Crushpix Video Production Company

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-owner of Squeegee Press, a company that sells education materials and art supplies for cold wax art.

What challenge were you trying to address with Crushpix Video Production Company?

My partner and I have taught 5–7-day-long workshops across the United States and around the world. But, a lot of people don’t have the time to attend these workshops and those who do often forget what they learned because there isn’t a recording or persistent existence of them. 

So, we decided to turn our workshop into a video series so that people anywhere in the world could have access to it and those who’ve already attended, can have something to look back on. We asked David (Executive Producer, Crushpix Video Production Company) and his team to help us film the workshop and edit the video.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We scripted the video because we know the content and we had an idea of the layout we wanted, but David helped us with the positioning, angles, and lighting during the filming process. Crushpix Video Production Company also provided us with lights, cameras, and sound equipment.

We thought we would have to be extensively involved in the editing process, but David took care of everything. He even took clips from other sections and inserted them elsewhere to reinforce certain ideas. The team also helped us to integrate closed-captioning into the video.

What is the team composition?

When we were filming, there were three teammates there every day. During the editing phase, we worked with David, who oversaw the posts, and 2–3 other teammates, depending on where we were in the process.

How did you come to work with Crushpix Video Production Company?

I looked up videography companies online. I was specifically looking for local or small businesses, and I came across Crushpix Video Production Company. David was very close to our studio so he came and spent a few hours with me, trying to understand what we do and what we were envisioning.

He then came back with some ideas and a budget. We could tell that he had a good sense of things and was a perfectionist, which is why he won us over. 

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent around $20,000–$35,000, which felt inexpensive for how much work was done.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with him from September 2017 to March 2019.

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

The product was a 7-hour-long video and we were much more satisfied than we had anticipated. We have received so much positive feedback from our viewers who have said that it’s the best educational art video they have ever seen. We haven’t had a single complaint at all; just high praise about the professionalism of the editing. Overall, the video was comprehensive and easy to understand.

How did Crushpix Video Production Company perform from a project management standpoint?

David takes the job personally and considers it a reflection on him, but he also handles it very professionally. We communicated in person, via email, and on the phone, and he was always very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

David has a very intuitive sense of what is needed. Although he had never done anything like this video before, he immediately knew what to do. When we would get back the preliminary edits, we were always astounded by how he intuitively put everything together in a way that made sense to the viewer.

I would recommend him to anyone who doesn’t have experience doing these types of projects because he was just amazing. He was also kind, personable, and great to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Like with any big project, I wish we had anticipated how big it was going to be. It wasn’t his fault, but I wish we had known that we would need five days of filming, and hundreds of hours of editing. We didn’t anticipate that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should be direct and upfront about what you want and what your expectations are because he will do his best to meet them. Be clear about what you want from him because he’s very professional and will do everything he can to deliver it.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Center for Mediation and Counseling encompasses consultant, counseling and publication services. Clients include government agencies, families and individuals related to mental health and social issue services.

For what projects/services did your company hire Crushpix Video Production Company?

As the Forensic Psychologist and CEO of the Center I am the author of several books related to social issues, mental health concepts and educational information. Crushpix Video Production Company was hired to develop and create an animated video of a book with nine metaphors (addressing social issues such as diversity, self-esteem, and relationships) along with a story guide with questions and activities for mental health professionals, teachers and families to address contemporary social issues with clients, students and family members.

What were your goals for this project?

To share the concept of nine metaphors with a safe, inviting tool (book plus video or flashdrive) so professionals could engage actively with those individuals, students, couples and families with the social issues they were confronting on a daily basis and help with their healing process.

How did you select this vendor?

Found Crushpix on the Internet and knew the minute David Ronan and I met, he was the one to make my work in to a creative, real, substantive counseling and teaching tool.

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

David Ronan understood the concept, was very creative in his work and together brought my work of thirty years in to reality and his insights, efforts and creativity are deeply appreciated by me. He always went the extra step to make this project an "award" winning video and an inspiration to others.

We explored various mechanisms to turn the metaphors in to an instructional tool, identified professional talent (voices) to read the parts of each metaphor, and he and his crew worked tirelessly in creating an incredible animated video (flashdrive) to be shared with those in the mental health field, teachers and families.

As a result of his creativity, the book/flashdrive video has been recognized for several awards in 2019 (published June 2019). The awards given this video came from Indie Film Festival as the "Best Instructional Feature" and Davis International Film Festival as the "Best animated Feature".

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

It was a team effort and through critical thinking skills, empathy from both, and full exploration the concept I began writing thirty years ago came in to full color, animation and inspirational. It was exactly what I had dreamed of when I started creating the metaphors so long ago and I deeply appreciate David's gifts in making this a reality. It was not an easy concept to grasp but David was able to do so

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

It was not an easy concept to grasp but David was able to understand a cutting edge mental health and teaching tool concept so clients, students and children of all ages are able to address social issues such as grief, letting go of fears, friendships, developmental stages of relationships, being in the moment, releasing competition, embracing identity-purpose, achieving ability to believe -positive thinking and diversity within a fun, healthy, inspirational learning environment. The awards and sales reflect success of this project.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Fun, challenging at moments and significant gratification in the final product. I am very proud to be called the author of this book/video. The workflow occurred as if in Divine Order. All players were brought in to the project in an effortless way through David Ronan's ability to identify appropriate crew members, professional talent, et al.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

David Ronan through Crushpix' creative genius approach to the project. The team met all deadlines and was open and receptive to thinking outside the box. They listened to my wishes carefully and brought to life my dream of thirty years. No one could have asked for more. Even after the contract was finished, he was available to assist in further updates, marketing, and problem solving such as YouTube issues.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Nordock is a manufacturer of loading dock equipment. I’m responsible for our national account’s sales and growth in the food and beverage and cold storage sector of the marketplace. I'm a national account sales manager.

What challenge were you trying to address with Crushpix Video Production Company?

Our goal was to capture a real-life depiction of our product in action on video. We wanted to show all aspects of the loading and unloading process and how our product differentiates from competitive designs. It would simulate different loading and operating sequences, along with the way our equipment will allow for a true seal in a loading dock doorway.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They produced a live-action video. We had created an animation a year or so prior to my visit to Oakland. The animation turned out great, but it was still essentially a cartoon. We wanted to follow the script of the animation, but do it in live-action instead.

I believe 90% of the filming in the video was completed in one day. They made a preliminary site visit, and then they met me on-site a week or so later where we did all the filming. They may have gone back a couple of days later to get another shot with a drone. 

What is the team composition?

There were three people working with us on the project. Dave (Producer & Director, Crushpix Video Production Company) was the lead, and he had two helpers. One of those helpers was more involved in filming and running equipment than the other.

How did you come to work with Crushpix Video Production Company?

I searched online for vendors and identified three different companies in the Bay Area that appeared the provide the services we were looking for. I communicated with all three via email and the phone. I thought that Crushpix really nailed it. They were flexible in working with our coals and our budget.

How much have you invested with them?

I’m guessing it was around $5,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place in December of 2019.

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

They did a great job of following the flow of the animation script, as well as our internal directions. They crushed it—no pun intended. We got exactly what we hoped to get out of the process. I work directly with the owner of our company, and he was extremely pleased. 

How did Crushpix Video Production Company perform from a project management standpoint?

They sent me a link where I could view all of the footage. Our marketing department is taking the raw footage and ultimately completing the product. They captured everything perfectly and even provided a couple of music files to accompany the video. They were super flexible and easy to work with throughout the whole project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our equipment is very niche, and they adapted well to it. They were very flexible and willing to get the cameras and lighting set up in the perfect position to capture everything as we had envisioned. So, overall, it was a really good experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were enjoyable to work with. I have no complaints and nothing but praise. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Not necessarily, everyone’s objectives are very bespoke, so I couldn’t necessarily advise someone else how to go about it.