Kindred Content

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president of a financial planning and investment management firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kindred Content?

Initially, we hired Kindred Content for a company profile video. We enjoyed working together, so we subsequently asked them to produce videos for our financial literacy campaign and commercials promoting the company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kindred Content has produced about 40 pieces in total, 30 being 2-3 minutes long for our financial literacy campaign called “The Million-Dollar Cup of Coffee.” The videos are meant to make personal finance assessable to beginners by discussing topics without all the industry jargon. Usually, we’ll shoot about three of those per quarter. We’ve also engaged them for six commercials.

When a project begins, I typically write the scripts and come up with content for the videos, but lately, Kindred Content has helped with brainstorming topics and provide feedback on my scripts before producing them.

What is the team composition?

For our short financial literacy videos, we work with three people: a producer, a camera operator, and a production assistant who helps with makeup and lighting.

The staff has been much larger for our commercial shoots. We are usually working with a team of approximately 12 members, some of which are contracted by Kindred Content and do not directly work for them.

How did you come to work with Kindred Content?

We found them via referral.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $100,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our partnership in 2014 and are still actively undertaking projects together.

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

It’s very difficult to track what is directly attributable to Kindred Content’s involvement with us. While our business has increased almost seven-fold since engaging with them, it wouldn’t be accurate to attribute all of our growth to the partnership. However, they are certainly a meaningful part of the growth our company has experienced. Our media profiles on radio and TV have grown due to the quality of work the team has done.

How did Kindred Content perform from a project management standpoint?

We consider them a very legitimate partner of ours. They’re firing on all cylinders as far as I’m concerned.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are true partners. I greatly value their opinion, whether it’s in preproduction, on set, or in the post-production process. They bring a level of creativity to the table that goes far beyond running the shoot.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of any situation where they’ve come up short of my expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Kindred Content has an expert level of experience and perspective that should be considered when engaging with them. Go in with an open mind, proactively solicit their opinion on the project, and listen to what they have to say. Being inflexible will only hinder the potential value their team can offer.

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

As an investor, I paid for this as a gift for a residential school for children on the South Side of Chicago. It is the only Chicago area residential school for children at risk. It transforms the lives of young children who come from difficult homes by providing them the opportunity for education and a stable environment.

What challenge were you trying to address with Kindred Content? 

We needed help with our annual fundraiser. The goal is for it to be the one major outreach during the year to raise awareness and funds. We wanted to create strong storytelling content to engage the audience at the event and encourage them to give generously.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Kindred Content produced a video program to present at the annual fundraiser event. There were periods of intense activity and thoughtful planning at the beginning. They had checkpoints at different time frames throughout the process for us to approve the content. We wanted something that was fresh and unique. They created a video that offered a glimpse into not only the emotions but the motivation behind the school and how their work transforms the lives of these children. 

What is the team composition? 

There were at least three people assigned to our project. 

How did you come to work with Kindred Content? 

I met Florence Ann (Founder + CEO, Kindred Content) and was struck by her incredible communication skills. She has incredible insight and ability to frame what we want to accomplish in a succinct and clear way. I was instantly drawn to her as a storyteller and as someone who could effectively change the way the old messaging had been presented. 

How much have you invested with them?

I believe it cost $10,000. They were extremely generous in offering a competitive rate, and they spent far more hours on the project than they billed us for. 

What is the status of this engagement? 

The product took place from June–October 2018.

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

We got incredible feedback. The event raised about 30% more than the year before, which is the only metric that matters. 

How did Kindred Content perform from a project management standpoint? 

Kindred Content was exquisitely organized around timelines and summaries of meetings. Everything was clear, concise, and readily communicated. The key to me is knowing where the project is and how smoothly it's operating. They were brilliant in offering a very thoughtful and clear process. We always knew where they were and what steps were left to complete the project. Mostly they communicated by email and phone, as well as several in-person meetings. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

The two biggest benefits they offer are absolutely personal attention to the project and having clear roles and responsibilities. There was never an issue of who's going to do what; it was always clear. Each responsibility was clearly delineated and expressed. Kindred Content is both a well-run business and exquisite storytellers. The ability to tell stories well often gets lost these days. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No. They've asked me but I really don’t have anything that they could do better, faster, or smarter. Kindred Content was terrific to work with. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The more you can communicate what you want to achieve the better. It’s helpful on any project to have a clear and defined mission as the starting point.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Yakety Yak, a content marketing agency based in Chicago. We offer end-to-end services for clients ranging from nonprofits to healthcare to lifestyle businesses.

What challenge were you trying to address with Capital Numbers?

We’ve worked with them for a number of projects, relying on them to create videos for our clients. While we can produce these videos in-house, Kindred Content provides higher-end production and has a proven track record for quality content.

What was the scope of their involvement?

So far, we’ve collaborated with them for three projects, which have been testimonial and explainer videos for different organizations.

Our first project together was a large Giving Tuesday video for a health nonprofit. Our goal was to empower the patient community as well as to increase donations and sponsorships.

The second project was for a women’s health organization. Kindred Content interviewed mothers who had utilized their resources to showcase the value of the services they offer.

For the last project, we produced an informational video for a new medical device. After collaborating to ideate, we did an all-day shoot where they interviewed the founders of the company. The production took over 12 hours and required multiple different shots.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Megan (Producer & Editor, Kindred Content) who is fantastic. On average, there are probably 10 people on set. They do a great job of assembling a crew and bringing in the right people to deliver high-quality results.

How did you come to work with Kindred Content?

We came to work with them through the referral of a mutual friend and colleague. Since Kindred Content was phenomenal when we tested them with our Giving Tuesday project, it made sense to continue working with them on other projects.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first project lasted from October–November 2018. We hope to continue collaborating with them on future projects.  

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

Ultimately, the results were twofold. In the media, the Giving Tuesday video won an award and got the attention of some major sponsors and donors. It was also touching on a personal level—people were crying after the video because they were so moved by it. The results were far beyond what we expected.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re exceptional and very organized. They like to pick things off their client’s plate so that the only thing you have to worry about is paying the bills. They put people at ease by coordinating the details end-to-end, which is incredibly impressive. It was an amazing experience working with them across the board.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m extremely comfortable having them engaging with my clients because I know that they’ll represent my business accurately and with extreme professionalism. They listen and connect with their clients, and really share the end vision. Then, they bring that to fruition through collaboration. They work within the appropriate scope, accept feedback comfortably, and ensure that your product is effectively delivered.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I recall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to participate, because it’s a very enjoyable process. They’re a fun and collaborative team that is committed to seeing your vision come to life.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Managing Director of Development & External Affairs for Bottom Line, a nonprofit organization that helps first generation college students from low-income backgrounds get to and through college.

I am responsible for raising dollars to help support our program, which is 100% privately funded. I am also responsible for external affairs, and getting as much exposure for our program in the community among philanthropists, educators and students.

For what projects/services did your company hire Kindred Content?

We needed to have several videos produced for our annual fundraising event. We needed one general video that would tell the story of Bottom Line through our students' voices, and another video that featured our honoree and shared the story of why he was being honored via interviews with people who know him best.

The videos also have utility beyond the event, and we share the main video about Bottom Line with other current and prospective champions who were not at the event. It helps tell the story of our organization in 3 minutes.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted event guests to feel inspired at the event to want to make a gift to our organization. The main video was played just before our paddle raise, and so it needed to be warm and fuzzy and help everyone feel really good about wanting to support our program. We raised the most funds ever at our paddle raise this year.

How did you select this vendor?

This vendor was recommended by one of our organization's board member.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The scope of the project was to have the Kindred Content team help us choose students we should feature in the video, help us come up with questions that would get us the content we were aiming for, and setting up and executing a shoot day to film the interviews.

They also did b-roll on another day. Before the project we gave the team an idea of what message we wanted to tell. Once a draft of the video was delivered, we were able to give feedback and edits, which they did a great job of incorporating.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with one of the principals and several other team members (not sure of their titles). The team was pretty much the same. They were very responsive, and easy to work with.

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

The video allowed us to raise more than we had ever raised before at our fundraising dinner.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective, and they took the reins of helping to schedule the initial phone interviews with students. They were very receptive to our feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What I liked about the team with whom we worked was that they seemed knowledgeable about our content, and what we were trying to accomplish. They had great questions lined up for the interviews with students and board members. They were real pros, and it almost felt like they were part of our internal team. They made it feel like a very seamless process.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything at this time.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the former video content producer for DePaul University, the world's largest Catholic University and one of Chicago's largest Universities. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Kindred Content?

We reached out to Kindred Content to help create video content that could elevate our place in the city, as well as within certain fields of study. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Kindred Content created several live-action videos that included music and text overlays. They also took footage for our bureau collection project to update our content assets, which were eight years old.

We've worked with them on other projects as well, some involving capturing footage and others involving editing. For instance, they created a video banner ad that played at Merchandise Mart, a large business center in Chicago.

What is the team composition? 

I worked with Lindsay (Head of Production, Kindred Content), Emily (Production Coordinator, Kindred Content), and Megan (Producer & Editor, Kindred Content), but they also brought in other staff as needed. 

How did you come to work with Kindred Content?

I'd worked with them before when I was with a different company, so I brought them on as a preferred vendor, and they went through the RFP process with a few others we were considering. After a great experience of working with them on one project, we kept going back to them for more. 

How much have you invested with them?

The university has probably invested around $100,000 thus far for both fiscal years.

What is the status of this engagement?

They began the project around February 2018, and the company was still working with them when I left my position recently. 

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

Many of the videos Kindred Content's team produced received thousands of views, so they were a great success for us overall. The bureau collection project they worked on also added a lot of value, which would've been a huge, daunting project for the university to take on internally. They helped streamline, update, and organize our content catalogs, which the entire staff was pleased about. 

How did Kindred Content perform from a project management standpoint?

They're fantastic to work with. Megan and Lindsay are some of the most organized and thoughtful producers I've ever worked with in the nine years I've been in this industry. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They bring a lot of thought and intention to everything they do. Every recommendation they set forth has a purpose, and they listen to their clients but are also willing to challenge ideas when appropriate. They're also good at digging deep to thoroughly understand client needs, creating content with a lot of context and creativity. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, no. They're fantastic to work with and continue to be a preferred vendor. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hear them out, because they have a lot of great ideas and recommendations worth considering.