BW Productions

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of operations for WOBI. We're an education management company.

What challenge were you trying to address with BW Productions?

We were looking for an AV partner in the Salt Lake City area. We needed a solution for multiple occasions for a reoccurring biweekly activity.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They assisted us with audiovisual services for our live presentations. We had multiple events happening throughout the months of October and November. The speaker participated in nine out of the ten events we had. BW Productions provided us with a clean shot through their cameras for our Zoom events. They set up the proper lighting, connectivity, and equipment every time.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Brent (Founder & Managing Director), their operations manager, and another individual.

How did you come to work with BW Productions?

I was looking for AV or video production service providers. BW Productions came highly recommended on Thumbtack. As soon as I submitted the proposal, Brent immediately sent me a message with their contact information. I called him right away and we connected.

We synced and vibed right away so I knew we were on the same page. They didn’t require that I provide many instructions; it was a plug and play situation. They came in with everything we needed at a really good price.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $5,000–$6,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was from October–November 2020.

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

We measured success based on any lag time during the livestreaming, and there was never an issue. Everything worked seamlessly and properly. BW Productions was helpful, accommodating, and flexible in achieving everything we required.

They took all the necessary measures to ensure the speaker felt comfortable in relation to COVID-19 issues. The times were early in the morning, and they were always punctual and open to tweaking any requests we had. It was a pleasure to work with them.

How did BW Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were on top of deadlines and often had to remind me about them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professionalism and willingness to work with me. They handled everything that I threw at them. It was nice to know I could leave things up to their hands. If they told me they were going to do something, I could rest assured knowing it’d happen. As the engagement progressed, I had to provide fewer and fewer instructions because they had everything in the bag.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. I enjoyed working with them and wish I could hire them in any city around the country. I wish they had more reach.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have everything laid out and written down in terms of the details of what’s required. Be as thorough as possible in crossing all the T’s and dotting all the I’s. This will allow them to know what to do and what they’re coming into.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and communications for Pioneer Theatre company. We’re a fully professional regional theatre company.

What challenge were you trying to address with BW Productions?

We needed a partner to shoot photography.

What was the scope of their involvement?

BW Productions captures publicity and production photos, which have different uses. Publicity photos are staged whereas production photos are shot during a theatre production. For the publicity photos, BW Productions handled shooting and the concept came from our director. They’ve also just managed shooting for production photos because their team’s capturing what’s on stage. We have an artistic staff that has their own vision. In that regard, I don’t have to bring their team to the table. But when I have, they’ve given us great ideas.

Their work has expanded. After taking on in-house photography, BW Productions took over our videography as well. They manage all of our video content. Their team has videoed our productions, publicity pieces for promotion, and content to be used in commercials or on social media.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Brent (Founder and Managing Director, BW Productions) directly.

How did you come to work with BW Productions?

Our past photographer worked with BW Productions. When he moved on, we continued to work with their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent probably $100,000 on their services. Between 2010–2014, we spent probably $8,000 a year. From 2015–2019, we spent around $15,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with our initial photographer in 2010 and the work’s ongoing.

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

In nearly all cases, BW Productions has given us exactly what we’ve asked for. We’ve found their work to be good or we wouldn’t continue to use it. We don’t have mechanisms for tracking their work because their creative pieces go into ads. Those have metrics but involve much more. 

How did BW Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been very good. We’ve thrown a lot at him in really short timelines. Either they’re really good with everybody or they’re just very loyal to use and make sure it gets done. In the last 9–10 years, I can honestly think of only 1–2 kerfuffles.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their price has been reasonable. They also understand the theatre very well. Theatre shooting is different from commercial or corporate shooting, which their team understands. For example, BW Productions understands that they’re working in very dark light most of the time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Occasionally, I do have to work with other people because BW Productions gets too busy. It would be nice to not have to do that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them time to plan for a project. The only time I’ve been frustrated is when we have short turnarounds, but they tend to meet those times.

Please describe your company and your position there.

"The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest business association and Utah’s business leader. With roots that date back to 1887, the Chamber stands as the voice of business, supports its members’ success and champions community prosperity."

Our three main focuses are public policy, networking, and employee development. We offer over 150 events and programs a year that involves one of those three focuses. We also have multiple committees that have discussions to make sure we keep growing in those fields. My position is the Programs & Events Manager. I help organize all of the events and programs we plan each year.

For what projects/services did your company hire BW Productions?

BW has taken photos and has created honoree videos for a few of our events. We had them take professional event photos at our award luncheons or conference. They will take great photos of our attendees enjoying their time and they will also take photos of our honorees with their award. They have taken head shots for our attendees at one of smaller conferences two weeks ago. One of the biggest things they have helped as with was our ATHENA & Pathfinder videos. They filmed all of our honorees and put all of it together in one great video.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted all of the videos to tell each honoree's real and unique story. We showed these videos at our Conference luncheon and we posted them on our YouTube Channel and social media outlets. We wanted these videos to show our attendees that we have strong woman leaders who are members of the Chamber and we wanted these videos to inspire our attendees to be strong leaders too.

How did you select this vendor?

We only use Chamber members because we like to support our members and their success. We try and switch off between videography /photography companies that are members of the Chamber so that we spread the love equally. We are always looking for good quality and a good rate. BW does both for our company.

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

They did seven videos of seven women. Each video told the story of our honoree in the best way possible. It was real, unique and inspiring. They did all of the scheduling to film these seven women and their peers. I helped by attending the filming and making sure we asked the best questions for our honorees, but even BW helped the questions too.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We worked with mainly two people, Brent & Joey. Joey did all of the scheduling and filming. He would bring his crew to set up for film session. Brent is the owner of the company and he would always check in and make sure we were happy with everything they created for us. They asked us for feedback on all of the videos they created so that they could make the best possible video.

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

The videos really each honoree's story and helped our attendees understand why they received the award.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They were great with communication. It was mostly through email and text, but if there was ever a problem they would make sure it was fixed right away. They used Calendar invites and would send us rough drafts of the videos before they were completely ready just so that we could get a taste of it.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are easy to work with, friendly, and always do a great job! They tell the honoree's story in an engaging and uplifting light, that's what distinguishes them. The videos captivate the audience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can think of!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Rotary chair in Utah District 5420.

What challenge were you trying to address with BW Productions?

We were throwing an event for about 350 people, and we brought in BW Productions to help with our marketing and advertising efforts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Prior to the event, they did everything we needed for advertisements. This included managing our web presence, ticketing, registration, and videography. They created direct mail invitations and developed an email campaign to appeal to people who could be interested.

During the event, they took photos and filmed to create a video for us. They created a professional film that included music, summarized the event well, and could be used to promote future events.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about six different members of their staff—photographers, videographers, and event organization.

How did you come to work with BW Productions?

They came highly recommended to us from another organization that had great success while partnering with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from November 2018- May 2019.

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

We had the best attendance in 20 years. We also got a phenomenal response from participants, who said that it was the best event they’ve attended in a long time.

How did BW Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

As with any event, there were hiccups, but BW Productions adapted easily. They were quick to report any delays while ensuring that everything was in place regardless.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were all-in and had a real desire to make sure we were happy with the event’s outcome. This made all the difference. They were truly excellent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of a single thing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them a chance! We were surprised by how well everything turned out.