The Challenge

In the spring of 2023, MABU entered into work with PBS to promote two projects closely tied to Native American values: The American Buffalo, a film by Ken Burns, and Native America: Season II, a four-part series. Conversations with the PBS team over the themes in these projects sparked something within our MABUites. We both recognized the importance of sharing these Indigenous stories, and we felt deeply connected to them. We knew we weren’t just promoting a historical account of the near decimation of the bison and its impact on tribes. We were bringing awareness to a cultural truth that is playing out today, just two hours away from our headquarters.

The story was before us. And because we are storytellers at heart, we couldn’t resist. We packed up two cars of equipment and set our sights on the rugged badlands, a herd of bison, and the people determined to repair a connection severed some 150 years ago.

Our Solution

MABU developed a short documentary film on the Hans Creek Bison Company, an effort on the South Segment of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation to restore a herd of bison to tribal land. Cory Spotted Bear, a Twin Buttes councilman, served as our guide across thousands of acres of rough terrain as we followed the herd of three hundred animals (which, by the way, was in the middle of mating season). It was easier said than done. We chased golden hour, but we were on the bison’s time, getting only as close as they’d allow. So, the story unfolded on the sides of cliffs, behind the wheel of a side-by-side, and at the bottom of steep ravines. Not your typical marketing shoot. But, hey, we don’t call ourselves your typical marketing agency.

A Historic Pact: Rise of the Bison and the Indigenous Spirit aims to share the teachings, celebrate the spirit, and honor the ancestral bond between the bison and native communities. MABU released the film for Native American Heritage Month.

On a personal level, the project kept our team grounded in the purpose behind all our work. It was an opportunity to live our values of authentic storytelling in the world around us.

“So many stories of native people have been lost. Being able to bring to light –and back to life—a story like that, is so deeply meaningful.” – Mike Mabin