Splashstreet Boys spill their secrets to success
A self-professed fan of ’90s pop music, Jimmy Luthye grew up listening to the dulcet tones of the Backstreet Boys.
And, 25 years after the release of the Backstreet Boys' iconic 1999 hit single, “I Want It That Way,” Luthye created his own viral music video that has been nationally recognized — winning the Bronze Anvil, the highest award in the video category from the Public Relations Society of America — and serving as a case study in the communications industry.
Watch the parody hit video that launched Denver Water's resident boy band, the Splashstreet Boys:
That original viral hit was followed in July 2025 a new endeavor titled “Water Tuesday (Splashstreet’s Back),” which delivers a very specific message to outdoor water users in Denver Water’s service area: Switch irrigation timers from Mondays and Wednesdays to Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Watch the July 2025 follow-up: "Water Tuesday (Splashstreet's Back)":
“If I couldn’t become a pop star, this certainly felt like the next best thing,” joked Luthye, a member of Denver Water’s Public Affairs team.
“I often talk about water conservation as part of my day job. A few years ago, ‘I Want It That Way’ came on the radio and promptly got stuck in my head. Shortly thereafter, an idea was born: What if we ask people to water that way in the summertime?”
That’s exactly what Denver Water did in April 2024, when its Backstreet Boys parody, “I Water That Way” debuted on the YouTube airwaves.
Luthye said crafting a water-focused chorus was easy. The challenge was turning Denver Water’s annual summer watering tips into catchy lyrics that fit the original song.
“We promote our watering rules every year in the spring at the start of watering season. This seemed like a fun and unique way to deliver the same information we share each year,” Luthye said.
The next step involved forming a band. Luthye quickly identified four colleagues who were particularly excited at the idea. After a short conversation, the Splashstreet Boys were born.
The new band was — of course — influenced by the members of Backstreet Boys, comprised of Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough and Kevin Richardson. The Splashstreet Boys featured Luthye, Steve Snyder, Jill Harclerode (and her Kevin-inspired, hand-drawn goatee), Nathan Hayes and Mickey Boehm — all from Denver Water’s Public Affairs Department.
The co-workers sang on the track, recording their parts in a sound booth on the third floor of Denver Water’s Administration Building. The individual tracks then received a dose of computer-assisted auto-tune.
With the recording in place, the final step was shooting the music video at two Denver Water facilities, with the “band” in full costume paying homage to the original music video. The Splashstreet video was shot by Denver Water’s in-house videographer Jay Adams, on a single iPhone, and Luthye did all the video editing.
Learn how Denver Water can help you save water, at denverwater.org/Conserve.
“We had a blast on this project and felt good about the song and the video, but we never imagined it would take off like it did,” Luthye said.
Luthye posted the video on YouTube one evening at the end of April 2024.
A local TV news reporter caught the premiere and shared it with his audience on social media. The next morning, Hoda Kotb, the co-anchor of NBC's Today show, was blasting it across the nation.
The Splashstreet Boys had a viral hit on their hands.
Since “I Water That Way” debuted April 29, 2024, the video has received nearly 200,000 views across social media, extensive media coverage on four continents and, perhaps best of all, recognition from the Backstreet Boys themselves, who posted on Instagram, “You guys NAILED this.”
Content journalism
The Splashstreet Boys performance wasn’t the first comedic video the organization’s Public Affairs team has recorded.
Over the last decade, Denver Water has produced such classics as “Slow jam the watering rules;” “Toilet punches Steve;” and “Into the vault — a Twilight Zone parody.”
Creative videos are part of Denver Water’s larger “content journalism” approach to public communications, according to Public Affairs Director Stacy Chesney.
“Our focus is on storytelling so we can engage with our audiences instead of just pushing out news releases when we have something to say,” Chesney said. “This allows us to address timely topics as well as have a little bit of fun when and where appropriate.”
Chesney and the Splashstreet Boys gave a presentation in June 2025 at the American Water Works Association’s ACE25 annual industry conference in Denver. They discussed the “I Water That Way” music video, different approaches to storytelling and how organizations can implement a content journalism approach.
Watch Denver Water's presentation at the ACE25 industry conference:
Denver Water started its content journalism approach in 2014. Over time, the utility’s Public Affairs section has established a content team and set it up like a newsroom with editors, reporters and videographers.
The team generates news articles, informative videos, fun content and infographics, which are housed on the organization’s “TAP” news site and on its Denver Water YouTube channel. The content is shared via a free, weekly e-newsletter, on social media and internally with employees.
“Our goal is to be the trusted source for our community when it comes to water,” said Travis Thompson, communications manager at Denver Water. “We want our customers to be able to come to our news site when there are water-related topics being discussed on social media or in the news to better understand how it might impact them.”
Sometimes the topics are serious, especially when it comes to big water quality issues like PFAS and lead plumbing. Other times, the stories are informational, like with the ongoing “Do It Yourself” landscape transformation video series.
Then, there are opportunities to just have some fun, explained Thompson, who credits an extremely creative and quirky content team and Denver Water’s leadership for trusting the strategy.
“Even our CEO, Alan Salazar, made an appearance at the end of each of our music videos,” Thompson said.
As for creating a parody, Splashstreet Boys singer/communications specialist Steve Snyder credits its success to his colleagues’ dedication to the project, or in other words, having a few people wild enough to “commit to the bit.”
“We knew that if this song was going to work, we had to be all in. We had to embrace the cheesiness of it from lyrics to costumes to even the dance moves,” Snyder said. “We weren’t afraid of possibly making fools of ourselves.”
So, what’s next for the Splashstreet Boys? Do they have another hit in them? Is it time to hang it up? Maybe a complete genre change? Stay tuned!
(And don’t forget to subscribe to TAP for more fun stories and videos from Denver Water!)