Flow Video

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the producers of Menorah in the D, an annual lighting event around Hannukah that celebrates the first night of Hannukah.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flow Video?

Because of COVID-19, we couldn’t have 4,000–5,000 met in person. We hired Flow Video to put together a virtual event that was a mix of live and pre-produced content.

What was the scope of their involvement?

While we had a few pieces that were pre-produced by others, Flow Video handled all of it for the most part. All the aspects of the production were done through them. The video would be streamed on Facebook and a few other platforms.

What is the team composition?

We had close to a dozen staff members involved in pre-production and the event itself. We had people that put the scripts together, work on timelines and budget, and the structure of the event. On the day of, we worked with sound, lighting, stage, and other tech help. We also had a director.

How did you come to work with Flow Video?

We’ve worked with them in the past on other videos. We had a good experience.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October–December 2020.

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

We believe that there were about 38,000 viewers, which is exponentially larger than our normal base.

The main feedback we received was positive. We’ve heard that the video was professional and well-produced.

Hopefully, we will be able to do our show live again. But we still want to be able to do something online because we can obviously reach more people.

How did Flow Video perform from a project management standpoint?

They were all over us in a good way. They made sure that deadlines were understood, acknowledged, and kept. We got everything done, some of it last minute, but everything was done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had an idea of what we wanted but knew that we needed more information. Flow Video was great at helping us frame the possibilities. They discuss different options and ideas with us to ensure we were making the right decisions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask them what they think. Don’t tell them what you want.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Senior Rabbi of a synagogue.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flow Video?

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were faced with the challenge of how to present a Jewish high holiday experience that would be rich and connecting, online. This was really the only option for observing the holidays safely. However, this meant we had to reinvent our way of celebrating.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flow Video helped us strategize and execute on what virtual services would look like. We had three months to create this experience. It involved lots of things including weekly meetings and scripting what we do in a whole new way.

We were creating something old and new at the same time and also needed to translate our vision as clergy. Between the pulpit and clergy that led on the high holidays, we have about 50 years of high holiday leading experience between us. So on the one hand, we don’t usually have to rehearse much on the high holidays because we know how it goes, but because we were bringing in another company to help us, we had to translate our ideas, and that was a very dynamic process.

There was a bunch of material that was pre-recorded, and we’d never done that before. Even as we are writing sermons and doing the things we would usually be doing at this time. We had about 20 hours of rehearsals together with the team from Flow Video, so there were many pieces involved.

There were a couple of intense days where they were onsite in July to do a bunch of pre-recorded material that they were producing from soup to nuts. Then there was a whole range of other pieces having to do with liturgy, some of which our congregants pre-recorded on their own, or musicians pre-recorded on their own, and either someone on our end knitted them together, or in other cases, we sent all that raw material to Flow Video, and they knitted it together. 

They formatted all of this footage into one seamless video. 

What is the team composition?

We spent a lot of time with Scott (Director of Production & Partner) and Justin (Director of Growth). They were our main contacts on the logistical end of things. There were two people that were on site in the rehearsals and during filming, including a sound person.

How did you come to work with Flow Video?

We did a lot of research, starting in May. We got recommendations from colleagues from around the country. Our communications director had connections in the Detroit area and that was how Flow Video came to our attention. 

We interviewed five or six different companies and Flow Video just felt like the right mix for us. They had the right set of skills and the right knowledge of Judaism, which wasn’t an absolute must but the fact that their team was familiar with Judaism felt like a qualification that could be immensely helpful.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about $43,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed a contract with them in the middle of June 2020, and we worked with them until that October. They are done for now, but we are strategizing with them about possible next steps and other projects they could do for us.

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

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Our congregants had no idea what to expect, but I think everyone was quite impressed. I had such high expectations for what it could be, and I have had nothing but praise for Flow Video. 

How did Flow Video perform from a project management standpoint?

They bring technical skills that we could never even dream of having. They also brought an equanimity and calm, and a can-do attitude. When we were worried about how it was going to work, they always had the sense that we would figure it out. They just had a relentless can-do attitude.

Everything that they did was really extraordinary. I had written a couple of skits for the pulpit clergy to do to get people excited about the high holidays. The production and the way that they produced those pieces were great. They made the seemingly smallest things really excellent, and I think when you do that, it makes the big things look good too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They paid incredible attention to detail. They were also incredibly professional and patient with our team that had no idea how to do this kind of project. In the rehearsals and the days of, the team was just amazing. They made it all work. I don’t know how they did it, or how they pulled all the pieces together with both live footage and prerecorded elements, but they did an amazing job.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They had never done this before, and neither had we. It seems like a small thing, but we met every week and there was never an agenda for the meeting. I came into the meetings not knowing what we were going to talk about. I think we spent a lot of time meandering our way through. I guess I would have appreciated more direction from them. I think we were rushed at the end, but we probably would have been rushed at the end anyway. I think the teams that were meeting week to week were too big. When you combine a big number of people with no firm agenda, it just felt like we spun our wheels for a long time. I think we could have collectively been more on task and more efficient had we spent the time working out what the workflow should be.

There were also a couple of technical issues, but it had nothing to do with Flow Video. It had to do with the database that our congregants had to access the links through and that company works with many synagogues around the country and they didn’t increase their bandwidth, so the system crashed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I can’t say anything other than I’m happy to recommend them. Anyone that is looking to produce a high-quality project that is an outstanding, engaging,  and creative experience, should definitely talk to Flow Video. They did an amazing job. They were a joy to work with.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief development officer at Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School, a Pre-K-8 independent school.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flow Video?

Due to the pandemic, we had to shift to a virtual gala to honor our outgoing head of school, and we needed to create an honoree program.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted to do a livestream video to honor our outgoing head of school. We contacted Flow Video for assistance in producing that livestream event. In the course of that work, they also wound up putting together an intro video to lead into the program, as well as an outro video.

We provided the team with all the necessary photos and other information, but they had a good deal of creative freedom as well. As far as the livestream, they helped with the technical production by providing audio equipment to our participants. They also provided a lot of production tips in terms of the flow of the livestream.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people, Justin (Director of Growth) and Scott (Co-Founder and Video Producer). 

How did you come to work with Flow Video?

Flow Video was referred to me through my network.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $8,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement took place from May–June 2020.

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

Flow Video pulled off the livestream very effectively. Our reach on Facebook was over 1500 users, with over 850 unique viewers. We had people watching in 10 states and 3 countries. We also had upwards of 100 comments during the livestream. 

How did Flow Video perform from a project management standpoint?

They were amazing. We reached out to them about 10 business days before the gala with this request. After I sent the inquiry email, I received a call from Justin within an hour, and we spent about 45 minutes talking through the project. Within a day, we had a contract and started working with key players.

Throughout the engagement, they were responsive, attentive, and communicative. They worked within our timeframe, which was remarkable. Flow Video was very professional throughout; it was clear they’re experts in what they do. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Flow Video really bought into our vision of what we wanted the video to be, and they made it happen. We had many instances of wanting to switch screens, zoom in on certain images, and other actions, and it was all perfectly executed. It was very obvious that their attention to detail was on a very high level, and because of that, the production went off without a hitch. 

Flow Video made the event their event — they embraced it in such a way that they were able to deliver a very high-quality event. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not sure I have anything to suggest or recommend to them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

All you have to do is pick up the phone or send an email and they’ll get it.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the associate director of philanthropy at JARC, a Jewish nonprofit organization in Detroit. We mostly do housing for people with developmental disabilities. We have public funding from the government, and a significant portion comes from private donations. I help raise money throughout the year to help cover the costs that aren’t covered by the government.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flow Video?

Typically, we have two fundraisers. We had one in the Spring, which we postponed. The one we have in Fall is very upscale. It’s usually held in a fancy theater, and we even had Earth, Wind, & Fire perform last year.

With COVID-19, we realized that things were going to be different this year. We started scrambling to figure out what would raise money and what would be a nice event. We knew that a virtual event was what we were going to have to do.

Our president thought about having it at a drive-in movie theater. After speaking to the local theater, we needed the entire program done by Flow Video.

We were working on a tight schedule. After figuring out the day, I called Justin (Director of Growth) and asked if he could do this in six weeks. They said that they could make it happen.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Because of social distancing, we were very conscious that this couldn’t be live. Flow Video recorded and put together a program that would be impactful for the audience and potential donors.

Flow Video helped us with three or four different deliverables for the event. They first helped us with a digital ad book where we had companies and larger organizations submit a visual. We cut all of that together into a video that we screened at the event on a loop.

The second part involved our president and CEO’s message. We wrote the script, and then Flow Video figured out what would work on camera. We had a quick Zoom meeting or two to figure out what would work best, and then they filmed it for us. It played as an intro at the event.

The third piece they did was a centerpiece video, which was about two to three minutes long. The video discussed what we were about. It was different than previous videos because their crew couldn’t go into any of the homes and film new content of the people we serve. They helped us figure out what direction to go in. The video ended up telling our story during the pandemic.

For all of the videos, they handled all elements of post-production. When they needed clips and interviews from our staff, the team guided them on how to send it to them.

The day of the event, someone was there helping us. They also did some drone photography for us as well.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Justin on the contracts toward the beginning. We worked with Frank (Content Manager), Leigh (Project Manager), and Scott (Co-Founder & Video Producer). We worked with them on film schedules and creative elements. On the day of the event, they brought in a contracted photographer.

How did you come to work with Flow Video?

We had the same boring company doing the same boring video for over 20 years. Last year, we were disappointed with that company and how they did our Fall video. We put an RFP out in early February.

I happen to know Justin pretty well, so Flow Video was top of mind when we went looking for new companies. They did a good job with some videos we were planning on originally using for the Spring event. When we switched gears, we didn’t need them to go through the whole selection process again. They were an easy choice.

How much have you invested with them?

It was about $18,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them at the end of May 2020, and the event was July 12th, 2020.

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

Flow Video did a perfect job of telling our nonprofit’s story. The videos were informative and cheeky. Their whole team was easy to work with. They guided us throughout the entire engagement, which was very helpful.

In the past, we’ve worked with a lot of different contractors. Sometimes, they’re not so clear on what they need. Then, they’re frustrated after the fact. Flow Video was upfront about everything. It helped us figure out what we needed. They were very professional and had great creative ideas. Their work went a long way.

How did Flow Video perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Basecamp, which we never used before. It was super intuitive and easy. All of the communication went through there. It was helpful to have everything in one place. Because of all of the moving parts, this was a great way to handle it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We did a bit of digging around the community to see other video providers. Flow Video was by far the best product for how much they charge. They’re fair and honest in the financial department, which goes a long way for a nonprofit like us.

Secondly, they just do good work. Their creative team has a lot of different minds working on one project, which is actually very helpful. They’re also a smart group, which isn’t easy to find.

With any roadblocks, they were also very adaptable, which we appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Looking back on it, there were a few things we could’ve done better, but it had nothing to do with them. They were a great partner, and I have no real feedback for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They offer a bunch of meetings upfront. Those help shape the narrative and brief. Those meetings are a great time to let everything out. What Flow Video does is they go back and distill ideas and come up with their own creative solutions.

From there, we went back and forth a few times. I think that was something that worked in our favor, and not everybody offers that collaborative relationship. Getting everything out there from the start makes everything else smooth sailing.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the chief marketing officer of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. We are a community fundraising organization that is committed to taking care of the critical needs of the local and international Jewish community, as well as supporting a vibrant and healthy future for the community.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flow Video?

We needed help with completing a number of important video projects.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flow created several videos for us, including annual campaign videos, and the videos that we use for our large community events as well, as a way of galvanizing the community for the coming year. I always start with a sense of what I want to do, but I appreciate working with them to help develop the idea and explore different aspects of it that we hadn't thought of and taking it to a place with collaboration that's far better than we could've done on our own.

They've also done videos to promote and market our programs and events. They even did a recruiting video about what it's like to work here. We really had a range of experiences, of all lengths and purposes. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Scott (Head of Production, Flow Video), and he's our main point of contact. I also work with three other members of his team.

How did you come to work with Flow Video?

I started working with the founder of the company before they were even called Flow Video. I'd seen work they'd done for one of our agencies, and was really impressed, and asked them to work on a video for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together on September 2016, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

They've done a terrific job in understanding our intention and executing it in a way that's really effective and connects with our audience. The videos are very well-produced and arresting, and they always garner good results on social media. They have a quality that's certainly eye-catching and gives people something interesting to watch. It's just always top marks and praise from us. They've become a consistent part of how we promote our campaigns.

How did Flow Video perform from a project management standpoint?

I've found them to be great collaborators and great partners with us. They're always very receptive to our thoughts and input, always willing to engage in productive conversations, and willing to go the extra mile to solve our challenges. They're very customer-oriented in the relationship we have. We communicate via phone, email, and in-person team meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're really committed to doing great work and beyond trying to meet the need of their clients, they're really trying to make sure their videos are as well made and impactful as possible. They're always pushing for new ways to make it more compelling and deepen the connection.

Scott really thinks about the big picture, the audience and what we're trying to accomplish. He never just wants to accomplish a task, he's always thinking of our overall objective and how his work is supporting that over time. For example, if he creates a video for an event, he will always show up to see how that video performed at the event and I really appreciate that; it shows how invested he really is. It's clear he's thought through who we are, who the audience is and how the video works in that relationship.

Unlike other companies, it takes very little for them to understand the goal of an individual project. They're very professional and with each project being completed successfully. It's been a really positive working relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As more people see his work, and his company grows, it'll probably a challenge to maintain the same level of personal involvement and connection. It'll be interesting to see how he chooses to expand the work and serve more people.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be as clear as possible with what you're trying to accomplish. Giving Flow Video the time and the room to bring their own insights, you'll get by far the best results. Let it develop as a partnership and view them as a collaborative spirit. The results will definitely exceed those expectations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the operations manager at The Well, which is a Jewish Community building organization for young adults in the Detroit Metro area. We do forward facing programming, which are events open to the young adult Jewish community. On the other end of things, we run a network of shared interest groups, which are micro-communities of anywhere between 6-12 young adults that we intentionally curate. We matchmake for best-friends.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flow Video?

We do an annual fundraiser called "Build the Well", which is a three-day campaign bonanza, that accounts for the majority of our fundraising for the year. We needed help with advertising for it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Last year, we knew we wanted a video that summed up the whole campaign. They ended up being fantastic partners, and we returned to them this year wanting to make something even greater this year. We worked together to come up with a concept for both videos. They took over for the filming, editing, and directing.

What is the team composition?

Scott (Co-founder) served as our lead videographer. We also worked with a director, an administrative helper, and a whole separate lighting team.

How did you come to work with Flow Video?

Scott, one of the Flow Video staff, who's actually a community member in The Well, was already a friend of ours. They were also the most budget flexible for us.

How much have you invested with them?  

For our most recent video, we've invested just under $4,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The timeline for our first video spanned November - December 2018, and again from November - December 2019 for our second video.

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

We were thrilled with videos, and they're exactly what we wanted. We were impressed with their ability to take what was important to us as The Well and distill that into a more professional video perspective. Everyone that's seen the video has loved it, too. This year, the campaign managed to raise $113,000 over the course of three days, which is pretty on par with what we did last year, which their video definitely contributed to.

It was really important that we have that again this year. Our first video had about two and a half thousand views on our Facebook alone. Our views for 2019 had about 6,500, which we were very happy with, given that we serve about 2-3 thousand people per year. The feedback, in general, was fantastic. The great thing about having their staff in our community is that they were really able to understand what we do.

How did Flow Video perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication was excellent and they have a really great workflow breakdown. We never had to check in and see where they were at, they really stuck to where they said they would be.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were really great about working with us and saying what is important to us as The Well and distilling that into a professional creative lens. We were truly happy with all of those aspects.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We're a small organization, so going through a professional vendor like this is sometimes a stretch for us. Even in that regard, they've been great for us in making things work budgetarily. We love Flow Video.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to advocate for what their vision is. They are great about creatively brainstorming.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of development for Jewish Senior Life. I’m an active part of the communications and marketing team, and we do social media marketing as well as weekly newsletters. I also help raise funds, photograph our residents, and assist in programming.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flow Video?

Every year, we hold a large fundraiser where the community nominates senior members who are being recognized for their volunteering efforts. We engaged Flow Video to create a film to honor these members and to display at our major event.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We collaborated with Flow Video to outline the bio of each senior honoree. This allowed the team to effectively prep for the hour-long interview they shot with each member. For the interview, the members were asked the questions that had been prepared ahead of time. There were crew members on set to ensure that everything went smoothly from a technical perspective.

After the interviews, I provided the team with additional photographs and materials for a 25-minute video which would be shown at our major event. This final piece would condense and highlight the best parts of the interviews they'd shot.

What is the team composition?

Justin (Director of Growth, Flow Video) asked all the questions for the interview, and Scott (Partner & Director of Production, Flow Video) managed the sound and lighting. I also engaged with Leigh (Project Manager, Flow Video).

How did you come to work with Flow Video?

Our CEO knew Alex (Managing Partner, Flow Video). We’d been very pleased with their work for the Jewish Federation as well as other nonprofits.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere around $20,000 between two years of working together.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first engaged them in February 2019 in preparation for our event in May. We’ve hired them again this year for the same event, and they’re currently in the video-editing phase.

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

They’ve been terrific. Our honorees last year were so thrilled by their work. We promoted the event in advance by sharing tidbits from the final film, and these are posted on our website. They’re excellent, so we keep them up until the next cycle. Their work has been wonderful for our marketing efforts, and it’s truly allowed our agency to shine within the community.

How did Flow Video perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re doing great. They’ve become part of our community and they truly feel like family. Instead of simply working for us, they’ve made it evident that they care for our cause. They’re clearly dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for older adults, and they work to make us look good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I can trust them and their work; I know that I’ll love the final product. They’re terrific young people.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve sent me tidbits of the video that’s in production, and they’ve been great at incorporating my feedback. They don’t do anything inadequately but are able to integrate quick changes to enhance their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just be totally transparent about what’s needed and be specific about your deadlines.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the business development lead at Thin Blue Line USA. We sell merchandise that advocates for the support of police officers. This includes flags, t-shirts, and bracelets. We also share a portion of our profits with non-profit organizations that support officers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Flow Video?

We wanted to polish our company image and educate the public about who we are through a video campaign.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Flow Video produced three promotional videos for us. The first video was done through Facebook Live in Washington, DC. Their crew flew out and interviewed a state trooper from Pennsylvania. Their team did a good job of getting to know him and learning about the different things we wanted to cover in our video. 

They took care of all the filming and editing for each video. Their team performed testing for sound quality and lighting to ensure that footage from live events was high-quality. 

The other videos that they produced for us were distributed through our social channels like Instagram. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of two people. 

How did you come to work with Flow Video?

They’ve worked with some nonprofits and similar organizations in the area. The owner of our organization knows the owner of Flow Video personally, so he recommended that I look to them for support with this campaign. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $10,000 on their services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our relationship in May 2019, and we’re in the process of wrapping up our work.

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

Their work is very high-quality and they always work with us to ensure that we’re fully satisfied with the end product. 

We received about 300,000 views on our first video which was broadcast on Facebook Live. The video on Instagram received approximately 10,000 views. All of the videos that they’ve produced for us get a lot more traction than anything we make in-house. 

How did Flow Video perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re super professional. The way that they coordinate timing for the project and remain flexible is impressive. The team is willing and versatile. Their communication skills are also very strong. I typically contact them via email initially, and then we follow up on the phone through text or phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The care and authenticity behind their work are impressive. They want to make sure that their clients are happy. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a bit of a learning curve for them because they needed to understand the nuances of police life and sensitivities around topics like PTSD and fallen officers. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would say be very clear about what you want, but trust that they know what they’re doing.