Levitate Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Drive-To-Work is a nonprofit that helps low income and previously incarcerated individuals get their drivers licenses back. We also have a company called DTW Driving Schools. I am the marketing/development director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Levitate Video?

We hired them to create a video describing our driving school services.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to educate people on our services and spread the word. We needed more clients attending our driving school.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We were referred to them by a colleague.

Describe the project in detail.

Levitate was asked to create a short (30 second) video describing the services DTW Driving School offers, location and what sets us apart from other vendors.

What was the team composition?

Drive-To-Work had three team members involved in the process including our president and founder. Levitate had approximately four people working on the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The video was shared on our social media pages, YouTube and both our websites. It was very well received although I am not sure we had any clients respond that they had seen the video and chose us because of it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between the teams was excellent. Levitate was very responsive and quick to turn around the changes we requested.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are great to work with and offer a competitive price. They gave us a nonprofit discount.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing manager for a small government contract consultant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Levitate Video?

We hired Levitate to create a short explainer video to help website visitors and prospective clients better understand the specific government contract that we help them obtain. They created the original video for us in 2017 and then helped us update the video to reflect changes to contract in 2019.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to have a video that clearly and effectively communicated what the GSA Schedule Contract is, how it benefits companies, and how companies can obtain the contract.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Levitate initially approached us. We selected them after reviewing their portfolio and negotiating pricing.

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

For the original video, we were provided a kick off questionnaire to complete. Since our industry is pretty niche, we wrote most of the script and then they helped us clean it up. After finalizing the script they provided a story board. The voice over came next and after finalizing that we moved to the animated video.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Each time we worked with them we were assigned to a project manager. Both project managers were very responsive and engaged throughout the process. It was very easy to provide feedback using the software platform they use.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've had numerous compliments on our video and we utilize it throughout our marketing efforts.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between our team and Levitate's team was pretty seamless. We had a lot of ideas for the animation after their initial draft. We'd provide the feedback and revision requests and they would have revised animations for us with a few days at the latest.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very easy to work with, accommodated all of our requests, and were responsive throughout the project. They helped build our vision and bring it to life.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything I would have changed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP of Marketing for ZEDEDA Inc. ZEDEDA, the leader in edge virtualization, delivers visibility, control and security for the enterprise and industrial IoT edge with the freedom of deploying any application on any gateway and connecting to any cloud/on-premises system.

Organizations can easily reduce costs by up to 90% and eliminate the complexity of today's disparate and non-integrated IoT solutions while managing their connected operations at scale through a single pane of glass.

ZEDEDA is a venture-backed Silicon Valley company, headquartered in San Jose, CA, with offices in Bangalore and Pune, India. For more information, contact info@zededa.com.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Levitate Video?

We use 2-minute animated videos to explain complex concepts as simply as possible,

What were your goals for this project?

Top-of-Funnel introduction content for prospects to quickly understand different aspects of our value proposition.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have used Levitate for these types of videos for almost 10 years now. Originally, years ago, they were recommended by the head of web development of the company I was with at the time.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We hired Levitate to develop videos for our corporate overview and for a high value use case explanation. We used their CORE services. The CORE service has two rounds of revisions during scripting and two rounds of revisions once we present the rough draft of the video.

Levitate developed a full storyboard after the script had been approved to insure alignment on the specific style of production. The production cycle was to take two to four weeks. Levitate created unique videos by configuring pre-existing graphic assets to produce the final videos.

What was the team composition?

A program manager and a production lead were my 2 contacts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Levitate created quality, short videos that allow our sales team and demand generation teams to send short explainers to their prospects and ease the first meeting discussions. We also use the videos on our website to explain in simple terms what we do and why we do it to someone trying to learn more about us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Product management was responsive. The project management tool (BaseCamp) is non-intuitive and proved to me to be a hinderance rather than an advantage. It was much easier to pick up the phone and talk for 30 minutes than exchange messages.

Short conversations cleared up miscommunications that took days over email/BaseCamp. Summary here - end result is excellent but workflow was rough.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

As communication is cleared up, the speed and quality is very very high. They're much better than most video production services I have worked with in the past.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Communication during rounds of feedback needs to be improved. The tool used to manage the content was very non-intuitive and didn't update me when I needed to review materials at all.

We ended up using email and phone calls where necessary so the tool seems to be technology for technology's sake and more of an impediment than an advantage.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager at Stout. Stout is a global advisory and consulting firm specializing in Investment Banking, Valuation Advisory, Dispute Consulting, and Management Consulting services. We serve a range of clients, from public corporations to privately held companies in numerous industries throughout the world. Our clients and their advisors rely on our premier expertise, deep industry knowledge, and unparalleled responsiveness on complex matters.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Levitate Video?

We hired Levitate to put together a 1 minute explainer animated video to better promote and illustrate an interactive self-assessment our Legal Management Consulting group created.

What were your goals for this project?

We hired Levitate to create a video that will promote and explain Stout's Litigation Readiness Assessment. The video is intended to accomplish three goals: 1. Increase awareness and completion rate of our Litigation Readiness Self Assessment 2. Explain in better detail through visuals how to complete the Litigation Readiness Self Assessment 3. Increase awareness of our Legal Management Consulting team as a whole

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A Levitate sales representative reached out to our CMO, and after meeting with the Levitate team and evaluating their portfolio, services, and pricing, decided they were the right fit for the project.

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

The video is a 1 minute animated explainer video. The Levitate team reached out for a quick informational call and I provided a creative brief and draft script. The team then edited the script for us to better suit the video, provided style frames, then story boards, voiceover options, and then a final cut of the video. There was a review process for each step of the entire production.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Everything went through a single production/project manager, which made things very seamless. All feedback could either be sent directly to the project manager or through a project management platform. We were allowed 2 revisions for each production stage.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The entire process was very easy and the project manager was fantastic. The final product was great and we have been able to use it for many different promotions in various marketing channels.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective—easy and seamless.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The project management and production process - they were so helpful and responsive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager at a tech company. We help those who are most vulnerable, whether that's a student, a senior, a patient, or a lone worker, by empowering them with critical information to allow for proactive communication. We've been providing situational awareness technology solutions through our industry experience and unique business models.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Levitate Video?

At our company we provide various customizable solutions to our customers. One of our solutions is a resident engagement portal that can be used in many industries. But, it is used in the senior living space to keep residents connected with the community they live in, as well as the community beyond the walls of where they live. In addition, this solutions helps the keep the staff informed and allows them to provide the best quality of care. We hired Levitate to help us not only show how our customers use this solution, but how it has truly improved their day-to-day processes.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our video to show how the solution is used by residents and staff. But , we wanted the audience to walk away not only knowing what the solution does but we wanted to emotionally impact them by how it has truly enhanced our residents' lives.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We've wanted to produce a video for this solution for some time. Over the past year we looked into different vendors, done a few calls and gone through the motions. After talking to Levitate they provided us with an outline of what they understood we wanted to accomplish with our video and they hit the nail on the head. Our team agreed they were aligned with the expected outcome and we decided to move forward with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we have recieved the finished project we have used it in various ways, such as an attention grabber at trade shows, followup with customers and prospects and on our social media. We have gained leads by using the video through the venues stated above.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Levitate team was very easy to work with.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were quick and effective. The process went a lot quicker than I expected and they produced a great outcome.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing I came across. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the assistant director of marketing at National Retail Systems, Inc. (NRS). We are a privately owned family company that has been providing logistic services for over 65 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Levitate Video?

We hired Levitate Video to create a commercial for us explaining all of our services in a professional and simple format.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted the video to be clean, fresh, and to easily come across to everyone, even the the non-logistics professional, as a clear depiction of what we do.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I was not involved in the selection process. I was more of a project manager.

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

The Levitate team was very thorough, and held our hands through the entire process. We worked with them to create a script, and showed them our company colors, logos, themes, and they did the rest.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

The project management team was great to work with. We had team follow-up calls to track progress, and give feedback. Those calls were informative, and kept everyone up to date on the next steps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We use the commercial on our website, our internal platform, and social media. It explains who we are in a short cartoon.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was seamless because of the Basecamp updates they kept us in the loop with. Their task management tool kept us in the know, and our recap calls were always successful.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The Levitate Video team was extremely professional and understood our goals for our video. They made multiple tweaks and edits without any issue, and everyone walked away impressed with the final project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Bodhi.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Levitate Video?

We hired Levitate Video to help us promote our services on our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Levitate Video created two animated videos for our website. They created mockups, screenshots, and made several iterations after exchanging ideas. We used the videos externally for promotional purposes. 

What is the team composition?

I primarily communicated with 1–2 people, but there might have been others supporting the project. 

How did you come to work with Levitate Video?

After finding them, we decided to give them a shot and it ended up working out. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $7,000–$8,000 on the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from August–November 2018. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone who has seen the videos has complimented it. We were very happy with the final product. 

How did Levitate Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Most of our communication was through email. From our perspective, they did a great job managing the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The final product fully captured what we wanted to convey and they did it better than we could’ve imagined. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We didn’t have to do anything special to get the best service from them. Just engage with their team. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

SVP of Product Development, Educational publishing company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Levitate Video?

Create a short video

What were your goals for this project?

something to draw interest quickly

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I received an email at the time I was interested in doing a video. With the link provided I was able to review their work online. Reached out and immediately liked the presentation.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Short video. We had discussion with a team from Levitate of what we were looking for. They came back with an idea, presented how we would interact with them during the process. They were very to the point of how it can work. There was no pressure they put it in our hands on how fast we wanted to complete it. Basically, they gave us dates for deliverables and a time to return to keep the project on tract. Very straight forward.

What was the team composition?

We dealt with 2 people - a project manager type and a creator/designer. Again, very straight forward.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Although we loved the video it was not meant to "change the word" but more to be a quick introduction to a new product. The impact was more for my team that putting the right people on a project, having clear expectations from both parties, and "buy-in" that things can happen quickly. My team had just been through a project with another contracting party that did not go as planned, many delays with little communication getting passed down to those doing the work. This was totally the opposite, every deliverable happened as planned from both sides. It was a great experience.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Extremely effective. Levitate knew exactly the time they would need to deliver our video. Up front discussion on what my team would need to do to meet the deadline was discussed and then we were given the choice of how we wanted to proceed. The commitment on both sides to complete the work in a short time was awesome and went exactly as planned. A great company to work with and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for this type of work.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Being straight forward in their presentation. Laying out the expectations for both parties and leaving it up to my company to decide how we wanted to move forward. Once the project stated there was a Basecamp project created so my company could stay up on what was going on, ask any questions, and give feedback immediately.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, it was a great experience

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the VP of Security Awareness Training Product at a security company. I'm responsible for leading product strategy, product management and program content creation. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Levitate Video?

We hired Levitate to create a new training product line for us based upon content we already had in another format.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to create a new type of training for our customer base to drive the variety of training they could provide to their employees. This enables us to provide more effective training to end users and enables us to be more competitive in the market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The Proofpoint marketing organization introduced us to Levitate due to their great results with them. We also had one other vendor we worked with that did not perform as effectively as Levitate.

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

We provided our original training content outline and provided direction of what we were looking for. I started as the project manager and then transitioned to another project manager internally. Levitate was responsible for creating a look and feel for our new offering, storyboards, audio actors, and translations of content.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

There were 2 people or so involved in the process when I was involved. There were a few rounds of feedback.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don't have many metrics to gauge effectiveness yet but we are very happy with the end product.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Terrific.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Experts in video production especially for educational purposes.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager and with our team responsible for developing creative strategies in B2B marketing, and influence public relations. I work to deploy digital marketing campaigns to further business objectives including brand awareness, target audience penetration, and conversion.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Levitate Video?

We hired Levitate Video to help us develop three specific videos to address and clearly explain our software and the challenges all suppliers/contractors face to comply with NIST and CIS policies.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to develop a series of professional videos to share vital information regarding RMF automation on remediation, accreditation and compliance for new viewers to help them save on human resources and to win contracts.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I researched numerous video production companies from what we considered the best of each type of video production (Core vs Custom) animation from a budget perspective and brought the top 3 companies to the team to vet.

We wanted a custom video and we needed a lot of help with developing the storyboard and our demonstration. Levitate had the members on the team with the capacity to understand the complexities of explaining what we do.

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

I must say our process was I'm certain a bit unusual for a team like Levitate. In the beginning, we tried to establish a working plan to meet to develop the storyboard in order to get to the actual video production including visuals and moving animation.

We had a difficult time staying on our set timeline due to our daily demands and travel. Levitate helped us push through our inability to meet deadlines and see the project through. The team at Levitate accommodated our changes in timelines and valued our commitment to getting the project done right.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We worked with one team member throughout the entire project on all three videos. We would set a timeline and deadline for the next steps and what we needed to accomplish on our end. The team member would check in regularly and do additional research, provide other ideas, etc.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have 3 professional videos as collateral and we use them at events, have them posted on all of our channels and live on our website. Each video drives traffic to our website through our digital marketing strategies.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent! We could not have had a better team member to assist us.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were highly impressed with the knowledge and the ability our team member/Levitate team had to keep up focused and on schedule. It was a very collaborative approach and a rewarding experience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We know we can always improve communication when it comes to collaborating on projects. If there is any way to expand upon and to better understand the process and what happens when one doesn't meet timelines.