RIDGECREST, Calif.–A small credit union that has actively turned to video—for messages both serious and humorous, educational and entertaining—is encouraging other credit unions to look to it as a case study of what’s possible when different thinking takes place.
The $90-million Desert Valleys Credit Union, approximately 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles, has turned what was meant to be a one-time video into hundreds of videos over the last seven years, and it has plans for more. It credits the videos for humanizing the organization, building its brand, highlighting members and the community, building trust and more.
Desert Valleys CU is being featured here as part of the CU Daily’s ongoing “Profitability Imperative” series during 2026.
“We’re sharing our journey so other credit unions can see how modern communication can strengthen community impact,” said CEO Eric Bruen.
A New Spin on the Annual Meeting
Desert Valley’s Member Movie Night is what Bruen said is the credit union’s spin on the traditional annual meeting, which it has moved to a local movie theater and turned into an all-day event. Bruen said the videos it has created are essentially it’s videos which you are seeing are essentially our “annual report,” presented in a more humorous way and projected onto the big screen as a trailer before every movie running that day in the theater.
Desert Valley holds the Movie Night/Annual Meeting on the last Tuesday of July each year and Bruen said it has now grown into a local event. The video each year is themed around whatever our “throwback” movie is. In 2025, it was SpaceBalls.
In addition, it has spoofed Harry Potter and Godzilla, offered straightforward explanations of its products, partnered with local government and more in the video series that it credits for playing a significant role in its growth.
The initiative came about, according to Desert Valleys, because it was facing a question faced by many other credit unions, especially those in its asset size peer group: how to connect meaningfully with members in an increasingly digital world?
The Answer
It found its answer in video content the credit union now describes as a “bridge between traditional banking relationships and modern communication preferences.”
It has created the series in partnership with RAW Media.
Desert Valleys CU said the video strategy has allowed it to create “authentic” connections that go beyond traditional marketing, with DVCU acknowledging its own messaging wasn’t working.
The Strategy
Today, Desert Valley’s video strategy includes or has included:
- Business Spotlights that highlight local businesses in an effort to support recovery and growth during challenging economic circumstances
- iTV (Interactive TV), a long-form, podcast-style series where staff discuss scams, money management, and financial education
- City Talks, which involved conversations with city and county leaders about local issues like fire contracts, taxes, trash service, water, and local measures. More than 200 episodes were produced over two years. According to Desert Valleys, the conversations gave the community clarity during complex moments and demonstrated how a credit union can help lead important local discussions.
“These programs showed that communication isn’t just outward marketing—it can be a public service,” the credit union said, adding it discovered something powerful: video content connects just as deeply as information.
Humanizing the Credit Union
In addition, said Nick Wakley, founder & creative director of RAW Media Productions, videos such as its spoofs of Harry Potter spoof and Godzilla, and multiple Movie Night parodies showed the community that Desert Valleys FCU embraced humor and imagination.
These moments humanized the institution, strengthened the brand, and created a sense of personality that members connected with instantly, according to Wakley.
“Finding the fun became one of the most important turning points in the communication strategy,” Wakley said. “It allowed the credit union to speak more authentically, build rapport, and resonate with younger and older audiences alike.”
Added Bruen, “It’s one of our strongest tools for building trust, improving visibility, and keeping members informed through every major moment. This journey also proved something simple but important: when credit unions communicate better, they lead better.”
Results, Metrics & Lessons
Overall, through consistent video production, Desert Valleys FCU reported it has:
- Built stronger community connections
- Increased member engagement
- Differentiated itself in a competitive market
- Created a recognizable brand personality
- Supported local business recovery
Along the way, the credit union and RAW Media said a number of key insights were gleaned, including:
- Authenticity matters. “Members respond to genuine, unscripted moments.”
- Humor connects. “Creative, fun content builds emotional bonds.”
- Community service. “Informative content about local issues serves the public good.”
- Consistency pays off. “Regular content builds audience expectations and loyalty.”
- Multi-format approach. “Different content types (educational, entertainment, community service) reach different audiences.”
From its perspective, RAW Media said Desert Valleys Federal Credit Union has demonstrated that video content can transform how financial institutions connect with their communities.
“By combining educational content, local business support, civic engagement, and creative entertainment, they built something more valuable than a marketing campaign—they built a community,” the company said.
In the Beginning
Desert Valleys got into the video business seven years ago when it contacted RAW Media Productions with a simple request: to create a short thank you video for its “Member Movie Night.”
“What began as one small project quickly evolved into a new way for our credit union to communicate, connect, and serve our community,” said Eric Bruen.
Although Desert Valleys does not have an in-house media team or the resources to produce consistent high-quality content, given its asset size, Bruen said the success of the video led it to additional partnerships with RAW Media that allowed it to expand its message without expanding our staff.
The Turning Point
“Member Movie Night became the turning point,” said Bruen adding the videos have become “an annual storytelling tradition.”
Each year, the video played in theaters before the film, giving members a personal update in a format they actually looked forward to, he said.
“Over time, these videos shifted from straightforward messages into themed pieces, parodies, and creative interpretations inspired by classics like Terminator, Elf, Gremlins, and more,” Bruen explained. “The annual Movie Night video became a moment our members expected, talked about, and shared — blending information, entertainment, and community spirit.”
It wasn’t long before Desert Valleys realized video could be more than a marketing tool; it could also shape identity, strengthen connection, and engage members in a way that felt “modern and memorable,” he said.
A Need for Rethinking
Ultimately, Bruen said he hopes his credit union’s experience will inspires other credit unions to rethink how they communicate recurring messages and explore creative ways to connect with members.
As the series progressed it adjusted as times changed. For instance, Bruen said COVID brought a lot of uncertainty, and the credit union created a video to help guide businesses with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
“This effort pushed us further into video. RAW Media produced business spotlights that featured owners who kept moving forward during extremely challenging circumstances,” Bruen said. “These stories humanized the crisis, reinforced hope, and showed how a credit union could play a meaningful role in economic survival.”
Highlighting Local Biz
After the PPP program was retired, Bruen said Desert Valleys used the videos to continue to highlight local businesses to support recovery and growth. In addition, he said the videos served to remind that credit unions can strengthen local economies not only through financing, but also “by giving visibility, encouragement, and a voice to local businesses.”
Bruen said the purpose of the videos also pivoted toward the importance of transparency when he was elected mayor.
“We launched DV Live, a long-form, podcast-style series where staff discussed scams, money management, and financial education,” he explained. “This evolved into City Talks, where city and county leaders joined us to explain issues such as fire contracts, taxes, trash service, water, local measures, and more.”
Nearly 100 episodes were produced over two years, with Bruen saying they served to give the community clarity during complex moments and demonstrated how a credit union can help lead important local discussions.
Seriously, Don’t be So Serious
After years of what Bruen called “serious communication,” he said the credit union discovered “something powerful: fun connects just as deeply as information.”
It created videos that spoofed Harry Potter, Godzilla and more, a process he said “humanized us, strengthened our brand, and created a sense of personality that members connected with instantly.
“Finding the fun became one of the most important turning points in our communication strategy,” Bruen said. “It allowed us to speak more authentically, build rapport, and resonate with younger and older audiences alike.”
As Desert Valleys continued to work in video, it found its members evolving in the same way as the broader consumer market as platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram gained wider and wider usage. The result, according to Bruen, is it found short-form videos consistently outperformed long-form discussions, capturing attention quickly and delivering value in less time.
The ‘Breakthrough’
The “breakthrough” video in the series, according to Bruen, was “Explore Ridgecrest,” a series of what he described as short, energetic episodes that local businesses, attractions, and events with “authenticity and excitement.”
“The community responded immediately,” he said. “Explore Ridgecrest quickly became one of our most recognized and celebrated projects, reaching thousands of viewers and strengthening awareness of local businesses.”
The format worked so well, Bruen said, that the credit union carried the format over to Bishop, Calif. as it expanded into the market. The videos allowed DVCU to introduce itself and build trust, he said.
Now Showing: Growth
Over the six years the videos have been a primary form of communication by Desert Valleys it has growth to $90 million in assets from $40 million and added more than 1,000 members. It has expanded its market area, launched new services, and will break ground on a new Ridgecrest headquarters in 2026.
“Video wasn’t the only factor in our growth, but it became one of our strongest tools for building trust, improving visibility, and keeping members informed through every major moment,” Bruen said. “This journey also proved something simple but important: when credit unions communicate better, they lead better. “
Desert Valleys and RAW Media are now moving to release a series of ongoing cyber security education videos to help protect members and strengthen digital awareness.”
The Videos
The Desert Valleys CU videos are available on Youtube. Some samples can be found here, here, here and here.
One Response
Love the creativity and drive – this is what helps small CUs survive and thrive – relevant and loved by their members and local community! Doug Wadsworth