and action

Introduce your business and what you do there.

SoftServe is an IT company based in Ukraine. I am a functional manager, and I drive all of the marketing activities related to our department.

What challenge were you trying to address with and action?

We wanted to make a recruitment promo video for our department and our data science team.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The and action team created a video that was central to our recruitment campaign. We collaborated on the scenario and worked together to cast actors from the shortlist that we already had. Their production team did all of the filming and editing. In the end, they provided us with a video that was ready for promotion.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people: the CEO, the director, the person who created the scenario, and an operational director. There were more than 15 people involved in the production and postproduction activities

How did you come to work with and action?

We had already worked on a lot of projects with and action, so when our department needed a video for this campaign, we reached out to them again. We had already seen the quality of their work, so we trusted that they could deliver on that level again.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working on this project in March 2021, and it was completed in October 2021.

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

We have yet to get metrics that speak to the impact of and action’s work. We have, however, received really positive feedback about the video. It helped us confidently step into this campaign, which is a whole new direction for our department. 

It was a pleasure to work with their team. They were very professional, and we’re so glad that we decided to go with their team. If we have ideas for another marketing campaign or when we have a need to shoot another video, we will contact them again.

How did and action perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a big project, so we cooperated with and action on all of the organizational tasks. We used Asana to track all of our deadlines — which they were able to meet — and Telegram, Zoom, and phone calls to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was my first time working closely with a video production team, and I can say that everything was so exciting to me. It was a great experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As this was a new project for me, I found a lot of steps rather puzzling. It would be good for them to provide an orientation on the video production process and stages, especially to clients who have no prior knowledge about it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can rely on the and action team for anything related to video production. They are one of the best teams in Ukraine, and they will creatively implement any idea you may have.

Introduce your business and what you do there?

I work for Assai Software Services B.V. as a marketing executive. Our company sells software about document control and management to industries such as oil and gas as well as engineering.

What challenge were you trying to address with AND ACTION?

We went through a rebrand to modernize our brand so we needed to have an explainer video created.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them our new brand guidelines and script. After that, they created storyboards and animation, got the voice-over artists, and provided English and Russian video translations. Overall, they designed, produced, and edited a 90-second animated explainer video.

On top of that, they gave us two shortened versions of the video: 15-second and 6-second videos. The video was primarily used for marketing, to explain our company and the benefits of our services. On LinkedIn, we used the video's short version to direct people to YouTube for the full version.

What is the team composition?

We had one point of contact at a time; we had to change our primary contact in the midst of the project, so we worked with two people in total.

How did you come to work with AND ACTION?

One of my colleagues knew their CEO.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $2,300.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–July 2021.

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

It would be too soon to share statistics or metrics. However, the video that we posted on LinkedIn gained positive feedback. We were able to secure our highest LinkedIn engagement rate ever with more than 1,000 views.

We would also post the video on our website once we launch it. We look forward to collaborating with AND ACTION on future video projects, as well as with our e-learning course currently being developed.

How did AND ACTION perform from a project management standpoint?

AND ACTION did a fantastic job. They were extremely responsive, and they provided us with clear answers and solutions. We communicated via video calls, and we used emails for the majority of the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They produced great quality of work while working within our budget. We weren’t sure what we would get for our tight budget, but they did an excellent job. In addition, despite not being able to fully explain what we wanted, they quickly understood our vision.

We were pleasantly surprised at how they completely matched our expectations and desires. Overall, we had a very positive experience with AND ACTION, unlike the previous engagements we had with other vendors that were in a different country than us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

AND ACTION needs to improve their visibility in the market. If someone in our company wasn’t connected to them, I didn’t think we would’ve found them for our project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear project to work on, and they will do the rest.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a convenience retailer in Hawaii. We operate 65 convenience stores, and because we’re a separate licensee, we make our own buying and operating decisions. All of our stores are corporately owned so we don’t have any franchisees. I’m the marketing manager, and I’m responsible for our company’s marketing activities.

What challenge were you trying to address with AND ACTION?

Previously, we had plastic cups for our fountain drinks. Then, we decided we were going to launch paper cups as substitutes for plastic cups. We’d offer new locally-inspired designs which featured many Hawaii-themed elements such as indigenous fruits on some of the cup sizes.

However, we were anticipating getting some negative feedback based on the customers who may not enjoy their drinking experience as much due to the size of the drink and the speed at which the material would disintegrate. To show the people of Hawaii that we would be there for them, we wanted AND ACTION to create two commercials for our fountain drinks. The commercials would create excitement and serve as a way to introduce our new cups.

What was the scope of their involvement?

AND ACTION provided the entire storyline for our animated commercials. Both commercials were completely different, and it was outlined in the proposal that the team gave us.  The pre-production materials they needed from us were also written in the outline. In the end, they submitted two separate commercials in different aspect ratios. As a result, we received a total of four videos.

What is the team composition?

Five people from AND ACTION worked on our project. However, we only communicated with Vitalii (Co-Founder) and Khrystyna (Co-Owner).

How did you come to work with AND ACTION?

We posted a brief of our project so that creators around the world could submit their treatments and proposals. We provided information about the different cup designs we had. Then, we went into more detail about what we were looking for.

AND ACTION stood out the most because they did research as to why consumers were drinking our fountain drinks. They provided background information that went beyond featuring Hawaii as a paradise. On top of that, they provided storyboards so we could clearly see what they were going to do. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $9,700.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked from April–June 2021.

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

We don’t have any measurable metrics because our campaign would be live next month. We just wanted to work with them ahead of schedule just in case we ran out of our existing cup inventory. That way, we could launch the commercial at any time. Not a lot of eyes had seen the commercials, but everyone who saw it had been satisfied with what they saw. 

How did AND ACTION perform from a project management standpoint?

The biggest thing about working with AND ACTION was their exceptional communication skills. Every single time we asked them for anything, they’d get changes done the next day. On top of that, we were impressed with their ability to grasp our Hawaii-themed concept in a global way.

We used a portal to share our files and keep everything documented. They also had a staff who oversaw the whole process and would reach out to us if they had any questions. They were on top of their deadlines, and they were very clear about their timelines. If for some reason they couldn’t make it, they always updated the timeline in the portal, and they gave us their reasons.

Additionally, whenever we met AND ACTION, they’d always ask for feedback to help them improve and work better. However, I didn’t really have anything to say because they were great. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Despite not working with them physically and not having much control over the process, their proactiveness in updating us made the project a success. We didn’t have to worry if things were getting done. We knew that they were on our side, and they were looking out for both of our interests. Most of all, we knew that they wanted to put out something that we were all happy with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. We had a great experience with AND ACTION.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide visual examples of what you want them to create. If there’s anything that you’d like to change or if the style that they provide is not exactly what you’re looking for, just give them your insights. That way, they can understand where you’re coming from and change everything accordingly. AND ACTION has the capability to go beyond cultural differences if you provide them with a baseline they can connect with.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of WHITE Dental Group. We sell dental implants all over Ukraine. I’m responsible for the brand’s marketing and distribution.

What challenge were you trying to address with AND ACTION?

We were trying to support our customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal was to produce a video that would show the difficulties and challenges of being a dentist, but also how it’s sometimes great to be one. We wanted to promote our company through the video and show our customers that we appreciated and cared about what they were doing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

AND ACTION was in charge of the video production. They went through all of the process — copywriting, research, creating the concept, and doing the technical work. It was a full, complex scope.

To develop the idea, we had a lot of research involved. We first gave them some basic information so they’d get a look. They checked with different customers to find pain points. After they got that together, they proposed a few ideas, and we reviewed them and chose one.

What is the team composition?

It was close to eight people. Since it was a video production, there were a lot of people involved, like the cameramen and such. They had a creative director who was responsible for casting and copywriting. The two cameramen were responsible for the technical aspects, and the project manager oversaw the team.

How did you come to work with AND ACTION?

It was through a recommendation. The people who recommended them to us knew the type of company we expected.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent exactly $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2020, and the project was finished in June 2020.

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

The video got 55,000 views on YouTube, which is quite an important metric for us. The benchmark in the dental field was a maximum of 20,000, so we got twice the number of views and a lot of reactions and comments from customers. That was great feedback.

How did AND ACTION perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very professional. They’re great at delegating tasks across the team. Because of COVID-19, we communicated mainly through Zoom calls. We also exchanged a lot of briefs and paperwork because the project required lots of documents.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their capacity to propose a full service. They didn’t ask me what they had to do, they took the initiative. Their creativity and ability to come up with an idea were the key points for me. The production was excellent, but they stood out for their creative process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re quite expensive for Ukrainian markets, but that’s the only point. I could say it’s a disadvantage, but it’s fine. I just wish we could do more projects with them, but it’s not a possibility at this moment, especially right now.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should understand and evaluate the research you’re doing and trust it. Let them do their job. Do not conform with what you think and have in your reach; instead, work with them to find the best possible idea to suit your customers.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was a project manager for a recruitment project at Ukrainian Leadership Academy. It’s the biggest NGO in Ukraine working with teenagers after school, helping them to have a productive transition between school and university. I was in charge of creative work and promotion for a recruitment campaign.

What challenge were you trying to address with AND ACTION?

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, we weren’t able to conduct any offline recruitment as we’d usually do. In previous years, we’d go to schools around the country and work with students directly, but we had no way of doing that this year. We had to make an online campaign, and we also wanted to target a different audience. We usually worked with more extroverted students, and we wanted to get some smart introverted ones this time.

What was the scope of their involvement?

AND ACTION conducted a brief research with our potential students, based on which they drafted the creative concept of the campaign. They developed the key visuals and adapted those for different online channels. They also made a promotional video to be used on a few platforms, including social media and our website.

What is the team composition?

We worked with their CEO and with the creative director. We weren’t in touch with any other employees.

How did you come to work with AND ACTION?

They were recommended to us by another organization. Given that it was during the lockdown, we were looking for people who could create graphic videos, not just live-action ones. AND ACTION had a strong and modern portfolio, encompassing different styles and approaches. They were willing to experiment, and so were we, so it was a perfect fit.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost was below $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with AND ACTION in March 2020 and the project finished in June, after which we rolled out the campaign.

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

Our team was satisfied with AND ACTION’s work. It was the first time we’d tried to do a whole campaign properly, and we liked this experience a lot. We received the same number of applications as in the previous year, which was important for us given the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. The online campaign worked as well as our previous offline ones, and the students who participated in the program were touched by the key visuals and the promotional video. The quality was very high.

How did AND ACTION perform from a project management standpoint?

They were ahead of the deadline, so we were happy with the time management. AND ACTION always proposed different ways of doing things, and they were proactive in asking for feedback. We felt that they were really interested in the project, and weren’t just working as an external team. They met all our deadlines and expectations. We communicated through Zoom and messengers. The project wasn’t that long, so we didn’t need to use Trello or any other scrum tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Creative agencies will usually just listen to the client and won’t be willing to push them to different ideas. AND ACTION brought some ideas that we weren’t ready for at first, but they proved to us that those would work better. They were persuasive in a good way, and they proposed very innovative graphic styles that we hadn’t considered in the beginning. They engaged in a professional discussion and didn’t just do what the client wanted. Their aim was to make us better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

After we had the script and everything else approved, we had 2–3 weeks of quiet time during which they made the video, and we didn’t receive any updates on how things were going. There was no communication, and we were a bit nervous. Communication during the project is something that could maybe be improved.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

They should trust AND ACTION, relax, and enjoy the project. They really do everything in order to give the client the results they need.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of Intellias, a software development company headquartered in Ukraine.

What challenge were you trying to address with AND ACTION?

We were looking for a company that could develop great video content. We operate in the automotive industry, and we always need to communicate to employees and candidates our key value proposition, referral program, and how our company differentiates itself from others.

Ukraine is a quite competitive market, so we always need to communicate the benefits of our company to future employees, as well as explain different processes to current employees, and how they can refer friends to the company. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

AND ACTION provided video content for recruitment purposes, employee engagement, communicating our key value proposition and referral program, and so on.

They’ve produced animated content for most internal use, to explain how different processes work. When it came to external needs, it was mostly filmed content featuring our employees. We’re a global company with 30,000 engineers across the world, and we’ve produced videos at each of our offices, in Japan, China, the US, India, Mexico, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Poland.

What is the team composition?

We’ve done several projects with them, with varying team sizes. The referral program had a team of 20 people, including a producer, operators, copywriters, and editors.

How did you come to work with AND ACTION?

It was through a referral. We ran a tender and considered multiple companies. AND ACTION won based on their references from other companies and pricing. It was important for us to make a global picture, and not a local one.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve had different projects with them, from €5,000 to €100,000 per video (approximately $5,500 – $110,000 USD)

What is the status of this engagement?

We had our first project with them 2–3 years ago. The planning started at the beginning of 2018, and the execution was around February. It was a small project for internal communication, followed by the referral program. Right now, we’re working on a project about the employee value proposition. It’s a big project, and the video will be used both internally and externally.

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

I’ve gotten very good feedback from my colleagues in Ukraine in terms of quality, creativity, and return on investment.

How did AND ACTION perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a dedicated account manager driving the process at all stages. They’re quite agile in changing requirements during the project. I’m satisfied with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

 Their creativity is very impressive. They’re probably not the fastest, and they’re probably more expensive compared to other studios in Ukraine, but what they deliver is much more high-quality.

I’ve had experience with other studios, and I’d say that AND ACTION stands out in terms of quality of work and their understanding of what kind of message we want to deliver. They become part of the team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As I mentioned, they’re probably more expensive than other studios, and they don’t work as fast, but I can understand why. They’re probably not the best for small, fast projects intended for small audiences; they’re very specific and want to understand all the requirements. They talk to the stakeholders in order to define the roadmap.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

It’s important to define the final message or goal you have for the video. If they understand the goal of the video, the result will be great.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Chief Marketing Officer a software product development service company, specialized in Computer Networking, Embedded Development and the Internet of Things.

For what projects/services did your company hire and action?

We have hired And Action for the production of a compelling corporate video.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal was to create a powerful video story, reflecting the company's new brand positioning and image after the significant re-branding.

How did you select this vendor?

I had a successful experience of collaborating with this agency when working for a previous company. That collaboration resulted in an award winning project, recognized by Ukrainian Design: the Best Of, as the best one in the Video category. My former team and I enjoyed the collaboration, so I decided to select this agency again for the new project.

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

Once this agency was selected as our partner, they started learning about our business: our positioning, differentiation, service portfolio and the goals of the video. They drafted the initial script, and we used their structure, but had to rewrite the script significantly at own efforts.

Further on, we collaborated on the storyboard and selected the music. The end product was a 1.5 minute long, creative promotional video that we used for our website and social media.

Their team provided a couple of actors but mostly our company's team was filmed which served as additional internal motivation. We used our brand new, well-equipped office as the main filming location. The filming process was long but exciting for our whole team.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

They provided a full filming crew and an animator for the post-production work. We have worked together on making the changes in the final video, and their turnaround was rather quick. I couldn't say that we always agreed on anything, but the discussion was always productive and pleasant.

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

The launch of the new video resulted in increased traffic to our website and activity on our social media pages. It also allowed us to illustrate our new positioning for our key audiences and we have received a lot of positive feedback on how well it reflects our unique brand, both from our team members internally, from our valued customers, partners and external communities.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The account manager on the agency site was easy to communicate with and always provided a clear and detailed status. We had a project timeline that was followed and all of our questions were answered promptly. The whole crew was very responsive and the collaboration was productive and pleasant. The filming process at our office was carefully planned and scheduled so it did not disturb any work and the order was quickly restored. Our team was satisfied with this collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

This is a very professional and creative team, easy to communicate with, always open for comments and suggestions. They are always looking for new ways to deliver more value to their customers by trying to understand their business goals and objectives. I'm impressed by their strong focus on continuous improvement of their service.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have ended up with higher budgets than expected, in both projects I've collaborated with them on. This created some inconvenience as some heavy "internal selling" had to be done on our side to get that extra budget approved. However, we were aware what the additional charges included and were not willing to sacrifice the video quality, so we have agreed to this option prior to starting the project.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a product manager at a digital product design firm. We help startups and enterprises design and market their digital products.

For what projects/services did your company hire and action?

We hired and action to produce a series of three promotional videos for one of our client’s public launch campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

We set out to create engaging videos that would be consistent with an established brand voice.

How did you select this vendor?

We’d already developed visuals and a strong tone-of-voice, so we needed a partner that understood the product’s specifications, audience, and main value. and action’s team and portfolio looked much better than those of other references we received.

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

We provided and action with a general script vision and asked them to validate it. Then, they dove into storyboarding, basing their concepts on the visual guidelines, illustrations, and other brand images we’d already developed. We chose the approach that worked best for us, analyzed proposed animations and illustrations, and started production. Once the videos were done, we gathered feedback from the client and had and action implement it.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

They had a lean team. Khrystyna (CEO, and action) helped us identify the best approach during the discovery process while Vitalii (Co-Founder, and action) handled communication. Despite us being a little bit slow with feedback (there were a lot of stakeholders within our process), and action was responsive and proactive.

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

General feedback from the stakeholders has been really good. After several sessions, we’ve decided to make some minor changes, but and action handled them quickly. We’re about to start the campaign and expect the videos to work well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It’s been very natural. We use Skype for day-to-day communication and Google Docs to collaborate. They also have internal project management tools I believe.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re both responsive to feedback and confident in their own ideas. If we asked them to change something, they would always explain the logic behind their initial choice. After, if we still wanted the change, they would make it. This helped us avoid mistakes multiple times. This process didn’t sacrifice either speed or quality.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of anything specific at the moment. They did a good job.

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Lviv Film Commission is a municipal organization that provides information and assistance for production companies and independent filmmakers from all around the world.

For what projects/services did your company hire and action?

We needed support to create a promotional video for the Lviv Film Commission.

What were your goals for this project?

Our objective for this engagement was to produce an outstanding video to promote both our services and the city itself as a filming location with developed infrastructure.

How did you select this vendor?

We chose and action based on the balance of services and pricing they offered. 

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

and action worked independently based on our order and proposals. They 
completed every task according to the timeline we set out for the project.

What was the team composition?

The team included less than seven people.  Two people from our company helped adjust the concept and communicate our ideas to and action.

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

Our promo video is said to be one of the best in the field.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our communication and timing with and action felt very comfortable. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Not only is and action the best and most professional team in Lviv, but they also offer an extensive range of competitively priced services. Their passionate team members contribute at every stage of production to meet the priorities of your project. and action’s creative attitude and individualized attention resulted in a unique audio-visual product.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything worked fine.

Please describe your company and your position there.

EPAM helps reimagine our customers' businesses through a digital lens. Our software engineering heritage combined with our strategic business and innovation consulting, design thinking, and physical-digital capabilities provide real business value to our customers through human-centric innovation. My position is marketing manager for the talent acquisition team.

For what projects/services did your company hire and action , and what were your goals?

The project was about creating a set of videos designed to describe the benefits the company provides to talents, and to promote the list of events and programs for them.

How did you select this vendor?

We cooperate with And Action for more than 6 years already, so their skills and expertise are well-known and proven.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

This was a project from a scratch, beginning with a brand book designed for this project, and the final deliverables are 12 videos and all the assets created.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Production: and action Aigul- project-manager Gena- illustrator Anastasia- animator Scriptwriter - Stephen

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

We had a chat for timely and convenient communication and updates, as well as online meetings.

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

We appreciated their flexibility, creativity, and high-quality work.

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

Everything was just great!