By The Booth

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the program manager for the Headstrong Youth Mental Health Program with the Mental Health Commission of Canada. We’re an organization that works at arm’s length from the government to improve access to mental healthcare and support. We also aim to reduce the stigma and improve the education in the wider community about mental health, hoping that all Canadians can enjoy better mental health going forward. 

What challenge were you trying to address with By The Booth? 

Our programs were conducted in person, and we normally brought young people into a central venue to learn about mental health and the stigma surrounding it. In these programs, they also learned how to become youth leaders and advocates for mental wellness in their schools and communities. When the COVID-19 pandemic happened, we decided to create an experience they could take directly in their classrooms or homes. Specifically, we wanted to create videos of people telling stories of their recovery from mental health problems. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

By The Booth produced around 15 short videos featuring individuals telling their own stories about mental health. Initially, we had to select and approach speakers that would be fantastic for the project. Our team ensured that we had a diverse set of people and stories. Additionally, we worked with youth aged 12 and above, so we ensured the videos were appropriate for their age. 

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the video recordings were done in the speakers’ homes, and By The Booth helped us figure out how to do that. They handled the production methods, camera positions, lighting, and backgrounds. Working with us, their team also found a way for the speakers to send their videos back to us. After that, their resources then helped us edit the videos. 

For further context, the stories we had were targeted in a highly specific way; we ensured no one in our audience would be overly distressed by watching something that could’ve happened in their own lives. In this project, we wanted to inspire young people and let them know that recovery was possible; that people with serious mental illnesses could live satisfying and happy lives. By The Booth worked to get that message across and to help normalize the conversation around mental health. That was truly the most important part of our engagement with them. 

Apart from the videos of the speakers, By The Booth also created two French videos. They also produced a piece of original animation video and an explainer for our program. These were the first things we showed to young people who joined our program. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from their team, including James (VP of Marketing & New Business) and Garus (ECD & Partner). Garus and another person helped us with the meat of the project, while James guided us around the direction we wanted to take and the feel that we wanted the experience to have. 

How did you come to work with By The Booth?

I searched online and sent out an RFP. What sealed the deal for us was the quality of By the Booth’s proposal and the quality of work they’d done before. Their work had the right energy in it. That was good because we had to hit that energy correctly, especially since we were working with young people — we wanted these people to get excited about our project so that they could engage and buy into it. Overall, By The Booth had that sense of energy, so we decided to engage them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August 2020–January 2021.

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

Our first success metric was our reaction to By The Booth’s outputs. We knew exactly what we wanted and the specific feel that we were going for, and their team delivered that. Moreover, when we piloted the videos, the people who saw them responded well to what they watched. We received good feedback, and the audience truly enjoyed the speaker videos. The content had a tremendous impact on them.

Overall, By The Booth understood what we were trying to do, and the team was interested in our work. Their resources were personally connected with our goal, which was a phenomenal experience for us to have. 

How did By The Booth perform from a project management standpoint?

By The Booth’s project management skills were great. They had good communication and were clear about deadlines. On top of that, their resources were flexible when it took a long time for us to get our speakers together. During the entire project, we had a clear idea of what was going on, what they were doing, and what we could expect. Our team had no problem in this aspect. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their connection to our work was their most impressive quality. They were compassionate and enthusiastic about the project. On top of that, they were personally connected to our work, which was crucial for its success. We were dealing with people with real stories, so it was important that the team handling the speaker stories had respect and compassion. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We wanted one of the French videos to be spoken in that language. Instead, By The Booth delivered it only with French subtitles. That was the only thing we would’ve done differently, and it might have been a result of miscommunication on our part. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear idea of what you want. That way, you’ll get the best experience possible from By The Booth. On top of that, watch their other projects; they put great things out there. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior marketing communications lead for an online insurance company.

What challenge were you trying to address with By The Booth?

We needed someone to create a TV commercial for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

By The Booth produced a television commercial. They handled everything from soup to nuts. First, they created static storyboards and then animated them to show us what the final product would look like. We gave them the script, which they edited. Then, the team scouted for locations and talents and set up the whole shoot. 

Afterward, we moved on to the actual video shoot. By The Booth handled the entire process, including direction, cinematography, lighting, wardrobe, prop, styling, and craft services. Finally, they edited the video and delivered three deliverables in total: a full-length 30-second commercial, a 15-second version, and a 2-second one.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Garus (Founder) and Cian (Creative Director). 

How did you come to work with By The Booth?

They were referred to me by a former colleague. We approached two other vendors, but By The Booth was the best fit because all of their production staff was in-house.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May–July 2021.

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

By The Booth exceeded our expectations — the videos looked great and performed well on YouTube. The team over delivered and expedited the production. Furthermore, they were highly attentive to our needs of getting the commercial out as soon as possible.

How did By The Booth perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was very flexible to our needs and delivered on time and within budget. We communicated daily, which was great. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was a very seamless process, and we definitely would work with them again. Garus was super organized and made sure that no time was wasted. Thanks to the By The Booth team, the whole process was very smooth.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing they could’ve done better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring them in as early as possible and plan the whole project with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a small marketing agency that focuses on pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with By The Booth?

We hired By the Booth for their video production skills, particularly their animation skills.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created an explainer video to explain how a third-party company's product works. The team did everything — from animation, editing, graphic designs, and more. Our internal team finished the script, and then we collaborated with By The Booth in creating the storyboard. We also shared ideas during the process. Since we wanted to present something technical, our company was more involved.

We’re now on the final version of the video. Our third-party customer is doing their internal reviews, but overall the project is essentially finished.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with four people, including Garus (ECD & Founder) and James (VP of Marketing & New Business).

How did you come to work with By The Booth?

We had seen By The Booth’s work and they were local. When we reached out to them, we felt connected and we thought that we could work together. During that process, we also reached out to another company. However, they only gave us a long email questionnaire and never got back to us. On the contrary, By The Booth immediately called us. As a result, we partnered with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in May 2020, and we continue to work together.

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

By The Booth have quickly worked to finish our third-party customer’s video. On top of that, they’ve been very accommodating and reasonable. The team has supported us all the way through and they've had great suggestions.

How did By The Booth perform from a project management standpoint?

We have regular calls with By The Booth, and we use Asana and Clickup as our project management tools. Our project manager has kept things going and on track even though our third-party customer has had issues that have destroyed our timeline.

Despite that, the team has been able to find balance in running the project and getting feedback on every detail they need. Overall, their project management is accessible, and they provide all the schedules we need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way they work has been impressive; they’ve been flexible and down to earth. They’re also reasonable people to deal with. In addition, they give their best advice, and they always try to find ways to make things work. Moreover, the quality of their work has been admirable; I appreciate their animation skills as well as their openness to understanding the technical aspects of the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since we’ve wanted to push the envelop to make sure we've differentiated from others in the same space, we’ve faced budget constraints. It has also been due to the third-party customer demanding more changes which have influenced the cost of the project. However, By The Booth’s pricing is aligned with what they’ve delivered.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust By The Booth’s team. They’ll make everything work because they know what they’re doing. Don’t hire them and ignore their advice. Above all, they’ll produce a film that your audience can relate to.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Designer at draftLine which is an in-house ad agency for Labatt Breweries and all their subsidiaries.

For what projects/services did your company hire By The Booth?

Goose Island was launching a new summertime tropical beer called Juice Island. To launch the beer, we needed an eye catching animated video that depicted a visual representation of the intense sensorial experience found in every sip of the beer.

How did you select this vendor?

We worked with By the Booth in the past and really loved the work they had created for us. It was only fitting for us to work with them again on this project. Also from our initial chats with Cian and Garus from the By the Booth team, they assured us that they would be able to work within our tight schedule and tight budget.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Had discovery and kick-off meetings to get the project off the ground. We provided rough storyboards for the By the Booth team to work off from. From there, they took our storyboards, cleaned them up dramatically, illustrated all the frames for the video, provided constant updates and versions throughout each stage (animatic, line work, animating, colouring).

So that we can see the progress and delivered the final video in all outputs needed. Cian and team were great and quick to address any feedback and the end result was spectacular. To further add, the team added sound editing to the video (which was out of scope from them) to really provide the finishing touches to the overall great video

What was the team composition?

By the Booth and draftLine worked very closely together on this project. I was the AD and would handle day-to-day communication with By the Booth. I provided updates and any other information directly to the draftLine ECD. Then we had a Pod Lead who would provide the latest versions of the video to the brand team after myself and the ECD sign off on it

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

Due to supply issues, the video launch was delayed and results from this video are still to come

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was amazing. Cian, Garus and I would always have an open dialogue between each other and would communicate via email or Slack regularly. Cian was always quick to respond to any questions we had and he would always provide regular updates to make sure we were on track for the project completion date

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their commitment to deliver everything needed in a very short timeline while still working within our budget was most impressive. The team always was open to feedback and would address it within the next day or earlier. They were super speedy and was able to deliver such a high quality video. We really appreciated at the end when the team went above and beyond and helped us create audio for the video

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

Finding the right grove for communication. There were one or two cases where I got lost between the emails and slack conversations we had going on at the same time. Would recommend moving forward, using email for the formal conversations such as providing the latest version of the video and using slack for any quick comments and questions.

Please describe your company and your position there.

My work with By The Booth was during my tenure as Executive Creative Director at Grassriots Inc., a digital marketing agency and certified B Corp that specializes in supporting the nonprofit sector.

For what projects/services did your company hire By The Booth, and what were your goals?

Our goal was to develop a highly compelling animated video to reach a younger audience, improve engagement with the organization, elevate the quality of storytelling, and generate potential fundraising leads.

How did you select By The Booth and what were the deciding factors?

Having worked with By The Booth successfully in past roles as Creative Director, a big deciding factor was trust in high quality creative, beautiful execution, and a friendly and intelligent team that is nothing short of a joy to work with.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

The process began with discovery and creative briefing based on the scriptwriting we had done in-house. We received a proposal with artist suggestions based on the brief, storyboards once the artist was chosen, and animatics before achieving our high fidelity animation.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

I worked most closely with Garus; the feedback was likely challenging from us at times but it was always met with a "yes and" approach.

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

The video performed very well and has become a core component of the client's brand and a piece of creative work that is — even a year later — proudly featured and is currently being considered for use in another lead generation campaign.

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

We were assigned a project manager who worked alongside ours. The two worked seamlessly to meet deadlines and ensure client and creative feedback was met.

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

Their quality and kindness in the workflow were impressive. The combination of being able to achieve best-in-class animation and video work while also enjoying the human connections is a dream.

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

Given that we worked together through COVID-19 lockdown, it would have been fabulous to be in-studio together. In future, I'm sure that will happen.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an educational resource publisher that is currently moving toward digital resources for courseware for kindergarten through higher ed. I'm the manager of digital, social media, and channel marketing for our Canadian branch.

What challenge were you trying to address with By The Booth?

We wanted to create a series of videos that would help build a student community. We hoped to add free content to add value for students in higher ed that would attract them to our other products.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked with us to come up with all the concepts behind the video, including the script, locations, and which actors to use. The video focused on first-year economics, and our student audience was quite large. Our hope was to improve student achievement in an important course right at the beginning of their college careers.

There was some animation within the video, and we also used a TA from a university as the talking head. We shot the whole video in our newly renovated offices, and the end result has some humor. We wanted a product that was as engaging and entertaining as possible.

What is the team composition?

I worked with three people from their team. One of them acted as the project manager, but all three team members were fairly equal.

How did you come to work with By The Booth?

We used By The Booth for another project in the past that helped demonstrate our migration from print resources to digital. It was a positive experience, so we added them to the list of agencies I spoke to for this project. They offered to do all the production, editing, and consulting for the same price as other companies we considered.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we spent between $10,000-$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May or June 2019.

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

The production is complete, but we're still in early stages. We plan to push the video out over the next few months, and we’ll use By The Booth again for future projects if this video is successful. We'll compare performance of some of our other paid ads, and we'll see how well it does.

Even without any marketing, we still have about 600 views, based solely on the word of mouth from the TA we used. Our marketing team and our U.S. branch think the video is good-quality, and it should catch on if we find the right audience.

How did By The Booth perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. We were in constant communication, and they worked around a vacation I took right before the shoot. They were very accommodating, communicative, and responsive. We had a very positive experience.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're a fantastic group to work with, and they produce high-quality outputs. They put in a lot of effort into the thoughts and concepts behind the video. They recognized that the video's success was in both of our best interests, and they accommodated a lot of last-minute requests. Their flexibility and their insight were excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could have used a short pre-roll for YouTube ads, but we didn't request that. I suppose they could be more proactive about our marketing needs, but the quality of the video and their production standards are great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Think about everything beforehand, including how you plan to broadcast or distribute the finished product.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative content director for a PR and creative agency in the commercial, government relations, and public affairs space.

What challenge were you trying to address with By The Booth?

We were creating a corporate brand video for one of our clients. We’ve never created one before brought in By The Booth for their creative support.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We created a live-action video that accurately represents the roles of financial advisors in people’s lives. We came up with the concept and created a storyboard that was approved by the client. By The Booth added their own style within the framework of what we already set up. Working collaboratively, we came up with a solution that we were all happy with.

We shot 5–6 different scenes with several actors. Our concept was to film over the shoulder of each advisor while not showing their face. The camera would switch which shoulder they were peering over depending whether they were in the workplace or in a personal situation to demonstrate that advisors are really friends with their clients.

What is the team composition?

We worked closely with two of their team members throughout the project. At the shoot, they had a team of 15–20 people who were both freelancers and full-time employees.

How did you come to work with By The Booth?

Our creative operations director was familiar with them and recommended their team. We received cost estimates from 3–5 different agencies and narrowed it down from there. Each company came up with their own treatment for the piece, but By The Booth did a great job presenting their concept. They showed their thinking from start to finish and I just got a good vibe from them.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost $75,000–$80,000, though we may have had overages.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2019 and the project is ongoing.

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

The main video is all done and we’re just making a few adjustments that the client requested. Their work has made me smile and we’ve had a great experience so far.

How did By The Booth perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always on top of everything and managed their side of things very well. They even took on some tasks that would normally be our responsibility. They’ve been very understanding and an excellent partner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a collaborative mindset, which made the project run very smoothly. We appreciated that they worked with our original ideas because that’s how our team operates too. We like to bounce ideas off one another, so it was easy to work with By The Booth. The work is paramount and we always put the end product first.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any negative feedback for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring your A-game, because they always bring theirs. I don’t believe in just depending on your partner to bring all the expertise and tools. Know your own material so you can work together.  

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner in a graphic design firm, Hambly and Woolley, Inc. We work on a variety of projects from web to print to digital strategy.

What challenge were you trying to address with By the Booth?

One of our clients had an important upcoming relaunch. We had been working on the new materials for two years and needed to present them at their annual forum. We hired By the Booth to create a video that would reveal the new logo we created.

What was the scope of their involvement?

By the Booth created an original animated video, which looked at the brand and strategy that we spent two years creating. We had a few initial meetings to convey our client’s message to their team. We provided them with the flat assets and graphics. Their team then provided us with their storyboards, we approved it, and they got to work on the video. 

They encapsulated the brand personality in the video which was one-and-a-half minutes long. They used the elements of the brand as graphic images to convey our process and how these solutions were created. 

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Garus (Owner & Creative Director, By The Booth) and his producer. 

How did you come to work with By the Booth?

By the Booth came as a referral and we’d worked with them on a couple of successful projects. This project was going to be challenging because of the tight two-week turnaround time, but they were willing to do it in that timeframe, so we chose them.  

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran for two weeks in October 2019. We’re looking for other ways to leverage the assets and recut the video in the future, so we’ll likely use them again for that if the need arises.

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

The video was a massive part of the success of our client’s relaunch. At the event, people were clamoring to get the video and share it online and with friends. The video was embraced and praised, so now there is a big demand for the new assets we developed for the client. We’re sharing it our on own social media channels and in our monthly newsletter, too, because of how well it came out. 

How did By the Booth perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent to work with. Their team was responsive, flexible, and on top of things. I have nothing but good things to say about how they managed the project. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were creative, adding an extra layer of interest and narrative expression that was really useful. We weren’t sure how this video would turn out, but they brought important creativity that made our video stand out from standard corporate work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Given we only had two weeks to work on this, I couldn’t be happier with the work they did for us. I honestly don’t think they could have done anything better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Garus is a very personable teammate; he listens and brings a high level of professionalism, so I recommend utilizing that. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We work for a healthcare-centric advertising agency. Our respective roles are the senior art director and the account supervisor.

What challenge were you trying to address with By The Booth?

One of our clients wanted to make a TV commercial for $17,000, so we needed to find a talented video production company who could help us deliver high-quality work with a modest budget.

What was the scope of their involvement?

By The Booth was originally brought in to produce a TV commercial, but the project eventually shifted to developing a promotional video exclusively for digital media. During our first engagement, we pitched video ideas while their team evaluated their practicality given our low budget. Shortly after production began, our client’s budget increased significantly. By The Booth returned to the planning stage to develop a new concept that took advantage of the increased funding. After outlining the scope, they moved on to create a storyboard and execute their work in the production phase. The budget was reduced in the middle of production, so they recreated our original location shots using animation and maintained our characters in live action.

What is the team composition?

By The Booth assigned a video producer, director, and an animator to our account.

How did you come to work with By The Booth?

They had recently visited our office to pitch their business, so we were already aware of the services that they offer. We reached out to them immediately after the opportunity arose. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000 – $200,000 to make the video.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project commenced in November 2017 and concluded in March 2019.

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

While it is too early to measure the impact that the promotional video has made on the company, we can confirm that the client is incredibly pleased with By The Booth’s work. They showed us that it is possible to deliver outstanding quality on a modest budget.

How did By The Booth perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team patiently worked with us through several budget fluctuations, delays, and changes in scope. Despite the many challenges that we faced with our client, By The Booth was always able to find a solution.

What did you find most impressive about them?

By The Booth is a large production company with a culture similar to that of a small family business. We had never worked on a project of this magnitude, so it was comforting to have their warm and inviting team available to guide us through the exhaustive project. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We put them through extenuating circumstances, but their team was able to adapt to the constant changes without visible frustration.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Our project benefitted greatly from having a collaborative planning stage, so we suggest bringing By The Booth on board as soon as possible.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior art director at a PR and communications firm that helps clients with everything from content marketing to crisis management.

What challenge were you trying to address with By The Booth?

We were working on a project to promote Small Business Saturday in Canada through an integrated communications campaign. We wanted to spark a dialogue about how Canadians could support small businesses.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Part of the campaign was to produce a video that we would be able to cut down into full-length, 60 second, 30 second, and 15 second ads. Our creative team put together a script and By the Booth helped with wardrobe recommendations, casting, and setting up for shoot day. They even liaised with small business owners who were to appear in our video to make sure shoot day ran smoothly for everyone.

On the day of the shoot it rained, and By The Booth took care of everything. They made sure we were still able to film. When we finished, they did all of the post production, and we gave feedback until our final videos were completed.

What is the team composition?

We mainly communicated with two people: the producer and owner/creative director and By the Booth hired a larger team to help support on shooting day.

How did you come to work with By The Booth?

Some people on our team had worked with them before. They’ve now become our go-to video vendor for projects like this.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work lasted from July–August 2017.

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

The videos had very high production value which made it stand out amongst other ads. The video component of the campaign had over 1.5 million impressions resulting in a high CTA back to the website. The 60 second ad was the top performing creative. Overall, the engagement was highly successful.

How did By The Booth perform from a project management standpoint?

They scheduled the entire shoot and kept us on track to capture everything we needed. They also delivered the end product on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were real and authentic. They understood our business needs and worked to meet them. I’d definitely work with them again.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Engage with them from the beginning of your project. They offer a variety of services and skills to improve your end product and meet your goals.