Former Owego resident featured in country music video

Former Owego resident Brent Potter, along with his girlfriend, Beth Sanders, recently had the opportunity of a lifetime. The couple acted in and helped film a music video that stars up-and-coming country music artist, Peyton Parrish. The video, with a release date of Feb. 1, showcases a military tribute song, “Shadow of You.” 

Parrish explained, “It’s a powerful message. The military deserves the love, support and respect of us all, and I made this video to show my support for the true sacrifices that all men and women in the military have to go through.”

It’s Parrish’s hope that the video will touch many people and that it will also heighten public awareness. He said, “I want people to never forget those who gave their lives for this country, and to those protecting our freedom.” 

Another military-inspired tune by Parrish, “I’m Comin’ Home,” features heart-wrenching video clips of military personnel returning home to reunite with their families. 

Parrish, an American Idol alum, earned that show’s “golden ticket” at age 16, and sang his way through a few rounds of competition.

Parrish shared, “It is something I will never forget,” adding, “I was still trying to find my sound and my voice back then, so I learned a whole lot from American Idol.”

Now in his early twenties, the singer/songwriter switched from pop and rock to country, and has released several tunes. 

Potter, a 1996 graduate of Owego Free Academy, lives in the Chicago, Illinois area and is a regional director for Anytime Fitness, a 24-hour health and fitness club with locations worldwide.

The Owego Pennysaver featured Potter in a November 2016 story about his walk-on role in one episode of the NBC action-drama, Chicago Fire.

The opportunity to be part of “The Shadow of You” music video, Potter explained, was a whirlwind adventure and a great experience.

Interestingly, it all started with an Instagram post.

Potter said he regularly shares new music that catches his ear on his Instagram page, and in April of 2018, he decided to post a Peyton Parrish song. In turn, the singer/songwriter started following Potter’s Instagram page. 

Several months later, Potter learned of Parrish’s plan to make a new video, and the two exchanged messages back and forth.  Eventually, Brent and Beth were selected to be part of the main cast and story line.

Potter did pause to question, “Could we really do this?”

The thrill of a new adventure outweighed any other doubts, so the couple flew to Arizona where the video was shot.

Regarding the process of selecting the couple, Parrish said, “I felt that it was meant to be,” adding, “It was a risk, but it definitely paid off, and now they are like family to me.”

Potter explained that filming took some 30 hours over a two-day period, and that part of the process involved professional military instruction. Later, additional scenes were shot at his home in Illinois, and at various points during filming he even got the chance to go behind the camera.

Potter remarked, “The whole process challenged our confidence in ourselves so much.”

Potter added, “I want my kids to know, at 40, you can still fulfill wildest dreams,” adding, “I would have never guessed that a simple post about a song I liked would have taken us to Arizona to shoot a music video.”

Parrish said he hopes to perform this year in Illinois and Nashville, with other potential road stops to be considered.  

For information about Peyton Parrish, follow him on Instagram and Facebook.  Or, find his music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.