Early Light Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a coordinator for the Casey Cares Foundation

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Founded in 2000, the Casey Cares Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides little moments and lasting memories for over 1,200 families with critically ill children by organizing ongoing family-centric events such as tickets to sporting events, live shows, concerts and museums, group parties, birthday surprises, and more

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Early Light Media to accomplish?

• Provide a visual representation of Casey Cares mission to top sponsors and donors
• Create a meaningful video to enhance our gala

SOLUTION

How did you find Early Light Media?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Early Light Media over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing first our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

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

Video Production Services:

• 2 Kickoff meetings - Aligned on logistics, creative execution, and expectations. Schedule production day
• Develop the shooting schedule for interviews & broll.
• Met with client via video chat and email as needed to review production plans.
• Developed call sheet with contact info, shooting schedule and relevant notes for appropriate team members.
• Filmed all required scenes and shots as planned and/or improvised as required.
• Provided all necessary equipment & crew to achieve the desired look and feel. - Producer, DP, Sound Mixer. Backup and manage all media on appropriate hard drives
• One 10hr Shoot Day Post Production Services
• Narrative Scripting Interview Transcriptions
• Provided editor and editing equipment - including two rounds of revisions
• Provided a music database search and a synchronization and master license for chosen music
• Provided basic 2d graphics - Call to action, logo, some text on screen
• Ensured the audio is mixed appropriately as needed
• Ensured the color is corrected and adjusted appropriately as needed
• Delivered final video/(s) digitally as an HD 1920 x 1080 MP4 file
• Archived footage & project files for up to six (6) months.
• Delivered 3x edited videos up to the following lengths: 5:00, :15

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Highlight the impact of the foundation for fundraising purposes
• An increase in donations throughout 2023

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

Project Management was concise and flexible. ELM employees were professional, helpful throughout editing, and knowledgeable about the process. Our video was delivered on time and our 2 :15 seconds cuts were also given. Our needs were responded to quickly.

What was your primary form of communication with Early Light Media?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What's most impressive is the care and quality ELM puts into their work. We appreciated that our voices were heard and how flexible they were when timelines and video subjects changed.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Early Light Media could have done differently?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, our company is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s largest privately held commercial real estate firms. The company is distinguished by its commitment to customer service, achievements in green building, and top-rated workplace culture. Throughout our more than 51-year history, the company has developed more than 22 million square feet of flex/R&D, office, retail and warehouse space serving more than 2,500 clients in Maryland, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Utah, and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit www.sjpi.com.

As Director of Marketing, I oversee the in-house marketing department, and am responsible for establishing, promoting and maintaining the company’s brand message on a regional and national platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Early Light Media to create, draft, shoot and produce (2) videos that are to be used by Edward St. John and our own firm. Even though the 2 projects had a lot of overlap, they have 2 separate audiences, messages & goals.

1. 50th Anniversary Video, our goal was to celebrate our 50th year anniversary to the public, but also to promote where the company will be heading over the next 50 years.
2. Legacy of Ed St. John - personal video that will be viewed by family, friends and future generations describing the childhood, entrepreneur, philanthropist and father that Ed St. John has been.

SOLUTION

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

Previous positive experience and customer service played a huge part in our choosing of Early Light Media.

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

The first video was in celebration of our 50th Year Anniversary, this included a visual representation of the past, present and future of the company. Including conducting interviews with executive leaders, employees, and tenants. The second video would portray and tell the story of Edward St. John - our founder and true entrepreneur. This would include archived photos (professional and personal), personal shot list, interviews with family, friends and colleagues.

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

Our main points of contact were Dave and Niki. Both were tremendous to work with and we appreciate their efforts in accomplishing our goals with these videos.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We all were able to work together and overcome all obstacles to finish with 2 spectacular videos.

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

Frame.io worked tremendously in both submitting and detailing edits along the progress of the video.

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

Dave and team took direction very well and accomodating every little detail or change that we asked. 

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

No

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a program manager for a county health department. I also serve as an accountant for CARES Act funding.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Early Light Media?

We worked together on a documentary.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They produced a 20-minute COVID-related documentary. After meeting with us to discuss ideas for the project, Darren (Director & Co-Founder) and his staff came back with a general outline. He provided us with a list of people he thought would be good to interview for the project and we helped set up these interviews. They also filmed footage of our events. They edited everything together, gave us an opportunity to review their work, and produced a final product.

What is the team composition?

I worked with about 50 people from their team.

How did you come to work with Early Light Media?

They’re Emmy Award winners, so it was easy to find their previous work and get a feel for how good they are at what they do.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $250,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2020–January 2021. I’m hoping to work with them again in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the video is focused on the pandemic, gauging feedback about the project is difficult. However, the people we’ve spoken to have praised the professionalism showcased in the final product. Their team brought a lot of experience to the table.

How did Early Light Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn’t know a lot about video production, so they were great in providing leadership for the project. Once we gave them the relevant information for the project, they took it over. They did exactly what they said they would in a short amount of time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re personable, down-to-earth, and 100% professional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have communicated their ideas more clearly to us prior to filming. I was ready to trust them going into the engagement, but had I not been I probably would have been more uncomfortable early on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take advantage of their normal weekly meetings. We didn’t have those due to the short timeframe of the project, but I think it would have been beneficial to everyone involved.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Coordinator at The Vested Group. The Vested Group offers full-scale NetSuite consulting, implementation, support and development services. We have 65 employees and are based in Plano, TX.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Early Light Media?

We hired ELM to help with the marketing and distribution of a documentary we created, Silicon Mountain.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for this project was to find a way to present our documentary and to reach the largest audience possible.

SOLUTION

How did you select Early Light Media?

We were introduced to ELM through Round Table Media as they’re preferred partner.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

ELM helped us create a marketing plan for our film and hosted a digital premier across multiple platforms including Facebook and YouTube. They shipped all of the necessary equipment to our offices, provided guided instructions on set up and then remotely filmed, and subsequently edited, an interview for us to use an introduction for the movie premier.

What was the team composition?

We had 3 people on our team and worked with several people on ELM’s team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With ELM’s guidance we were able to create an intro that provided context for our film premier and successfully broadcast it simultaneously across multiple platforms. ELM was also able to provide us guidance on how best to improve our visibility on these platforms initially and on an ongoing basis.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The ELM team was extremely prompt and helpful throughout the entire project. We could not have asked for a better partner.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I found the ease of working with ELM to be the most impressive. It was very scary to premier our film across multiple platforms without any chance for practice runs. They were knowledgeable and patient with our team throughout the process. I was also extremely impressed with their production of our film’s introduction.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly, we could not have been more please from start to finish with the ELM team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of product marketing at a company that has a connected reporting platform for accounting and finance teams as well as other departments across enterprises.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Early Light Media?

After COVID-19 hit, we were scrambling to put together our user conference, Amplify, and we had to do it online. We were looking for assistance with putting together the opening 2-hour keynote experience, which involved conversations from our product leaders and other thought leaders.

We also wanted to highlight a number of our customer stories about their use of our platform. We needed a production studio that could put those stories together in a cohesive package and represent who we were. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Early Light Media put together remote kits for all of the customers that we recorded. They trained the customers on how to use the set-up. For internal folks, everyone took precautions and was wearing masks, and the team got some really high production quality shots of our office and other locations across the country. 

What is the team composition?

We had five contacts, but we primarily worked with Dave (Creative Director & Co-Owner) and Jody (Co-Owner & Director of Post Production). 

How did you come to work with Early Light Media?

We found them through a web search. The main reason we decided to go to them was their amazing storytelling ability. Additionally, of all the agencies we talked to, they had the most cohesive plan of how to deal with distancing and how to make the different customers and staff feel comfortable getting recorded.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $125,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from July–Sept. 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

What made it so successful was that it felt like they were part of our team. It didn’t feel like we were contracting with somebody. Early Light Media understood our goal immediately, which was huge for us.

It was the largest event we had in our company’s history, and people were impressed with the quality of the content the team helped us produce when it came to the thought leadership section of the keynote. 

We intend to work with them again because they did good work and we’d love to bring that storytelling ability back into some of the work we do.

How did Early Light Media perform from a project management standpoint?

When we were over our heads with trying to get work done, Early Light Media kept us as calm as possible and on track. We completed the work on the day we had planned to finish.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They brought our production quality up to the standard that is expected from large companies across the world now. There’s now a new standard for online keynotes, and they were able to get us up to that standard.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. Any time there was a concern that the direction of the work wasn’t what we wanted, Early Light Media adapted to the direction we wanted. It felt almost frictionless working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Livingston Productions, a boutique video production company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Early Light Media?

I predominantly do healthcare, higher education, and philanthropy development videos. After many years of working with a different production company, our client really wanted to update their visual look to something more cinematic, so we hired Early Light Media. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Early Light Media provides all the preproduction creative services, helping us put together ideas of how best to tell the story. The team also provides the equipment on filming days and provides editing services. They’re a full partner in these projects.

What is the team composition?

The number of people we work with varies. On the smaller projects, we’ll work with one or two people directly, but we’ve also worked with up to 10 people. 

How did you come to work with Early Light Media?

We both have our backgrounds in news, which is how we met. We’ve known each other for a long time.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $200,000–$1,000,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since January 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of Early Light Media’s services is extraordinary. The team is always available, they’re flexible, and they’re super creative. They have a team of amazingly talented individuals, and we always get rave reviews on our final product.

How did Early Light Media perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate in several different ways, including phone calls, texts, and emails. I’m a stickler for deadlines, and they’ve never missed one.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Working with Early Light Media is like working with a partner. We’re not just clients and they’re not vendors. They’re great to work with, all the way from pre- to post-production. I never worry with them. They’ve made me a better producer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are certain projects when I’ve worked with other production companies, because they might be outside of Early Light Media’s level of expertise, and they don’t compromise. If I have a smaller budget, I typically won’t go with them, but that’s not really a criticism. They know who they are and the type of work they do. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just trust them. Listen to all their great ideas and ask for what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the development director at the CollegeBound Foundation, a nonprofit located in Baltimore City. We assist Baltimore City public students to and through college.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Early Light Media?

We’re worked with Early Light Media for 2–3 years. They’ve supported us in creating a year-end compilation video of the programming that we do throughout the year.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Throughout the year, they have attended program events that we put together. They videotape parts of the programs, take interviews from staff members, and then compile that into a year-end video.

They have also taken commercials we’ve done — in which we highlight scholars we’ve served — and created a compilation video.

What is the team composition?

Niki (Account Manager) is our primary contact. We work with about four people total, including Rebecca (Editor), Dave (Creative Director & Co-Owner), who has done filming for us, and another videographer who has come out and recorded some of the events.

How did you come to work with Early Light Media?

We had an in-house communications director, and I believe he might’ve connected us with Early Light to take over the work he was doing when he left the organization.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been about $14,000 for the annual contract in the past.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work began in January 2018, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their services are very high-quality. Early Light Media was gracious enough to not only do our year-end video but also help us host a virtual scholar’s luncheon this past July. We had remaining hours on our contract because everything had turned to a virtual setting, and we didn’t have any programs to be videotaped. They compiled the ‘scholars of the week,’ recorded our speakers, and created a pre-recorded luncheon program that was incredible and just very well received. We’ve since recommended them to other nonprofits who reached out to ask who we'd worked with.

How did Early Light Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Niki was the facilitator of the project and our main point of contact when we had questions. I thought the process was really smooth; we’d have a call and then set deadlines. They used software to send us drafts of the video that made it very easy to insert comments directly into specific sections of the content. That made the review process much more straightforward than having to go back-and-forth over email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work always comes together, and the end product is so good and very well-received. From the standpoint of a nonprofit, it’s critical that we’re able to put out a very professional, high-quality piece of work that we can then use at multiple events throughout the year and share with potential donors and the community.

Beyond that, we’ve worked with them for multiple years now, so the relationship is there, and we know the work that they do. We both know what to expect from each other.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. There are people within our organization — myself included — who have a critical eye and go through multiple revisions. One plus side of having an established relationship with Early Light Media is that they know to expect that. There’s never any pushback, and they definitely take all of our edits and comments so that we can move through the process pretty swiftly.

Any advice for potential customers?

It’s by no means a small investment. As a nonprofit, you want to make sure your dollars are being well-spent and that you’re working with the right group. What I will say is that when we work with Early Light, we’re confident that we’re going to get an end-product that we’re beyond pleased with. Every dollar has been really well spent. From our perspective, their product is always very consistent in quality. It’s never a concern that it’s not going to turn out well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director of the Washington Episcopal School. We’re a nursery through grade eight independent school. We focus on a hands-on experiential and joyful learning environment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Early Light Media?

We hired them to help us make a video to promote our distance learning program when schools went remote.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

During the preproduction process, I selected and screened families to ensure we captured all the information necessary to tell a cohesive story. I created a list of questions that Early Light Media edited and then set dates and times for interviews.

After I gave them an overview of the story, their team wrote the first draft of the script. After reviewing transcripts of the interviews, I tweaked the scripts to highlight certain points. Early Light then edited the content, added audio and graphics, and produced the final version.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager who kept the engagement rolling.

How did you come to work with Early Light Media?

While I was at another school, Darren (Director & Founder) and David (Director & Founder) produced a documentary about one of our alumni. To support the film, we hosted a premiere at the school. I marketed the event and became close to them. When we decided to pursue the distance learning video, I received a few proposals. However, I chose Early Light because I was such a fan of their work.

How much have you invested with them?

I spent around $6,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began this project in May 2020 and finished in July.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work was excellent, especially their cinematography. They’re strong visual thinkers, which I appreciate.

I liked that they had a safety protocol because the project occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was able to not only tell families about our precautions but also send them Early Media’s pre-written safety protocol. I was able to let everyone know that the project would be done at the highest level.

How did Early Light Media perform from a project management standpoint?We had a video call when we talked about the project. After that, we communicated by phone and email. I could always get a hold of someone.

Their team worked quickly. We had a hold up on our end, so the project could’ve finished sooner. They were always timely in their communications. As soon as I gave them feedback, their team moved forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re excellent storytellers with a great eye for cinematography. They’re also decent human beings. If you have to spend 8–10 hours together shooting a video, it’s great to enjoy the company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, the entire experience was incredibly positive.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be ready to move fast. If you’re on a deadline, be ready to go. Early Light will give you a great product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager at Comhar Partners. Comhar Partners is a recognized national leader in retained executive search, professional recruiting, and talent advisory services. Comhar Partners is headquartered in Chicago with 6 offices across the U.S. As the Marketing Manager, I am responsible for managing our social media channels and website, content creation in support of brand awareness, and implementing strategic marketing plans in alignment with firm goals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Early Light Media?

Our company really wanted to produce a top-notch, professional "About Us" video explaining our firm's mission and comprehensive service offerings. We are a boutique firm that wants to focus on growing our brand and marketing to our preferred industries.

What were your goals for this project?

We hoped to see an increase in traffic to our website and an increase in sales. We have used the video to help promote our brand and services on our website as well as our social media channels.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I did a lot of research on various video production companies prior to selecting Early Light Media. We were looking for a great company that provided reasonably priced services. After calling Early Light Media for an initial quote, they were willing to readjust their cost proposal to fit our budget. Their professional portfolio of work was also very impressive.

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

Once we selected Early Light Media, they began working with us to understand our firm and business in great detail. Our two teams were in frequent communication via Zoom calls, phone calls, and ongoing email chains to discuss ideas and process. We described what we were looking for, and then I provided some content (i.e., our logo, brand colors, themes, scripting, etc.)

They provided their ideas and feedback, and we went back and forth perfecting and fine tuning the storyboard and script. We decided to add Voice Over to our video, and ELM held auditions for a voice actor. We then chose our voice actor and they had him record what was needed. The animators were also great. We were able to provide a lot of feedback on the video before it was finalized. The whole process took about a month.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Great project management and feedback process. Constant contact via phone and email. We were able to provide feedback on the video on Frame.io.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are very happy with the video, and have posted it on our website and social media platforms. We have received a lot of positive feedback so far.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great workflow between our two teams. It truly was a collaborative process. They were always very quick to respond, and were very patient with us and our many changes throughout the whole process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were very creative and were great advisors to us. They kept us in the loop every step of the way. They were also very accommodating whenever we had new ideas or changes, and were always quick to respond.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Everything was great. The only thing I would say is there were occasional grammatical issues with the scripting, but all were fixed before the final version of the video came out. I would definitely work with them again.