Column Five

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Managing Director Performance Marketing of Teach For America

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Teach For America's mission is to enlist, develop, and mobilize as many as possible of our nation's most promising future leaders to grow and strengthen the movement for educational equity and excellence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Column Five to accomplish?

• Increase volume and candidate quality of recruitment prospects coming from paid media channels
• Reduce cost per applicant

SOLUTION

How did you find Column Five?

Referral

Why did you select Column Five over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Column Five were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Column Five helped TFA build on the success of last years performance marketing campaign. They helped us maintain our YoY application benchmarks while generating a new pool of candidates: 

• by building a strong pipeline of qualified candidates
• building on last year’s success with a combination of proven channels and new tests 
• launched additional media testing opportunities + audience insights
• provided User Journey Support with C5 consultation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

C5 and Teach for America partnered to support recruitment in FY23 and surpassed annual goals as well as FY22 paid media performance, setting new benchmarks for what’s possible in Paid Media and generating the greatest ROI for Paid Media in the recent history of TFA – this was due largely to targeting, responsiveness to a changing market, and use of multiple media channels to promote the application message. 

• FY23 goals remained constant YoY, and C5’s Media Plan Generated: 
  • 23,063 App Starts (128% of the stated goal) 
  • 5,744 Competitive App Starts (137% of the stated goal) 
  • 6,876 App Submits (119% of the stated goal) 
  • 2,053 Competitive App Submits (124% of the stated goal) 
• C5’s beat FY22’s Leading KPI’s by a significant margin: 
  • A $37.46 Cost Per App Start, a 31% reduction from FY22 ($54.35) 
  • A $144.98 Cost Per Comp. App Start, a 33% reduction from FY22 ($216.66) 
  • Cost per comp app submit FY23: $383, a 49% reduction from FY22 ($755.56) 
• C5 set new benchmarks for Secondary Metrics, which are used as leading indicators for target audience interest – C5 drove: 
  • Over 38,420,000 impressions Over 501,600 clicks on ads 
  • Over 3,140,000 completed video views // 88% completed rate, above 80% is excellent $.03 per completed video view // typical range is $.02-.05, so we are lower end of average 
  • A CTR of 1.31% // National CTR’s are typically .05-.1%, so our CTR is exceeding average 
  • A CPC of $1.75 // We expect the CPC to be within $1-2 each 
  • Social media had 11,921 reactions, 147 comments, 60 saves, and 145 shares

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

C5 was very professional and responsive. They were constantly learning about our business and adaptive to change. We worked together to constantly optimize our performance marketing based on real-time data and best practices that C5 recommended based on their extensive knowledge and expertise in the field.

What was your primary form of communication with Column Five?

Virtual Meeting

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

We achieved measurable, tangible results and exceeded our organization-wide goals for the first time in seven years.

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

None. They were an excellent partner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP Growth of an advertising & marketing company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Performance marketing for tech and SaaS brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Column Five to accomplish?

• Establish brand awareness
• Solidify thought leadership
• Create eye-catching content

SOLUTION

How did you find Column Five?

Referral

Why did you select Column Five over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Column Five were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The report is a comprehensive analysis of the latest trends and developments in the tech industry for paid media advertising, and will be an invaluable resource for businesses and professionals looking to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to this benchmark data of more than $150M in spend in 2022 by leading SaaS brands. This included an interactive website experience, a downloadable PDF, and other supporting promotional materials.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The purpose of this program is to secure 1,000 subscribers for our first tech marketing report.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team was always quick to respond and did a great job of keeping on pace. They handled the changes we had in our process very well. We have never created a report like this before and they guided us to success.

What was your primary form of communication with Column Five?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They had a great ability to tell stories through data.

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

They can be more firm on setting deadlines and next steps instead of me pushing the project along.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at Mozilla

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Internet for people, not profit

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Column Five to accomplish?

• Create compelling brand videos
• Bring an integrated marketing campaign to life
• Create a unique brand identity for a large internal event

SOLUTION

How did you find Column Five?

Referral

Why did you select Column Five over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fits our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Column Five were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Column Five helped us create a brand video that tells the big-picture story behind our company (Mozilla) in a compelling, concise format adapted for our digital channels. The team also brought to life a campaign for our content discovery app, Pocket, to celebrate and look back on 2022 through a series of digital assets and web pages. 

And they created a unique visual identity and sizzle video for our annual "All Hands" internal event in Hawaii. We were super pleased with results!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Online views + traffic from paid and organic content, sign-ups and downloads for some of our products, and general brand awareness

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Everyone I've interacted with at ColumnFive has been so great to work with. They are flexible with timelines and process, always deliver on-time or discuss necessary shifts upfront, and happy to adapt to our constantly changing needs (within reason). Every communication is packed with generosity, curiosity and a healthy dose of humor. We love working with Column Five!

What was your primary form of communication with Column Five?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We loved C5's ability to rapidly shift gears with efficiency and optimism.

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

Presentations could be a bit more formal depending on the audience for future projects

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP, Marketing Services of Informa Markets

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Informa Markets connects buyers and sellers - we help businesses meet, discover products, trade and grow through major exhibitions, virtual events, online marketplaces, specialist content and data services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Column Five to accomplish?

• Creative development of an eBook asset template for future internal turnkey use
• Content creation & creative development of three top of funnel content marketing assets

SOLUTION

How did you find Column Five?

Referral

Why did you select Column Five over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Column Five were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We leveraged Column Five's creative design & development services, as well as content writing services as we had a need for top of funnel content marketing assets to support our demand generation campaign efforts. 

We partnered with Column Five in the development of a turnkey eBook template that our internal creative team could leverage for future eBook asset production. We also partnered with Column Five to content write and creatively produce (leveraging the developed eBook template) three top of funnel eBook assets.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were delivered our eBook asset template, along with three ready-to-use top of funnel eBook assets within our three month project roadmap. All designs and content developed for these assets were of high-quality. We were constantly impressed with the deliverables we received, especially as our industry is a niche one within the engineering and manufacturing space.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We actually finished this project early due to the timeliness, expertise, and efficiency of the Column Five team. From kickoff to project close, Column Five was extremely communicative and timely with responses. We had bi-weekly zoom check-ins and project communication via emails. We felt like our feedback throughout the process was well received and it was a true partnership with collaboration through out it all.

What was your primary form of communication with Column Five?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Column Five and all the members we've engaged with through projects have all been so easy to work with. They understand our business challenge and seek to work with us creatively to find solutions. It's a true partnership with this agency. They are experts in what they do, and we always feel we're in good hands, getting value for our spend.

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

I can't think of anything - they've always been great to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Product Marketing of Instacart

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,100 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Column Five to accomplish?

• Support last minute design requests
• Deliver compelling, and beautiful B2B marketing collateral (decks, handouts, images, etc...)
• Execute email design & HTML coding

SOLUTION

How did you find Column Five?

Referral

Why did you select Column Five over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Column Five were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Decks
• One-Pagers
• Images
• Figma Prototypes
• HTML Email
• Logo Lockups

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We are unable to share the outcomes, but I can share that Column Five delivers incredible work. They consistently go above an beyond to deliver compelling assets that are optimized for conversion, and these assets have been used (and highly praised) at events, in blog posts, and while onboarding new partners.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, they consistently deliver assets on time, and sometimes even early. They can also adapt on the fly if we have quick last minute turnarounds. The team is incredible to work with. They always have a great attitude, are incredibly organized, and highly communicative.

What was your primary form of communication with Column Five?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I greatly appreciate their attention to detail, organization, and flexibility. The deliverables always follow our brand guidelines, look beautiful, and accomplish our needs. I can always count on this team to deliver beautiful assets.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Marketing Manager of an ecommerce company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are the leading grocery technology company in North America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Column Five to accomplish?

• Creative Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Column Five?

Online Search

Why did you select Column Five over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Column Five were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We've worked with Column Five on the creative development for a new learning management solution, for SEO blog posts, template creation, deck design, illustrations and more.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

All creative deliverables needed to be on-brand, high-quality and follow the asset guidelines for their respective placements. SEO content needed to follow web best practices and drive key SEO metrics. Template work needed to be intuitive and scalable to use.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

ColumnFive delivers projects on time and is highly communicative about progress. They're also extremely organized, delivering project timelines via ClickUp wit a dedicated producer assigned to each project.When responding to needs, they are fast, supportive and flexible. They're always a pleasure to work with.

What was your primary form of communication with Column Five?

Virtual Meeting

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

This quality has not just high-quality work, but high-quality people. They make the work best in class but also fun. Their company values are strong, which really shows in how the people treat the work, one another and their clients. They are the best agency I've ever worked with, and I'd recommend them to anyone.

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

The one thing that Column Five and my company both openly acknowledge is that we're paying premium prices for premium outcomes. At times we need to make tradeoffs and give the work we'd prefer to give to Column Five to a different vendor simply because it's more cost effective to do so.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and communications at Narrative 4, a global organization that uses storytelling to promote empathy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Column Five?

We hired Column Five to create and place ads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Column Five produced ad creative for our summer festival, which is called Summer of Impact. They also placed those ads.

They’re currently working on a sizzle reel, so a three-minute and a one-minute cut highlighting our culminating event. We’re also working with them to update our brand. They’re developing some brand messaging for the organization.

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 people from Column Five.

How did you come to work with Column Five?

I found them online last year when I was looking for a company to help us with our annual report.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Column Five in June 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To date, I’ve been very happy with them. They’re responsive to our needs, and their attention and work feel very personalized to our organization and goals. They feel like a true partner in the work.

How did Column Five perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re incredibly organized in terms of timelines, budget, deliverables, and reporting. We had certain benchmarks for our summer campaign, and they reported back on how the ads were performing. Those spreadsheets were very detailed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re a nonprofit, and I feel like they value our work and our mission in the same way that they might value a more established corporate client.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No — they’ve been doing great.

Any advice for potential customers?

For someone thinking about working with them, I’d just say to do it. Provide as much information as you can about your project and goals, and they’re going to do their best to get that work done and help you achieve whatever you set out to.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of brand design at VideoAmp, an advertising technology company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Column Five?

We hired them to redesign our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Column Five rebuilt our new website. Nothing from the old website was carried over; it’s a completely brand new backend system. They created a custom WordPress CMS.

They did content strategy, created design systems, interactive design, and full website development and launch. Right now, we’re currently in the second wave of additional page releases of our website.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about 11–12 teammates. Amongst them were copy editors, strategists, designers, interactive specialists, developers, a senior producer and an account director.

How did you come to work with Column Five?

I sent out a formal RFP and picked eight agencies that I felt could handle the project based on their portfolio. I then interviewed them, and it came down to three finalists. Column Five provided the most thoughtful response that was curated to my company.

They went above and beyond from the get-go. We also liked that they had a good background in content strategy, which is something we were missing at my company. They had a lot of industry knowledge, so I felt that our content would be easy for them to handle. 

How much have you invested with them?

The first phase was about $250,000. The second phase, which will go live in September, will be about $38,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We formally kicked off the project in October 2019, and we’re still working with Column Five.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Column Five has expertise in copy, creative work, strategy, and execution. I’ve done big corporate web designs all my career, and this is my favorite one to date. I love the quality of the design and the thoughtfulness in their consideration regarding our users' experience. In our first month post-launch, we successfully generated more qualified marketing leads than we previously were able to do in a full quarter.

How did Column Five perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very organized, which is in line with my working style. We use Slack and email for communication. The team is very responsive, and I never felt like I was chasing them down. They are flexible and understanding with us, especially because we’re a startup. 

We use Toggl for longterm scoping of the entire project, and I wrote weekly recaps to all of the stakeholders. I’ve never felt any resistance from them, and if there was an update, they immediately put in on our shared timeline software. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

My favorite part about working with Column Five is their team. I always tell them that I can’t believe I found them. They are a very professional partner, but we also have a casual and friendly relationship. We’re able to celebrate birthdays with them and set aside time to have virtual Happy Hours. 

We talk candidly about life and family, and we can check in on each other. That’s something that people take for granted because they hire vendors, and after the job is done, the relationship ends there. I don’t see that happening with Column Five; I see us continuing a longterm friendship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. I honestly don’t think they could do anything better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re working in an industry that’s different from a creative one, have a little bit of flexibility — they’re not always going to match your mindset and speed because it is not their norm. Our company runs on an extreme schedule with many fire drills and you have to level-set expectations that this isn't normal for everyone. If this is your first time working with a creative agency, take ownership of updates and communicate clearly. 

If you’re thinking about working with Column Five, make sure you have a good relationship with their senior producer, because they’re the gatekeeper for the entire team on their side. Additionally, be vigilant with payment terms and what you're signing. Our team is so appreciative of the flexibility Column Five's team demonstrated on the accounting side of things. Money talk is never fun, but they always made us feel secure in whatever terms we agreed to.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the talent brand specialist, for a large software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Column Five?

We needed help with brand strategy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We use traditional brand strategy, planning, marketing, and communications to position the company as a great place to work. Over the last couple of years, we’ve used Column Five to help us define and execute our overall brand strategy as a means of achieving our goals. In 2019, this process was focused on communicating to potential employees that not only is our company a great place to work, but it is also the right place for them to take the next step in their careers.

In 2018, they worked on establishing our employee value proposition. There wasn’t much to work with other than our company's mission and values. When we came up with our value proposition of "We believe the world could work better," they helped us develop supporting narrative strategies to tell that story. In 2019, we created different storytelling models to spread these narratives. Along with this assistance, they helped us identify partnership opportunities to share our value proposition. They also reworked any content that we’d share so that it aligned with the value proposition.

We also worked with Column Five to convene focus groups and analyze feedback from them as well as survey responses. Every year, we would use this analysis to refresh our strategy, holding brainstorming sessions at least twice a year to think of what we could do next.

Other than the previously-mentioned pieces, a huge part of the work has been content production. They've helped us write short-form and long-form blog posts as well as helped produce videos. Once they create the content, they assist with posting it on platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Glassdoor. They've created content in several different formats, such as motion graphics, paid ads, and infographics.  They've also provided web design assistance and helped refine presentations for our senior leadership team.

We just signed an agreement for our partnership to extend into 2020 and beyond.

What is the team composition?

There are about nine people that work with our team on a regular basis. Some of the founders will get involved at times. Up until January 3rd, it was two of us on our side, but now it’s only me.

How did you come to work with Column Five?

They were working with our consumer marketing team and we were looking for an agency to work with us specifically on talent branding. We even talked to a number of agencies who specialize in talent branding.

Column Five hadn’t worked in talent branding before, but they were really good at brand storytelling. We were just giving them a different type of product to sell. We liked a lot of what they had to share in terms of their strategy and process. After meeting with all the agencies, they won.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $1,000,000 annually with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered on the benchmarks set. This year, we had more content on our blog than we’ve ever had before due to their support.

They captured our vision and our company’s mission. We attracted 500 applicants from the blog alone. The blog isn’t even meant to attract applicants; it's designed to drive awareness. This was definitely a win we weren’t expecting. Of course, they also helped us gain applicants from a number of intentional avenues. They've ensured that we consistently have new content on our site, which has helped us get even more applicants than expected. 

How did Column Five perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really good at keeping us on task, keeping everything moving, and making sure I know what I need to move forward.

Additionally, they’re able to adjust to different people’s work styles to get the most out of them. We have a standup meeting every Monday morning and a Slack channel for quick communication.

We also have an agenda that we use while we’re in that Monday meeting. On their end, they use a virtual whiteboard. If their work is relevant to us, they’ll share it during the meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've shown outside-the-box thinking with regards to marketing and brand strategy. When we began looking at agencies, we were considering employment brand agencies and marketing agencies.

Column Five really understood marketing and branding in general. They've been super innovative in their suggestions to us. They really understand how to properly tell a story and plan for a brand.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re pretty great. I couldn’t imagine doing this job without them. We communicate well, and I never feel the need to withhold any feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are experts at what they do. You just have to be an expert on your brand to get the most out of them. Don’t micromanage.

I let them work independently. If something doesn’t feel like it fits with our company, I feel comfortable telling them. I trust their expertise in suggesting new ideas.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of Change for Balance, a commercial production company. We work with agencies like Column Five doing video production services and anything regarding commercial production needs. 

A side of our company is dedicated to creating content that can make the world a better place. Most of these projects entail producing documentaries and docuseries that put forth a good message, such as stories of people trying to make a change in our planet.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Column Five?

My company was producing a documentary on how Asian elephants are going extinct. We went to Thailand and rescued an elephant, which we used to reflect the broader story of what all Asian elephants are going through. 

As we were making the film, we realized that we needed a section to explain what was happening to Asian elephants. We also felt it was important to explain the difference between African and Asian elephants, as most people don’t know that these two species, nor the fact that Asian elephants are going extinct. We wanted an engaging and dynamic data visualization that wouldn’t be too brutal, so we hired Column Five for animation services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we sent Column Five a script that our writers had written and explained that this was how we wanted to bring our idea to life. We also sent them a few animations that we thought were cool, many of which Column Five had actually done, and a rough cut of the movie so that they could get a feel for it. They started doing sketches, and they sent us a few options to look at. For instance, one was paper craft, so the animation looked like it was made out of paper. Another was Asian-inspired. We ended up choosing another one of their sketches and blending a few designs.

Using the script, Column Five built out a scene for us to see. Once we approved it, they started building out the storyboard of rough sketches before fully designing it, so that we could see how each scene and even line would play out. We’re not Asian elephant experts, and we didn’t expect Column Five to be either, but we were working with scientists to make sure we were phrasing everything correctly. My team went to Column Five’s office and had a meeting with the designer and animator to go over the subtle nuances, such as how an Asian versus an African elephant looks. From there, Column Five built out the final storyboard. They made small motion designs of the way the elephants would move and delivered a two-minute animation.

What is the team composition?

We had a lead producer and a designer/animator. During the strategy meeting, there was a team of 4–5 people.

How did you come to work with Column Five?

We’ve been doing video content with Column Five for a while. When they have video production needs, they call us, and we either direct or produce. We’ve also done spots for some of their clients. They’re our friends, and we know the quality of the people they have working there. They’re the type of people you would want to work with, so it was a no brainer for us to hire them for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

This project cost $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work with Column Five began in 2017, and we still work with them to this day.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our work experience with them was incredible, and what they did for us was genius. We gave them a lot of data, and they came back with the most brilliant, succinct animation that we’d ever seen. Their animation work is just a few minutes into the documentary, and it sets up a solid foundation for the rest of the film by explaining what an Asian elephant is, how it’s different from an African elephant, and the crisis that they’re facing. Most of the compliments we get on the film are actually on the animation. Asian elephant experts who have worked in this space for a long time have said that they’ve never seen the topic broken down in such a way that is so easy to understand. We wanted to make an argument that a child could understand, and Column Five brought that to life. 

Our documentary has won a ton of awards, including a Humane Society Genesis Award for Best Feature Documentary. It got brilliant reviews in well-known publications and played in over 120 theatres in the US and abroad. The film is also playing on Chinese and South American airlines, and it’s currently available on STARZ.

How did Column Five perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re not animation people and don’t know much about the process, and Column Five guided us through all of it. We communicated via email and phone, and we had two face-to-face meetings to kick off the project and get on the same page. Once they were off and running, they regularly touched base and asked for feedback on their work. They managed the feedback process well; they told us what kind of feedback they were looking for and specified exactly what we should look at, which made our lives extremely easy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve referred them to so many people because they’re amazing, and Josh (Co-Founder, Column Five) is an incredible guy who was willing to take this project on amid all the other work they had. We felt very lucky that they managed the process extremely well. Their ability to manage a process like this and deliver such high-quality work was impressive. 

We signed them on, and they took it from there. Their project lead knew precisely what to do. They built out the schedule and how they were going to do the work. It’s one thing to have that, but then to back it up with such quality work made our lives so easy. The process was stress-free because we knew we were in the hands of absolute professionals. Column Five is the best in the business at bringing data to life in a way that is interesting and engaging. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, there aren’t. There’s a reason they’re so busy and have such a big team, and it’s because they’re amazing at what they do. 

Any advice for potential customers?

Column Five is incredible because they’re interested in being an extremely efficient business and making the most out of their relationships with partners. If you’re thinking about hiring Column Five, don’t think about it anymore; just do it, because it will be the best decision you’ve ever made. They’re going to do everything they can to make the most out of the partnership. They don’t succeed unless you succeed, and they’re not just interested in completing the job and getting paid. They’re invested in their partnerships. Their founders and all of their producers care about the brand.