Casual Films

Please describe your company and your position there.

An early stage investment firm, and I am a Principal in the investment team.

For what projects/services did your company hire Casual Films?

Every year, our firm has an annual meeting with fund investors. This year's event had to be virtual so we had an opportunity to produce video content that was to be premiered during the meeting.

What were your goals for this project?

To produce engaging video content that captures investment strategy of the firm and the story behind founders and companies the firm has partnered with.

How did you select Casual Films?

We looked at 5-6 different firms. We found Casual Films online. Given Casual's previous experience working with other VC firms, and the level of engagement/professionalism the team showed during initial calls, we were convinced that working with Casual would be the best choice for us.

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

Casual was responsible for remote filming, interviewing, and producing video content.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

One key person from Casual was running our engagement and had other team members working on production side. Casual team was on top of managing this workstream, with great communication, timely delivery, and really helping us elevate the quality of the overall videos.

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

While we don't have metrics to track, videos produce by Casual received very positive reviews both internally from my team as well as externally from our investors. Casual really exceeded our expectations of what could be accomplished in an all-remote setting.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. Great communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Incredible professionalism across the board. I could rely on Casual to really understand our needs and reflect that into the end product. Felt like a true partnership.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a freelance contractor. I often get brought onto projects to manage them from conception to delivery. I’m like the middleman. I have an organization that comes to me and tells me what they need produced and I find the company to do the work. I write the scripts and I liaise with both sides to make sure the job is done well.

What challenge were you trying to address with Casual Films?

The brief was to produce five films ranging from 2-5 minutes about five women who had been nominated and won a big refugee award. Normally every year, the films are made by very senior directors and they go and make beautiful profile films of the people who win this award. This year, due to the pandemic, we were unable to travel to meet all the women. We had to rely on local camera people to record what we could and we had decided to find the animation company who could animate the part of the story that we couldn’t access or film.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did the animation part of the work and edited some of the live-action video that we managed to capture. They put together the five films.

Casual Films came up with some brilliant ideas about how they could do the animations. The whole process is very limited by the scripts. We decided to do long interviews with the five winners and then we would use what they said as the basis for what the animation would be.

Even though we were limited, they came up with really brilliant ways of dealing with it. It was a very difficult task. They had to tread a very fine line and can’t be seen as taking sides. It had to remain completely neutral. It was really important that the videos weren’t overtly political. Casual Films took that feedback on very quickly.

What is the team composition?

I only dealt with Emily (Executive Producer). She took a holiday towards the end of the project and I was then dealing with Jo (Producer).

How did you come to work with Casual Films?

We put a tender out to three companies, including Casual Films. We chose them based on their proposal. Their big document was beautifully presented with some really nice ideas. I looked into the company a bit, and they had good previous work. I’d heard about them before through my partner. From the get-go, they were the front runners. We chose them to do the animation part of the work.

When we were looking for companies to do this work, we knew it would be an incredibly tight turnaround. A lot of animation firms we spoke to said it would be 4–5 months. Casual Films had the capacity to bring on extra staff and get it done by the deadline.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together from July–September 2020.

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

We ended up with five really compelling, emotional films. The actual work they produced was of a high standard. Despite having lots of feedback, changes toward the end, and a short deadline, they dealt with everything brilliantly. Normally when we work with creative firms, they get really frustrated toward the end when we want to make changes. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble for Casual Films.

How did Casual Films perform from a project management standpoint?

We did most of the initial consultations by Zoom. I organized some Zoom calls between the client and them. It was between myself and the client to decide what we were going to do.

There’s always endless feedback. Lots of people have to sign off on the film. It’d be myself, my immediate contact with my client, all the country directors, and the five women who were in the films themselves. Every time they reviewed it, one of them wanted to make a change, but Casual Films was accomodating. 

I appreciated that we had a single point of contact. I could dump hundreds of emails on her a day and she’d always collect them all. She was very organized. They responded really quickly to any queries or problems.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They did everything perfectly. It was a very easy, smooth process. Because of the nature of the work, I wasn’t expecting it to be so easy. I can’t sing their high praises highly enough.

Right at the end of the project, we had to completely change the language of one of the films. We’d filmed the interview in Russian but because of the sensitive nature of the film, it had to be redone in Ukrainian. They were able to do that and turn it around really quickly.

They were very good at cost managing the costas well. They stuck to budget very well and never tried to charge extra. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Spending a few more days on the project may have helped them. We were so up against it timewise, they submitted them probably a couple of days too early. They could have told us they needed a day or two extra on that particular piece of work. Sometimes they did some stuff and we told them to go do a bit more on it before I could share it with the teams in all the different countries. That was minor.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them as much information as possible upfront. You can be really direct with them. They’re very understanding. For example, one of their initial drafts didn’t work very well. We told them we didn’t like it and they came back with better ideas the second time around. They were very good at dealing with vague feedback. They were very happy to redo it.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Brand & Digital Global Communications Manager at a Fortune 500 CPG Company. I am responsible for the development and distribution of digital and social communications to an audience of global stakeholders, including partners, investors, colleagues, etc.

For what projects/services did your company hire Casual Films?

We had a challenge brought to us to try and broaden a niche group of stakeholders talking about something within our industry tied to health and wellness to a more consumer-friendly level. We knew we wanted to use video to communicate our message and distribute digitally, but did not have an in-house production team to turn to.

Additionally, because we were broadening our key audience, that meant that viewers could potentially have a variety of levels of familiarity with the subject matter and a typical video may not be compelling enough to all.

Through another partner, we were introduced to the concept of interactive video, and Casual Films was brought on as a partner to produce the video content we would ultimately use to tell our story through interactive storytelling - allowing our users to 'choose their own adventure' in how they would experience the subject matter being presented.

What were your goals for this project?

We hoped to see an increase in time spent watching (and interacting with) the video, and an overall bump on engagement for this type of subject matter, usually presented to a much more niche group of stakeholders.

How did you select this vendor?

Casual Films came recommended to us through another partner who we had engaged with to develop the interactive technology behind the piece we were creating. We were pleased with the introduction, and the team was brought on early to help creatively problem solve how we would bring some of the main points of the project to life.

We were pleased to see that Casual Films was budget conscious and presented a number of solutions at a variety of price points as we moved forward in development, empowering our team as decision makers.

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

The team storyboarded the full piece for us, sourced the set pieces and location, and handled all other production aspects of the video aside from casting, which we handled internally. The video was extremely stylized - shot in a blackbox style controlled by lighting and very few, but specific set pieces.

The Casual Films team was able to bring this concept to life clearly from inception to execution - not an easy feat. They also handled the edits of the video for us. Because there were so many internal stakeholders, there was quite a bit of feedback in edit rounds, but the team remained patient and committed to keeping all parties happy with the final cuts.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We worked together with the production team from start to finish. Casual Films brought in the editor and we provided feedback directly throughout the edit process as well. The Causal Films team was extremely responsive on email, even throughout the holidays, and kept strict (but effective) timelines to ensure delivery to our interactive partners and for our final deadlines.

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

We haven't yet launched wide so are awaiting result metrics.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our workflow between teams was fantastic. We were on a timeline crunch with shooting and editing and had so many variables in the air with interview availability, approvals, etc. Yet, I was so impressed with how professional the team was in having a positive attitude and how committed they were to finishing the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Most impressive was the team's adaptability to any challenge thrown their way. From locations changing last minute, to the entire scope of the project shifting midway through - the flexibility was unparalleled.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/A

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive creative director for FORTUNE Brand Studio, which is a part of Fortune. We’re a 90-year-old global media organization with a magazine, websites, and conferences as well as the iconic Fortune 500, the Most Powerful Women, 100 Best Companies to Work For, and other major lists and rankings. We help our influential global audience understand what’s happening in business, why it’s happening, and light the path forward. We’re now an independent company and our leadership is laser-focused on how Fortune can play its part in making business better. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Casual Films?

Our sales team was talking to the insurance company clients about the capability of the recently launched FORTUNE Brand studio. They were looking to create a TV commercial that they could run during a PGA tournament they sponsor. We pitched them and won the business, which soon expanded into a branded content campaign as well and so we partnered with Casual Films to help produce the commercial and campaign videos.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We produced one TV commercial and three videos on-location, with three leading PGA golfers. We just don’t have the internal capabilities to take on multiple shoots and run them alongside our other client projects and so Casual worked with us from pre-production and shoot, all the way through the edits to final delivery of each video asset.

What was supposed to be a few days of shooting the golfers in Florida ended up becoming four shoots in the Bahamas, Scottsdale, Las Vegas, and Chicago. Casual helped us pivot with tight timelines to meet the schedules we had available.

How did you come to work with Casual Films? 

I’ve known and worked with Casual Films for 14 years, when I previously ran the branded content studios at the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, but this was the first time working with them at Fortune. Our working relationship has developed over time, and there is a real understanding and trust. They’re a hungry company that really understands the value of long-term partnerships. I think they really value their key employees and enable them to grow, so you have that muscle memory of knowing who you are working with and how to get the best job done.

Over the years, we’ve helped each other win when it comes to business. Clients understand immediately why we rate them so highly. They’re by your side through every situation, always presenting smart solutions, whatever the problem is you run into.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project lasted from January–April 2020. 

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

We launched the campaign in April 2020 and just won five Telly Awards— two silvers and one bronze for the TV commercial, which was directed by Nina Meredith as well as two silver awards for the branded campaign videos. It’s the first big multi-platform campaign from FORTUNE Brand Studio in 2020. It’s the type of work we want to produce and build on as a studio. We’re all excited by the awards, but the main thing is that our campaign is out-performing our benchmarks, and that’s the most important thing for us.  

How did Casual Films perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re the best in the business; they just deliver energy and enthusiasm from the first day to the last. That’s what happens when you have long-term employees who are good at what they do and obviously love their job. Their producers really do partner with you. They’re constantly available, and they always find the most successful outcome. The crew they assembled for the shoots and the editors they have in house all work with each other a lot, they’re all mates, so there’s that sense of family and an extra level of care and attention that you just don’t get elsewhere.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Casual are the best people I’ve worked with in the industry. They are super dedicated to helping you get the most value out of every dollar you spend with them. I know that I can trust them. They’ve done thousands of projects, big and small, all around the world, and they’re very diligent at helping you achieve what it is you want to get out of your shoots within your production budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Better self-promotion is probably the only thing they can improve on. They do great work for their clients. I love working with them. They’re boss.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am CMO at the leading executive search and talent consulting firm operating at the heart of the converging entertainment landscape.

For what projects/services did your company hire Casual Films?

We wanted to create a video to communicate a new leadership trends - ceos switching sectors - in a distinctive and compelling way.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to drive awareness increase website and social traffic and create an asset that generated a strong response from sharing directly

How did you select this vendor?

Two pitched. was the more compelling

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

We collaborated on the brief. Very flexible and creative and Casual Films then set out a tight and effective process

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Efficient

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

highly successful

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Strong communication. They were flexible and had a strong understanding of our brief.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

As above

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/a

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of hiber, a UK B2B technology platform for tradespeople in the home improvement space

For what projects/services did your company hire Casual Films?

We hired Casual Films to put together a short 3 / 4 min film to help us explain what we do to new tradespeople who we would like to onboard on to the platform, and also to explain to investors, and other interested stakeholders

What were your goals for this project?

To make it easier for us to explain what we do as a business

How did you select this vendor?

We looked at a number of different providers before selecting Casual

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

Casual worked with us to prepare the ideas for the film, the key messages we wanted to get across, and helped prepare the questions for the engineers. The film involved on site interviews with 3 of the tradespeople whom we work with (at their business addresses), and an interview with me at our office in London. Filming was done over the course of 2 days.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Casual frequently sought feedback from us in order to understand how we were going

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

Casual were excellent from start to finish. Smart, professional, hard working and kept excellently to our deadline. The whole team were a joy to work with from start to finish. We would highly recommend them. The video has been highly well received by all of the stakeholders that we wanted to impress - new tradespeople, investors and other stakeholders

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They worked very well with our team, sharing ideas and improving their ideas based on our feedback and objectives.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed from start to finish. We received some comments mid way through the project from one of their senior team. It was really helpful to get a fresh pair of eyes on the project which led to some new direction for where we took the final film, and made the messaging and story much sharper.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of brand and communications for a large material manufacturing company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Casual Films?

Different business units within the enterprise have engaged Casual Films, meaning there have been a variety of different needs such as brand building, sustainability messaging, and down to specific product film.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Casual Films has provided full-service production on numerous projects. Their team has produced a film with us on our community giving project. They filmed with us in New York to showcase our company’s work with The Pajama Program—a charitable program that gives storybooks and pajamas based on the premise that kids don’t get a good bedtime experience. Their team captured the event and the history behind the cause. Their team has worked with us to use the product. Mostly, the video’s been leveraged internally.

Their team has also done a film with us to discuss the work done behind our materials. We’re a large manufacturing company that makes products, which can sound quite boring. However, our materials can be anything. As part of the innovation behind our products, we have tests occurring constantly. For example, we have drums in the North Sea with labels on them and materials in the Sahara to see what heat does to them. Casual Films was able to help us pick through and come up with a story about our innovations. They helped to discover what makes our material scientists passionate about what they do and bring that character into the film.

What is the team composition?

Mainly, we have one account manager. We know a lot of people at Casual Films, but he has been our point of contact. We’ve worked with him on designing films, but he has a team behind him. As needed, we get in contact with them.  

How did you come to work with Casual Films?

We found Casual Films at a conference. They had a stall with a Lego-building competition, which my colleague and I participated in. We talked with our now former account manager as well as the people who set up the stall. We liked the size of the company, the foundation, and ethos.

How much have you invested with them?

As a corporation, we’ve spent probably $150,000–$200,000 a year on Casual Films' services.

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve been our film partner for about five years now. We’ve kept them on retainer each year.

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

In the past, we’ve worked with multiple different agencies, but they didn’t take the time to understand us. The key advantage for us in working with Casual Films has been that they've spent a lot of time learning our business and its story. Their team has helped us to articulate that in a way that would work well on film. The levels of partnership, honesty, and respect have been massively beneficial to us, which has been visible in the films. They're a lot more authentic now because our personality comes through.

How did Casual Films perform from a project management standpoint?

It has always been superb. If anything, it has been our team that has caused delays. It’s a personal relationship. Casual Films isn’t a big company, which makes their team incredibly flexible. If we’ve had to pause a project, they’ve paused it. Their team has hit every deadline we’ve given them. To be honest, it has been a pretty perfect service.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Casual Films has become a part of our extended team. With them, we’re not dealing with another agency. They'll give us feedback, saying: you don’t need to do that or don’t spend money on this. We’ve had open dialogs with them and it's created a mutually respectful partnership. They’ve taken the time to understand exactly what we’re trying to achieve, contributing to our messaging. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any negative qualities.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Bring them in on your overall communication strategy. Use their knowledge and experience to help build a storyline and film. Give them what you’re trying to achieve and let them come back with a pitch because that’s what has produced authentic content for us.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of communications for the Americas for a global luxury retail brand.

What challenge were you trying to address with Casual Films?

Every year we make a holiday video and in the past, we tried to kill too many birds with one stone with the video. It was often too lengthy and not as engaging as we’d like, including business messages alongside employee messages. For 2019, we decided to split it into two videos, a business-facing one and an employee-facing one.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Casual Films produced out employee-facing holiday video for 2019. Their team helped us narrow down the focus and created three different concepts, all of which were incredibly on target. After we selected one of the concepts, we were able to move forward with the project.

The Casual Films team was willing to put in the effort to truly understand the DNA of our brand, the heart of who we are, and what our employees expect. We went from creative brief to storyboards to guidance on each frame. It was a complex endeavor that involved a lot of merchandising, as well as figuring out the right employees to feature in five shoots in five different locations. 

Their team filmed our employees and showcased both the beauty of our jewelry and the diversity of our team. They created a piece that celebrates our employees and managed all of the shoots.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five members of the Casual Films team. My point person was Lexi (Executive Producer, Casual Films), but we also worked with a writer, a producer, a film person, and an audio person. 

How did you come to work with Casual Films?

We have a member of our company who sources video production companies. I brought this project to her and she looked for companies that met our needs. After interviewing two firms, we decided to work with Casual Films.

Their initial proposal and portfolio of work stood out. There was a polish and quality to their work that was quite excellent. Additionally, they seem to solely focus on internal-facing employee communications videos, which gave them a leg up. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement ran from July–November 2019.

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

We have received tremendous feedback from the team, they were highly impressed with the caliber and quality of the video. Engagement with the video was 34% higher than last year. Casual Films did a beautiful job on every aspect of the video. Their tactical engineering of everything was on point and they delivered a beautiful project. 

Every member of their team approached the project with a great sense of professionalism and point of view. They all brought a lot to the table and it was lovely working with them. 

How did Casual Films perform from a project management standpoint?

Lexi was absolutely excellent. She provided schedules and budgets, which they stuck to. Before anything might go over budget, she always reviewed with me to ensure we were on the same page. There was a very clear process in place for shoots, which were run almost to the minute. The whole engagement was well managed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Casual Films is committed to quality. They’re a great partner to have.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, overall they were really great. The longer we work with a company, they greater understanding they have of all of our collections, but I wouldn’t expect them to have that yet. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I am a very process-oriented person and they’re a process-oriented company. Invest the time in bringing them up to speed n your brand, it will pay great dividends.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior video producer at a large corporation. I work in the marketing department, and we make videos to support our products. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Casual Films?

My team creates content year-round, and Casual Films helps us come up with story ideas that are outside of our immediate geographic area, whether that’s in London, Senegal, or Canada.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I look to Casual Films, particularly their London office, to generate story leads for different artists around the world that we can then pitch to my boss. For example, we recently worked with Casual Films on a story lead for an illustrator. They pitched it to me in a polished presentation with visuals and story points. They gave me an easy sell to then pitch it to the creative director and get it greenlit so we could shoot it. 

They help through the production process, from the ideation phase all the way through completion. In between, they help with interviews, logistics for every shoot location, and editing. They’re a full-service turnkey on a lot of levels.

What is the team composition?

My point of contact is usually Oliver (MD London & Executive Producer, Casual Films). I also work with other producers. For the last project, I worked with Dan (Producer, Casual Films). 

How did you come to work with Casual Films?

Casual Films was already working with my company, and I’d heard good things about their divisions in London, New York, and Los Angeles. I met with them in person and then contacted Oliver for story ideas, and he sent them. 

How much have you invested with them?

My company has probably spent $100,000 amongst the various projects we’ve done with them, but it’s hard to say because they’ve done projects for other producers. The last project scope was roughly $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together about two years ago, and it’s ongoing.

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

The last piece that they did for me was lovely, and it’s still featured in our magazine. A lot of the stories they create go in our magazine.

How did Casual Films perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a fantastic job taking care of all the fine details, communicating challenges, and creatively problem solving.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Casual Film provides a lot of value. They’re great at communicating, and they’ll go the extra distance to get more shots that other providers would charge you for. They have a high level of wanting to do the best work and not necessarily taking it out of your pocket.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. It’s hard when you work with different producers.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a client partnerships director for an interactive video technology company called WIREWAX.

What challenge were you trying to address with Casual Films?

Since we’re a video tech company, we often have clients who need video production services. Our goal with Casual Films was to provide an easy, one-stop-shop solution to our clients by recommending a preferred partner that could deliver high-quality outputs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

As our recommended video production partner, we’ve developed a terrific workflow with Casual Films. Their team works with our clients directly, providing live-action production shoots. They also help script and cast the videos.

Usually, we’re involved in helping scope a project with the clients. We own the pre-sale part of the conversation. Once the project goes into execution, my creative team and I help flesh out the interactive technology needed for the video production, ensuring we’re thinking as one cohesive unit.

What is the team composition?

Typically, they assign one point of contact who's usually the executive producer. The point of contact changes based on the product. I'm usually working with one point of contact because it's easy to have all the details with one person.

How did you come to work with Casual Films?

The co-founder of WIREWAX has a relationship with the founder of Casual Films.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve driven about $200,000 worth of video production to Casual Films. We work in two ways. One way is when WIREWAX hands over clients to Casual Films. Sometimes Casual Films will make a video production interactive, bringing business to WIREWAX. We have a symbiotic relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2018 and the relationship is ongoing.

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

So far, all of our clients have been happy with the video production.

How did Casual Films perform from a project management standpoint?

Most of the time, we communicate over the phone or by email. They’ve been very good at delivering quality outputs no matter the budget. Project management has been one of their greatest qualities.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to interface with clients directly has made them stand out. We’ve also been impressed with their response time and thoughtfulness.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been terrific. Sometimes we have to work on our billing terms with one another but overall, everything has been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with Casual Films from the ground floor of an idea because the team excels when they’re able to own the creative process from start to finish.