About Us

Jeff Rouse

CEO, Executive Producer

jeff@destinationsmalltown.com

Our Story Productions / Destination Small Town

Raised on a farm outside a small town in Northern Iowa Jeff found life not limited by its size, but instructive in becoming part of a community! He found with neighbors and friends sharing a common history and memories creates a bond not found in larger communities! But with entertainment options limited, like so many of his generation he watched a lot of TV, not to date him, but Jeff will be the first person to tell you that he only got two black-and-white channels on TV on the farm unless he climbed up onto the roof and changed the direction of the antenna. His fascination with movie history really began at age 10 when he switched channels from the Lawrence Welk Show to find the classic film, The Invisible Man playing on the other. He was instantly hooked on old movies. From then on, Jeff has developed such an expansive knowledge about showbiz trivia that his wife calls him, "A constant source of useless information!" Jeff used this knowledge to develop several businesses.

In 1984 Jeff opened a retail store in Denver Colorado specializing in Hollywood memorabilia called Cinema Graphics. Building upon that venture, Jeff formed Star Struck Enterprises, a wholesale poster & print company that included an additional store in the well-known resort community of Okoboji, Iowa. After selling his store in Denver and a move to Fairmont Minnesota in 1996 Jeff accepted a position as a Territory Sales Representative for a gift company. Jeff and his wife Denise continued operation of the Okoboji store and the stores his wife owned in Fairmont MN. Though life was very busy, with their retail stores, Jeff's rep position and growing children, the couple felt Fairmont had a need for additional entertainment options, so in 2006 they closed the Okoboji store and opened a private club/dinner theater called The Fairmont Film Society offering Dinner & a Movie and Dinner & Song events every weekend. Jeff's rep position continued to take him on the road during the week; he visited many small towns and was amazed to discover the lifestyle he grew up with was still there! The need presented itself that the small towns he was visiting had businesses and points of interest that needed to be shared! So in the summer of 2007 Jeff resigned from his position as a rep and formed Our Story Productions. As Executive Producers Jeff and Denise asked fellow business owners and citizens from their community if they would volunteer to put a TV show together. With the help of these volunteers OSP began producing a variety of TV programs and a website called "Our Story, Small Town Living at its Best" that highlighted the small towns of Southern MN! Because of the unique programming towns throughout the Midwest began contacting them and asking if they could air and be featured on the show! In order to make this expansion possible in 2010 the Fairmont Film Society was transformed into the television studio “Our Story Studios” and the television show "Our Story, Small Town Living at its Best" became "Destination Small Town" Jeff then began traveling the nine states that would become part of the television coverage area, by 2017 over 1500 towns would be featured in over one million households on cable television. Along the way Jeff took on Executive Producer/Director duties for the regional television show "On the Road to Our Story" that featured long-form stories about specific organizations making a difference throughout the region airing from 2009 through 2012 and publisher duties for a limited edition magazine of the same name. 2018 saw Executive Producer/Director duties for an addition television show "Martin County on TV" that highlights the 25 year history of local television in their community. In 2018 Jeff also oversaw the development of a new website for Destination Small Town that enables viewers to learn all there is to know about the small towns featured on their TV shows! With Jeff's producing, directing and traveling the 9 states that are part of the television show it's obvious to anyone who meets him that he is passionate about telling the stories of the small town of the Midwest and happily would tell you throughout his wife's and his adventures in business they have still found time to enjoy each other, their kids and grand-kids!

Denise Rouse

Co-Producer, Costume and Set Designer

Our Story Productions / Destination Small Town

Denise Rouse brings razzle-dazzle to every facet of life! Raised on a farm in Southern Minnesota, Denise parlayed her farm-girl sensibilities into creative small-town business ventures that garner admiration far and wide. As a mother of five children and grandmother to six, Denise’s favorite mantra is, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead!” There can be little rest for someone with so many hobbies that include gardening, thrift-store shopping, embellishing used vehicles, repurposing old furniture, belly dancing, entertaining, practicing Reiki, and, and, and. In to this mix, Denise combines the operation of her two very popular consignment shops in Fairmont, Minnesota called, “Hollywood Babe” and “The Giddy-up Boutique.” Before opening those stores, Denise owned an antique and gift store for 15 years. Denise also writes the local monthly newspaper column “Inhale Fashion...Exhale Style”

Fans of the soap opera, As The Corn Grows, recognize Denise as portraying the character of Prairie Ann, who also is a host of the hit talk show, The Women of Sweet Swine County. Off-stage as a co-producer to the TV show Destination Small Town Denise takes on many duties including designing and decorating the sets at OUR STORY Studios. Though Denise is very busy as co-producer of Our Story Productions and her retail shop she still has found time to organize the much-publicized local annual summertime events—the Fairy Ball and Mad Hatter Tea Party. When she was younger, Denise thought maybe a career in politics was in the cards. But it didn’t take long for her to discover that being a mother and a wife is much the same as a being a politician, except you don’t travel as much! Denise will be the first one to tell you that life isn’t about the number of breaths you take, it’s about the moments that take your breath away! Her innate spiritual connectedness and joie de vivre radiate within her ability not to take herself too seriously. As Denise Rouse tells everyone within earshot, “It’s never too late to be what you might have been!”

Chelsea Theobald

Office Manager

chelsea@destinationsmalltown.com

Our Story Productions / Destination Small Town

Chelsea, the ultimate multi-tasker, keeps the Our Story office running smoothly with a bit of sass! Raised in southern Minnesota, Chelsea has long been making things happen! Taking care of her grandmother from the age of 14 while working and going to high school, Chelsea graduated from school with high honors and still found time to get into some trouble -- talk about your multi-tasker! Inspired by her grandmother and some other mentors along the way, Chelsea worked nights and weekends enabling her to get a degree at Rasmussen College in Mankato. Throughout all of this Chelsea has found time to be a mother of four. Chelsea and her man Tom enjoy fishing, hunting, and all things outdoors-ish!

Shelly Abitz

Camerawoman, Film Editor, Program Writer

Our Story Productions / Destination Small Town

As a principal at Gemini Studios—a video production and media education studio in Fairmont, Minnesota—Shelly Abitz is the behind-the-camera wizard for DST TV. Shelly’s technical background in graphic layout, commercials production, instructional DVDs, athletic event capture and broadcast, book illustration, and logo design, has creatively expanded into writing, filming and editing a gamut of DST’s programs. If you see it on our TV shows, Shelly probably shot it! In her world, there is little rest! Shelly has illustrated two wonderful children’s books—Bushy Tail Squirrel’s First Day Out and Jenny and Me. She also serves as executive producer of a local cable-access show called, “Close to Home.” While accomplishing all of this, Shelly also writes, directs, shoots and acts in the role of “wife and mother” in her own family.

Steven Thate

Web Developer

This talented young man has taken on the monumental task of not only creating a visually appealing website, but one that has a user-friendly design and clear navigation. Behind the scenes Steven shares little about himself, choosing to let his work speak for him and that it does! Usually found at his computer and seldom photographed this photo was taken at a recent staff party, though he may appear a bite stiff his coworkers find him to have a great sense of humor!