Six Degrees Productions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior corporate marketing strategist at a company that provides applications or solutions to a variety of industries. We use AI, IoT, cloud computing, and sensors to optimize the performance of data or of infrastructure assets. With all of that said, we basically help oil and gas processing facilities, commercial buildings, and wind farms to help them optimize the production of energy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Six Degrees Productions?

We needed to put together two videos: the first one to communicate who our company is at a high level and the second one to present our flagship asset care platform, which we sell to all of our clients. We hired Six Degrees to help us visualize that information in a short amount of time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was a collaborative process that was led by Six Degrees. We oriented them on our ideas and desired outcome and went on to discuss how we could go about putting everything together. Their team walked us through their approach and timelines before they set off to do the actual video production. We came up with the initial script and had them fine-tune it.

We originally aimed for each video to last a minute and a half, but as we delved deeper into production, we eventually ended up with three-minute-long videos. The end product featured a combination of shots of people going to actual customer sites, B-rolls, stock footage, and some animation coupled with a voiceover. 

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Lee-Anne (Co-Owner & Head of Video Production) who served as a project manager and coordinated the whole production.

How did you come to work with Six Degrees Productions?

Lee-Anne actually reached out to our CMO through a cold call. We looked at some of their work and decided to give them a try.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted the whole month of August 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our CEO really liked the videos. He felt that they were outstanding and something to be proud of. We were able to upload it to various social media platforms, YouTube, and our website. 

How did Six Degrees Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

There was a scope creep on our side, but Six Degrees was a gem at handling it. There weren’t any issues. They knew the timelines were tight, and they moved heaven and earth in order to accommodate us without any fuss whatsoever. More than that, their team was able to do two independent shoots in two different cities and bring in somebody who could do the voiceover work. They pulled everything off in a short amount of time. 

We typically communicated via email, texts, and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Six Degrees’ can-do attitude really stood out to me. That level of flexibility is hard to find in a service provider.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I was very happy throughout.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t think twice about hiring Six Degrees. It will definitely be worth it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at Felix Payment Systems. We provide cloud-based payment technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Six Degrees Productions?

We needed someone to create an explainer video for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Six Degrees Productions produced an explainer video for one of our new products. We already wrote the script, scouted for locations and talent, and chose the music before the engagement. The team only handled the video shoot and the editing. They delivered a three-minute video, which we then uploaded to our site and social media accounts.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people: a director of photography and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Six Degrees Productions?

We chose them because they were responsive and had a great portfolio.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from May–July 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Six Degrees Productions did a great job, and we enjoyed working with them.

How did Six Degrees Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were extremely organized.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The shoot was very well-planned, so it ended up being a quick process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager at West Coast Windows. We manufacture windows and doors, and our installation division renovates old houses with our products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Six Degrees Productions?

We hired Six Degrees to produce a corporate video and several tutorials and service-related videos for our Youtube and website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We worked with Six Degrees on three different projects: a corporate video, a timelapse video, and some tutorial videos. For the corporate video, they filmed our manufacturing plant and showroom and also filmed on-site. They added voiceover and animation as well. Finally, they came up with a three-minute video that told the story of our company.

The second project was tutorial videos for our website. These how-to videos showed customers all of the things that they frequently ask our service department. Things such as how to adjust the wheels on their patio door or how to remove a screen.

The third video was a timelapse of an installation in front of a house. The film showed our team removing its original 19 windows and replacing them with our products.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Lee-Anne (Co-Owner). There was also a teammate who was the videographer.

How did you come to work with Six Degrees Productions?

I interviewed three companies through Zoom, one of which I had previously worked with. I looked at their demo reels, and Six Degrees had pretty unique videos.

We already had an interview-style Q&A video, and I didn’t want another one of those. We wanted something different, and Six Degrees could offer that. We liked that they added lots of animation into their videos, so we picked them. Also, Lee-Anne was very easy to work with from our first interview. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $9,000 CAD (approximately $7,300 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on these projects from October 2020–April 2021. We wrapped up on all three projects, but I’ll keep Six Degrees in mind should we need to do more video content.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone in the organization was very positive about the videos. They loved their feel and content. However, it’s too early to tell the impact since some of the videos went live just recently. For instance, our corporate video went live less than a week ago, but I’m hopeful it’ll generate interest toward our company and increase leads and sales.

Additionally, this video showed our company’s 45 years of history. We hope that customers will see that we have the experience to back up our warranty when they see the video.

How did Six Degrees Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated mainly through email. Six Degrees was very easy to work with. They had a shooting schedule, and they were always punctual. They were very well organized, so nothing ran over.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Six Degrees did things differently. Their demo reels were hipper. Additionally, the animation and neat angles they used made the videos look different from any other corporate videos we’d seen. Additionally, they did lots of drone footage, which is great because most of the houses we work with are beautiful, and they captured that with aerial footage.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think they’re really good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give Six Degrees the creative freedom to propose whatever they want. Every industry is different, so explain to them what you do. Having their team come up with ideas worked better for us than just telling them what to do. We let them do their work, and then we told them what we liked and what we didn’t.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing manager at TalentClick Workforce Solutions. We’re a personality behavioral assessment company that helps organizations hire and develop top performers. We consider ourselves as a SaaS HR support.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Six Degrees Productions?

We were looking for a two-minute sales video to introduce our company to the early sales funnel prospects. It had to explain who we were, what we did, and what was our product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Six Degrees Productions provided a full service to create a video. Our CEO submitted a rough draft of our script along with our brand guidelines. They came back, reworked our script, did a storyboard, helped us select a voiceover artist, and did all the animation required.

Six Degrees worked with stock footage and captures of our product, and they turned it into something great. The video is pretty new. We received the final copy recently, and now we’re in the process of posting it and getting it out there.

What is the team composition?

We only had one main point of contact. This person was the head of production but acted as our project manager.

How did you come to work with Six Degrees Productions?

We had an intern who compiled a list of video vendors that met the requirements that we were looking for. Initially, we selected a different vendor, but we had a terrible experience — the quality of their work was atrocious, and they were significantly more expensive.

Six Degrees was the only one to respond after we got out of that agreement and went back to the list of our top three choices. We had a meeting with them that day, and I was immediately impressed by their professionalism and the information they provided. I instantly knew that the quality of their work was going to be what we wanted.

The initial impressions were backed up when the project manager sent us a proposal with some of the scoped-out ideas that we talked about in our meeting. They went a little bit over our budget, but we were totally fine with it because of how everything turned out.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent less than $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had our initial meeting in March 2021, and Six Degrees completed the project by the end of April 2021. We’re very likely to go back to them in the next three months for more work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was impressed with the look and feel of the video created by Six Degrees. This project was very important to me as I’m in charge of our brand, and they nailed it.

The executive team also gave very high praise to the video — the overall qualitative feedback was amazing. We’re very excited about it and are looking forward to using it for sales.

How did Six Degrees Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

We only communicated via email. When we were in the review process, we were able to leave timestamp comments on the video as well. This helped us consolidate our feedback and make it easy for them to make quick changes — we worked seamlessly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Six Degrees’ expertise in the market added so much value to our process. They provided us with great options to display our product and did an amazing job surpassing our expectations of the final look — we loved our final product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our video target time was one minute and 30 seconds, but when we turned in the script and Six Degrees edited it, it pushed the video to be a little longer. It resulted in a video of one minute and 48 seconds, which is only 18 seconds longer. They could’ve pushed back the time a little bit by cutting unnecessary information. However, we were thrilled with the result.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it. Be sure to be open to their suggestions because they have a lot of expertise to bring to the table. We had our vision locked in, but we were open to their suggestions as well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a government agency that delivers professional services and provides comprehensive administrative support to clients. Our team specifically supports the development of external communications products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Six Degrees Productions?

Our business deals with a complex subject matter. In recent years, we've recognized that we need to find ways to better engage with clients to improve understanding. We thought a good approach would be to develop new videos, but we don't have in-house support for this work.

What were your goals for this project?

We hope to see an increase in traffic to specific web pages. We intend to promote the videos on a home page and on social media.

SOLUTION

How did you select Six Degrees Productions?

Our team searched online for local animation companies and selected three potential vendors to contact. Based on internal criteria, we decided Six Degrees Productions was the best fit.

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

Six Degrees did a great job to learn our business and goals. They guided us through the script writing, storyboarding and animation stages through sharing drafts and feedback via email. They took on the tasks of finding an appropriate voice-over actor and music. The products were two fantastic explainer videos.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We had a lovely and approachable production manager to guide us through the feedback process. She weighed in where appropriate and helped to facilitate decisions. Her experience and advice was much appreciated.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Not yet

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The production manager we worked with met our expectations in terms of communicating, scheduling and project managing. Her availability was open some evenings and weekend, which contributed to the success of meeting tight timelines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were impressed by the first impression they made. We appreciated the effort that went into the pitch. They explained the process and helped make it concrete so that we clearly understood the process. They also challenged us during the script writing stage--rather than simply accepting our requests, they poked at gaps to ensure the best possible product.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are very happy with the quality of their deliverables. For potential future projects, it might be helpful if they could give one or two examples of review criteria (i.e., what to look out for).

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder, CEO, and creative director of Akinji Entertainment Inc. The company creates boardgames, card games, and tabletop roleplaying games. We are the creators of the successful title Cataclysm: the Roleplaying game.

We are readying to launch a kickstarter for the boardgame that takes place in the same world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Six Degrees Productions?

Video production. Six Degrees created an amazing digital commercial for our upcoming kickstarter Cataclysm: the Boardgame.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a video to tell the story of the Cataclysm world, share details about the game and its pieces, as well as grab the viewers attention.

SOLUTION

How did you select Six Degrees Productions?

We had been searching for a company to do this. When we found Six Degrees and messaged them they responded so quickly and positively we wanted to work with them. They were willing to work within our budget and that was spectacular.

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

The video is roughly 4 minutes long with a narrative and musical track playing in the background. It showcases a great deal of our game artworks as well as has animated figures moving throughout the pieces.

The narrative is of the world of Cataclysm and highlights some key events. Halfway through the video the narration changes to speak about the game components and thr characters in the game. All fully 3d rendered with amazing smoke and magic effects.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Lee was INCREDIBLE! She was communicative and positive throughout the entire project. She gave my partner and I lots of slack (as we both work as full time educators) and was so easy to approach and speak with. The management team took all of our feedback and turned it into remarkable results. Nothing was ever too much.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Kickstarter has not yet launched. But preliminary reactions to the video have been extremely positive.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent! The Six Degree team worked efficiently and quickly and the communication was always excellent!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their willingness to think outside the box and educate us about their processes. They kept us in the loop every step of the way and answered any questions or concerns immediately.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly. No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is on a mission to make meaningful internal communication easy. We are dedicated to building tools that save time and improve employee communications, while building an incredible community of experts, practitioners, and educators to elevate internal communication professionals and their organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Six Degrees Productions?

Help us create our new Brand video.

What were your goals for this project?

• Introduce our company to new audiences
• Present our product in an easy-to-follow way

SOLUTION

How did you select Six Degrees Productions?

One of our team-members had worked with them before, and highlighted good quality and turn around.

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

Once we get in touch with Six Degrees to meet and agreed on our goals, we submitted our brief, brand assets and the script so they could help us with the creation of the video.

A couple of days later their team provided a document with references of the look and feel for the product animations. Then they help us to shoot some of our employees without them leaving their homes. We kept a close-open communication refine the post-production and hit our thigh deadline of 4 weeks.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

They centralized all our communication through one person how was always available and open to our feedback and internal process. As we worked alongside them since the beginning of the project with a clear direction and idea of what we wanted, the process was very smooth and well managed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It is still too early to see the outcomes, but we are very happy with the final product, and the way we collaborate with them.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The whole process was handled remotely because of COVID, so having a project manager who was easy to communicate was vital. They provided us frequent updates and sneak peeks of the video for us to give feedback, and were very flexible with the multiple channels we used to communicate within our company.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had a comprehensive discovery process and really got to the core of our goals and needs - then delivered on them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can remember.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Concert Properties has been proudly developing, acquiring and managing Canadian real estate since 1989. From condominiums to seniors' active aging communities, and commercial properties to public infrastructure to rental apartments, we create resilient, thriving communities across Canada. I am the Director of Corporate Communications, responsible for all internal and external communications, including the company's brand and reputation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Six Degrees Productions?

Trades training students are in direct need of financial help, now more than ever. Despite not being able to host our annual golf tournament to raise funds for trades training across Canada ($3.5 million to date), Concert and our supporters were determined to provide financial assistance to students impacted by the pandemic This year, Concert and our partners were able to raise much needed donations to each institution. We wanted to hear from students and educational administrators directly how these funds have helped them. The ides was to produce short videos for each institutions (2 in Ontario, two in BC). The challenge was doing so amidst the pandemic.

What were your goals for this project?

Produce engaging, emotional videos that captured the essence of our key messages, and that would generate positive feedback on social channels.

SOLUTION

How did you select Six Degrees Productions?

We hired Six Degrees because as a Board member of IABC/BC I had seen the excellent work they had one there and knew the could deliver. And they did. Not only shooting several locations across Canada, but also taking previously shot footage and seamlessly editing it into the narratives.

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

Four 2-3 minutes videos with animation, location videography, graphics and titles and music, plus a long fifth video consolidating content for the other four videos (for our partners).

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Very responsive. Always got back right away. They always ensure that necessary questions are asked and answered.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Not quite yet. Results are currently being captured.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Top quality as a reasonable price, engendering trust.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None I could see.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing specialist at Rand Merchant Bank, a corporate banking institution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Six Degrees Productions?

We needed someone to create an explainer video that would position our capabilities. The video would be used for pitches and external communications with potential clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Six Degrees produced two explainer animated videos for us. In doing so, they had to recreate two different brands that we had internally. 

The videos will be used for my internal clients for various reasons, but essentially to position our capabilities.

What is the team composition?

I dealt with one person who was managing the entire process. In the background, I’m sure there was a digital person who was building all the animations.

How did you come to work with Six Degrees Productions?

We chose them based on their quality of work they provided us in the past. It’s purely a relationship based appointment. We were comfortable going with them compared to the other agencies.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2019-June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They deliver good quality work. The turnaround times of the video production are good, as is the quality of the animations. They met the briefs and what we were expecting. I will be using Six Degrees again.

How did Six Degrees Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

Both their project and account management were very good. The team was always able to quickly make the changes I sent to them, and they often came up with innovative, creative solutions. We communicated mostly through email, and sometimes on the phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Six Degrees is agile and creative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their communication could be broader instead of relying on email. They could do more one-on-one or telephone calls.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to working with a credible supplier that can produce quality work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing for sales & distribution for an insurance provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Six Degrees Productions?

We have an annual recognition event for top achievers from our sales group. We needed elements created for a webinar, including video production and design work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Six Degrees Productions handled the design of the invitation, the certificates we handed out, and really everything related to the look and feel of the event.

For the video, they interviewed roughly 100 people, including the winners being recognized. For some of the video pieces, there were several people answering the same question and single interviewees in other videos. The interviews were done by Zoom call, due to COVID-19.

The videos are for a webinar, which was not done by this team. They did create all the elements that went into the webinar, and the goal is to make the winners feel really special when they watch it. 

What is the team composition?

There were between six and seven key people we interacted with for the project.

How did you come to work with Six Degrees Productions?

Our head of marketing recommended them. We included them in the pitch process, and they were selected.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000 - $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2019 – August 2020. We worked with them on the same event last year, where they produced the same deliverables.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There were challenges due to working with Zoom calls, which were occasionally dropped. They set up, and redid those appointments to ensure top quality work. They are outstanding, with great attention to detail and quality. We’re very pleased.

How did Six Degrees Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

Six Degrees Productions entirely handled the management of the project, so I was a bit removed from the day-to-day. However, any time I called them, they were able to give a very current update. Their communication is very clear, and transparent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver what they promise, and more. They clearly communicate if there’s something they aren’t sure they can deliver, but are willing to try. I’ve worked with several companies; they’re one of the best I’ve engaged with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re always willing to meet your expectations, and will quickly communicate if they can’t.