The document summarizes the story of Kindred Spirits Winery, a small vineyard in rural North Dakota. It details the owners Neil and Julie who have backgrounds in law enforcement and education respectively and have partnered to pioneer winemaking in North Dakota. It describes the scenic landscape and history of the family farm on which the vineyard sits. It also provides information on the four varieties of wine produced from cold-hardy grape hybrids cultivated at the vineyard, and the owners' goals to establish North Dakota as a wine region and expand distribution of their wines.

1. Emily Keenan
Writing Samples

2. The Terrarium Obituary
How can you take a terrible situation and turn it
into a creative opportunity?
In a course entitled Aesthetics of Sustainability, each
student was required to plant a terrarium and become
its caretaker over the course of the semester. When my
own had died by midterms, despite my best efforts, I
chose to commemorate its short existence in writing.

3. Late night on Tuesday, November 13th, 2012,
The Dichotosphere, featuring Murray the Scotch
Moss and Manuel the
Ornamental Pepper Plant
was pronounced dead
near 26th and University
in Minneapolis, MN. The
causes of death are natural,
but tragic in their onset.
The dichotosphere was
aged 6 weeks and 2 days.
The terrarium came to life on the 30th of September,
2012, through the work of George Green III and
his granddaughter and loving caretaker of The
Dichotosphere, Emily Keenan. Throughout its
short life, it brought a smile to many faces, people
often admiring its lovely glass container.
An unfortunate rift happened inside the glass walls
when Murray and Manuel had a disagreement
over moisture level. For weeks they fought, when
Murray finally won due to an unfortunate fruit
fly infestation on the 19th of October, 2012, that
required a prolonged period of capping. Manuel
wilted in anger and, in an attempt to save face,
their caretaker uncapped their home one last time.
Murray did not respond kindly and tragically lost
his will to hold on, finally drying out to extinction
on the 3rd of November, 2012. From then on, The
Dichotosphere was not the same.
OBITUARIES
The Dichotosphere
The Dichotosphere.
Shortly afterwards, Manuel began losing his own
will. He had already been severely damaged in the
brutal argument between himself and Murray, now
deceased, and was holding onto his last pepper. His
leaves continued to wilt and pucker, despite the best
efforts of all of his loved ones, and he tragically
slipped away on the 11th of November, 2012,
turning the lovely terrarium into a haunting urn.
Both Murray and Manuel will be missed dearly by
those who knew them and cared for them.
TheDichotosphereissurvivedbyitslovingcaretaker
Emily Keenan (21), devoted roommate Mortimer
the Tortimer (6 weeks and 2 days), and grieving
aunt, Hallie Keenan (26). It will also be remembered
fondly by its lifelong companion George “Budd”
Green (84), and endlessly supportive compatriots,
Bill, Dawn, and Thomas Keenan (59, 56, 29).
A memorial service will be held at 2600 Southeast
University Avenue #313 in Minneapolis on the 17th
of November 2012. There will be a replanting in
The Dichotosphere’s honor of a plant that is more
receptive to low light situations and not dependent
upon the needs of another, dissimilar plant.
In lieu of gifts or flowers, the loved ones request
donations to Urban Sprouts, in support of garden-
based education.

4. Hyundai
Speculative Campaign
Role: Design, Planning, and Copy
Big Idea: Life is hard.
Make the commute your time.

10. Schwinn
Speculative Campaign
Role: Design, Planning, and Copy
Big Idea: Some moments only exist on a bicycle.
That’s Schwinning.

14. Stills from Commercial

15. Kindred Spirits Winery
How can words make North Dakota wines
sound appealing?
Kindred Spirits, a budding winery in North Dakota,
wanted copy for future information packets,
newsletters, and marketing materials.

16. Kindred Spirits Winery
Communications Story
The People
Although husband and wife Neil Neddermeyer and Julie Ottis are both in
the early stages of retirement, they are working harder than ever. For the past
few years, they have been diligently trying to reinvent North Dakota wines. Both
have been avid winedrinkers for years. Now, they are channeling their love for
the drink in a new way—owning and operating their own vineyard. Neil, a retired
deputy sheriff and ordained minister, has been associating with the scientists at
the University of Minnesota in order to discover the most fruitful grapes that can
survive the Midwestern winter, and learn how to best tend to them in his own
vineyard. Julie, a retired theatre director and schoolteacher, volunteers there as
well, studying oenology with the University. Through this, she has become
highly skilled in the craft of quality winemaking. The two work in tandem to
create the unique and high quality wines that come out of their vineyard.
Unlike most other Midwestern winemakers, Neil and Julie are dedicated
to making true wine, entirely from these specially tailored grapes. You won’t
find any fruit wines in their bottles. However, their wine is not for the wine snobs,
looking for the most lavish and expensive wine in the store. It is a universal
wine: made with passion, knowledge, and a dash of good humor. These are the
kind of people that make wine the right way for the right reasons—who have
embraced their hobby so fully and sincerely that it has truly become their
lifestyle—making good wine and making good memories. Now, they want to
share it with you.
The Place
Their winery, Kindred Spirits, is located just outside of Kindred, North
Dakota, a small town of 600 people located southwest of Fargo. It was founded
in the late 19th
century, on the edge of the scenic Red River Valley. This is home

17. to some of the most fertile land in the entire nation. The galumphing hills and
expansive skies are a view not soon forgotten. Slightly closer to the vineyard
lies the Sheyenne River, which has a rich agricultural history that the Kindred
Spirits Vineyard is rooted in.
At the turn of the century, the Ottis family bought the farmland from a
Native American tribe in exchange for one heifer. Since then, it has stayed in
the family, generation after generation. Neil and Julie, as the current owners,
both inherited and bought their beautiful 650 acres of land. While they do rent
out much of it to other growers, they leave a select section for their own grapes.
They cultivate three separate types of grapes, each engineered by the University
of Minnesota and a hybrid of other grape families. Right now, they are growing
to see which will work best on their land and which will ultimately produce the
highest quality wine. In addition to their vineyard, they have an exquisite granary
for tours and tastings.
The area around the vineyard is quaint and picturesque; the small town
has its own special charm. It is one square mile, and lives by its slogan—“where
kindness is a way of life”.
The Product
Kindred Spirits offers four different types of wine. Their two white wines
are Le Crescent and Prairie Star; their two red wines are Frontenac and
Marquette.
Le Crescent is a hybrid of St. Pepin, Vitis riparia, and Muscat Hamburg
wines. It has an intense aroma of peach, citrus, and apricot, and has proven to
be an excellent dessert wine. It was introduced in 2002, and remains one of the
best Midwest friendly grapes available.
Prairie Star grapes have been more established with North Dakota
winemakers than Le Crescent. Its flavor is full and floral, and although it is often
used to mix with other white wines, when grown and fermented correctly it can
create a delicious white wine.

18. The first usable wine grape to have come out of the University was
Frontenac. This grape is a hybrid of Vitis riparia and Landot, a French hybrid.
This grape is becoming increasingly popular with winegrowers, commonly
planted in the Midwest. The wine’s deep garnet color and distinctive cherry
aroma compliment its blackberry and black current flavor nicely. It creates both
rose and red wines well.
The Marquette grape is a hybrid that is actually created by cross-
pollinating two different hybrids. It is one of the most promising wine grapes to
come out of the grape research the University of Minnesota. It is also one of the
most recent, only having been developed in June 2010. Cold hardy and unique
in flavor, Marquette grapes have proven to make exquisite wines. It is a cherry
or berry flavor that surprises you with a slight taste of black pepper, with a
sparkly finish.
The Goals
While Neil and Julie are just starting out, they already have larger plans
for their small vineyard. They have been cultivating and perfecting their grapes
for three years so far, using their own unique skills they have learned. While
testing and producing their wines, they wish to develop the best possible
product. In fact, if a bottle is bad they will not even sell it (although they may still
drink it themselves.) What goes to the consumer is the absolute peak of North
Dakota wine perfection. They hope to sell their wines straight out of the
vineyard in as little as one to two years, as well as offer vineyard tours and
tastings on weekends.
During their growth, as they build up their own little wine empire, they
wish to encourage people to reinterpret Midwest wines, proving that, when
made correctly, a Midwest wine can be just as delicious as a California wine or
even an Italian wine. As the only estate winery in North Dakota, they are
essentially creating their own industry and challenging the way people think of
wine.

19. In the future, they hope to expand their budding venture to various
restaurants in nearby cities, such as Fargo and Moorhead. When someone
looks at the wine list in one of these restaurants, they will know that Kindred
Spirits is made locally, great tasting, and made with character.