Telling Brand Stories, One Video At A Time

Video truly is taking over the world. From YouTube to reels, live streams and TikTok, it's hard to open an app these days without being inundated with some crazy new dance challenge or make-up tutorial. So what does that mean for marketing and creative teams? It's means you need an experienced and innovative in-house team that can create powerful and memorable videos. Luckily, at The Studio, we do.

I recently had a chance to chat with The Studio's Video Production Manager, Dana Jennings to discuss the importance of video marketing and how his talented team stays on top of it all.

What are the different types of videos your team produces?

Our team produces a wide variety of video content, including sizzle reels, tutorials, educational content, recruiting videos and, of course, social media ads. If someone wants it, we'll make it.

Video is absolutely vital when it comes to marketing. And as our digital-addicted attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, so are the videos. Social media sites are one of the most important places to promote a brand, and the people using those sites want videos that are fast and easily digestible. It's really important to capture people's attention and relay all the necessary information quickly.

What's the coolest trend in video design/production that your team is seeing or using?

Social media videos are more important than ever, especially for real estate brands. It's a powerful engagement tool to quickly deliver content that can be easily viewed and shared. When it comes to social media, vertical video, IGTV and Instagram stories are all great, but Instagram reels are really where it's at right now. The more snackable and fun the video, the better.

It's our job as video experts to create videos that interrupt the daily scroll – and reels are the most effective way to do just that. When you're looking to add a reel, think entertaining content that connects with people first. They need to feel very authentic and dynamic first and foremost. Our rule of thumb is always, the shorter the better.

How does your team stay on top of trends?

Anytime we watch a video, we are actively looking for cool and exciting ideas, whether it's a small text animation or a large moving graphic to represent data. We'll download those videos and share them at our regular brainstorming meetings for additional inspiration. Inspiration can come from anywhere – social videos, TV ads, pre-roll, digital ads. It might even come from a more traditional place like a print ad that sparks an idea.

How do you make each video unique, from brand projects to product promotions and program launches?

Every brand is unique, so their brand style, tone and message really need to shine through first and foremost. We work with a lot of different brands, as well as products and programs that have their own unique identity, as well as our own Studio brand, so we're no strangers to switching between multiple brands. In fact, we love the challenge!

As we start conceptualizing a video, we first study the company's unique look and feel, typically via their style guide and/or some of their previous work. We want to make sure that what we're creating matches up with their brand and style while still being impactful and unique. For example, we recently created a video for The Studio that showcased our work and accomplishments in 2021. We added some really cool animation to the beginning of the video that would immediately catch someone's attention. We also kept the copy short and bolded it to make an even bigger impact. Our team is really great at trying new techniques and effects while always staying true to the brand guidelines.

What video(s) are you most proud of?

Our Studio sizzle videos are always some of our most popular ones. We get to show off our editing and animating skills, plus they highlight our talented team and the work everyone at The Studio has done throughout the year. On top of that, they're always dazzling and eye-catching.

My personal favorite is our Design Concierge video, which we made for the Gen Blue Conference. It's another great example of a video that was a true team effort since every team member had a hand in it. As complex as this video was, our whole team rallied together to ensure it came out perfect and that we met the tight deadline. That kind of team effort is why I'm so proud of this video.

Advice to someone interested in a career in video and motion – what skillset does one need?

Staying creative is always key. Try and think outside the box, as cliche as that might sound. There's always room for creativity, growth and exploration as long as it's not way off course for the brand. Continuing to learn and evolve is extremely important for anyone creating content for an in-house agency. Those kinds of soft skills will keep you sharp.

On the topic of hard skills, I highly recommend exploring and becoming familiar with multiple types of video editing and motion software like Adobe Suite, Final Cut and Da Vinci Resolve. 3D content is growing in usage as well, so being able to navigate your way around an application like Maya or Cinema4D can really come in handy. Being a jack-of-all-trades is very useful, as you never know what kind of video content will become popular in upcoming years. That's what makes this industry so exciting – it's constantly evolving and changing.