Curveball

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director at mmi Analitycs, a data analytics company for the beauty industry. We collect a lot of data to help beauty brands present themselves more successfully to consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Curveball Media?

Our services are quite complex, and we have two different products. Thus, we required two different videos to present our two products: our media solutions product and our electronic retail (e-tail) product.

Our media solutions are a requirement in the industry; people know that they need media and the insight services that come along with it. However, our product takes those services to the next level. Thus, we needed to produce an art-of-the-possible type of video to explain to our customers what we did and how it would be more beneficial to them than other standard solutions in the market.

On the e-tail side, we track the presence of beauty products for online retailers to ensure excellence in execution. Our goal for this side of our business is to increase their sales and conversion rates by helping them have excellent products and product pages. However, a lot of companies don’t realize that they need this solution, so we required the second video to educate our audience about the benefits of subscribing to a service like ours.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Curveball Media helped us produce two animated videos to educate our audience about our two different products. They were in charge of the entire video production and postproduction, which included a thorough storyboarding process for both videos. Ultimately, they delivered the final videos.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with three people from Curveball Media, but others were working behind the scenes. Their team included producers and copywriters.

How did you come to work with Curveball Media?

They sent me an outreach email, and the timing was right.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent £7,000 (approximately $8,400 USD) per video.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2021–July 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Curveball Media’s creative input and storyboarding were very valuable for the project's success. The videos they produced have been very useful externally and internally. Internally, they’ve helped us with our recruitment process, allowing new hires to understand our products. Externally, these videos have definitely helped us increase our sales.

As for general feedback, everybody liked the videos produced by Curveball Media. We’re currently scaling up our business, and these videos have been important for our external company image. Moreover, they’re very professional, so we’re very pleased with them.

How did Curveball Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Curveball Media’s video production process was fantastic. They guided us all the way through and managed our expectations very well. Additionally, they delivered assets on time and pushed back whenever we asked for changes that they thought weren’t right. 

Curveball Media was also very organized and delivered within budget. Throughout the project, they were very clear regarding things that would incur extra costs, and they helped us keep on track. Overall, they were very professional and acted as real partners in every way.

As for communication, Curveball Media’s team was very responsive. They used Filestage to facilitate the process. Additionally, we used email and Zoom to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Curveball Media’s creativity and organization were impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could have improved on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to their advice. They always provide excellent recommendations with very good reasons behind those recommendations. Moreover, treat them as partners and as an extension of your business because they know a lot about video production.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Senior Marketing Manager for a UK-based MGA. We offer insurance solutions to UK brokers and their clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Curveball Media, and what were your goals?

We wanted to commission a series of product animations that gave brokers an insight into our business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found them via a Google search and once we had met, I decided they were the right company for us to use.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Curveball are always really diligent in their process. They ask many questions up front and then provide a script/storyboard. They give ample time for us to feedback and are very flexible with their timings. Once the final animation/motion is delivered they are also happy to make minor tweaks.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I have worked with Olly the most. It is comforting having had the same relationship the whole way through.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have recently commission 4 small motions for our LinkedIn page. I boosted these motions with a really small spend and we achieved over 15,000 impressions compared to around 1,000 organic.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They have an initial information gathering phase, then send a timeline which we would agree to. Then they send a script, which they give us plenty of time to feedback on, however their scripts are always really good - they have taken time to understand our brand and what we need.

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

The whole process is just a pleasure to be a part of, and we are always blown away by the end result.

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

None that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director of Third City, a PR agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Curveball Media?

We needed help to produce media to either inform or entertain to be used for our PR campaigns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Curveball Media helps us produce both animated and live videos for our PR campaigns. For every project, they offer support right from the start, helping us think about the type of video we need and the script it requires. They also suggest some creative ideas and offer creative consultancy.

After that, Curveball Media is in charge of the entire video production; they handle everything. Their services include video editing, audio mixing, casting, and graphic design. The videos they produce have been published on company websites and social channels like YouTube and Facebook.

What is the team composition?

I usually work with Oliver (Owner), who also works as the creative director. However, I’ve also worked with other people from Curveball Media, including Sam (Studio Manager).

How did you come to work with Curveball Media?

I’ve worked with Curveball Media for many years on various projects, so I don’t remember how I originally found them. Over the years, they’ve become my go-to video production agency. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our most recent project cost £30,000 (approximately $36,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2016, and our relationship is ongoing. Our most recent project started in June 2022 and was delivered in September 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The videos that Curveball Media produces are always of high quality and get really good results in terms of engagement and viewer feedback. In our most recent project, viewers told us that the video was interesting, emotive, and relevant. Overall, these videos have accomplished what we expected.

How did Curveball Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Curveball Media’s project management is very good. They constantly stay on budget and keep good timing. Additionally, they stick to deadlines that can be difficult to meet, turning things around very quickly and with great quality. We use Filestage to review the workflow, as well as Zoom and email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Curveball Media is very understanding, and they always come up with the best creative solutions for the briefs we provide. Their team is very talented at communicating the message we want to convey in a very creative way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any constructive feedback.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have Curveball Media come on board from the start of the process and work with them on the creative side of the video instead of just telling them what you think should be in it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a professor of sociology at the University of Kent.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Curveball Media?

I wanted a short animated video that can capture the essense of my recently published book - The Flexibility Paradox. The video needed to be short punchy and deliver key messages of the book not only in its main message but also key policy recommendations within 2 minutes.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I searched through various sources via online search and word of mouth and of the different companies I've explored, the quality of the work produced by curveball was significantly better than the rest. Exceptional videos.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After an initial email conversation about the idea/pricing I had a meeting with the creative director and the studio manager to run through some key ideas and concepts they came back to me with a brief idea and concrete pricing, once the contract was set there was a larger meeting with a larger group of folks from Curveball - including illustrator etc. The meeting resulted in a clearer product/which then went through a very thorough process of asking for and responding to feedback

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had an account manager and writer that worked with me throughout but many other team members came in and out depending on the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Curveball has made a great video of the book and the video has now been shared across a multiple platforms/social media and garnered close to 1k views across different platforms.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was fast and easy, and their communication was excellent.

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

The quality of their work is great the work ethic and the style of the company was also unique I liked the fact that the company also values their worker's time and creativity which helps them become who they are

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

Nothing in particulr. I don't have anything to fault here

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was Communications Lead at a global health funder

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Curveball Media, and what were your goals?

We wanted to create an inspiring and emotive animation to support the launch of a new entity and facilitate resource mobilisation

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We had a competitive pitch process

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

Discover meeting, visual inspiration, script writing and review, storyboarding, production and animation

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

Olly (CEO) and his team - the process was excellent

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The animation was very well-received, won multiple awards, was played at Davos and helped to put the new entity on the map and facilitate $350m funding

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Excellent project management and feedback

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

Creative, innovative, kind, hard-working, expert

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

no