by Ashley Wadhwani
Laura and Ryan Koch incorporated their love for humour and a catchy tune into a 60-second video that has earned them a nation-wide spotlight.
The Walnut Grove couple, and singer/songwriters in the folk-band The Kwerks, recently participated in a contest by Dominion Lending Centres (DLC). Clients were asked to creatively share their experience with the financial institution in 30 to 60 seconds.
This couple, with three daughters, have a tradition of sending out goofy Christmas themed YouTube videos to friends and family. They went to work creating a memorable tune and matched it with pictures from past family trips.
“They wanted real people to tell their stories and we just knew it was right up our alley,” Laura said.
“So we composed a funny little tune on our daughter’s bright orange ukulele, telling the story of how DLC had helped us start saving for a big trip we had taken to Europe.”
Last week, the duo was declared the grand-prize winner, and recipients of $5,000.
Their video will also be used in a national advertising campaign airing in featured broadcasts including the Grey Cup and Super Bowl.
“We can’t stop laughing at how lucky it was that we won. We’ve already been contacted by people telling us they’ve seen us on TV, [it’s] pretty wild,” Laura said.
“We like to live life not taking ourselves too seriously, so hopefully the commercial can also encourage others to loosen up and let their guard down,” Ryan added.
The duo will be using the prize money to cover the costs of new sound equipment and to produce The Kwerks’ debut album – which they expect to release soon.
They will be releasing their new single, Better Together, on Nov. 29, during the Grey Cup.
“We just want to make music and share it, and if we can make people smile in the process, then we’re gold,” Laura said.