Red Oxx Debuts in Montana Entrepreneur Documentary

Big Dreamers Featured in Montana Produced Film

Red Oxx recently made its appearance in the world premier release of Edge of the Plains. This locally made documentary by film maker Pete Tolton, with assistance from Samuel Roland Films, casts close-up interviews with a varied collection of central Montana Entrepreneurs.

In describing the film, Pete Tolton had this to say:

    "On the surface, it’s about the grit and determination of central Montana entrepreneurs and community leaders, their trials and triumphs in bringing far-flung dreams to life. Edge of the Plains is a rallying cry for ‘localism’, an invitation to improve our world by investing in our towns and neighbors."

Kevin Scharfe, Executive Producer, labels the film as a mix of "How It’s Made" meets "Behind the Music."

In conclusion, said Pete, "I firmly believe that we all dream big, at least occasionally. In crafting this story, Sam Steingraber and I endeavored to connect viewers with people who have taken a huge leap (or two) and stuck with it." The driving inspiration for the viewer being that, "…everyone’s big dreams may now feel a little more attainable."

Edge of the Plains Marque Poster.

Featured Entrepreneurs

In the film, Red Oxx CEO Jim Markel shares his trials and tribulations building his tough-as-nails bag company Red Oxx Manufacturing.

Native American artist Ben Pease shares his "expressions of his existence" at Ben Pease Visions.

Alicia Moe talks about her family’s 1914 era recipe for a ranch kitchen style Cream of the West whole grain breakfast cereal.

Get your year ’round healthy greens nibble going with Veronnaka Evenson from Swanky Roots.

Learn about how your kitchen cooking utensils can be improved with Brad Bernhart at Earlywood.

Forrest Rogers shares his insights on starting Rock Treads & Crazy Creek Camping Chairs.

Sit down for a cup of delicious Montana blended tea with Riza Gilpin at Big Timber’s Tumblewood Teas.

Take your vision of lathing and milling to the next 3D-Printing level with Wesley Tucano at Tuscano Machine.

After the sold-out premier, the entrepreneurs and film-makers gathered on stage for a question and answer session with the audience. Most questions concerned variations of "How do I get my products to sell on the Internet?".

Jim addressed this with "You need to find a niche market, something great. You win on the Internet by being direct to consumer and offering something unique. You can’t compete against manufacturing behemoths like China. They’ll crush you with discounts. That’s a road to failure. If you’re starting out, use your networking – family, friends, business associates. You’d be surprised how well it works. "

Watch the Film

Grasp the essentials of this exciting entrepreneurship based documentary by watching the Edge of the Plains trailer:

Edge of the Plains debuts on cable television on Billings’ news station Q2 Sunday, October 24 and 31st. Streamers can catch the film using the Q2 streaming app. Instructions for the streaming app are located on the Edge of the Plains website here.

Film Credits: Pete Tolton generously thanks Sam Steingraber, plus essential contributions from Parker Brown, Kevin Scharfe, Stan Parker, Ted Kim, Carolyn Tolton, Aaron Martin, Kevin Kooistra, Marcell Bruski, and Sam Lustig.

Edge of the Plains was funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Montana Department of Commerce.

Red Oxx Bag Edger Jenn prepares for her next task.