Gangnagel, Salt and Light senior producer.

Salt and Light works with a small team, two people actually involved with production as well as an administrative manager. The four-and-a-half-minute video created for SMART tells the tales of Paloma, a special needs child who has worked with horses therapeutically for years, and George, a veteran also benefiting from the service. “These horses do not judge,” a trainer in the video explains. "I think that makes it ok for people who may have challenges.” Gangnagel said this is actually the second video Salt and Light has produced for SMART, but that there remain great stories to capture.

High Flight Foundation, meanwhile, is a new organization for the Salt and Light crew. That video explains the need and results of Operation Uplift, a program for soldiers returning for war who need help strengthening their marriages following the trauma of combat and separation. Gangnagel said the organization approached the company about the videos. “There are an awful lot of nonprofits doing good work in Manatee and Sarasota counties. Being here for nine years, you would think you know every nonprofit, but we always seem to meet new ones,” he said.

Salt and Light typically produces 15 to 20 videos each year, some promoting organizations and others providing educational messages on topics such as the dangers of texting and driving.

See videos at SRQ Backlot