RaffertyWeiss Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at LARSEN Marketing Group

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Marketing Consulting and Creative Services Agency 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• To capture, package, and tell the story of a national non-profit in a compelling way that would drive engagement with new audiences.

SOLUTION

How did you find RaffertyWeiss Media?

Referral

Why did you select RaffertyWeiss Media over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from RaffertyWeiss Media were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The team at Rafferty helped with storyboarding the message, filming on location to capture that message, and then final produce a very high-quality product to be used throughout a variety of marketing and communications camapigns to engage with new audiences and reconnect with existing audiences. The Rafferty Team had a tight budget and timeline to work with and they met all expectations. From the first meeting, through the entire process, the Rafferty Team communicated well, was always professional, and met every challenge with a quick solution. They are my go to resoruce for video poduction. They capture stroies well, package them into compelling messges, and then finish it off with high-end video produciton. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Stronger audience engagement. 

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

Yes, on time and on budget. 

What was your primary form of communication with RaffertyWeiss Media?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Simply put. They deliver results. They do what they say they will do. 

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

none come to mind 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP of an advocacy and public affairs campaign company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Develops and executes integrated advocacy and public affairs campaigns on behalf of highly regulated industries. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Shoot an introduction video for a c4 and an ad for a digitial campaign.

SOLUTION

How did you find RaffertyWeiss Media?

Referral

Why did you select RaffertyWeiss Media over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from RaffertyWeiss Media were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

A three minute introduction video for a newly-created c4 organization. RaffertyWeis also provided social clips from the footage. Later on, we used them to also film a 30-second ad for a display campaign. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Effective display ad campaign and introduction video that has help attract funders and followers. 

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

The team was incredibly professional, organized, and easy to work with from start to finish. They made us feel like we were directing the vision while still providing thoughtful guidance and expertise when needed, without ever being pushy. 

What was your primary form of communication with RaffertyWeiss Media?

Virtual Meeting

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

The team did an excellent job making the person being filmed feel comfortable and confident in what can be a pretty intimidating environment for someone who isn't used to being on camera. The final product was excellent, and the entire process was smooth, collaborative, and enjoyable. 

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

No constructive feedback! I highly recommend. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Communications Specialist of Do Good Institute- University of Maryland

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Do Good Institute is a hub for social innovation at the University of Maryland, College Park. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Pre-Production
• Production (Filming a series of stories that get added to our digital exhibit)
• Post Production (Editing, finalizing the videos)

SOLUTION

How did you find RaffertyWeiss Media?

Online Search

Why did you select RaffertyWeiss Media over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from RaffertyWeiss Media were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We have a digital exhibit in our building that requires very specifically filmed videos. We worked with a separate company to design the exhibit itself and recommend the best video style, then chose RaffertyWeiss Media to execute our requested video look and feel. Since 2023, they have helped us film more than twenty  2-minute video features of our various alumni who are featured in the exhibit. Each time we film with them, we hire them for a roughly 3 day shoot, filming approximately 5 stories each time. Their team supports us in the pre-production stage (storyboarding and preparing our alumni for the filming experience, production (on site filming with a makeup artist, audio specialist, video editor, gaffer, etc. Lastly, they provide the post-production (editing, audio sweetening, adding in graphic elements to the videos, etc). 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The videos that Rafferty Weiss Media have filmed for us have drawn in thousands of visitors to our Do Good Plaza, been shown at our annual Do Good Challenge Competition, and have overall just added a level of polish to our building and our team that was not there before. 

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

Their team is always extremely communicative, delicately balancing our requests and desires with their expertise and guidance. They deliver each time on all our requests and have supported us fully. 

What was your primary form of communication with RaffertyWeiss Media?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They were extremely professional and easy to work with. Accommodated all our requests & communicated clearly with us. Lastly, we always love working with their team on site for the filming days. Lovely people to work with but also very good at what they do. 

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

Not that I can think of

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Vice President of Washington, DC Auto Show

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are the trade association representing franchised new car dealers in the DC metro region and also own and operate the Washington, DC Auto Show. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Conference Facilitation
• AV Services
• Speaker Coordination

SOLUTION

How did you find RaffertyWeiss Media?

Referral

Why did you select RaffertyWeiss Media over others?

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

How many teammates from RaffertyWeiss Media were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Rafferty Weiss was hired to help manage our Public Policy Day Conference.  They handled most onsite logistics, particularly related to AV, room set, staging, speaker coordination and day-of timing and agenda management. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have worked with Rafferty Weiss for several years now and they are the most professional and capable AV and conference management company that we've done business with during my tenure.  They keep our program running smoothly, keep the event on time, help manage and handle speakers, and have a highly proficient technical staff to address all AV and IT needs. 

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

Everything has always been delivered on time or early, even when we request changes or edits. 

What was your primary form of communication with RaffertyWeiss Media?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Company principals are personally involved in delivering the services the day of the event, so the degree of personal responsibility and professionalism is unmatched. 

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

n/a

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a consultant at Concepts Communications, a woman-owned communications firm specializing in strategic outreach, public education campaigns, and partnership programs for government, nonprofit, and private sector clients. We have expertise in disability, veterans, employment law, and technology issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire RaffertyWeiss Media to accomplish for Concepts Counications?

We hired RaffertyWeiss Media to produce compelling television public service announcements (PSAs) for a government-funded public education campaign. We began working with them in 2009 and are still doing so to this day.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RaffertyWeiss Media has produced video and radio PSAs, corporate videos, social media shorts, and online videos for our agency. The team has handled all aspects of production, including scripting, filming, editing, and postproduction.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with dozens of teammates from RaffertyWeiss Media, including Patrick Rafferty himself, as well as editors, producers, PAs, directors of photography, lighting and sound technicians, etc.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

We originally found RaffertyWeiss Media through an online search and RFP process. We chose them over other options because they were a great culture fit and had excellent script ideas in their proposal that demonstrated their creativity and understanding of our space.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with RaffertyWeiss Media in August 2009, and the engagement is ongoing, over numerous contracts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

RaffertyWeiss Media has produced a suite of five powerful PSAs for us that have aired more than 499,000 times on television and radio stations nationwide, earning more than $99 million in donated airtime. Moreover, our online PSAs have been viewed more than 5 million times. We’ve received great feedback from stakeholders and several industry awards.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

RaffertyWeiss Media always delivers on time and on budget. We communicate via email and messaging apps, as well as in-person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

RaffertyWeiss Media’s team is top shelf. Patrick has become a dear friend and colleague who truly understands our work and production needs. The team delivers creative solutions and high-impact products and always makes us look good. Best of all, they’re kind and courteous people who make projects fun. It’s a joy to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing they need to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

The Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University is an academic research and teaching center dedicated to working on ethical issues, especially in bioethics.

What is your position?

I'm the director of the institute.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

The university decided we needed to move into what are called MOOCs – massive online open courses. Our institute was chosen as one of the academic units to give this concept a try.

We had a large team figuring out how to design an online course from the ground up that put the user experience at the center, something quite different from just putting a camera up in front of a traditional lecture. Along the way, we realized there were lots of areas that we needed input. Luckily, we found RaffertyWeiss, and they were fantastic.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

RaffertyWeiss consulted us on the look and feel of the videography that we would use for the MOOC. This was about what kind of vibe we wanted to have in our video presentation modules. They also designed the set, which was intentionally very sparse. They did basic training for all of our team, including the camera folks.

We had seven different faculty members participating, all of whom had to get used to teleprompters, lights, and makeup. They did the initial filming with Patrick Rafferty [managing partner at RaffertyWeiss Media] himself directing the first segments for each faculty member. He had great diplomatic skills to make a wide variety of professors feel comfortable in front of the camera.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

One of my team members found them on the Internet, just looking for websites whose designs we liked.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We have spent somewhere between $10,000 and $50,000 working with RaffertyWeiss.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did RaffertyWeiss perform from a project management standpoint?

RaffertyWeiss did great. They were super-professional, on time, and a pleasure to deal with. They could handle an ever-changing environment with real agility and patience.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

Patrick Rafferty is an incredibly personable and professional person.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

No. We had a wonderful time working with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for a mortgage lending firm. We finance multifamily properties across the country.

What is your position?

I am the Vice President of Marketing & Communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

We were looking for assistance in design, creation, and implementation of various video vignettes and stories that could help us articulate our business message at our annual conference.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We were looking for them to do some scripting, general video production, and some casting. This year, we did some musical numbers and they found us some professional help to support us. This year, they helped us procure a third party graphic artist that we needed to produce some vignettes and other elements for our production. In the past, they've created comic commercials using existing photos and videos. They've helped us come up with ideas and design our program.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

They have done a lot of work with different parts of my company. We interviewed three or four different companies, and ultimately selected them because of their knowledge, full capabilities, and the personal touch.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The projects have been between $20,000 to just under $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our annual conference just finished up two weeks ago, so we're finishing up with RaffertyWeiss now. We worked with them on two different projects this year already, and so we'll be gearing up for our 2016 program in the next couple of months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The work that they produce is very high quality. The utilized a lot of our internal talent, and the feedback we got from them is that they've absolutely loved the way they were presented in the final outcome of the videos. The music videos they produced were all excellent. We get very high reviews from our customers because our annual meeting is a customer-oriented meeting, so these are external parties, and they get a chance to see the work in the final product. Everybody has been tremendously pleased.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

The things we look at most is that they deliver their product as requested, on time and on or under budget. Because RaffertyWeiss succeeded in that respect, I’d say they did a great job with project management.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

I would say the biggest thing for me in any of my business dealings is being able to deal with the owners and have people that have not only high professional skills and abilities but are also good honest people to work with. I've certainly found them to be absolutely that: creative, energetic, responsive, and just enjoyable to work with. That's important in any business.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

The biggest thing for all of us is managing overall timelines and expectations. Given that it's a creative process, you've also got to build in changes. I know even on my end of the partnership, we would ask for last minute changes that of course would necessitate changes to the overall schedule, but RaffertyWeiss were always very good about accommodating us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My company is Lucid Creative Partners LLC, a full-service branding, design, communications, and marketing agency.

What is your position?

I am one of the two principals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

We've done a few projects with them over last 15 years. We go to them when our clients need video or animation work done. When we started looking we wanted a partner agency because we don't have in-house skills for creating video assets for clients.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They write the script, interview people, set up for all the shoots, lighting, makeup, and locations. Additionally, they help with typography, give general feedback, color palettes, and fix small voice issues.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

My business partner initiated that relationship while working with American University on a fundraising campaign.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The projects are between $40,000 and $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

There are no current projects ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

For the American University, the Madeira School, and Digital Globe projects, people were brought to tears when they watched the videos. RaffertyWeiss is able to elicit the right emotional response with their videos, and for us, that's the only metric that we were looking for.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a good job. They always come in on time and keep us apprised of any updates we need to know about.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

The founders of RaffertyWeiss, Patrick and Chris, have really good listening skills and a deeper connection with whatever we're trying to achieve. It is clear from the beginning that the team at RaffertyWeiss understands the goal and that they care, rather than just doing a job.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

No, I don't think so. I suppose there may be some video production firms that have a more traditional graphic designer on staff who might have a slightly higher level of sensitivity for those design-related aspects, like white space and typography. That would be a nice to have on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for The National Board for Certification and Occupational Therapy. In order to become an occupational therapist, you have to pass our test. After you pass your test, you're eligible to renew your certification every three years after that.

What is your position?

I am the Communications Director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

Initially, when we reached out to them, we were looking to produce a video that marketed our study tools that we sell to help students prepare for the exam.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We wanted to create an animated video that showed a student using our study tools to prepare for their exam. They were extraordinarily helpful with us in developing the scenes for the script. Since this was all new to us, they walked us through the process and gave us guidance where we needed it. They took our script and created their own animations from it, and did a fabulous job with that. They gave us multiple voice overs to choose from.

We had a very short deadline when we first contacted them. I called them up, got a good feeling from the team at RaffertyWeiss, and decided to go with them. They delivered the video on time and did a great job with it. We were very happy with the final product.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

We knew that we had a short deadline for this video. I googled the area and found several different companies. Because of the detail that was given to me in terms of cost, time frame, how they could manage that time frame, RaffertyWeiss came out on top. Patrick [co-founder] was great, and I got a really good feeling from him.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

That project cost was $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We just finished a project a couple weeks ago. We've got a couple of conferences coming up that they've prepared videos for as well. As far as future plans go, when it comes to doing video, they're the first and only call I make.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Internal feedback has been tremendous. The second video we did was on our competency assessment program. That video has had a tremendous impact on state regulators who are working to accept the Navigator toward licensure renewal. Right now Navigator products are only used toward certification renewal. Each state has their own individual licensure, and people credited RaffertyWeiss' video to providing a greater understanding of how our Navigator program works. Their video helped us to win a huge award in competency assessment development.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

RaffertyWeiss has been great, just tremendous. They've never altered their deadlines at all. I never felt that they weren't in control of the project.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

They're very detail-oriented. We tell them what we want, and they deliver first time every time. They really do a great job.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

No, they did everything very well. I have no complaints.