Bottle Rocket Media

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing for an AI company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bottle Rocket Media?

We think that having a comprehensive video strategy that helps customers visualize our product in context is essential to our selling motion. And so we're working with them on creating high quality, scalable, video content.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They help us with video content strategy then they do all the production from very beginning to very end.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 people on their team. We interact one of the founders of Bottle Rocket Media, a production manager, a project manager, and a strategy expert. Dan (Principal Producer & Director) is one of the principal producers and directors we work with.

How did you come to work with Bottle Rocket Media?

We were looking specifically for experts. I’m located in San Francisco and we did a cross-country search. We’re also an early-stage company so we were looking for partners that would be the right size for us. Bottle Rocket Media has a pretty extensive background. They worked for reputable companies and produced a ton of video content among some big brands, so their references were fantastic.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2020 and the project is ongoing.

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

Our customers love it. It’s working and is helping us close deals.

How did Bottle Rocket Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They haven’t missed a deadline. We didn’t have any communication issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their overall production quality, married with the pricing structure we worked out with them has been phenomenal. We would have spent a lot more with other companies in different areas of the country. There’s a great benefit working with a Chicago-based firm as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We haven’t had a single issue.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what your objectives are and communicate. Be open to their ideas because they have some great insight and can give you an idea that you haven’t thought of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

My name is Brad Bessey. I was the executive producer and show runner of The Carlos Watson Show for OZY media.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bottle Rocket Media?

We hired Bottle Rocket Media to design all our show graphics. We launched with an impossibly short pre-production window - literally days. And, yet we still needed to create a show that looked polished, stylish, current, fresh and elevated. In other words, our impossible deadlines could not compromise the production quality.

What were your goals for this project?

Polished, stylish, current, fresh, quality. We focused on the open, transitional elements, bump-ins, lower-thirds and innovative quote graphics.

How did you select Bottle Rocket Media?

They came highly recommended from the team at OWN.

Describe the project in detail.

The Carlos Watson Show is a daily YouTube talk show featuring Carlos Watson, Editor-In-Chief and founder of OZY Media, a socially progressive news site for the "change generation." Each episode focused on a thought leader from entertainment, business, sports or politics. Beto O'Rourke, Grant Hill, Debbie Allen, Sean Spicer, Paris Hilton, Malcolm Gladwell, Baker Mayfield, George Lopez, Gabrielle Union have been among the guests.

What was the team composition?

The Bottle Rocket team included 5-6 designers and a project manager.

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

1. Because we had very little time between engaging Bottle Rocket and being on air, we needed them to be responsive to our feedback in real-time and they were.
2. The challenge was that OZY media added creative voices from their web team halfway through the process. Rather than being thrown by this change, Bottle Rocket was responsive to feedback and able to meet the already tight deadlines.
3. The feedback from within OZY, from advertisers, and from audiences has been extremely positive - oftentimes "the look" of the show is the first thing highlighted as a positive.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

1. Bottle Rocket Media drove the communication workflow in an extremely organized fashion.
2. Because of the insanely truncated timeline, the project needed to be executed over the span of a weekend and there were no delays as a result.
3. Regular Zoom meetings, emails, phone calls were maintained.
4. Bottle Rocket broke the project into smaller units and set a workflow schedule which they maintained. This scaffolded approach allowed us to give feedback along the way and created one of the most time-efficient approaches to show graphics that I have ever experienced.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

1. The vendor's strength was their design aesthetic and impeccable taste.
2. Also, they were extremely effective at translating my conceptual ideas into visual reflections of those ideas.
3. The X-Factor which I was pleasantly surprised about was their no-ego, whatever it takes, flexibility. I had no time and threw a lot of last-minute changes their way as I introduced new people from my side into the mix...they just handled it in stride.
4. Talented was a given...pleasant and downright fun...was a wonderful surprise.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work at a biotech in Cambridge, MA and I work in Patient Affairs.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bottle Rocket Media?

BRM helped create a patient video highlighting the experience of a family living with the rare disease that our company is working to treat. This video was among many they did for different disease areas and all came out fantastic !

What were your goals for this project?

Share the patient/family experience living with the disease.

How did you select this vendor?

Selected by the company (other internal partners used them and had a positive experience).

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

-created content (questions) asked of the family

-came with film crew to the family's home to videotape.

-highlighted important pieces for the story and did many, many edits for our company's social media and patient affairs' groups.

What was the team composition?

team (not sure exactly)? But a variety of people including Dan, Siobhan, Stephane, and crew.. all outstanding!

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

-outstanding video highlighting the patient experience.

-family loved the video and valuable content for internal and external usage for our organization to share the patient story

- it's realness, the sadness, and the realities of living with a rare disease.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Overall - wonderful! Great on email, FAST, wonderful work ethic, professional, humorous, and a great team... thank you!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Level of professionalism and ability to collaborate with us and meet our goals to share patient voice.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No - This company is wonderful, and we highly recommend them!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the COO at Precious Metal Refining Services, Inc. We are a full service precious metal refinery serving the jewelry and dental industries.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bottle Rocket Media?

We needed a video to show a little bit about how our facility works while displaying our vast array of equipment and components. This allows our customers and potential customers to have comfort in the transparency of our procedures and protocols.

What were your goals for this project?

We hoped to have a professional execution of the vision we had for a promotional video for our Company.

How did you select this vendor?

I was first referred by a mutual friend, and then our team did online research and quickly realized that Bottle Rocket could give us what we were looking for.

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

Once we selected Dan, he and his crew visited our location twice to determine the best shots. On the shoot day they arrived early and worked all day getting as many different shots as possible, while allowing us the flexibility to add new shots on the fly as we thought would be necessary.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

The team was 3 people, Dan was directing, then a camera man, and a light man. They all worked great together and clearly had extensive experience working together.

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

We have gotten amazing reviews from everyone that has seen the video. We have now made new plans to increase our trade show presence because of the quality of the video, and the reactions we get to it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Seamless, no issues at all.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was just impressed by their experience and knowledge of how to get the best shots. They were super easy to work with, and the finished product was beyond our expectations. I have told many others to use their services for videos of their own.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really, was happy with everything!

Please describe your company and your position there.

Byline Bank has been part of the local scene for over 100 years. We’re in the neighborhoods where you live, work and hangout. We take pride in offering customized solutions to meet the needs and support the goals of our customers. And we’re always available–in-person, online, or mobile app. We’re grateful for all our customers who have chosen Byline Bank to help them write their story, together. My role as Marketing and Communications Manager includes supporting our teams and business lines in marketing and communications needs bank-wide.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bottle Rocket Media?

I engaged Bottle Rocket to fulfill our vision to have a library of case studies and testimonials of how Byline Bank helped to write their story. Our first challenge was, how to explain what we wanted and the fear of will it work out the way we hope without a strong knowledge of production. Our second challenge included how to let the customer shine, tell their story and what was important to them, while still sharing how Byline Bank supported that dream to help it come to life. And relay that story in a way new business could see the possibilities and solutions we offer to achieve the same outcome and success.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to achieve quality videos that shared interesting stories to share across a variety of channels including, website, social and internally. We anticipated having the public come across the videos and recognize names from their communities to know that Byline Bank helped them get there, brand recondition of both the customer and Byline Bank, if they already bank with us to consider us for continuing to support them or look at new opportunities, and if they don't bank with us to consider what solutions we can offer.

How did you select this vendor?

We selected Bottle Rocket Media based on the care and attention they drove from the beginning. I was impressed by their respect for our time and bandwidth, but direct and clear outlines and communication. We chose Bottle Rocket because it was clear we could trust their work from their experience and process.

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

Once we selected Bottle Rocket Media, we had a few meetings to get to know each other, our teams, and our process to really understand our business but most importantly how much support we needed. We collaborated on ideas, gave a general thought and they really hit the ground running to give us a draft script and storyboard to begin to narrow us to a more clear concept. We were able to provide our feedback on the outline while incorporating their best practices and suggestions. Bottle Rocket coordinated all scheduling and preparations with the customers, helped them feel at ease and prepared, and kept us in the loop with communication to be involved where we wanted or to let them handle. Once the videos were cut, the editing process was a breeze.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Bottle Rocket kept us on track to meet our deadlines and have been able to quickly turnaround updates and edits based on different uses and opportunities that have come along.

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

Ultimately, we had to trust Bottle Rocket to drive the project with their expertise and we were not disappointed. We've heard great feedback from our internal partners, the customers profiled and general public. Our metrics from web, social and ads have demonstrated great success compared to what we were expecting.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Bottle Rocket workflow was was extremely effective for our team. Once we set a deadline they did everything to communicate and push us to meet those deadlines, especially if they were waiting on us. With friendly reminders, agility, and care we were consistently impressed with their workflow from conception to fulfillment.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We greatly enjoyed working with the Bottle Rocket team. Every member from the planning, to production on-site, and in-between has been truly wonderful to work with. They're wonderful people who all have interesting stories and backgrounds, that it was a pleasure to learn more about them and their unique expertise. While we had plenty of fun, they always brought us back to get the job at hand done and done well. We greatly appreciated their work ethic.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We were satisfied with their process and couldn't be more happy with the quality of work they produced.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Right At School provides safe, engaging and meaningful in-school and extracurricular programs to enrich the lives of students, give parents peace of mind and enable schools to focus on their academic mission. I’m the Senior Director of School Partnerships

For what projects/services did your company hire Bottle Rocket Media?

We needed a overview company and services video to show both parents and school and district leadership when selling Right at School to a new community.

What were your goals for this project?

The accurate convey our services offering to prospective parents and school districts. It’s important that the viewer understands not just our value proposition, but the love and care that each and every Right at School team members brings to the children everyday.

How did you select this vendor?

They were referred to us from another company.

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

Once we selected them as our video production company, we had a kickoff meeting where they came to our office and we walked them through our business, the videos goals, and the access we had to various schools, parents, administrators, etc..

We also shared our branding and messaging, bullet points of topics we wanted included in the video, etc.. They then developed a creative and logistics plan to execute the video, including a production calendar from that first meeting all the way through delivery, interview questions, day of shooting plans, and so on.

Everything we needed to understand what they needed from us to complete the project, and what they were going to do and deliver on a set timeline.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

As I described above, it was a very transparent process from the beginning with absolute clarity on both our deliverables, and their deliverables. When and what things were due. If we got a little behind schedule in providing feedback, they adjusted the schedule accordingly.

Feedback was given on a schedule too, via an online video commenting system. It was super easy to use and allowed us to see multiple versions if we wanted to go back to cross reference.

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

The videos have been hugely successful for us. We've seen massive growth over the past several years, and it's in no small part to the video we made. Often times it's a family's first exposure to us.

They get to see the ins and outs of what we do, and hear from the real people that make this company run everyday. We've updated the video several times (adding new testimonials and kids) as we continue to grow. Bottle Rocket Media makes the updating process effortless.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They communicate very effectively and moving notes and comments between the teams was easy with their software. I’d say the workflow was extremely effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Bottle Rocket Media, while full of wildly talented and creative video professionals, is just a great group of people that are so easy to work with. Making a video was a big deal for our company. It's a lot of money and time on our part.

What's most impressive about Bottle Rocket is how easy they made the whole process for us, while delivering a best-in-class product. They brought a ton of creativity to the project and elevated our concept to the next level.

We highly recommend them to anyone looking for video production services.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are no areas that need improving as far as we’re concerned.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an Industrial Designer for Impossible Objects, a 3D printer and materials company pioneering advancements in the additive manufacturing and composites manufacturing industries.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bottle Rocket Media?

We hired Bottle Rocket Media to create an animation of the 3D printing process that Impossible Objects created.

What were your goals for this project?

We aimed to create an animation that could demonstrate our entire 3D printing process in a concise two minutes. The animation would be used for investor meetings, website, and trade shows.

How did you select this vendor?

Through a carful selection and interview process. Bottle Rocket Media has an extremely strong portfolio of work, smart individuals, and a fair price.

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

The video is a two minute animation of a 3D printing machine and the materials used at a macro and micro scale. The machine is animated with moving parts and materials. The animation has after effect graphics and diagrams to further describe the process details. The animation has a voice over, music, and captions.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We were extremely impressed with the amount of work Bottle Rocket Media was able to complete in the short timeframe we presented. We went through many rounds of iterations and scheduled frequent touch point meetings to improve efficiency. Their communication and teamwork is spectacular.

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

The animation they created allows us to describe parts of our process at the microscopic level. This is something we struggled to communicate and we use this animation as a demonstration tool whenever we introduce our product and materials.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was well managed and flexible. Frequent updates and valuable feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team is extremely smart as well as creative. They were able to understand our process at the deepest level and build visuals based on our descriptions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I honestly feel the project blew all exceptions out of the water. We continue to get regular compliments about the animation on our website. I will continue to refer Bottle Rocket Media to those wishing to create compelling videos and visuals.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a communications agency. We’re a small, boutique communications company strictly dedicated to healthcare, and we’re located in New York City.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bottle Rocket Media?

Our clients wanted a video summary of recordings we made during a large Alzheimers meeting years before. We had interviewed top leaders in the field by asking specific questions about plasma-based biomarkers (which detect Alzheimer's disease in the blood).

We wanted to put together a short video that the client could use in their exhibit booth at an upcoming international meeting. It would be an opportunity for thought leaders to make comments about the potential clinical utility of blood-based biomarkers for detecting dementia.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided the full-length video interviews of leading researchers in Alzheimer’s disease along with the final transcripts.  With this, the Bottle Rocket Team worked with us to develop a final, 4-minute program that communicated the large unmet needs for plasma-based biomarkers to detect dementia, while also showcasing the potential role and value of the client’s technology in meeting those needs.

Given what Bottle Rocket Media had to work with (ie, they inherited less than optimal video footage and lengthy interviews) they were able to bring these interviews to life using interesting transitions, animations, and special effects.  Their expertise in video storytelling made for a high-quality deliverable.

What is the team composition?

I’m not sure of all the players, but I worked directly with one of the editors and one of the producers. I had a day-to-day contact, and I always had access to Dan (Creative Director, Bottle Rocket Media).

How did you come to work with Bottle Rocket Media?

We had worked with them before to develop video summaries of meetings. So, we knew they do very high-quality work. When we really needed them to work with us on a lower budget, they did it using the resources that we had available. I can always depend on them to deliver a high-quality product. In this case, it was very cost-effective for our client.

How much have you invested with them?

The entire project was less than $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May of 2019, and they finished the product by July of 2019. We had a firm deadline because the international meeting was in July of 2019.

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

It was used at the client’s exhibit booth during a large, international Alzheimer’s meeting, and the client was very happy with the outcome. Every single one of the doctors that we interviewed said how great they thought the video was. They believed it was fair and balanced. They also said they were well-represented their comments. 

How did Bottle Rocket Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They had excellent project management — they were on top of it all the time. They replied to our questions right away, and they were definitely on time. 

In the beginning, we had a kick-off. Then, we had a creative session. Since the timeline was so short, we were on the phone with them virtually every day for the 2–3-month window. 

Dan was always available to talk about strategy and creative ideas. My day-to-day contact was terrific. She kept things moving. When she didn’t know an answer, she found it out for us. We had an editor come in on an as-needed basis, and he also provided good feedback. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The high level of quality and vision that they bring to the table are impressive. They have a lot of experience and bring background knowledge from different areas. They’re all very creative and passionate about what they do, and that shows in their work.

Also, the team was able to put the video together at a cost that was available to our client. They were instrumental in putting together a program that was interesting and exciting while remaining cost-effective.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren't any areas.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Customers should start as early in the project as possible. They should establish the creative parameters, including the messaging and storytelling you’re trying to communicate.

Let them work with you as a partner to tell that story in the most effective way possible. Once you have a vision of what you want to say, they’ll work with you to say that in the best way.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder & Director of an educational learning laboratory and public school that is reimagining the future of public education.

For what projects/services did your company hire Bottle Rocket Media?

We had the honor of working with Bottle Rocket Media on video production needs to help bring the mission of our organization alive through media.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to showcase our innovation in a succinct, inspiring and compelling way.

How did you select this vendor?

I was referred to Bottle Rocket Media from a colleague who spoke very highly of them and was thrilled that they had the capacity to take on our project.

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

Working with Bottle Rocket Media was such a smooth and easy process! I was extremely impressed with their level of professionalism and expertise.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

N/A

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

The final videos were incredible, and quite honestly, far exceeded my anticipation of what was possible given the limited investment of time on behalf of my organization. Our audience has been inspired, in large part, due to Bottle Rocket Media's perfectly executed use of imagery and music to align with the narration.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Seamless! They were adaptable, flexible, friendly and very responsive. They also accommodated our requests for updates and changes given some shifts we had internally. I also felt that they shared an authentic passion for roar our mission, which made it such a joy to work with them.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Bottle Rocket Media has unparalleled experience in the space and a very impressive background in working on a range of projects. I was impressed with how down-to-earth and humble the team was, particularly given their historical clients.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. I hope to work with them again in the future!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive producer for IMX Studios. We produce much of the video photography for a few large general merchandise retail chains.

What challenge were you trying to address with Bottle Rocket Media?

We were asked to produce a fun, energetic promotional video for the Fourth of July. It was going to include a media buy, so we wanted to put more money and engagement into it. The video also needed to be able to cross over the English and Spanish-speaking markets. It was a bigger project for us.  

What was the scope of their involvement?

We presented them with creative material that our team produced, and they gave us some input on how they thought the project would work best. From there, they developed storyboards and a director’s treatment detailing how the director would see the project forward. They proposed a few directors, and we chose one of them. Once the treatment was approved, we went forward with approving their storyboard that best represented the concept we provided.

Then, we moved into production. The script was written by our team, but they handled everything else, including contracting talent, scouting locations, shooting, and post-production. After they made their edits, we had a final cut to wrap the project.

What is the team composition?

My two main points of contact were Dan (Principal Content Director & Producer, Bottle Rocket Media) and Brent (Principal Director & Creative, Bottle Rocket Media).

How did you come to work with Bottle Rocket Media?

We’d worked with Bottle Rocket Media on a few smaller projects at that point. They’d done a great job in the past. Once the scope of the project became larger than anticipated, we brought in their team believing they would be up for the challenge. I’m glad to say that they were.

How much have you invested with them?

The final scope came out to be around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from May–June 2019.

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

At the end of the day, everyone was happy with the video they produced. They were responsive and rolled with the punches. In this industry, there are so many eyeballs on every step of the process and constant revisions that have to be made. The team was able to accommodate those quick changes and turnarounds without a problem. 

How did Bottle Rocket Media perform from a project management standpoint?

This was a union shoot, and they were able to work closely with other agencies to ensure that we stayed within budget while accomplishing everything we wanted. We communicated mostly through email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ideas were very supportive of what we wanted to see in the production. The changes they made were always in line with our original concepts. That paired with their responsiveness was commendable. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

At one point, they were wanted responses and answers from us before we had them. While over-responsiveness is generally a good problem to have, it's important that they’re able to wait for us to have information, too. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront in the preproduction space in terms of your needs. Their initial storyboards were not exactly what we were looking for because we didn’t communicate our ideas as effectively as we could have. Being as clear as possible will streamline the process.