For most of the fall, Boothbay Region High School students have been learning the basics of starting and running a company.

Like any good business, the Boothbay Paddle Company now has ads.

BRHS students in Chip Schwehm and Barbara Greenstone’s “Making and Marketing” class at the high school have recently unveiled the Boothbay Paddle Company.

All of the company’s different components – manufacture, finance, and marketing – have been planned and designed by the students, with help from local businesses and individuals.

To market their company, the Boothbay Paddle Company recently brought in BRHS alumnus, former Boothbay Register reporter and current Boothbay Region Community TV producer Ryan Leighton.

Leighton, whose 2013 timelapse video of winter storm Nemo won a Maine Press Association award for the Boothbay Register, spoke with students about processing videos and taught the class how to shoot, edit and produce videos.

The ad was filmed at Knickerbocker Lake and features Abel Bryer paddling a canoe on the peaceful lake. Bryer’s voiceover apes the Lincoln Motor Company ads featuring Matthew McConaughey. Leighton said the ad was created using a Black Magic Cinema Camera, a quadcopter drone and a GoPro Hero4. The premise and script were developed by the Making and Marketing class and Leighton assisted in its creation.

While the class is attempting to make, market and sell the paddles, the breakout star of the ad is Bryer, Leighton said.

“Abel definitely has a future in show business,” Leighton said. “Or at least in imitating Matthew McConaughey.”