Fishsticks and Milk

In 2003, a group of teens including Marc Wilkinson, Kyle Dausin, Kyle Wilkinson, Griffin Youngstrum and Mike Tri from Ottawa Township High School started by making Youtube videos for AV Club in highschool, but after graduation in the summer of 2008, new friends Tyler Amm, Ryan Jones, and others got involved in the film making to pass the time and try to eliminate the boredom that most small town high school students suffer from. "We also shot a few videos that summer, namely 'JB's Fireworks' and 'Requiem for a Requiem,' where the name Fishsticks and Milk was first used, but only as a joke production company. The name Fishsticks and Milk was never intended to be something serious." says Marc Wilkinson.
The group began posting to Youtube in summer 2009 after shooting numerous short films. Wilkinson said, "The first one we did was 'Bird Watching,' which is really the first video for the incarnation of our group, and the first to be uploaded or attatched to the Fishsticks and Milk name." "No one really understood the humor." says Tyler Amm, who writes and appears in most of the group's videos. But when Amm wrote a song spoofing their home town of Ottawa and filmed a music video for it, no one could have guessed what was to come.
Soon after Ottawa Serious Fun premiered, the video got the attention of the community, the press, and even Mayor Bob Eschbach. When the group met with Eschbach, they presented him with the idea of hosting a live stage show in the high school's theater in the summer of 2010. Eschbach suggested smaller events leading up to live show, such as talent shows and concerts featuring local talent. Amm said, "He's actually the one that pushed us to do more stuff. I guess, in terms, monopolize on it. He thinks we can provide a service."(Dec. 30, 2009 edition of The Times)
So the group set to organizing a talent show for December 18th, 2009. When Ottawa's Got Talent's 21 live acts drew over 150 people, most of them youth that were just looking for something to do, pieces fell into place in the minds of the members of Fishsticks and Milk. Tyler Amm says "The talent show made it real for us."
It was suggested to the group to become incorporated as a nonprofit organization, and with the generous help of local attorney James Keely, that was made possible. On January 4th, 2010, Fishsticks and Milk received the official letter of recognition as a Non Profit Organization.
The group's hopes are high as they continue to lay down roots and look to the future. "What we do as a group is what we do together as friends, we're just making it public. We want to show kids that life doesnt have to be mundayne... that it doesn't have to suck. We just wanna hang out and be there." says Amm, who was made president of the group with the finalization of the aforementioned paper work. "I want to break a lot of social misconceptions about what it means to be a responsible young adult and what it means to have fun in a small town." And with the motivation that comes from the youth they're working with and impacting, there is no doubt they will do just that.

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