Capitola Media

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president of Fanswell, a booking site for independent bands. We enable fans to directly book those bands for their backyard or other private performances.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capitola Media?

Since we were a new company, we were introducing our main product. We wanted someone to help us create a product introduction video for our work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked for their support in conceiving what we wanted to say as a company and about our product, which had never been defined before. From there, they wrote, produced, and edited a four-minute introduction video.

They included all key information and incorporated the creative elements we wanted, since we’re dealing with music as a creative, emotional product. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with around five teammates. 

How did you come to work with Capitola Media?

I’d heard about them through other business owners who had similar projects with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $40,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January – April 2015. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Throughout the project, we had milestones and deadlines for where we wanted to be, and they met all of those consistently. Before the final edit delivery, we gathered some evaluation metrics online to see how people responded to it and they did well in that. 

How did Capitola Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They completed the work two weeks before the deadline, so we were pleased with that. When we needed to make tweaks, they were very quick and helpful in making those. They were supportive of us in implementing the information we gathered from research. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to manage the project made them stand out. All of their guidance was based on a lot of experience. 

One of the best parts was their fresh take on the creative aspects while demonstrating their expertise. We were impressed with how they were able to combine information and creative work. It was clear they had done this process many times before, so we felt confident every time they suggested anything.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we never had any issues. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take a good, close look at them and speak to their team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former associate director for a university. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capitola Media?

We hired Capitola Media to create a video to serve as a general introduction to the ethics center at the university. We didn’t have the skill set within our staff or the sufficient resources within the university, so we needed to contract it out. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handled all aspects of the filming. This included managing the makeup, lighting, scouting campus locations, and music. They also provided some advice on the script, as well. Their team was responsible for all of the post-production work, too. The final video was for Facebook, Twitter, and our website. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with around four people from their team. 

How did you come to work with Capitola Media?

I’m pretty sure we received a referral to use them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $15,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–December 2016. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We tracked how many hits the video received when we posted the video. Our internal team positively received the final video, 

How did Capitola Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. Everything was done in a timely way and we had no problems managing the project with them. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I haven’t worked with a company at this level before, so they brought more resources than my other experiences. The quality of the end product was much better than in past experiences.

Their team was very pleasant to work with and everything was on time. Sometimes, it’s rare to get what you ask for, so I was happy when they did what they promised to do. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have pushed back a little bit on my version of the script, because I didn’t fully know what I was doing. If I had just given that task to them, it would have been better, but they did everything I asked them to do. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of the virtual personal styling service for men. First Mpressions stylists take a sustainable approach to personal styling by using the clothing hanging in your closet to style men for any occasion. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capitola Media?

I wanted to do a promotional video to explain how my service works for potential investors and clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team did everything. I called Chris (President), explaining my intentions. They gave me a storyboard, advised on location, and explained the type of equipment and resources. I wrote the script, and they helped me make adjustments. They edited footage and music. For the cast, I found one extra, and I’m in the video myself explaining the service.

What is the team composition?

Chris was my main point of contact, but there were five or six people on set.

How did you come to work with Capitola Media?

I found them through Google. I chose them because of Chris’ transparency about the project and pricing.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we spent under $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Capitola Media from January–March 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The video is available on YouTube and Instagram. I sent it out to potential investors, and I still use it to this day.

Chris was clear with his communication throughout the project. At the time, the equipment they were using was extremely current. Their editing was super clean.

He also delivered ahead of schedule with the three rounds of edits we did. His invoicing was clear, as well. With others I reached out to, it seemed like they pulled a number out of thin air. But when I asked them to do a breakdown, it was a big hassle. Chris did that with no problem.

How did Capitola Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They exceeded expectations. The team always delivered ahead of schedule or on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Capitola Media listens to their clients. They also do their due diligence to provide helpful insights about what’s going to speak best for target audiences. They’re very organized, working on schedules that they strictly follow. I mentioned the transparency of their pricing, but there was never an increase. As a small business owner, I appreciated that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at all. They did a fantastic job. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s okay to walk into a project, not knowing what you want. But make sure to describe to Chris what you think you want. Trust his creative guidance to fill in the blanks and create a full picture.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Certain Pictures, a production company. We do a lot of communications and film and video productions for a range of clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Capitola Media?

A very important client of ours was running a big event in San Francisco. We needed someone we could trust to produce a series of interviews during the conference. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We asked Capitola Media to manage the event team putting on the conference.

They filmed and led a series of interviews with executives that were in attendance. Once they put everything on a hard drive, they shipped it to our post-production team to edit and deliver to the client.

The client and I wrote the questions that Capitola Media used to interview each subject. Their team managed and finessed the experience, asking each question in different ways to make sure they were all answered.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 5–6 people: a producer, a camera person, a production assistant, an audio tech, and the principal Chris (President).

How did you come to work with Capitola Media?

I worked with Chris and Capitola Media on another job in San Francisco 8–9 years ago. He was recommended to me by another production team. We kept in touch and have worked together over the years. 

When this job came along, I knew it required a lot of business expertise and market knowledge as well as the ability to communicate with senior people and manage an event team that we hadn’t worked with before. I also had to completely trust them since I couldn’t be there on the ground. I called Capitola Media because I knew they could pull it off.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $10,000–$12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We shot the interviews in February 2020, but the job is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The content looks fantastic. The client loves the way the frames look, and every question was answered. 

How did Capitola Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been better than I hoped for at meeting deadlines and managing the project. Working with a local vendor saved the client travel costs, but events are always hectic. It requires a lot of professional service to manage multiple variables and keep everything rolling. There’s no way I’d do a job like this without a team I could trust.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their outstanding client management and professional expertise stood out to me. Capitola Media really knows what they’re doing and is professionally polished.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at all; we’ve been doing this for so long that it’s easy to spot things that aren’t going well.

Any advice for potential customers?

Capitola Media is a team that can roll with the changes that are inherent and unavoidable in the business. They have the experience and professionalism to make adjustments.