100 Greatest Miles Documentary 

In 2026, the world turns its attention to a road that once crossed America. The “has been highway” continues to intrigue motorists, who travel its remaining portions with nostalgia in mind and cell phone in hand. 

Filmmaker Nik Coleman spent a year capturing footage of the sites, events, and people in towns from Sapulpa to Edmond, known as the 100 Greatest Miles of Route 66. His company, Coleman Television, is finalizing a 16-hour documentary series, which will be viewed worldwide. Almost an hour is dedicated to the stories of Edmond and Arcadia. 

While Nik Coleman, a native of Great Britain, might seem an unconventional choice to produce a film set in Oklahoma, his non-American perspective offers a fresh take on the story. He and his crew have become experts on the route through frequent travel, gaining an outside view of the road that is simply “everyday” to its local drivers. 

“Edmond has its own unique story, but it also represents most medium-sized towns along the road, like Amarillo, Albuquerque, and Flagstaff. We could’ve had some B-list celebrity bobbing along the road, stopping at tourist attractions along the way,” Nik said in his British accent, “but we didn’t, because Oklahoma’s Route 66 is not just about the attractions, it’s about the community’s response to the road.” 

Coming to America 

Nik spent his early career as a radio DJ, using words to paint images in his listeners’ heads. Now, he adds pictures to the words. For years, the mainstay of his business was documenting aviation history, beginning in his hometown of Norfolk, England, where 250,000 Americans served in military bases during WWII. 

Aviation next led Nik to Oklahoma. “We attended an air show in Wisconsin and were invited to film at the El Reno airport,” Nik said. “After that, Oklahoma films kept coming, to the point that five years ago, we registered as an LLC in Oklahoma.” 

One of Nik’s films, about a special-needs community in Okarche called People Like Us: The Center for Family Love, won awards at 18 film festivals. ‘What most people see on the ‘telly’ about big cities in America is not the “real” American story,” Nik said. “I’ve found that the heart of America is everywhere else.” 

Finding Edmond 

Although aviation remains the core of the company, Nik is filming several series about Route 66. In 100 Greatest Miles, Nik covers both Edmond’s early history and the upcoming Uncommon Ground Sculpture Park. Nik is impressed by the artistic passion of Edmondites and amused by their “quirkiness.” 

“Edmond has lots of unexpected bits. There’s art at every corner in downtown,” Nik said. “It’s very American. I love it that the owner of Sherry’s Drug had a mural painted of herself, her vintage car, and her dogs. It wouldn’t work anywhere else.” 

Nik laughed. “I was fooled by the talk of the Blue Hippo. I’ve seen the Blue Whale in Catoosa, the new Weatherford Spaceman, and the Golden Driller of Tulsa. They’ve got scale. Edmond throws the Blue Hippo into the mix, and it’s only nine feet tall. Funny. A bit cheeky. I like that.” 

Nik enjoyed filming the 2025 LibertyFest parade. “People came just to wave flags and be joyful. Even when it started raining, people in the parade kept smiling, and the crowd stayed. Fantastic. I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

Since Nik spends “a good bit of time” in Oklahoma, he’s starting to absorb the culture. “I’ve got an American phone number! I’m proud of my 405,” Nik said. “I even have a membership to one of the big box clubs here, so I’d say I’m an Okie now, in my own British way.” 

His Route 66 documentary, however, is all American. 

To learn more, visit colemantelevision.com.