Viral drone video makers have a new setting: Duluth's Glensheen mansion

A promotional video for the historic site dropped Sunday.

June 22, 2021 at 10:03PM
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A screenshot from “Glensheen Experience” (Provided/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The makers of the viral drone video of Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis have tackled a new Minnesota landmark: Glensheen Mansion.

A single-shot drone video released Sunday depicts the Duluth mansion as it would've appeared in the early 1900s, including using costumed actors from the University of Minnesota Duluth theater department. The two-minute, 18-second video captures the five floor mega mansion and surrounding 12-acre property on the edge of Lake Superior.

Jay Christensen, controller of the drone and a UMD graduate, is no stranger to viral clips. His one-shot video, "Right Up Our Alley," of Bryant Lake Bowl got over 2 million views and caught the attention of "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn. His YouTube page, JayByrdFilms, is closing in on 19,000 subscribers.

Glensheen had seen Jay's work and hired him and the team at Rally Studios in Minneapolis to help market the historic mansion for the busy summer tourist months.

The video starts with a black and white shot of actors arriving to the mansion, completed in 1908, in a carriage pulled by horses, and pans to the numerous rooms and floors throughout the mansion. The one-shot video then shifts to highlight the stately grounds along the lake and ends with a frontal shot of Glensheen.

Jane Pederson Jandl, Glensheen's marketing manager, was thrilled with the final product and has already seen increased website visits.

"We loved Jay's style of drone video production and he and his team exceeded our expectations."

Jacques de Carbonnieres • 612-673-4640

about the writer

about the writer

Jacques de Carbonnieres

Reporting intern

Jacques de Carbonnieres is a reporting intern at the Star Tribune.

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