Rich Christian

Sometimes you meet a guy who doesn’t wait around to see what happens. Who steps right up to the plate. Who walks right through the door. And who says, “I’ll do that.”

Sometimes you meet a guy like Rich Christian.

Before Town Square even opened, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, Rich Christian walked through the unlocked doors of the then-empty former courthouse building and found Fran Hill sliding along the floor, painting the lower walls connecting the historic structure to the annex.

He said, “What’s going on? What’s this going to be?”

And she said, “It’s going to be a community center,”

And he said, “That’s fantastic. How can I help? I own a video production company. I’ll make you a video.”

And she said, “Mister, you are on.”

Since that sunny day in 2012, Rich Christian has been an integral part of Town Square Community Center, serving as a board member, an active volunteer, and technical advisor to audio and visual-related matters. From the original Town Square video, explaining what the place would become to set up Town Square’s first Mill Pond Terrace Outdoor Movie, Woodstock, Rich has opened doors for us all along the way.

While the enormous possibilities of having a community center in Green Lake inspired Rich, Town Square is not his first rodeo. For him, giving back is simply a way of life. “My father, who founded an international advertising agency, taught me the importance of supporting your communities with leadership, time, and money,” he explains.

Having spent his childhood summers in Green Lake, Rich has embraced the Green Lake community as both a source for his production material and an avenue for his philanthropy. Early in his career, he produced his first short movie in Green Lake about water skiing. A few years later, he produced a documentary about lawyers and the law, using Green Lake lawyers as examples from a rural community. He’s been involved with local and area organizations, including the EAA, The Green Lake Half Marathon, and the Green Lake Association.

Rich has recently been an integral part of developing the Freeland Film Festival, headquartered at Town Square. It enables him to combine his love for Green Lake and filmmaking and bring them to an international audience.

What is Town Square like today compared to the first day he walked through the door? “With the heart, soul, and sweat equity of so many people, Town Square has helped revitalize the entire Green Lake Community. By building relationships under one roof, I see the physical and mental health of Green Lake and the surrounding community continuing to survive and prosper.”

Rich’s cool wish for the future?  “I dream of Town Square as a central Wisconsin Communications Center which broadcasts locally and globally to audiences for a variety of entrepreneurial and artistic interests.

Well, Rich, if anyone can figure out how to make that happen, it’s definitely you!