Waterfall Cannery

Waterfall Resort Announces YouTube Fishing Video Contest Winner

Waterfall Resort announced the winner of its first YouTube Fishing Video Contest. Rich Lighten of Riverton, UT received 1,937 views on the Waterfall YouTube Channel and won a $3,600
3 night / 4 day all-inclusive fishing package to the Resort located on Prince of Wales Island. Guests experience spectacular Alaska scenery at its finest on the 45-minute floatplane flight from Ketchikan to Waterfall Resort.

“We created a viral marketing campaign for social media sites that included YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, then accepted fishing videos from June until the end of October,” explained Chuck Baird, Marketing Director for the Resort. “We decided early on not to limit the contest to videos shot at Waterfall. We wanted to open up the contest to any fishing related video from anywhere in the world. Anticipation was high to see the variety of videos we would receive. And we were not disappointed. We received over 100 entries from all over the United States.”

Joel Rayden, Waterfall’s Marketing Manager, described the process of selecting the four finalists as exceedingly difficult. Rayden said that the Resort had received so many creative videos that choosing the top four was quite complex in that it was enjoyable to preview the videos but not so easy when it came time to make the cut to the final four.

Once selected, candidates instructed family and friends to view their videos, and the video with the most viewers would win the Waterfall Sportfishing Package. Lighten, who has fished Waterfall for several seasons, heard about the fishing video contest before his 2009 trip to the Resort and brought his camcorder as well as his son, Geoffrey, with him. Lighten knew from all of his past Waterfall “trips of a lifetime” that he could and would capture an extraordinary moment out on the water. Once his video was up on YouTube, Lighten got busy and put his heart into virally promoting it. Lighten admitted that he is absolutely thrilled that he won the trip and is looking forward to fishing Waterfall in 2010.

Always at the forefront of technology with GPS Systems, Furuno fish finders, radar and long-range communications for its fishing fleet (the largest private fishing fleet in Alaska), Waterfall welcomes the opportunity to embrace the social media. Baird said, “The fishing video contest is only one of the many interactive tools we employ to connect with the world outside of Prince of Wales Island!” When asked if there would be a second fishing video contest, Baird replied, “Absolutely! It will be right up there with our annual $100,000 King of Kings Salmon Tournament and King Salmon Jackpot Challenge. You can count on it!”

Waterfall Resort already has preparations under way for dual 2012 celebrations. Waterfall Cannery, once the largest salmon cannery on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, began its canning operation in 1912. Then in 1982, Waterfall Cannery was converted into Waterfall Resort, a sophisticated sport fishing resort. Waterfall looks forward to the 2012 season to celebrate both the 100th anniversary of the Waterfall Cannery and the 30th anniversary of Waterfall Resort and expects that many guests will return to participate in the special events.

Waterfall Resort, Prince of Wales Island, Alaska

Group Reservations:
Small to Large Groups Receive Personal Service!

Each season, many special-occasion groups come to Waterfall for the Legendary Sportfishing. Business groups reward their employees with Corporate trips, and personal groups come to Waterfall to celebrate Father’s Day, Graduations, Family Reunions, Anniversaries, etc. Many of these business and personal groups return annually. Corporate groups return knowing that Waterfall oversees the details. Family Reunions look forward to celebrating in our large Lagoon Saloon. Waterfall also hosts Fishing Tournaments designed as fundraisers for charities. For group reservations, call Mike Dooley at 800-544-5125.

Colleen Cockrell, Hospitality Supervisor