How We Work

We start with a conversation. This isn't a sales pitch—it's a deep dive into your project:

• What's the goal? Internal communication? Marketing? Celebration? Brand storytelling?
• Who's the audience? If you're not sure, we can connect you with our audience strategy consultant who'll help identify who they are, what they value, and how to reach them.
• What do you already have? Existing photos, video footage, a script? Or are we starting from scratch?
• What's the vibe? Corporate and polished? Bold and irreverent? Something in between?
• How are we telling the story? Animation, live footage, interviews, a combo?

By the end of this call, we'll know what tier of production makes sense for your project—and your budget.

TIER 1: HIGH IMPACT, LONGER FORM STORY TELLING

Documentary projects, brand films, in-depth narratives

This is the most intensive work we do. We're conducting interviews, shaping the story from raw footage, creating or sourcing all b-roll, curating music, adding special effects and titles. These are the projects that require significant time, multiple stakeholders, and a cinematic level of craft.

Examples: Documentary projects, comprehensive brand films, multi-location storytelling

TIER 2: CREATIVE CONCEPT-DRIVEN PROJECTS

Holiday cards, culture videos, employee recognition, internal communications

These projects involve heavy concepting, scriptwriting, storyboarding, asset creation, music curation, and often hiring outside talent (animators, voice actors, etc.). They're creative, strategic, and require thoughtful execution—but are more contained in scope than Tier 1.

Examples: Animated holiday cards, culture videos, employee engagement content, brand storytelling

TIER 3: EFFICIENT, HIGH-IMPACT CONTENT

Landing pages, event recaps, highlight reels, short-form marketing

These are smaller-lift projects with faster turnarounds. We're capturing moments, editing them into compelling short-form content, and delivering polished results without the extensive concepting process of Tier 2.

Examples: Event wrap-up videos, conference highlights, landing page videos, direct email marketing campaigns

Don't fit neatly into a tier? That's fine—many projects are bespoke. We'll figure it out together.

Once we understand your needs, we go off and create something for you to react to.

• If you have a script or clear vision, we move straight to storyboarding and production planning.
• If you're starting from scratch, we develop concepts—often 2-3 options—so you have something tangible to respond to.

I call this phase "coming up with something for you to hate."

That sounds pessimistic, but it's actually incredibly productive. You might love what we present. But if you don't? That's just as valuable. Your reaction tells us what the project isn't, which helps us zero in on what it is. Many clients come to us precisely because they don't know what they need yet—and this collaborative process helps us all get on the same page.

This is where the strategic, creative heavy lifting happens.

Before we move into production, we create a storyboard or detailed visual plan so you can see what the final product will look and feel like.

This is the most important approval stage. Why? Because once we're in the editing bay, changes get expensive fast. Swapping out a single photo sequence or title card can take an hour to fix—and those hours add up quickly.

We make sure all stakeholders are aligned here. A few rounds of notes and Zoom calls now saves everyone time, money, and headaches later.

Now we roll up our sleeves and make it happen. Depending on your project, this could mean:

• Conducting C-suite interviews
• Capturing your conference, event, or expo
• Coordinating animators, camera operators, lighting specialists, sound engineers
• Shooting on-location (sometimes with an iPhone, sometimes with state-of-the-art cinema cameras—it all depends on the impact you're going for and the audience you're reaching)
• Creating or sourcing visual assets, music, voiceover talent

A note about production quality: There are good reasons to shoot some projects on an iPhone, and equally good reasons to use high-end cinema cameras. It's not about expensive = better. It's about what serves your story and your audience. We'll help you make that call.

And here's a little secret: No matter how much planning we do, some of the magic happens in the editing bay. That's where the story truly comes together.

We typically deliver 2-3 rounds of rough cuts based on your feedback, refining until it's exactly what you envisioned (or better).

Once approved, we deliver your final product in all the formats you need—ready to share, post, present, or celebrate.