Hampden is a long way from the heat of the Southern California sun that brings out Hollywood hopefuls, from actors and artists to writers and filmmakers and all the supporting cast. If you work in Hollywood, at the center of the film and television industry, you might make it big, or at least rub elbows with people who have.

Of course, that’s if you want to be at the center.

Todd and Jeremie Glider, who lived and worked in that world, now are comfortable with being on its fringes. And Hampden is definitely the fringes.

After seven years in Los Angeles working in the film industry, the couple moved to Waterville on New Year’s Day 2002. A new year, a new state and, before long, a new business. The launching of their company, 20 Below Video, took place when they moved to Hampden in August of the same year.

They had previous success collaborating in the form of DayGlider Productions in California.

That operation combined Jeremie’s experience working for Tolin/Robbins Productions as an executive assistant with Todd’s as a creative developer for a Web company. They used that experience to focus on director and actor reels, short films and public service announcements.

The smog and, for Todd, the commuter traffic, which turned his 5-mile drive to work into a 45-minute odyssey, prompted their migration east.

“I had bought a convertible so I could at least think I was walking to work,” he quipped.

Now, thousands of miles from the smog and manic pace of Los Angeles, the couple faces new challenges, namely making a wedding and commercial video business thrive in central Maine.

Unlike DayGlider Productions, which fit around their careers, 20 Below is the couple’s primary focus. The name came to Todd one day while thinking about what makes Maine unique. He said there were two things: lobster and the cold weather. He didn’t go with the crustacean. And despite winter being the slow season for the business, Todd said he still puts in 16 to 17 hours a day. His time is divided into trying to secure new clients, editing film, writing and, of course, filming. He said he also is part of a Business Networking International chapter in Bangor that gives information on prospective leads for area businesspeople.

For Jeremie, running 20 Below also means teaching art at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor to help bring home money while the business gets off its feet. In a sense, she said, working more than one job seems to be part of Maine culture.

“There’s a different spirit that people have here. They seem to have their hands in more than one thing, and that’s exciting for us,” she said.

Spirit or no, Maine is often criticized for being unattractive to businesses because of its high tax rates and modest population. The state also has been hit hard by the nationwide economic downturn. The loss of jobs, especially in the manufacturing sector, where paper mills continue to shut down across the state, has affected local economies in such places as Millinocket and Lincoln. And the couple realizes that when the economy is bad, it is also bad for their bottom line. They assume the business won’t turn a profit for a few years.

Still, they remain optimistic. They have goals to grow the company. They would someday like to have two or three employees and a small storefront in the area. And with their busy season coming up, they say they won’t be happy unless they shoot 30 weddings this summer, 18 more than last year.

“We don’t want to sleep from April to October,” Todd said.

Both have said shooting weddings is a refreshing change from scripted filming.

“Nobody is acting in a wedding,” Jeremie said.

Weddings have constituted the bulk of their work and revenue, but Todd said he would like that to change. He foresees balancing the workload among commercials, business-to-business videos and insurance videos, in addition to weddings.

The couple has completed a few projects outside of filming nuptials, including creating a commercial for Maine Bridal Shows and a video for local wrestler Legion Freakin’ Cage. Currently, they’re working on a business-to-business video for Eastern Maine School of Self Defense in Veazie.

Business expectations have been exceeded, according to Todd. He says most of their clients have heard of the business through word of mouth. However, in order to survive and grow, he doesn’t have time to sit around and wait for customers to come to them, he said. That’s why so much of his time is devoted to soliciting businesses and hotels along the tourist-rich coast.

Todd said in order for their little storefront to become a reality, they need to carve out a market niche for 20 Below, which he says boils down to one thing: producing the highest quality product possible.

Though the economic and weather climates in Maine may not be as warm as their former home, he said 20 Below is here to stay.

“I get asked all the time by my friends back in L.A., ‘When are you coming home? Don’t you miss the warmth?’ And every time I say, ‘I’m not coming back,'” he said.

For more information about 20 Below Video, go to www.20belowvideo.com, or call 949-1850.