Blue Key Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Special Projects Manager of Second Harvest Heartland

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Second Harvest Heartland is a leading hunger-relief organization serving 59 counties in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Blue Key Media to accomplish?

• Create a 3-5 minute video explaining our partner ordering system.

SOLUTION

How did you find Blue Key Media?

Referral

Why did you select Blue Key Media over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Blue Key Media were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Dan created a wonderful 5 minute video showcasing the complexities and process of our partner food ordering process. 

Deliverables: 

Creative Concepting / Video Production / Voice Over casting & record / Editorial / Music and final color correction / audio mixing. Delivered a final digital master file.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Very positive response from our partner network - better understanding and engagement in our ordering process. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Blue Key Media always produces exceptional content on time and on budget. Dan and team are professional and very responsive to our needs. They make the production process easy and fun.

What was your primary form of communication with Blue Key Media?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Blue Key Media is creative, responsive, professional, affordable and fun. Dan and his team align with our values as a non-profit, with their heartfelt storytelling. They are always engaged in finding the best way to tell a story and always give 110% effort. I enjoy working with them and have used them on numerous projects with consistent results - always excellent!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Blue Key Media could have done differently?

I honestly can not think of anything they could do better - no notes.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Wallin Education Partners is more than a scholarship. At Wallin, we provide the financial aid, advising, and access scholars need to rise. I'm the Senior Marketing Manager at Wallin Education Partners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blue Key Media, and what were your goals?

We hired Blue Key Media to produce a video for our 30th Anniversary Celebration. We wanted to highlight scholars and alumni from the past three decades and the impact Wallin made in their lives. Our goals were a 5-7 minute video that would premiere at our big gala. We needed a professional, high-quality video showcasing our scholars and their stories.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Blue Key Media's portfolio was excellent and showed they had experience making compelling non-profit videos. They honored the participants they showcased and brought out incredible stories. We knew they were the right partner to make an excellent video.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

We had some initial conversations to understand our needs and the process. We considered several concepts, themes, and scripts. We began searching for scholars and alumni to participate in this video from across our 30 years of history. We set two dates to film participants. We scouted several locations. We filmed the interviews and b-roll. We went through an editing and review process. We received our final deliverable and showed it at our big event.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

We worked with Blue Key Media through their producer and editor. We were able to even get early access to the a-cut as to provide some initial direction. Later, we went through two revisions and a picture lock. Leadership was able to provide feedback and we were able to manage the review process effectively.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The 600 guests at our 30th Anniversary Celebration loved the video and it was one of the highlights at our event. It helped bring together everything for our 30th year and showcase our mission. In one night, we raised $412,305 during our fund-a-need section to support scholar success. We know Blue Key Media's creativity and leadership helped us support more and more scholars.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We appreciate the structure, flexibility, and communication Blue Key Media offered. Using their review software was an efficient way to collect feedback and make changes. The email communication was timely and responsive.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They were an excellent team to work with. They were not only professionals at their craft, but they connected with our scholars and our team in the midst of two full days of filming.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

They were very flexible and adaptive throughout the process. There's nothing I would improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I lead the Branding and Communications function within my organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blue Key Media, and what were your goals?

Our challenge was to bring our brand to life for our employees, prospective employees and our customers via video. We produced a series of videos that highlighted, the following; Our Purpose, our promises, and our various capabilities (by division). We leveraged BlueKey to tell all of these stories.

SOLUTION

How did you select Blue Key Media and what were the deciding factors?

We are a family-owned business, and began our search locally with the desire to support business in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. BlueKey came highly recommended, and after discussing the project with them, scoping out the requirements, and considering other vendors, we selected them based on their prior work, their client recommendations, and overall feel/fit.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

Each of the projects began with a brief and a script, and we discussed the objectives with BlueKey, timing and budget. They worked with us to bring the vision to life, and added value along the way in offering suggestions and ideas to make what we had even better.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

I worked primarily with Dan West, the Executive Producer. He was not only flexible, but patient, and diligent. He brought his expert eye to the project, making suggestions along the way, and did an excellent job keeping all of the details in order throughout the process (pre-pro, filming, editing, finished product).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

All of the videos produced have the look of a high-production value commercial/video. I have worked on $500K commercials in the past, but work with smaller budgets now. BlueKey helped us achieve high production value, while respecting the budget that we had to work with.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The project management role at BlueKey has turned over a bit throughout the two years we have worked with them, however everyone in that role seemed organized, and on point.

Communication was clear, however in dealing with a small shop, there are sometimes delays that cannot be avoided. If they are shooting for another client, for example, it may mean there is a delay in response via email, but generally I understand if they are traveling, and get my questions answered in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

For such a small team, they do amazing work. On par with larger production companies with many more resources! The first pass edits are VERY close to what the finished product looks like. The team's high-quality footage and great edits have been impressive throughout the workflow.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We continue to use BlueKey as our go-to production company for ongoing projects. If there was a major opportunity for improvement, we would be looking elsewhere for our production needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Recruiting Manager for Hawkins, Inc. We are a chemical manufacturer and distributor that very uniquely serves a wide variety of industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blue Key Media, and what were your goals?

Initially, I hired Blue Key Media to help us communicate about the unique positions we recruit for in our Water Treatment Group. It's a complex job and showing it proved to be much more useful to candidates that reading or hearing about it. After seeing the initial recruiting video, various sales leaders and parts of the business were so impressed they started clamoring for their own videos. Blue Key did one for each of our business segments, the company as a whole, and some training and product line-specific videos.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I interviewed several vendors, and decided on Blue Key because of the nature of the preliminary discussions. The questions they posed and the method they shared was much more detailed and thorough than others I had spoken to, and before we even discussed pricing.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

Blue Key spent a lot of time up front with us to understand the culture and business segments in great detail. This became very valuable as production of various videos went on, because we did not do scripted videos, and instead did interview-style. Blue Key was also very efficient in the editing process, and came out of the gates strong with fantastic edits that only needed minor modifications. They learned the story well so they were able to tell it the way they knew we wanted it told.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

We worked with the whole team and they were all very responsive to suggestions and changes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We are still working to capture the ROI of the recruiting video, but anecdotally feel that turnover has decreased due to the ability for candidates to truly understand what the job entails. One of our product line videos has definitely opened doors, and big ones, to land new customers.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Communicating with Blue Key Media is fantastic - they are definitely on top of things and are able to maintain commitments that they make.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I am incredibly impressed with their ability to understand and show off our unique culture and business model. They grabbed onto the key concepts - which we may not have even articulated very well - and made sure they came across in the videos.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

If there were any improvements needed in the process, it would have been in our ability to articulate timelines, not theirs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Avtex, a TTEC Digital Company, is an end-to-end customer experience consulting and solutions partner. I serve as the Creative Brand Director within the Avtex marketing team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blue Key Media, and what were your goals?

We hired Blue Key Media to produce a top-of-funnel marketing asset that introduced the company, provided a general explainer of what customer experience is, and details about why it benefits brands.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Blue Key provided the right fit of approachable team communication, dynamic talent, and excellent proof of work. Dan customized a team specifically for this project, helping to ensure that the best possible outcome was achieved.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

Our project began with a discover meeting, moved throughs script development and storyboarding, then moved into production, editing, and final delivery.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

Dan West was our main point of contact throughout the project, and he was incredible to work with. Highly communicative, and possessed of clear vision.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We've used this ad to great effect within YouTube pre-roll campaigns.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Project management was seamless, and only the high level details were brought to our attention - which was what we wanted. We hired Blue Key to run the show, and they did a fantastic job.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Working with Dan feels like working with an individual, not a team - but they brought the best of the best service, from editing to sound, so I always had full confidence that he was orchestrating something amazing.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No, the project was great, and we would work with Blue Key again.