Digital Motion Studios

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder, owner, and operator of Lost & Found in Vegas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Motion Studios?

I hired Digital Motion to create my business cards and design my logo; I also needed their photography services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I initially told Digital Motion about my business, and then we decided to come up with a good logo that had something to do with the Las Vegas skyline. After that, they gave me various designs and schematics, and I chose 1–2 designs. 

At present, we still work with them. 

What is the team composition?

I work with one person. 

How did you come to work with Digital Motion Studios?

Digital Motion was recommended to us by a colleague of a colleague. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $200. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

People love our new branding; they understand what’s going on with my business just by looking at our designs. 

How did Digital Motion Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Digital Motion is highly professional and answers all my questions upfront. They take the time and have the patience to show me more than one schematic and various ways the project can be done. Overall, I’ve been satisfied with everything they’ve done and shown me. We communicate through phone messages. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re attentive; they take the time to call me back even if I fade away and stop communicating with them. They make sure to follow up on me to know if I still need assistance. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. I’m happy with their work. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t hesitate and jump into the engagement with Digital Motion. They’ll be your go-to people that understand your needs. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Communications Director of a car repair company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Motion Studios?

I needed to update our franchisees on where the business is headed. The goal was to get them excited about our new programs and motivated to implement them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Motion has done about six to ten update videos for us, which comes out to three or four a year. They are a mixture of interview footage of the franchisees, which we will shoot at one of our shops, and B-roll of cars being fixed, along with anything else that presents the shops in a good light.

They also shot and edited our August convention. We rented a theater, got some nice lighting and props, and had our leadership team deliver a truncated address on stage. They shot the event, edited in interview footage and graphics, and then launched it as a webcast. It wasn’t a live event, but you had to log into it at a specific time to watch it. 

What is the team composition?

We work with the founder and his assistant.

How did you come to work with Digital Motion Studios?

We had been using internal resources, but our creative services manager recommended them to me. They had worked on two of three projects with us in the past, and they got along well with our executives.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working together since 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our quarterly update videos garner around 400-600 views, and the convention broadcast was seen by 2000. Everyone’s pleased with the videos and they say that they’re engaging. 

How did Digital Motion Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a small operation so the founder will have other projects going on, but he’s good about letting me know his availability. He tells me exactly what’s available in terms of editing time and then I try to fit into those timeslots.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very easy to work with and are willing to do whatever it takes. We had some tight deadlines but they’ve been there for me. I trust them and I feel like they won’t let me down. Their shooting price is also very competitive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are things that I know and they don’t. Sometimes it’s an image that I’d prefer were not in the video, or a background that doesn’t fit into our brand image. But they’re coming along and getting to know our culture better every time we work together. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for HD Golf and Multisport. Through our new sports simulators, we provide visually stunning, on-demand sports for people around the world. We recently expanded into Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Motion Studios?

I’ve always worked in ad agencies; this was my first non-agency role. I brought an advertising approach to the client side. One of my biggest mandates was repackaging our marketing strategy to include rich media and high-value content. I don’t believe in buying ad space unless amplifies something amazing.

Since it’s highly marketable and genuine, most of our marketing collateral focuses on sharing our customers’ experience with our simulators. While onboarding this strategy, I wanted to hire videographers who could cover our events and document the experiences we provide. The goal was to produce shareable, enjoyable content.

I’m based in Canada, but most of my business is in the U.S. Our trade shows range from California and all the way to Amsterdam. When working on brand activations within the fully immersive simulator architecture, we can catch people from all over the world playing the Pebble Beach or St. Andrews courses together, for example. Complete strangers are giving each other high fives and having a remarkable shared experience. I needed a videographer who could capture some of these brand activations and transform them into shareable moments.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our first project with Digital Motion Studios was at PGA Spa, headquarters of the PGA tour and home of four golf courses. We were showcasing the launch of an indoor golf center for a high-value client.

We brought them in for a multi-location shoot. They interpreted my vision as I storyboarded the shoot, which is important when dealing with unfamiliar territory and covering new ground. I needed a partner who could add value beyond pointing a camera and editing video. Since I am not a film expert, they saw things from a point of view I didn't have.

I have used their team for every trade show since then. We’re currently doing a shoot at a celebrity NHL athlete’s location. When dealing with successful individuals with a high net worth, we need the right people with us from a camera-crew standpoint, who don’t come across as just some people with equipment. I needed someone who could manage talent and construct questions. I usually conduct the interviews, but Darin [Executive Producer, Digital Motion Studios] is good at framing and connecting the dots to create a compelling narrative.

Since we’re a small company, we needed a partner who could stretch and occupy a gray area. Darin brings ideas during the storyboarding phase and unites his vision with mine. At the end of the day, he truly is a partner.

One of my goals for these shoots was to have enough content in my library to string a few events together and create highlight reels. We’ve reached this point now, and Digital Motion is helping us put together compilations. I do have experience with editing and storyboarding from my agency days, but they would hold our hand and take us on a journey even if we didn’t have that expertise.

What is the team composition?

I typically work with Darin, who personally handles all the filming and editing. This is important given that, since an editor who wasn’t involved in filming wouldn’t have a general perspective and overarching feeling of the event. Because Darin takes part in the events, he knows what needs to happen.

How did you come to work with Digital Motion Studios?

I came across Darin while searching for videographers on Google. I made a point to look for organic SEO results, which are indicators of a company's genuine reputation.

Out of the five providers I shortlisted, he stood out for his listening ability. I immediately started thinking that I could work with him. I also looked at his portfolio and thought all his pieces looked solid. I rolled the dice and hired him, and he knocked the first job out of the park.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost of five or six projects has been around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Digital Motion in June 2017. We’ve worked on at least five projects so far, and we always have something on the burner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We worked on a PGA video that was not intended to be viewed by the average person. A person who wants to spend $75,000 on a home simulator likely inhabits a specific income bracket and researches products in a certain way. Our goal was to provide the sales team with a video that would help close prospects.

One of those videos was about PGA National and the Bear Trap course. It specifically highlighted the realism of playing the course on a simulator versus the real world, and was designed for people who were already deep in the sales funnel. I thought that the video would attract 50 or 60 viewers, but it reached 16,000. Even though it was hosted on YouTube, I didn’t think anyone would find it interesting. It was a technical, eight-minute video. The fact that it gained so many views was a pleasant surprise.

How did Digital Motion Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

I tell Darin what I’m looking for, he gives me a timeline, we agree on the terms, and he usually delivers a day early. He never overpromises, but he does overdeliver.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Even if I put Darin in front of a high-level professional athlete, he doesn't become star-struck. These people don’t usually like to be around fanboys and fangirls, so it's nice not to worry about the videographer's conduct and professionalism. These qualities, along with his talent, will make him highly successful.

When working with someone, I can tell if the person has a high emotional intelligence. I know whether they’re doing something because of the paycheck or because they genuinely enjoy the sense of accomplishment. Darin falls into the second category. The look in his eyes tells me that he’s alive, present, and always trying to find better angles or additional questions. We don’t see this very often. Work becomes a grind for most people after hitting a certain age, but Darin is a mature person who loves his work.

We’ve developed a strong relationship. Beyond our shared responsibilities, we call each other to see how things are going. I believe that our relationships with vendors should feel like partnerships rather than service contracts. Darin is a true partner, not a service provider.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We have two companies. The first does employee training and dispute resolution for large corporations. My wife and I also have a national cooking television show.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Motion Studios?

They helped produce the cooking show and custom training videos for our clients. The latter incorporated the client name, past cases, and rules and policies specific to the company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I wrote the scripts, which the client approved before production. Digital Motion Studios actors, the narrator, and crew. We scouted locations together, usually large space in a hotel. They shot the videos, edited them, and inserted captions.

We also produced forty cooking shows. They shoot those episodes in our home kitchen.

What is the team composition?

The team size varied between 2–3 people.

How did you come to work with Digital Motion Studios?

I did an online search for local video production companies. I interviewed several agencies and reviewed their previous work. I chose Digital Motion Studios partially due to their competitive rates.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in 2009 and they completed the latest project in March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For the training videos, we received unanimous praise from clients. Once during post-production, a client complained about an actor’s beard. The team handily got the actor back on set, shaved his beard, and reshot his scenes. The client was impressed with their turnaround.

Likewise, their editing skills were crucial to our success. The final results were mostly perfect. They made quick changes when we did have concerns.

The network that runs my wife’s show was thrilled with their quality content. That feedback made us confident about hiring Digital Motion Studios.

How did Digital Motion Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

I never had to worry about results or the actual video shoots. They delivered consistently reliable talent that met our needs. It was a pleasure to work with the entire team; they were terrific.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very easy to work with. The team was happy to fulfill any request I had on set.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. They were truly professional.