Latest / The Starfish Storytellers / Season 5, Episode 2: Telling Stories That Convert - Video, Brand, and the Power of Visual Storytelling with Tim Bradley

Transcript

Season 5, Episode 2: Telling Stories That Convert - Video, Brand, and the Power of Visual Storytelling with Tim Bradley · The Starfish Storytellers

0:00
Welcome to the starfish storytellers the podcast
0:03
that makes a difference one story at a time by
0:05
bringing storytelling to life I've been working
0:09
in video marketing and production for over two
0:12
decades Across almost every state in the US and
0:15
more countries than I can count and out of all
0:18
those projects There's one particular production
0:20
day. I still think about all the time We were
0:23
filming in Vermont in October peak foliage season
0:26
with a light dusting of snow sprinkled across
0:29
the mountain tops overnight. Still dark when
0:31
we arrived and you could see your breath. Beautiful,
0:34
but freezing. This was a narrative shoot, which
0:37
meant everything had to look exactly right. We
0:41
needed a very specific location, an auto body
0:43
shop, real working and authentic. It took weeks
0:47
of searching, phone calls and coordination to
0:50
find the right one. We finally landed on a shop
0:52
in Manchester. If you've never been there. This
0:55
is quintessential Vermont. Rolling Hills, small
0:59
town, maple syrup vibes everywhere. We did everything
1:03
by the book. Contracts signed, location fee paid,
1:07
insurance in place. We even met the mechanic
1:09
the night before to walk through where lights
1:11
would go, where talent would stand, and how we'd
1:14
stage the scene overall. Expectations set. The
1:17
morning of the shoot, clear skies and the sun
1:20
is shining exactly as we'd hoped. The art department
1:23
is finalizing their staging, the crew is dialing
1:25
in the lighting, talents and hair and makeup,
1:28
and the client is about 45 minutes out from their
1:31
call time. Suddenly, a car comes screeching into
1:34
the parking lot. It slams on the brakes right
1:37
in front of me. The driver rolls down his window
1:39
and shouts, who is in charge here? I calmly step
1:42
forward and say, that'd be me. Hi, my name is
1:45
Tim. He looks around at the lights, the crew,
1:49
the set dressing and says, I have no idea what
1:52
you're doing, but you have no right to be here.
1:54
I own this building. I need to drop my son at
1:57
school right now. But by the time I get back,
2:00
you need to be gone. Or I'm calling the cops.
2:04
Before I can reply, he speeds off. That pit in
2:07
your stomach feeling hits immediately. Because
2:10
at that point, there's no pause or reset button.
2:13
The crew is working. The clock is running. The
2:17
client is almost there. and there are thousands
2:19
of dollars already on the line. And as the executive
2:22
producer, I'm the one responsible when something
2:25
goes wrong, even if it's completely outside my
2:28
control. But I didn't say anything to the crew.
2:32
They didn't need that stress. Their job was to
2:35
do great work. My job was to keep the chaos contained.
2:39
While I sat there managing my own anxiety, the
2:42
building owner returned about 15 minutes later.
2:45
Fortunately, this time he was calmer and willing
2:47
to talk. I explained our project and our intentions
2:50
and I learned what was really going on. Turns
2:54
out the mechanic we paid to use the auto shop,
2:57
well, he was actually being evicted because he
3:00
hadn't paid rent. The building owner's anger
3:02
wasn't targeted at me. He was angry that someone
3:05
else was making money off the building he owned
3:07
and hadn't been paid for. And suddenly I understood
3:11
his position completely. So I asked him one simple
3:14
question. What would make this OK? He paused,
3:19
looked out toward Mount Equinox in the distance
3:21
and said, if you pay me what you paid him, the
3:25
client was pulling into the lot. The cast was
3:27
in wardrobe. We were ready to roll. So I pulled
3:30
out the checkbook and paid the location fee again.
3:34
The building owner shook my hand. Wish me good
3:36
luck and left. We shot the scene. We wrapped
3:39
the day. The project was a success. and the client
3:42
never knew anything had almost gone sideways.
3:45
Once the production vans were packed and after
3:47
the client had left, I told the crew what had
3:49
happened. They were stunned. None of them had
3:52
any idea. And that's the part that stuck with
3:55
me because that day reminded me that storytelling
3:58
and leadership isn't about control. It's about
4:01
responsibility. Sometimes the most important
4:04
part of the story is the part no one ever sees.
4:07
One decision made quietly that keeps everything
4:09
else moving. And that's the way I've come to
4:12
think about video storytelling too. Not as production,
4:15
but as the careful work of earning trust and
4:18
protecting the story people are counting on you
4:20
to tell. I'm passionate about storytelling and
4:38
on a mission to raise up the next generation
4:40
of storytellers. We're called the Starfish storytellers
4:44
after the moral of the Starfish story, which
4:46
centers on the power of one. Because no matter
4:49
how big the challenge, every action matters.
4:52
One step, one starfish, and one story at a time.
4:56
Every episode, we'll welcome a new storyteller
4:58
who will inspire and connect with you. So thanks
5:01
for tuning in. Now let's get started. Today's
5:05
episode. is telling stories that convert video
5:08
brand and the power of visual storytelling. And
5:11
with me today is Tim Bradley. Tim is the founder
5:14
of Pennant Video, a B2B video marketing agency
5:18
that helps businesses differentiate, demonstrate,
5:20
and validate their value through what he calls
5:22
the video marketing trifecta, anthems, explainers,
5:27
and endorsements. And he's going to talk more
5:28
about that in a minute. With nearly 20 years
5:31
of experience in video production, creative leadership,
5:33
and agency life, including over a decade at Matter
5:37
Communications, Tim brings a unique perspective
5:39
on how storytelling, when done well, can clarify
5:44
complex ideas, humanize brands, and ultimately
5:46
drive business growth. Tim, welcome to the Starfish
5:49
Storytellers. We're so happy to have you here.
5:52
Thanks so much. Yeah, I'm really looking forward
5:54
to this discussion. It's going to be awesome.
5:56
So Tim, we kick off every episode by having our
5:59
guests introduce themselves in their own words.
6:01
So would you be willing to share a bit about
6:03
your journey and how storytelling became such
6:05
a central part of your work? Yeah, absolutely.
6:07
Yeah. So I'm Tim Bradley. I'm the founder of
6:10
Pennant Video Co. And in the day to day, I'm
6:13
that sort of executive producer role. So managing
6:15
teams and holding client relations and, you know,
6:18
just sort of standing up all the all the projects
6:20
in the business at large, right? Yeah, my story,
6:25
I actually like to call it back to my childhood
6:27
where I was fortunate enough that my dad had
6:31
one of those big clunky like Panasonic VHS camcorders
6:35
right where he had, you know, I was filming my
6:38
brothers and me like birthday parties and things
6:41
like that, but he was, you know, gracious enough
6:43
to let us. let us sort of play with it and we
6:45
did like a stop stop motion animation with our
6:49
Legos and we did like you know some narrative
6:52
sort of like you know reenactments of famous
6:54
movie scenes with me and my brothers and things
6:56
like that right so just kind of getting sort
6:58
of comfortable with with the medium overall and
7:01
um and then yeah it's sort of just you know that
7:03
was really the foundation and from there went
7:06
to school for communications, and at the time,
7:09
video was sort of the predominant medium, right?
7:13
And then when I left college and went to California
7:17
for a few years, I did the classic, open up that
7:20
first credit card, buy that first camera on that
7:23
MacBook Pro, so I could just really be immersed
7:25
in the sort of scene and the space, right? Yeah,
7:29
so that was kind of the earliest points. And
7:32
then as you said, from there, I spent the better
7:34
part of a decade agency side working with everything
7:40
from Kickstarter to Fortune 5. companies and
7:45
every industry, every type of medium from short
7:49
form for social media to big sort of projection
7:52
mapping event pieces and everything in between.
7:56
So a lot of that, of course, brought me to sort
7:59
of my own sense of like. purpose and leadership
8:02
and responsibility and the like impact that I
8:05
wanted to make on my own life and in the industries
8:09
that we wanted to serve. So yeah, we founded
8:12
Pentavideo June of 23. So yeah, we're, you know,
8:17
going on three years now, which is awesome. You've
8:20
been around almost as long as we have. I mean,
8:21
we started, this is the third company I've launched,
8:25
but we started in February of 23. Oh, that's
8:28
awesome. Yeah, so we're We're still we're still
8:32
new at this and I'm gonna ask a lot of questions
8:35
about where did the name pen and video come from
8:37
and Yeah, so I really want to get into that but
8:42
you know, thank you so much for sharing that
8:45
story. I I gotta be honest I wanted to throw
8:48
up when I was listening to you because I could
8:50
feel was so well told and I could feel the stress
8:54
of Your the face your the responsibility if everything
8:58
goes south everybody's looking at you. I think
9:04
your story just demonstrated how your leadership
9:08
skills just really kicked into gear, and you
9:12
were the calm in that moment, and that's exactly
9:14
what needed to happen. So that was really amazing.
9:19
I think your journey that you just talked about
9:21
highlights how video storytelling isn't just
9:24
about production and flashy visuals, it's about
9:27
clarity, intention, and trust. In a world where
9:30
businesses are constantly competing for attention,
9:33
and I know you have clients where you're helping
9:35
them with that, the brands that stand out are
9:37
the ones that really know who they are and can
9:40
communicate that story with confidence and honesty.
9:43
And great video storytelling doesn't just tell
9:45
people what you do, it helps them feel why it
9:48
matters. It creates understanding, shortens the
9:51
distance between a brand and its audience, and
9:54
gives people the information they need to make
9:56
informed decisions. So when storytelling is rooted
9:59
in authenticity, it becomes more than marketing.
10:03
It becomes that bridge between purpose and action.
10:07
Right? Yeah, 100%. Yeah, that's exactly right.
10:10
You know, it's like in that. you know, the word
10:13
I anchored that story in is responsibility, right?
10:16
Where it's like the responsibility to the craft
10:19
and the medium and the audience, right? And like
10:22
what they really need, especially in business,
10:24
what does that audience need in this moment to
10:26
empower better decision making? That's really
10:28
the goal. And yeah, it's amazing. I love it.
10:33
Yeah. So Kind of kicking things off, you know,
10:37
you talked about your dad's VHS recording camcorder.
10:40
I remember having one. I remember when my kids
10:44
were babies having a little tiny one, probably,
10:47
you know, not not the one like your dad's, but
10:50
I had a small one. And do you remember at what
10:55
point did you feel like storytelling could be
10:59
more than just a creative outlet that it could
11:01
really become your career? Yeah, I think it was
11:05
um Definitely the bridge from college to Lip
11:11
my wife and I then girlfriend now wife we moved
11:14
to Lake Tahoe, California and we with the intention
11:18
of let's do the the snowboard bum thing for a
11:20
winter season, you know, and Because it's just
11:23
epic epic scenery out there the more we just
11:27
Like myself the more I just sort of got invested
11:29
and spent time in that sort of DIY culture that
11:33
is inherent to like snowboarding and sort of
11:36
like action sports and outdoor lifestyle overall
11:38
it just really just sort of something clicked
11:41
and infused like oh my gosh there's so much power
11:44
in this and that ability to record the you know
11:47
the documentary style like something happening
11:50
and then setting sort of pace and tone and and
11:53
the delivery of that in the edit and that's where
11:55
i learned to like produce so sort of like how
11:57
do i plan and do all the sort of logistics of
12:00
things and coordination and sort of expectation
12:03
setting with with everybody overall to have a
12:06
successful day and just be aligned really unlike
12:09
what the purpose is at the end of this. And that
12:12
was also when you know, I started working with
12:14
brands to is just like, oh, you know, beyond
12:17
just sort of having fun out in out in out in
12:19
the snow with our with our friends, right? It's
12:21
like, oh, this, you know, the brands that they
12:23
attach themselves to this, because it's authentic,
12:25
and it's real. And, and again, that sort of DIY
12:28
aspect was sort of the catalyst to all that.
12:31
And then when I went to matter my old agency,
12:35
I love telling the story because this is a circle
12:38
2011. I found the role for video production specialist
12:43
on Craigslist. So it's just really funny. That's
12:47
where it was. But I was the first creative hire
12:50
at this time was a burgeoning sort of public
12:54
relations agency, right? And so having that opportunity,
12:58
that's sort of like what I'm calling now that
13:00
intrapreneurial spirit, right? Whereas I got
13:03
to sort of pave a path for that whole sort of
13:05
department. And by the time uh you know at sort
13:08
of the peak before i left there was i was responsible
13:11
for like 25 staff members and we had a huge book
13:14
of business and working with all these premier
13:17
sort of clients and you know all that entire
13:20
sort of path from my da y to entrepreneurial
13:23
was just sort of like set me on my course and
13:25
give me that sort of courage to to found pennant
13:28
you know so you were you were with um matter
13:34
for a while Yeah, about 12 years. I know you
13:40
just said that, but can you maybe elaborate a
13:42
little bit more on that push that pushed you
13:45
to make that leap and build your own agency?
13:48
Yeah, sure. There's sort of two points. The first
13:53
one, it was just after producing. thousands and
13:56
thousands of pieces of like content right it
13:59
was just like everything from podcast you know
14:02
live productions because you know we lived through
14:05
the pandemic so there's a lot of that every type
14:09
of video deliverable possible ranging from like
14:12
commercials to you know short documentaries to
14:16
testimonials and explainer videos and you know
14:20
event coverage and internal communications and
14:23
social media just kind of like everything, right?
14:25
It got to a point where I was like, I don't know
14:28
the impact that this is making really anymore.
14:31
Like we're sort of just on this hamster wheel
14:33
of just like produce, produce, produce, produce.
14:35
And while that's fine and obviously very successful
14:37
and lucrative in its own way, it was just like,
14:40
what impact is this work really putting out into
14:44
the world, you know? And so at the same time,
14:47
it was like just sort of recognizing my own abilities
14:50
and confidence and sort of looking in the mirror
14:53
and having, you know, conversations with my wife
14:55
about like, I could take this, make this leap
14:57
and it would sort of feel like I've crested some
15:00
semblance of a, of a mountain peak or a view.
15:03
And I'm just kind of going back down and doing
15:05
the route again, you know, just sort of like
15:07
rebuilding it. So it's sort of familiar in that
15:09
way. So then, so from there, if I was segue hard
15:14
to pen it is just like that. opportunity to be
15:17
really focused not only in just sort of craft
15:20
and discipline and like building a formidable
15:22
creative team it was more like how can this work
15:25
that we're producing make the most impact for
15:28
the people we're serving so our b2b marketing
15:31
peers and partners right is like having that
15:34
really specific middle of the funnel focus And
15:38
then as you described earlier, that video marketing
15:41
trifecta, that framework really that helps serve
15:45
our marketing peers in delivering the best sort
15:48
of impact outcomes on their business while also
15:51
empowering their audiences, right? Those audiences
15:54
that need to make informed decisions. You talked
15:58
about, I'm going off -script here for a second.
16:01
Please. I feel like I've already meandered. You
16:06
know, you talked about wanting to start an agency
16:10
that was going to, because you wanted to know
16:13
about how you were making an impact. Um, are
16:18
you able to point your finger at a place and
16:20
say, yeah, here's where I'm making an impact
16:22
and here's how my work is making an impact over
16:25
here? Because I think we can, we can definitely
16:27
get into the whole, like you said, this churning
16:30
out of the content and churning out of, you know,
16:33
production, but And yes, I can go back and I
16:36
can look at the analytics and I can measure.
16:38
That's great. But I want to know that what we're
16:42
doing is making some changes, making a difference
16:46
sort of on a bigger level. So how do you know?
16:51
Can you point to something that you could say,
16:53
yeah, and this is how? Yeah, absolutely. A lot
16:55
of it is, to your point, sort of anecdotal or
16:58
qualitative to the people or points of contact
17:01
that we're working with. And in turn, it shows
17:04
when we have this sort of retention that we do
17:07
year over year and they keep coming back for
17:09
more work, right? But ultimately on the business
17:13
level, we really work in industries that I sort
17:17
of describe as ones that Hold the values of safety
17:22
security and sustainability, right? So these
17:24
are these are industries like Medtech and life
17:27
sciences and health care cyber security sort
17:31
of data sort of SAS more broadly, right? climate
17:35
tech green tech energy so sort of these industries
17:38
that are not only like sort of like in a constant
17:41
state of innovation and Competition and therefore
17:44
prime for storytelling which is good for everybody's
17:47
business, but it's also like they're having you
17:49
know, the impact on the war on our future. Right.
17:51
So that get out of bed every morning and how
17:54
we approach right. But it's also and more explicitly
17:58
in the day to day, like we are helping our marketers,
18:01
our marketing partners at these inflection points
18:03
with the business, right? We're usually working
18:05
with them when they have a new positioning or
18:09
a new brand identity that they need to go to
18:11
market with, right? They have a new product or
18:14
line of business that they're launching and we
18:16
need to serve, you know, to help produce and
18:19
tell that story for them. They have these awesome
18:22
sort of like customer heroes, right? They have
18:24
customers that have these really amazing stories
18:26
to tell and we can help in that way. Or in more
18:30
sort of the calendar cycle of things, like. sales
18:32
kickoffs or customer experience events or big
18:35
flagship sort of trade show or events that they
18:38
hold, right? So it's in these, again, sort of
18:40
inflection points or pivotal moments for this
18:43
business. That's why there's so much sort of
18:45
shared responsibility and that trust to like
18:48
produce something that's going to be impactful
18:50
to this moment and obviously like serve the next
18:52
whatever month or not month, but sort of chapter
18:55
of their business. You know what I mean? Yeah,
18:59
I have a client right now who is on the brink
19:04
of that sort of rebrand rollout. And obviously
19:10
there's so many moving parts in order to make
19:13
that happen. But we recommended for them to make
19:20
it a slow rollout because we didn't want to shock
19:24
their audience. Their audience has been with
19:27
them for 35, 36 years, 37 years, and it's always
19:35
been one way. And so now they're going in a really
19:39
different direction. But I think they are ready
19:45
for this. I think this is the time. But I also
19:50
think it is such an important moment where what
19:53
you do and what we do is to really tell their
19:58
story and we're in the process right now of trying
20:02
to sort of bring in perspective from the audience
20:05
as well. Not that it's going to change the direction
20:08
of the rebrand, the rebrand is happening, but
20:10
just as we're introducing the rebrand, just kind
20:12
of really going back and looking at where were
20:14
we, where did we come from and what's in our
20:16
future and really telling those stories. And
20:20
I find that as we're doing things like social
20:22
media management for them, bringing some of the
20:25
past in people really engage with that. And they
20:28
really enjoy that. And I think it, I think it
20:33
I think it will open the door for the rebrand
20:35
to be, I think, more accepted. Man, I love those
20:39
responsibilities so much and those opportunities
20:42
of like, you kind of get to balance the sympathy
20:45
for the person that you're working with and like,
20:47
you know, they have tremendous sort of pressures
20:50
internally and just for themselves and their
20:52
career trajectory or their own sort of passions,
20:55
right? But then you get to hold empathy for the
20:57
audience, right? And like what they need in this
20:59
moment to recognize, yeah, this is a paradigm
21:02
shift, but this is what it really means and how
21:04
it benefits really everybody at the end of the
21:07
day, right? And it's like, yeah, that's a lot
21:09
of the, like, care, I guess, is a word I boil
21:12
it down to a lot of times is the care that an
21:15
objective partner like, like a penitent or like
21:17
you, right, can like bring to the table and bring
21:20
that objectivity and bring, you know, a little
21:22
bit of devil's advocate -ness, you know, to the
21:25
situations and push back and just make sure.
21:28
you're doing not only what's right for the business,
21:30
but what's right for the audience, right? Cause
21:32
like they're the ones that have the feedback
21:34
loop in that way to the business. So yeah, those,
21:37
those types of opportunities, those like rebrands
21:40
or sort of paradigm shift moments are huge, you
21:43
know, and those are kind of that feather in the
21:44
cap for, for us as like creatives and storytellers,
21:47
right? Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Um, when we met
21:53
to prep, we talked a little bit about your video
21:55
marketing trifecta. And I know those are three
22:00
pillars that you've developed and you just mentioned
22:04
it earlier when we were just talking. So I was
22:06
hoping that we can maybe sort of segue into that
22:09
a little bit. I know the full sort of your platform
22:13
is video marketing trifecta, anthems, explainers
22:16
and endorsements. I'm guessing it's definitely
22:18
coming from a lot of experience, but can you
22:21
walk us through those three pillars and why they're
22:24
so effective for B2B companies? Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
22:29
So as you said, anthems, explainers and endorsements,
22:32
those are those are ultimately the deliverables,
22:34
right? Like the tools, the things that empower
22:37
that better decision making for audiences, but
22:40
really sales enablement and marketing for that
22:42
for that brand, right? Another way I look at
22:44
it is you have this opportunity to answer a lot
22:48
of the FAQs, like why you exist, what you do,
22:52
how you do it, who is this for and where. like
22:55
three prongs of a tripod I guess right differentiation
23:00
demonstration and validation right so I'll go
23:03
through to those specifically differentiation
23:07
is those anthem videos right you're sort of mission
23:10
values based videos but ultimately they're meant
23:13
to describe why you exist why you're different,
23:18
why your audience should care, right? These pieces
23:21
are typically kind of short form, usually like
23:23
60 seconds, very sort of anthemic in nature,
23:26
right? And they should speak the heartstrings
23:28
of this audience very explicitly. you know, they're
23:32
not meant for advertising, they're meant for
23:34
that top of the middle of the funnel, if this
23:37
means much to your audience, but in the sort
23:39
of buyer's journey of things, right? Like, they're
23:41
not necessarily meant to drive awareness, they're
23:43
meant to, in all of these prongs, really, are
23:45
meant to infuse trust in the consideration phase
23:48
of the buyer's journey, okay? So, anthems equals
23:52
differentiation. The next prong is those explainer
23:56
videos right like everyone everyone has them
23:58
ultimately because they're very effective they
24:00
describe what you do and how you do it right
24:03
and especially in you know the sort of like B2B
24:06
world we live in a lot of these industries are
24:09
very complex and have a lot of nuance and a lot
24:12
of sort of legal and things to consider right
24:14
so Clarity is kind of the best thing you can
24:16
you can provide with these explainer videos If
24:20
we're sort of laddering this anthems and now
24:23
you've drawn them in with the hearts and now
24:25
explainers you're speaking to the to the minds
24:27
of this audience right the last prong are those
24:31
endorsement videos those um that validation that
24:35
third -party validation customer stories testimonials
24:38
they're all sort of synonymous here right but
24:40
really of course they're meant to showcase who
24:43
this is for and where right and so um again you're
24:48
drawing this audience in um you know, again,
24:51
in B2B, these sales cycles can be three, six,
24:54
nine months long. So how do you produce a journey
24:56
when it comes to these and these tools, these
25:00
flagship assets, we like to call them, right,
25:02
really round out a strategic roadmap for marketers
25:07
and sales enablement holistically. I could go
25:10
into depth further there, but that's sort of
25:13
the genesis of the framework. And then our team
25:17
at Pennant is comprised of writers and motion
25:20
designers and art directors and producers and
25:23
production. So we're typically helping our clients
25:26
from script to screen in producing these premier
25:30
sort of flagship assets and then sort of any
25:32
other derivatives that might be helpful from
25:35
a campaign perspective. you know, with each type
25:41
of video, like you just explained, as a storytelling
25:45
tool. Do you find that you have, are you working
25:49
with brands and clients where you're getting
25:52
to sort of put all of these different videos
25:55
into effect? Do you get to use the full package
25:57
of tools? And are you finding that, I'm sure
26:04
that your clients are just getting great results.
26:07
Yeah, especially when you tailor or line it back
26:09
up with like these these paradigm shift or like,
26:12
you know, sort of inflection points, right? It's
26:15
like these tools in sort of each and individually
26:18
are meant to serve a different point, right?
26:21
That differentiation demonstration or validation,
26:24
but they they have to sort of compounding effect
26:27
internally, because as you just described earlier,
26:30
it's like storytelling is is is really mean it's
26:36
so messy in its own way and it's it's complicated
26:38
but then it's very at the end of the the creative
26:41
process very clear and therefore effective you
26:44
know and so we get to hold this responsibility
26:47
of like you know, stakeholder input, audience
26:51
feedback, data, research, trends, storytelling
26:56
mechanics, right, and really compress so much
26:58
of like, I sort of describe it as a sandwich
27:00
in a way, right, like sort of all these layers
27:02
of deliciousness, and then make this like really
27:04
refined piece at the end. So Yeah, it's it does
27:08
so much work like all of like so much work at
27:11
all of these layers of like Messaging and tone
27:14
and how we express this and the identity overall
27:18
all those are super critical important to business
27:21
overall Then you create this tool that and then
27:24
we'll tell a story cohesively consistently repeatedly
27:27
You know what I mean? So there's just so much
27:30
power in the medium and then because of that
27:33
and research shows this it is the preferred video
27:36
is the preferred medium by audiences everywhere
27:39
right it's so impactful um and then you know
27:42
when you do it with sort of the specificity of
27:45
exactly the story you want to tell and where
27:47
it's going to live and who this is for right
27:49
it's just like it's so powerful I love that.
27:52
I love what you said about storytelling is messy.
27:54
I think people come to the table knowing that
27:56
they want to tell a story. They just don't really
27:58
know how and having, having sort of that toolkit
28:02
of tools at their disposal. Like you're talking
28:04
about really, like you said, brings that order
28:07
and, and those layers, um, you know, in a way
28:11
that in the end you're giving that, I mean, because
28:15
we all know video is king as far as, as far as,
28:19
you know, content. uh it it is um and you're
28:23
gonna get the most engagement from video um versus
28:27
static anything um and there's a fair amount
28:32
of people obviously that want to diy it so i'd
28:35
love that you get to bring sort of the polish
28:37
that that their diy isn't ever going to have
28:40
um and interesting i i do want to kind of go
28:45
off script for a minute to, I wanna ask a question
28:48
that had come up for me today. You know, a lot
28:52
of, there's different types of videos and different
28:54
links for different platforms that makes sense.
28:57
And I do a lot of social media management. And
29:00
so we play with different links. We try to keep
29:04
them really super short because... everybody
29:07
pretty much has the attention span of a goldfish,
29:10
but you know, we like to keep those short. I
29:13
read somewhere recently that advertising is pivoting
29:17
again and they're leaning into the bigger cinematic
29:23
types of ads, especially for like TV ads. Are
29:29
you finding that with your clients? Are you finding
29:32
that any of your clients are really starting
29:34
to want to do more of that? Or are they sticking
29:37
more to that real structured short form type
29:42
of video? Yeah, a couple of things unpacked there.
29:46
So and just quick context setting. So like Most
29:50
of the brands we're working with and it's kind
29:52
of a nice signal for us when we have like a new
29:54
client at our doorstep is like they tend to have
29:58
resources in house, right? Like they have like
30:00
the video guy or they have like a small creative
30:03
team, right? And what's awesome about that for
30:06
everybody is that they're the ones that are doing
30:09
the sort of day to day. almost like operationally
30:12
minded work that video can do per the DIY you
30:15
just described, right? So they can do the thought
30:18
leadership pieces. They can do the internal communications.
30:21
They can do the short form spontaneous work like
30:24
on social media, right? They can do the event
30:26
coverage and the recruiting and employer branding
30:29
work like because they're on the front lines
30:31
of like what's happening in the business. And
30:33
that I describe as sort of like bottom of the
30:35
funnel type of work, right, which is very important.
30:38
But it can be a bit more a bit more more scrappy,
30:41
right, because it's like it's so front lines
30:43
and so recurring and common and frequent. Right.
30:46
Yeah. Now. why pen it exists in the middle of
30:50
the funnel is that we can support that layer
30:52
of folk and of creatives with that higher degree
30:56
of production value because as you just sort
30:58
of are I think conveying here is first impressions
31:01
count right so it's like you should be producing
31:04
you know sort of the right amount of of production
31:08
value or infusing the right amount of production
31:10
value into this middle of the funnel work because
31:13
this is where trust Lives and dies, you know
31:16
what I mean? It's the the messy middle, right?
31:18
So to have Refined pieces that do they're very
31:22
specific and have clarity and are responsible
31:25
to to the audience in this moment That's why
31:28
this work works, right? And then as you just
31:31
described the awareness Like the advertising
31:35
aspect of this again, like that's also your sort
31:38
of like first impression counts, but it's it
31:40
tends to be more Like fishing with a net or something
31:45
just kind of like, you know everything whereas
31:47
mid funnels a bit more like spear fishing or
31:49
something I'm not I don't I don't actually fish
31:51
so I don't know why I'm going with this analogy,
31:52
but I hope it makes the point Yes, one of my
31:56
children is a is a avid deep -sea fisherman So
32:00
all I all I hear from him all the time is fishing.
32:03
So we're very familiar with fishing and so that's
32:05
a very good that's a great analogy because I
32:08
mean, I think sometimes as marketers, we know,
32:10
and we work with clients who want to cast the
32:12
wider net, but you don't really have control
32:15
over what you're going to catch. Um, whereas
32:17
sort of that mid funnel spearfishing, you can
32:20
be a little bit more tactical about, you know,
32:23
a little more specific or strategic in what you're
32:25
going after for sure. So, so, um, but are you
32:29
seeing people wanting more cinematic advertising?
32:32
Do you do any of that or you, you're just, you
32:34
don't. Yeah, I mean, that's kind of the nice
32:37
thing about our business model, because we just
32:40
live in this trust building space of the mid
32:42
funnel, that is exactly where we concentrate.
32:45
Not to go on a total tangent, but my business
32:47
partners actually run, they're like Union Signature.
32:53
A commercial production advertising shop, right?
32:56
So like that's what's nice about the business
32:58
model and their names vagrants just to get it
33:00
out there. Like they focus on top funnel and
33:03
then we focus on mid funnel. So it was a nice
33:04
symbiosis between our businesses. And then for
33:07
us, when we, you know, do our own go to market
33:10
and marketing, how we talk and how I jump on
33:12
podcasts, right? It's very specific to the mid
33:14
funnel, which is awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Great.
33:19
Um, okay. So I was hoping to get an example of
33:25
a, you don't have to give the name of the client
33:27
if you don't want to, but a project maybe where
33:30
you were able to promote it visually and make
33:32
it stand out. I think a lot of B2B brands want
33:37
to tell their stories, but some particular brands
33:41
and products can be on the technical side. And
33:45
I know I work with a lot of clients and in software.
33:49
And so the storytelling is less about the product
33:52
and more about what it does. Um, so how do you
33:56
help clients move past that type of a mindset
33:59
where like, you know, Oh, our, our star product
34:03
is not exciting enough. And how do you uncover
34:06
stories that are actually compelling? Yeah, I
34:10
love that question. So a lot of it starts with
34:13
just like being a good listener, I suppose. Right.
34:15
So it's like understanding So our point of contact,
34:19
let's say they're a product marketer or something,
34:22
right? We asked the 101 level questions about,
34:25
of course, the product and like, what problem
34:28
is it solving? That's usually a really helpful
34:31
first set of answers, right? But then also gleaning
34:36
kind of what's in it for the product marketing
34:38
person themselves, like what are their general
34:41
ambitions for this moment? Are they just box
34:43
checking or are they like? no let's let's make
34:46
something really awesome here that has a big
34:48
big sort of moment right we also kind of get
34:51
to understand you know the dynamics of the business
34:54
themselves and sort of leadership and all the
34:56
things that ultimately build that sort of sympathy
34:59
arm that i was describing earlier like for for
35:01
the moment for the person that we're working
35:04
with But then we go the steps further of like,
35:08
well, let's at least talk to head of sales. Let's
35:11
at least review all their customer stories and
35:13
things that may exist either in video form or
35:16
in written form, right? Like we got to understand
35:18
what the competitive sort of landscape is here,
35:20
right? Like just immerse and be that proactive
35:24
listener to the situation and like understand
35:27
what this really means to everybody, right? And
35:29
then we come back with the right approach, ultimately,
35:32
like, as I described earlier, we do production,
35:34
we also do motion design. And when we're talking
35:36
about, as you described, b2b, some of this stuff,
35:39
when we talk about data and cybersecurity and,
35:42
and, you know, software at large, it's pretty
35:44
like ethereal stuff, you know, so it's like,
35:46
what's the right combination of like, ensuring
35:48
we're leading with with human beings, humanity,
35:51
but also brand identity, and how can motion design
35:54
help translate a very like busy user interface
35:58
into something that eye -catching and interesting
36:00
and that sort of draws you know engagement wise
36:02
draws people in on the video right um so yeah
36:06
a lot of like table setting from there and then
36:09
it's really like The confidence in process, you
36:12
know, like being hey client. We are going to
36:14
champion this project on your behalf We are going
36:17
to lead with objectivity and with your audience's
36:20
best intentions in mind and per the milestones
36:23
along the way We will give you things to react
36:26
to we need you to react to this like you would
36:28
an audience or like a prospective buyer, right?
36:31
Otherwise, we're gonna lose a force for the trees
36:33
or whatever. So that's super important too. And
36:36
that's where like you know having rock solid
36:40
like creatives and craftsmen and etc really helps
36:43
everything sing and um yeah it's like as we were
36:47
saying earlier taking all of the pieces of tone
36:49
and sentiment and pacing and design and production
36:53
and lighting and audio and sound design it's
36:56
just like perfectly complicated and like that's
36:59
I think why we all do it, right? It's like so
37:01
cool to see this grand thousand piece puzzle
37:04
like get assembled and these aha or like revelation
37:07
or just exciting moments for the client is like,
37:09
oh my gosh, like you took me from like, I don't
37:12
even know where to begin to like now this really
37:15
powerful tool that I've deployed across all of
37:18
our digital channels, but I've armed our Salesforce
37:20
with we use it at kickoffs and et cetera, et
37:23
cetera. So it's really has this ripple effect
37:25
internally, which is awesome to see. Oh, it's
37:29
nice that, you know, it's got multi -use and
37:32
you're taking content that is information and
37:38
breathing life into it with a story, especially
37:40
with videos and letting people be able to connect
37:46
with it, you know, because I think that's that's
37:50
what video does it connects people so um we say
37:53
it's like meeting your audience where they are
37:56
in that moment right like some of it is like
37:59
kind of perfectly hypothetical but if there's
38:01
enough sort of experience and knowledge to make
38:04
the best right assumptions to the moment of your
38:07
audience is going to be here this is you know
38:10
your sort of icps and the people we're talking
38:12
to and their pain points and like who they need
38:15
to you know get buy -in from it's like with b2b
38:18
and why we love it is like there's layers of
38:21
decision makers and therefore layers of complex
38:23
storytelling and how we navigate that and like
38:26
you know sort of toying with ratios of like we're
38:28
largely talking to this audience and this is
38:30
how we need to speak with them but there's this
38:32
sliver of this audience that actually has the
38:34
money you know I think videos especially like
38:36
demo videos that are done really well, you know,
38:40
um, that don't just show somebody clicking around
38:43
a screen, um, but really sort of demonstrate
38:46
sort of the impact. Um, they're really powerful.
38:50
And, and like you said, is this technical audience,
38:53
is this, like you said, the layers of decision
38:54
makers are the folks that are going to use this,
38:57
or they're the ones that are going to really
38:59
get the most out of this. So you really have
39:02
quite the task in front of you, I think, as you
39:04
are producing. Again, I've said this word a couple
39:08
of times, but it's like care Well, you have to
39:10
have the right amount of care care for the moment
39:13
and what this really means care for all the nuances
39:15
along the way or a care for for the craft and
39:18
for just for storytelling at large, you know,
39:21
so there's a lot of Responsibility with that
39:22
and obviously I enjoy it. So yeah. Yeah, here
39:25
you are a pennant Okay Before we wrap up, I want
39:29
to try something new. I want to do this quick
39:30
takes rapid round. I want to throw a bunch of
39:33
questions at you and see, like, just give me
39:35
a short answer, whatever comes to mind first.
39:37
Sure. How's that sound? Okay, cool. Okay, here
39:39
we go. So what's one word clients always use
39:43
to describe their brand that you secretly wish
39:45
they wouldn't? Probably innovative. Yes. It's
39:51
kind of become pretty vanilla. um but you know
39:54
it's it's a starting block to pry back the layers
39:57
of the onion yeah yeah yeah gonna get the conversation
40:00
started um what's the biggest storytelling cliche
40:03
you see in corporate videos uh a lot of it's
40:09
just like how the how the whole thing begins
40:11
i think ai kind of um is the main culprit to
40:16
this, but sort of in a world where, you know,
40:18
that type of beginning or like, yeah, in this
40:22
ever evolving landscape, you know, it's just
40:24
kind of like the most lazy way to, to begin or
40:27
hook an audience into the story you're about
40:29
to tell, you know? Yeah. When you're watching
40:32
a video, what's the first sign that tells you
40:35
this is great storytelling? Writing for sure.
40:40
Just sort of like the pacing and cadence of it
40:43
and Um, you know, the right use of words and
40:46
emphasis and all of that. It's, it's, you know,
40:49
when we, we have our Slack channel and sort of
40:52
this inspiration work, right. It's almost always,
40:55
uh, starts with the writing. Yeah. Yeah. You
40:58
need, you need the copy. You need the words.
41:01
Um, and then what's one thing you wish every
41:03
business understood about video storytelling
41:05
before they hit record. There is not a silver
41:10
bullet. Like there's no one video to rule them
41:13
all. Right. Um, so I think just having the, the
41:18
forethought and intention of like, all right,
41:19
this, this type of work is going to do the work
41:23
we needed to do in this moment for this reason.
41:25
And it'll, it'll work for you. Cool. Well, that
41:28
was fun. Thanks for participating. Well, That
41:34
is all the time we have for today. I want to
41:37
thank you, Tim, so much for joining us and reminding
41:40
us that storytelling isn't just about creativity.
41:43
It's about clarity, connection, and courage.
41:48
And to our listeners, whether you've first heard
41:51
us locally through BTV studios in Bedford, Massachusetts,
41:54
or you're tuning in from across the globe on
41:57
Spotify, Apple podcasts, or Amazon podcasts,
42:00
Thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed
42:03
this episode and we'll see you next time. Happy
42:06
storytelling!