Digital Spark Studios

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Department Manager of Novant Health

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Novant Health is a super-regional healthcare system in the eastern United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Digital Spark Studios to accomplish?

• Produce, shoot, and edit a series of registered nurse (RN)-targeted recruitment videos

SOLUTION

How did you find Digital Spark Studios?

Online Search

Why did you select Digital Spark Studios over others?

Close to my geographic location, Great culture fit, Good value for cost, Other

What was the size of Digital Spark Studios’s team?

6-10 Employees

What was your primary form of communication with Digital Spark Studios?

Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

The objective of this project was to film a series of five RN-targeted recruitment social and pre-roll videos shot and stylized to mimic recognizable late-‘80s and early-‘90s sitcom opening credits sequences. Working off a rough storyboard I developed which would be adapted to each of the five areas of nursing receiving a video, Digital Spark produced, directed and shot (in one day across multiple locations within a working, busy hospital) and edited the five videos.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• The videos produced were (as designed) a radical departure from existing and expected corporate recruitment video deliverables.

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

Digital Spark is an excellent partner when it comes to trusting them to be prepared and have all their details accounted for. They work fast and we never had to poke them for an update or deal with a scramble during a shoot.

What was your primary form of communication with Digital Spark Studios?

Virtual Meeting, Email or Messaging App

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

Digital Spark is a fantastic value for the fee they charge. Their pricing made them a realistic option for me to present to internal leadership, and the end result they delivered was always to my highest-tier quality expectation. I have worked with production studios and edit houses charging hundreds of thousands of dollars and Digital Spark consistently and repeatedly delivers work of this class.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Digital Spark Studios could have done differently?

None that I recall.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a manager at InVue. InVue is a global technology company who provides the world's most valuable brands with innovative merchandising, security and IoT solutions. By integrating our hardware and software solutions we seamlessly protect and promote our customers' most valuable assets, leading to improved operations and an enhanced UX.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Spark Studios, and what were your goals?

We are an innovative company that releases new products every year, and to help market those products, we create assets such as videos. Digital Spark was hired as a production team to help bring a storyboard to life.

SOLUTION

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

We reviewed vendors near our HQ in Charlotte, North Carolina and near our graphic agency in Ohio. After consideration and consultation, we selected Digital Spark for their overall quality and creativity.

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

We begin with creating a storyboard internally with a draft of visuals and voiceovers. From there, we set a time to review with Digital Spark. During the review, Digital Sparks will make suggestions and help work through the overall idea of the project, making sure to align with the overall goal. After the review, we set up a time to start filming.

During the shoot, their team is suggesting and taking suggestions on the fly, making sure that the best quality and story can be captured. After the shoot, Digital Spark works on the first draft, where we will review internally, supply edits and move onto another draft before the final video is delivered. Digital Sparks is easy to get in contact with and work through every stage of the production.

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

I worked with the Executive Producer and everything was easy. We jumped on phone calls as needed, and reviewed the video through an online portal that made making suggested edits as easy as leaving a comment. The Executive Producer even sets up a time to confirm all the changes have been added and that Digital Sparks understands all points before finalizing edits. It really limits the back and forth.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have decided to use Digital Sparks going forward for all of our future projects. Their work on our first project together went so well that we've shifted the way we do video at InVue and will use Digital Sparks for their quality and creativity.

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

They work through Outlook emails, Teams Video Calls, and Vimeo for drafting, commenting, and editing. The tools are all easy to use and the timeliness is exceptionally good.

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

They're creativity on the fly during a shoot when we want to make a change. They are quick to identify a solution and work to create an amazing shot.

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

They were pretty much perfect.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Orbis, Inc. is a SaaS company specializing in custom technology solutions for the land asset management industry. Marketing Director

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Spark Studios?

When I came on board, there previously had been minimal overall marketing, and I knew video content would be an integral part of telling our stories- everything from explainer videos, company overviews to general content. After searching and vetting out many agencies and firms, we decided on Digital Spark Studios.

What were your goals for this project?

Connect with a talented video production team that understood our company and our needs. Creatively, we needed a team that could help translate complex topics into digestible content. These videos are used throughout social media and online

SOLUTION

How did you select Digital Spark Studios?

We met with them virtually to discuss overall needs and capabilities. Wanted someone local- probably spoke to 3-4 different candidates. Deciding factors- liked that they were a small team like us. They understand the challenges of small businesses. The communication was important and they were on top of that. It was up to me to make the selection.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

Digital Sparks collaborates with me throughout the entire process from start to finish. Together, we create the scripts, decide on how best to animate or shoot live, overall strategy. It is truly a partnership which we appreciate.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

I work predominately with two main contacts who are always accessible and responsive. Yes, they are very flexible in terms of taking feedback and working with us on edits as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have more simple ways of explaining our services. Many clients don't even know the details of what we do for them or how we do it. They just trust us to do it and help them be successful. These videos help break it down. Additionally, we now have a brand voice and presence which was not really identified or strong previously.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication is my number 1 must have with everyone I work with. Digital Sparks has been great at responding and keeping me up to date on project statuses. The process has been pretty seamless.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are small, but they crank out a lot of work. And they do it well.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an industrial goods company that manufactures portable generators, compressors, water pumps, light towers, and pneumatic tools. I’m the VP of marketing for one of our divisions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

After joining the company, I noticed that our marketing heavily relied on print. We had tons of print brochures and old-school sales tools. I wanted to bring a digital transformation into the company by pitching the value proposition to customers through video and digital content. To do that effectively, I needed a partner to highlight our benefits compared to competitors in a high-quality video.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve helped me with everything from scripting, pre-editing, site selection, production, and editing. I have an internal creative director who’s been very hands-on during the project, but they’ve brought their expertise to the shoots. We’ve received long video outputs that we would break down into short segments for use on our website and social media channels.

We typically start with a discovery phase where they work with our product managers to build a list of the features we want to show. After that, we figure out how much input we want to have on the script and let them handle the project from there.

What is the team composition?

They typically had two to three top-level teammates running the project. They’d work with their own editors and photographers as well as two to three people from my team.

How did you come to work with Digital Spark Studios?

I worked with Adam (CEO) and Josh (COO) at other companies. After they started their own firm, I was happy to have the opportunity to bring them in to help my current company digitize our sales organization and the content we’re creating.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $60,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a tenfold increase in social media and website engagement since we started working with them. Additionally, our dealers and distributors have been using the video content for their own sales purposes. The quality of these videos has helped improve brand awareness for our company within our industry.

Their team really has an eye for what our end users will want to see in the videos. They know how to focus on the important details of our products while also documenting the knowledge our team brings.

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

They never miss any details. Their team always meets deadlines and makes sure we know about any challenges they encounter. Their transparent communication has directly contributed to our success. We’ve mostly communicated through Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They always see the bigger picture. Unlike other video production companies, they’ve taken the time to get to know our business rather than just documenting the features and benefits of our products. They’ve been able to showcase our team’s knowledge and how that adds to our products’ value.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, the only real limitations we encountered were pandemic-related.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Talk to Adam and Josh about what your true project goals are. They understand that producing a video for a business requires them to showcase the full-scale value of your firm and offerings.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing manager of an environmental construction firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We brought them on for video production services. Our firm needed an introduction video and recruitment video made.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The introduction video was a commercial-type advertisement letting people know who we are and what we do. The recruitment video was specifically for people who were interested in applying and working for us. It informed them about what kind of work would be done, the difficulty of the work, and what’d be required of them.

Digital Spark Studios was collaboratively involved in preproduction. I wrote the script for the intro and recruitment videos. Their team lent a hand in planning for those videos by laying out what they’d look like and defining what we wanted out of them. Then, they took it from there. As for post-production, they handled everything after our 3–4 days of filming.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Adam (CEO & Partner) and Joshua (COO & Partner). Joshua was my main point of contact. There were others as well, including contractors during the filming.

How did you come to work with Digital Spark Studios?

Digital Spark Studios was someone a previous marketing manager at our company had looked into. That engagement never happened, but they were one of the first people I contacted this time around.

After doing some research and pricing with other companies, I interviewed 3–4 agencies. Digital Spark Studios seemed like the best fit for us. They were the most professional, and their portfolio was great.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was from August–December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were extremely happy with their work. The intro video in particular was exceptional; they really hit that one out of the park. The production process was turned around quickly. Digital Spark Studios took the time to learn about us and our values. They did a beautiful job of portraying that in the intro video. We use that video on social media and as a commercial for sponsorship for some of our affiliates. Everyone in the company absolutely loves the video. It’s something we’re very proud of and like showing people.

The recruitment video is newer, so we don’t have a ton of feedback on it quite yet. That video was more in-depth and really niche. Digital Spark Studios was more than willing to work with us on all the changes we needed. We went through multiple revisions, and our focus for the video changed in the middle. They fixed everything for us. Our team is happy with the results because they meet our standards and we’re looking forward to seeing qualified leads come through it.

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

They had a nice portal that allowed me to give feedback and make any needed changes or corrections for specific timestamps within the videos. We communicated mostly through email. Their payment options were very easy as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was really impressed with their usefulness and willingness to invest in themselves as far as the equipment they used. On the first day of the shoot, they had just purchased new lenses. We were very impressed with their desire and willingness to have the best equipment.

Digital Spark Studios brought a youthful aspect to the table. I love their artistic outlook as far as how they shoot their videos and their individual style. It really meshed well with us. They have a similar outlook to ours.

Are there any areas they could improve?

A few times during the process, some things I had mentioned in person or through email got lost in translation. So, some feedback I was giving was the same feedback I had previously given. For example, in our videos, we don’t like to show other people’s logos, equipment, etc. There were some particular shots of birds they got while we were out in the field that kept making its way back into the video after we had asked multiple times for those things to be removed.

It wasn’t a big deal in the long run, it just would’ve been a big timesaver if they had taken notes or remembered the things I had said to them already. That would’ve made sure that that didn’t happen or we wouldn’t have to remove those things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it. Make sure your budget is in line with what Digital Spark Studios has to offer. From my research, they’re not the low-cost provider; which isn’t technically a bad thing. You get what you pay for; I appreciated that about them. We got great, up-to-date videos. Having a budget will allow you to be as thorough as possible by communicating what you need upfront.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a marketing consulting service called Ash Bridge Media Consulting. We’re based out of Raleigh, North Carolina.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We’ve worked with Digital Spark Studios several times, now. This particular project was for a video case study for Jay Leno.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Digital Spark Studios helped us create a video case study that highlighted a set of products that Jay Leno used for our client. The video featured Jay creating a custom car part in his auto shop to repair a vehicle that was more than 100 years old.

From the get-go, we had to figure out how to collaborate with Jay and his team. While I did the preproduction work around the storyline and logistics, Josh and Adam (Partners) were very active in handling the storyboard, script, and shot list.

We then flew on location to do the filming. It was basically a day-long shoot with Josh and Adam manning the cameras. I was there to interview Jay, but they basically did everything else. The team worked on the audio, shot the footage and b-roll, and edited the content. I was then responsible for getting approval from Jay and his team.

What is the team composition? 

At the time, I primarily worked with Adam and Josh. We felt that we only needed two cameras for the shoot, so they took the lead.

How did you come to work with Digital Spark Studios?

I’ve worked with them on other projects prior to them starting Digital Spark Studios. As they’ve developed into the company that they are today, it’s been a natural segue into using them as a video production company.

How much have you invested with them?

This project was around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It wasn’t a very long engagement — the project lasted between January–March 2017. We started planning about six weeks out, and the shoot only took about a day. They delivered the first draft 10 days later for approval.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Obviously, featuring Jay Leno in his auto workshop was very popular with the audience and earned a good amount of views. Our client was also very pleased with the final product.

What it came down to was Digital Spark Studio’s high production quality, creativity, and willingness to go the distance. One of the highlights was having Jay drive the car through Burbank with Adam and Josh filming. Adam was in another car, hanging out the door with his camera to get the right shot. That just goes to show how committed they were to really put their heart and soul into the visual story.

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

Adam and Josh were nimble, responsive, and very prepared to do their work. They came with all of their gear, making sure that they had exactly what was needed and more. In terms of setup, they could be ready to shoot in 20 minutes if need be. Even for the shot with Jay driving down the road, all they had to do was change a lens, and then they were ready to go. It was very organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Digital Spark Studios kept the bigger picture in mind, even when they were focusing on a smaller bit of b-roll. Unlike other contractors I’d worked with, they were proactive in thinking about what they needed to do to tell the story in the best way possible. It was all about teamwork and seizing opportunities.

One great example was a shot that Adam took the night before filming at Burbank. We were upstairs in the hotel’s open bar, and the sun was going down. All of a sudden, Adam jumped up, set up his camera and tripod, and captured a time-lapse of the sunset as the cars drove down the freeway. That shot wasn’t planned, but he saw the opportunity and responded to it. We ended up making it the feature point in our video.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should treat them as part of your team. They’re not just some camera monkeys that you need to order around — rather, they can help you come up with ideas and can work with you on the script, storyboard, and shot list. They have a lot of experience from their past work, so you can 100% trust their advice.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Manager of Video Production at TTI FloorCare in Charlotte, NC. Our team produces multiple types of video productions, from national commercials to social, OTT, CTV spots for our brands: Hoover, Dirt Devil and Oreck Vacuums.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Spark Studios?

We hired Digital Spark as a Post Production partner through a time in which our team needed to increase output and volume to meet our business critical needs. Digital Spark was able to provide editing, color correction and motion graphic services for our national OTT, CTV and e-commerce spots.

What were your goals for this project?

Our company pivoted from traditional marketing to more OTT and CTV based marketing to better match our consumer demographic. A great move for our company, and with it came an increase in the volume of our productions/deliverables - easily more than double of the previous year.

Our goal was to find a post production partner that understood our challenges and could meet our deadlines, while matching the quality of work expected of a 100 year old brand. Additionally, we were seeking someone with credibility, expertise and capacity to fit our needs.

SOLUTION

How did you select Digital Spark Studios?

Digital Sparks has a portfolio of work that matched the quality we expected as a brand. They have a team of professional, knowledgeable and communicative filmmakers that have a great reputation around Charlotte and the greater area.

Their price was competitive and they were able to showcase quality work similar to what we expected. When searching for a team to help us, they were a perfect fit and made the decision easy for us.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

We shot production on 5 OTT spots that needed to be edited into multiple lengths and cutdown versions: 60s, 30s, 15s and 06secs each. Our Directors and DPs have high expectations and shoot very specific and sometimes complicated sequences. The Digital Spark team had no problem identifying and working with this - they clearly are experienced.

They were able to complete videos these within our limited time frame and to the high expectations we desired. We also had 20+ e-commerce videos for our multiple brands that needed to be completely handle from a post production aspect, again with limited turn around time. They were able to deliver these ahead of time and at a reasonable cost.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

The Digital Spark team met with us beforehand and sought clarity to establish a scope of work that was mutually acceptable. Throughout the process they were communicative, and when it came time for reviews (with some of those being sudden calls from myself or our directors), they were always very responsive.

The review links are great for us to view and critique in one consolidated place. They worked very well in receiving criticism and feedback, offering alternate suggestions whenever we were unsure how to proceed. The final delivery process was a breeze and on time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received much internal praise on the outcome of our final videos. Having pivoted from around 3-4 large productions to now 20+ productions in the same time period presented a lot of challenges for our team, and we would not have been able to reach this volume without Digital Spark’s assistance. Many of these videos sit around the minimum 300k+ view mark on each of our channels.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The working relationship was effective. They’ve always shown us candor, professionalism, and promptness. I feel that we are valued as a client and that they share our focus in achieving business critical results.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

While initially only needing editing expertise, the Digital Spark team was able to go above and beyond for us to provide additional services for other project needs. This included photography on our larger productions when we needed to optimize a production for photo and video.

They were also able to source crew for some of our in studio production needs. Additionally, there motion graphics and color grading capabilities allowed us to be able to confidently hand off elements we normally keep in house.

Are there any areas for improvement?

As we reached capacity for these projects we found ourselves wanted to pass off more to their teams. It seems the Digital Spark team is in high demand and at times are fully booked on other big projects. This is understandable but hopefully they can continue to expand their team so they can accommodate more because we love working with them.