Strega Studios

BACKGROUND

I am the Executive Director of Hearty Roots

Hearty Roots helps young people build connection, confidence, and resilience through year-round nature-based adventure, trusted mentorship, and meaningful experiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

• Create compelling film that captures the essence of our work and impact.

SOLUTION

Referral

Referred to me

1 Employee

Strega Studios created a flagship video for the Hearty Roots website that would capture our mission, programs, and the experience we create for young people. Alex Bertoni handled the full production process, including on-site filming across our programs and campus, interviews with staff and participants, and extensive video capture of our outdoor programming and the young people we serve. He then took all of that footage and shaped it into a beautiful, compelling film that tells the Hearty Roots story in an authentic and emotionally engaging way. Key deliverables included on-location video production, professional interviews, extensive program and B-roll footage, and the final edited film for use as the primary video on our website landing page and across our communications and marketing channels.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The film recently launched, so we are still gathering longer-term engagement data, but it has already become an important tool for telling the Hearty Roots story. We’ve used it at donor and fundraising events, where it has helped us quickly and powerfully communicate our mission, programs, and impact. We anticipate the film will continue to strengthen engagement with prospective parents, funders, donors, and community partners by giving people an immediate, authentic window into the work we do and the experience of being part of Hearty Roots. It has given us a professional, compelling storytelling asset that we can use across our website, fundraising, outreach, and communications for years to come. 

Alex was fantastic to work with from start to finish. He was organized, responsive, communicative, and incredibly easy to collaborate with throughout the entire process. He listened carefully to our vision and needs, while also bringing his own creative expertise and perspective to the project. He was flexible when things changed, thoughtful about incorporating feedback, and consistently professional throughout production and editing. The project moved smoothly from filming through the final edit, and Alex delivered a finished product that exceeded our expectations. We always felt that the project was in capable hands, and we would absolutely work with him again.

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What impressed us most about Strega Studios was Alex’s genuine belief in our mission. He generously donated the full $5,000 value of his services to Hearty Roots because he believes deeply in the work we’re doing with young people. Beyond his exceptional filmmaking talent, Alex took the time to truly understand who we are and why our work matters, and that care is evident in the final film. It’s rare to find someone who brings both this level of creative talent and such genuine generosity and commitment to a nonprofit’s mission.

 None! Alex was generous, FUN, collaborative, responsive, and highly professional throughout the entire process. If anything, the biggest challenge was simply wanting more of his time because there are so many stories we could tell! We would gladly work with Strega Studios again and hope to have the opportunity to collaborate on future projects as Hearty Roots continues to grow. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director, Client Partnerships & Operations of Orange Square

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We create brands that power businesses in health and research.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• New Business Acquisition
• Brand & Services Awareness with Target Audiences
• Audience Engagement

SOLUTION

How did you find Strega Studios?

Direct business relationship with Alex.

Why did you select Strega Studios over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Fully trust Alex's strategic approach, creative & technical skills, work ethic, detail & quality.

How many teammates from Strega Studios were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Strega Studios provided multimedia content creation services including pre-production, production, and post-production.

Pre-production support including: scriptwriting, budgeting, location scouting, shot listing, scheduling, equipment planning, prop planning, rehearsals and creative team assembly.

Production including camera operation and direction.

Post-production: editing, color correction, sound design, sound editing, visual effects, motion graphics, subtitling, color grading, final mix, exporting, 40+ deliverables -- inclusive of client review cycles and edits through to final approval 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Orange Square's owner / creative director and our agency team were all extremely pleased with Alex's work from day 1 through project completion. The outcome was stellar, as expected. (We are all seasoned strategy, branding, creative/design, marketing and production professionals with very high standards. Alex was a highly trusted, collaborative, integral part of our team during this important project and his work from start to finish, including the final outcome, was excellent.)

In terms of campaign metrics and result, our campaign just launched so we do not yet have this intel.

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

Alex always delivers on time, on budget and on strategy and consistently did so here in every respect of this project.

What was your primary form of communication with Strega Studios?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Alex and Strega Studios always deliver, meeting the highest standards in every regard throughout a project. This was consistently the case here with our market awarness / new business acquisition project.

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

n/a

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Director of Cultivating Community

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cultivating Community empowers people through food and land access. Our Mission is to grow food justice in Greater Portland by providing education, resources, and opportunities to cultivate and share culturally familiar food.

Founded in 2001, our place-based programs prioritize people most likely to experience hunger and be excluded from the food system.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Capture program images that tell the story of our work
• Build trust with participants

SOLUTION

How did you find Strega Studios?

Referral

Why did you select Strega Studios over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• excellent communication

How many teammates from Strega Studios were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Capturing high-quality joyful images of a small non-profit's school and community gardens, community farms, immigrant farmer training program, and youth leadership participants. On-site photos of our work in action at the peak of the growing season, while also respecting the privacy of individuals. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Strega Studios shared compressed and high resolution images from each session promptly and the photos were absolutely stunning and perfectly captured our work. They were exactly what we needed for social media, newsletters, website updates and more. We could not be happier and LOVED working with the Strega team. They also did a great job of working cross-culturally with multilingual gardeners, putting everyone at ease and making it fun, which comes across beautifully in the images. 

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

Excellent communication throughout, everything was delivered on time or ahead of schedule. The team is well organized, always on time, and great to work with. 

What was your primary form of communication with Strega Studios?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The Strega team was as down to earth as they were professional, we really appreciated that the company lives their values and is deeply rooted in the community. Will 100% be recommending them and working with them again! 

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

None. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Telematics of Ryder

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

As a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, we work behind the scenes providing technology-driven supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions to companies of all sizes from emerging retailers to some of the world's most known brands. 

Our solutions cover the entire supply chain from port-to-door including warehouse management, distribution management, e-commerce fulfillment, managed transportation, last mile delivery, freight brokerage, truck leasing, maintenance, truck rental, and used vehicle sales, as well as provide proprietary technology platforms and trained employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tulpamancer to accomplish?

• Expand Telematic Footprint with Ryder Lease Vehicles
• Expand Internal Telematics Program Visibility
• Communicate Consistently with Existing Customers

SOLUTION

How did you find Tulpamancer?

Referral

Why did you select Tulpamancer over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Tulpamancer were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

The RyderConnect Telematics team engaged Tulpamancer to help enhance our product/service message with internal teams, prospects and customers. With Tulpamancer’s help we established a new product e-mail campaign, monthly newsletter and packaged/refreshed video content. The approach has been a force-multiplier that we have leveraged for internal awareness and industry conferences.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have been able to reach out to prospects and customers effectively. This contributed to a significant positive increase our annual voice of customer survey.

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

Alex, from Tuplamancer, took the time the time to understand our business approach with a thorough review of existing material and follow-up interviews. Alex is creative, responsive, thorough and easy to work with.

What was your primary form of communication with Tulpamancer?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I was impressed with their ability to understand and grasp the objectives of our team, which helped to turn around content quickly.

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

Nothing. Tuplamancer met our needs quickly and cost-effectively.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of a water testing products company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Water microbiology testing products sold around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tulpamancer to accomplish?

• Design a large mural capturing our business' history of innovation.
• Convey the culture of the business through the mural.

SOLUTION

How did you find Tulpamancer?

Referral

Why did you select Tulpamancer over others?

• 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 Tulpamancer were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Design a very large mural for the new global headquarters of our business from concept to final design. This involved both overall and detailed design of the mural as well interviewing important employee contributors to develop our "innovation Timeline", gather direct quotes and identify images to incorporate.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Mural was completed and installed using the vendor's final design file.

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

Project was delivered on time and vendor was extremely responsive.

What was your primary form of communication with Tulpamancer?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We highly valued Tulpmancer's ability to quickly grasp what we are trying to accomplish through the project and to come up with an end product that exceeded our expectations with minimal guidance from us .

The Tulpmancer team was always extremely responsive and customer-oriented and was happy to work with us as we needed to make adjustments over the life of the project. It was a delight to work with the team and we have since hired them for other small projects and referred them to our sister business.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Strategist of IDEXX

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

IDEXX is a global leader in pet healthcare innovation. Our diagnostic and software products and services create clarity in a complex and evolving world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tulpamancer to accomplish?

• Highlight the key features and benefits offered by our client engagement solution.
• Introduce our client engagement solution to the market in a way that feels unique and differentiated.
• Articulate how our client engagement solution drove efficiency in a specific practice.

SOLUTION

How did you find Tulpamancer?

Referral

Why did you select Tulpamancer over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tulpamancer were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

• Creative briefing / kickoff 
• Concepting: 3x unique concepts for feedback and selection
• Scripting: upon selection of concept, creation of a comprehensive script outlining audio, visuals, story flow
• Storyboarding: upon selection of concept, creation of a storyboard to articulate story flow
• Revisions: multiple rounds of stakeholder feedback and script revisions following stakeholder and medical review
• Shoot coordination: identifying dates / resources required for shoot
• Shooting: 1x full day of video shooting in-clinic
• Video Production: creation of a ~3-minute video, including in-clinic video, animation of UI components, voice-over, and story creation
• Revisions: multiple rounds of revisions based on stakeholder feedback, proofing, and legal review

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Stakeholder feedback
• Internal views
• External (customer) views
• Customer feedback

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

Alex's project management is excellent - we came to him with a very tight timeline and specific set of objectives for the video, and he was very flexible and willing to pivot quickly when needed to ensure a timely delivery of an asset that met (and exceeded) our needs. He creates a great balance between giving stakeholders time to absorb and provide tangible feedback, while also keeping the project moving forward towards timing and delivery goals.

We had a very tight timeline, but Alex approached it with a problem-solving mentality and kept us moving towards the deadline while leaving room for pivoting where needed.

What was your primary form of communication with Tulpamancer?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Alex brought such a sense of enthusiasm to the project that was palpable to both my team and the clinic who we partnered with on the video. This meant that interview subjects in the video were incredibly comfortable answering questions (and just being on film in general) which created an organic, collaborative environment that helped us get to the most resonant content.

Alex also had a unique and incredibly helpful understanding of the process required to get the video to the finish line - he immersed himself in our business, brand, and processes and fit his own creative process in with these parameters to ensure we were delivering an asset that was in line with our brand and product needs.

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

No notes! The collaboration and enthusiasm for the work was incredibly appreciated and got us to a fantastic result.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Director of Presumpscot Regional Land Trust

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Preserves land in five towns in Maine

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Communicate effectively with membership

SOLUTION

How did you find Strega Studios?

Referral

Why did you select Strega Studios over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Strega Studios were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Alex worked closely with the Trust to identify our core audiences and developed an email marketing plan broken down by month to effectively communicate with each market segment

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Still in progress but we have successfully completed our first goal of identifying our core audiences and effective messages for each subaudience. 

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

They are effective at working with small organizations to meet them where they are at in terms of available time for projects while also always delivering product on time. The patience and flexibility is deeply appreciated. 

What was your primary form of communication with Strega Studios?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Alex's ability to balance lethal effectiveness with great cheer and wisdom. 

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

None!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a director for The Portland Gear Hub

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a non-profit and we refubish bicycles and outdoor gear to sell at low prices or donate back to the community. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tulpamancer to accomplish?

• Showcase our programs
• Bring awareness to our capital campaign to purchase our building

SOLUTION

How did you find Tulpamancer?

Other

Why did you select Tulpamancer over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tulpamancer were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Alex Bertoni worked with us to create a 3 minute video about the Portland Gear hub. 

He delivered a workplan, interview questions, a timeline of the project, and an incredible end result. He also delivered two slightly different version for different purposes. 

He spent several hours with us, watching us deliver programs, meeting with staff, and talking to the board. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Very positive feedback from staff, board, donors, all viewers of the video.

Thousands of view on social media (above our average).

2 videos that can be used for different purposes - one a capital campaign focused video, and the other more general about our operations.

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

Project management was excellent. Very responsive to all questions, last minute changes (on our end), patient, and delivered well within timeline. Very responsive to our needs (and helped us understand better what we did need!!). 

What was your primary form of communication with Tulpamancer?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The way Alex grasped the essence of The Portland Gear Hub was impressive- it is a community space, and he really understood what we were doing, and captured it, and communicated it easily. 

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

none!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-founder of Lucky Pigeon Brewing

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Lucky Pigeon Brewing is Maine's first dedicated gluten-free brewery making beers that are safe for those with an intolerance to gluten, and simply delicious for all.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tulpamancer to accomplish?

• Video production

SOLUTION

How did you find Tulpamancer?

Past collaboration

Why did you select Tulpamancer over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Tulpamancer were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Alex worked with us to understand our needs for the video and developed a storyline to help convey the messages.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After posting segments of the video to social media, we had high engagement and increased traffic to our website.

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

Wonderful planning and execution. Very planful and also down-to-earth manner. A valued partner who elevated our marketing.

What was your primary form of communication with Tulpamancer?

Email or Messaging App

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

They took our initial idea and developed it far beyond our expectations. It felt as though they were personally invested in our success and gladly gave their creativity and energy to our mission.

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

I can't think of anything to improve. They are AMAZING!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Director of Marketing of a chemicals & biotechnology company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Biotechnology

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Tulpamancer to accomplish?

• Create a mural of our division's history

SOLUTION

How did you find Tulpamancer?

Referral

Why did you select Tulpamancer over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Tulpamancer were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

Created a timeline mural that summarized the history of our business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Increase in employee engagement

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

Alex was an effective project manager. He was always very prompt in his replies and managed various inputs to create our project. He was accurate in forecasting his production timeline.

What was your primary form of communication with Tulpamancer?

Email or Messaging App

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

Alex's engagement was excellent. He was very positive and easy to work with.

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

no