To showcase all the hard work funeral directors put into their funeral services, ASD started a new web series called Meet the Director. In their web series, you can hear first-hand from funeral directors and their families how the services honored their loved one and helped everyone grieve. 

We spoke with ASD’s National Sales Manager Craig Meehan to get the inside scoop about this new web series. Check out what he had to say below! 

What Inspired ASD to Start This Web Series? 

“First of all, we are always looking for new ways to create original and engaging content. Secondly, when our company encounters an issue or problem, we really strive to be a part of the solution. ASD attends almost 50 trade shows and conventions a year. 2020 has taken those opportunities away from not only us, but from our clients as well. Funeral directors use these opportunities to socialize, learn from and meet other funeral directors. We wanted to create an opportunity to do just that! We would interview clients from around the country, get to know them on a more personal level and learn about their firm. It also gives our clients an opportunity to promote their brand on a national level. This pandemic has really put into full focus just how essential funeral professionals are to our society, so we wanted to shine a spotlight on the often overlooked work they do every day.”

What Are Your Goals for the Web Series? 

“Meet the Director is not about ASD or the services we offer. Our number one objective in this series is to promote our clients and showcase the amazing work they do on a day-to-day basis. Hopefully, one firm can learn from another and provide a service that benefits the families they serve in the long run. Now more than ever, funeral professionals need to come together and push through these hard times. Funeral directors are the most compassionate and caring individuals whom communities turn to in their time of absolute need. Funeral professionals are very important essential workers, but seldom get the credit they deserve. Now that people are glued to their screens is the perfect time to ensure they get the credit they deserve.”  

What Are Your Thoughts on the First Episode? 

“Wow! We are so honored to be just a small part in this story. The first episode is about the Robbins family who turned to the Einans at Sunset Funeral Home (Richmond, WA) in in the wake of losing their 16-year-old son Christian. The Robbins family sadly lost Christian to mental illness, which led to suicide. Christian was an intelligent, very self-aware young man who was advocating for mental health issues. 

In the interview, Christian’s Father, Ted Robbins joins us along with Funeral Directors Holley Sowards and Ron Swanson to illustrate how this celebration of life named, “Christian’s Campfire” came to light. The Funeral Home turned their whole chapel into a campground setting featuring a fire pit, s’mores, and tents all while under Covid restrictions. Ted discusses how the funeral home staff was instrumental in helping him and his family heal after such a difficult and traumatic loss. His inspiring words really capture why funerals are so crucial to helping families cope with their grief. During this episode, we also get to help Christian’s mission by showing a video he made with his thoughts on mental health and where we need to move forward.” 

Click here to watch the first episode of Meet the Director!