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The story: Don Ausderau loudly preaches hellfire and brimstone to bus commuters at the STA Plaza.
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For the last several years I have seen preacher Don Ausderau’s belting out his interpretations of the Bible from an empty corner of the U.S. Federal Court House plaza. Alone, he always seemed to be preaching hellfire and brimstone to no one in particular. He has recently moved his pulpit to the northeast corner STA Plaza. I’ve always wanted to talk to him, but never got up the nerve to do it. Last Friday, armed with my video camera, I just walked up to him and asked him to tell me a little about his life and his beliefs. No surprise, his views are a little off the charts on the religion spectrum. That said, he is actually a nice guy once you get him to settle into a normal conversation. I became intrigued at what other people thought of his rather loud sermons.

What started out as a simple video story of a street preacher, quickly morphed into something different after Karen, Don’s wife of 31-years, arrived while I was filming. I love stories that make you see a person in a different light. Thousands have seen and overheard Ausderau preaching. Most pay little attention to him. Observing for a few hours, I found Ausderau's message connected with some people who desperately needed a touch of hope in their lives.

A few unkind words were muttered from passing commuters. From as distance, wary STA Plaza security guards spoke uneasily into their two-way radio lapel microphones. Some people sitting nearby just averted their eyes, cranking up the volume of their iPods to drown out his message. One young homeless woman did stop to listen to Ausderau. Standing there, she seemed transfixed by his message as she slowly raised her hand to wipe a tear from under her sunglasses.

Wow! I'm so glad you did this story. I can't believe how many brief yet dynamic moments were captured. I would love to walk down to the plaza and listen to Don. Talk about someone with a lot of passion!

Great angles...this was my favorite so far.

Enjoyed the video... Thanks.

You are doing such good work, Colin. I aspire to be able to humanize people the way you do. Awesome!

My name is Laurel Mick, and I am working with a student-run production company to produce a documentary about people who are trying to get the word out about an imminent biblical apocalypse. I was very moved by your piece on Don Ausderau and would love to include him in our piece. Do you have any current information about him? I can be reached at laurel.mick@2tonemedia.net, and I would love to hear back from you at your earliest convenience. Thank you!

Colin,
The video was amazing and an ispiration to my next Bible lesson. It's great to see people who care about the lives of other people. Keep up the great work Colin.