Gardner Productions

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and founder of a full-service advertising agency that specializes in the entertainment industry. We serve companies across North America.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gardner Productions?

We had a client that needed television commercials with a limited budget and timeline.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gardner Productions produced three commercials for our client. They handled everything from the shoot to the editing.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Stephen (President & Executive Producer). We also worked with a production team that had 8–9 teammates. Meanwhile, the post-production and editing team was comprised of 2–3 people. 

How did you come to work with Gardner Productions?

Somebody introduced us to Garder Productions. We approached three other companies, but we liked Steve the best, so we discussed our issues with him. 

He gave us a quote, which we initially didn’t like. We then renegotiated and ended up with a project scope that was within the client’s budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from December 2018–January 2019.

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

I’m not allowed to divulge the numbers, but the client was happy with their work. Overall, the project was successful.

How did Gardner Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed exceptionally well in terms of project management. They were always ready to go and finished quickly. We communicated via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re friendly and easy to work with, and the team accommodated all of our requests. Furthermore, Gardner Productions produced highly creative work at a cost-effective price. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s not much they could’ve improved — they made the process quick and easy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you get along with the Gardner Productions team. Additionally, let them suggest ideas because they might be better than yours.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the executive VP of the Canadian Friends of The Hebrew University, a nonprofit organization that serves as the fundraising arm of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Canada. I’m still working with them but in a part-time capacity.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gardner Productions?

Our relationship with Gardner Productions goes back many years. Originally, we were looking to create videos that highlighted our fundraising goals and needs. We also wanted to share with our potential supporters what they could give money to and what they were giving money to.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gardner Productions helped us with video production. I was never on site with Stephen (President & Executive Producer), but I know that he and his team helped us with a number of things in Toronto. They also filmed a very good video in Israel, and we used both materials for different things.

They were very good at cutting, pasting, and dividing the material to create different videos. We kept working together, and they created around 15–20 videos in total for us.

What is the team composition?

Stephen was our main point of contact. We worked with at least two other people in Toronto, but I don’t know if he brought a photographer to Israel or hired someone there.

How did you come to work with Gardner Productions?

For the first 10 years, around the late 1990s, we worked with a few different companies to help us with video production. Then, our communications director at the time found Stephen. I’m not sure who found whom or how they met, but we started working with Gardner Productions.

How much have you invested with them?

The preproduction cost varied from project to project. For example, the production in Israel was obviously more expensive than what we did in Toronto. However, the average project cost was between $10,000–$20,000, depending on how extensive the production was.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around 2005, and the last video we did together was in 2017.

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

Gardner Productions always went above and beyond the call of duty. In the last production we did, the major donor and honoree was being difficult to work with, but Stephen was very patient. He smiled, persevered, and came through with flying colors. The videos they did for our fundraising dinners were always impressive, and the reactions were always very favorable.

How did Gardner Productions perform from a project management standpoint?

Gardner Productions performed very well, and there was never an issue with our communication. Stephen was very hands-on. He was always a phone call away, and we sometimes met either in his office or ours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Having worked with larger companies, I loved Gardner Productions because they were a smaller one, so they offered a very hands-on approach. We didn’t have to wait a long time to get anything back from them.

I also always found Stephen to be very responsible, and he always knew their capabilities. If he said that something would be done in two weeks, it was. If he told us that they couldn’t do something within two weeks, we knew what to expect.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any constructive criticism to add. We went back to them time and time again; if we hadn’t been happy, we wouldn’t have done so. We would work with them again in a minute.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have honest communication, provide details about your goals and expectations, and be open to creating a positive, back and forth environment.

Please describe your company and your position there.

As co-founder of a Toronto-based content marketing agency, we specialize in business-to-business brand development, marketing strategy, and content development such as video, podcasts, blogs, websites, white papers, and advertising campaigns.

For what projects/services did your company hire Gardner Productions, and what were your goals?

The project required volunteers from different areas around the world to test our client's new mobile app. We invited Gardner Productions to participate in the social media campaign by helping us create a video that generates awareness of the new mobile app and encourages trials of the mobile app in a short period of time.

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

Having worked with Gardner Productions in the past twelve years on numerous projects, we have confidence in Stephen and his team to achieve the objectives of the project and develop a compelling video that excels at storytelling.

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

We provided Stephen's team with an outline and approved script for a 60 second animated video. Gardner Productions told ownership of the art direction and storyboard process, and delivered a storyboard for client review and approval.

They began the voice over talent search and provided us with a short list of recommendations. Once the client approved a v.o. artist, Gardner Productions quickly developed an animated sequence for client review and approval. Then, they produced the entire video animation on time and on budget.

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

We worked primarily with Stephen Gardner. The feedback process was structured as rounds of revisions as to consolidate inputs from various stakeholders in the project. It happened very smoothly as Stephen has the experience to communicate his ideas very effectively.

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

The campaign containing the video surpassed expectations. A larger number of participants downloaded the new mobile app and provided the desired user data and engagement rate.

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

Gardner Productions provided us with a production schedule based on the launch date presented by the client. Email and telephone were the primary communication tools for this project. The timelines were tight and every team member delivered quick turnaround to meet the client deadline.

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

Working with Gardner Productions enabled all parties involved in this project to achieve success.

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

This project like many before with Gardner Productions went swimmingly, a great customer experience.