M-1 Studios

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Marketing Manager at a bio-identical hormone replacement therapy telemedicine company.

For what projects/services did your company hire M-1 Studios, and what were your goals?

Our treatments and services can be difficult to understand without hearing real stories. Sharing a patient's success story is critical to help educate and build awareness in the telemedicine market. Our goal was to create videos to help others understand the importance of hormone balancing and how it impacts our daily lives. With real patients sharing their stories, we are able to connect with others and help improve lives.

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

We looked for vendors through multiple websites, including Google search, UpWork, Freelancer, and more. We took a deep look into each vendor's website, portfolio, and reviews. After narrowing down to the top 3 candidates, we scheduled calls with each vendor to see if our company was the right fit. Our leadership team decided that M-1 Studios was the perfect fit based on their skills, expertise, healthcare portfolio, quality of work, and great reviews.

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

We started with a discovery session which was very easy to understand. From there, the team at M-1 Studios helped plan the entire shoot, from scheduling and location to the post-production process. Our team could quickly review the draft videos online, where we collaborated to make necessary changes. M-1 Studios promptly jumped on the suggested edits and provided the final videos within 48 hours. The last published videos were exactly what we asked for.

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

We worked with Mike, Eric, and Stephanie, who all had an important role in the video project. Each person had a designated purpose, which streamlined and flawless the entire process. From providing the logo files and style to suggesting our feedback on the direction of each video edit, M-1 made the process enjoyable.

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

We showed the final videos during our company meetings and received excellent feedback. The videos are now a part of our ongoing marketing strategies to help grow the business internally and externally.

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

The entire project management team worked well on all forms of communication. We used a combination of email and phone calls to coordinate the video projects. We were even able to text during the day of the shoot to make sure everything was on schedule. The management style of M-1 Studios was very friendly, people-focused, and professional. They make you feel comfortable with speaking freely and sharing your honest opinions. It's like you're a part of the team!

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

They were able to take raw footage that did not feel energetic and turn it into a polished video that was upbeat, engaging, and relatable. M-1 Studios definitely worked their magic!

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

There is nothing that I would have changed about their team, process, or this project. Everything was exceptionally well done.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the marketing manager at a small start up

For what projects/services did your company hire M-1 Studios?

We hired M-1 Studios for video work in our shop, and then to edit three final videos together for promotional uses. We then also took the footage after to make it into our own clips as well.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have three promotional videos created, as well as an arsenal of photo and videos to add to our asset library.

How did you select this vendor?

I interviewed four different vendors and I connected well with the chief videographer for our shoots. He was able to listen to what I wanted, and help craft the final versions of the scripts/edits. They were also on par for pricing.

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

When we selected this partner, they came to our headquarters for a tour and an overview of what I wanted to accomplish. We went back and forth a few times on what the videos would be about, and I was admittedly pretty demanding on how I wanted the videos to turn out. They then came and did a two-day shoot, showed me some footage on the spot, and then took the next couple weeks to start editing together some final videos.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

They used frame.io to provide updates to each video. We also chatted through the edits quite a bit via telephone and in person.

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

A few of the clips we captured were so successful, they have garnered over 2 million views on various streaming platforms with little to no dollars spent on promoting the clips. The best outcome of this project was the quality of the footage M-1 was able to capture for us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I think the workflow went really well. I appreciated the open channel of communication we had throughout the entirety of the project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to creatively figure out how to capture the quality footage. Our industry is very hard to capture a video that tells a good story. These guys knew the camera to come equipped with and the end result was great.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We ended up with a great product. There were a few areas I wish they took more lead on with the scripting of the videos. But I admit I had a pretty clear vision in mind as well.

I was hoping to give a vision, and have some creativity based on the vision, but it wasn't working as much as I would have hoped that way. That being said, we were able to work together and make some awesome products and I really enjoyed the team I worked with at M-1.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an automotive supplier that produces pedals and dashboards in our four manufacturing facilities. I’m the president of the organization.

What challenge were you trying to address with M-1 Studios?

We wanted to give our customers the opportunity to visit our facilities without physically making the trip. Oftentimes, our customers can’t travel to see our operations, so we were looking to produce a video tour of each of our technical processes to improve the marketing of our company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were looking to get our name better known in the industry and show our customers a series of video clips that give insight into our processes across the organization. The scope of work involved defining all of our processes and selecting the ones we would highlight in each of our locations. From there, we developed summaries of each facility for an overview video for each of our locations. After we selected the 10 processes we were intending to film, we scheduled days for production. From there, they produced each video.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with three key people, including Eric (Director of Development), Matthew (Owner & Producer), and another teammate. 

How did you come to work with M-1 Studios?

We found them online through a Google search and found them to be a good fit for us after viewing their past work and customer portfolio. They were also a smaller, more responsive organization, which we liked as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $30,000, which we found competitive.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on the project between February–July 2019.

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

While we don’t track metrics, we’ve received very positive feedback both internally and from customers on the quality of the videos. By putting cameras inside of some of our equipment, our company was able to see things about our process that we don’t normally get to observe. 

The customers have really appreciated the videos and how they can locate footage for each of our individual processes.  

How did M-1 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They facilitate a very collaborative editing process. We ended up with a final product that we enjoyed without a ton of back-and-forth. They were flexible when we had to delay the project as well, always meeting deadlines. We ended up with more content than we bargained for.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re not trained in marketing or video production. They were able to take general concepts and produce excellent content with that minimal input. We didn’t have the time to get super involved, and they were able to handle that. This wasn’t time-consuming on our end at all, which was key for us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. Pricing, content, and responsiveness were highlights.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Matthew built a great team. Work with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director at a retail tire distributor.

What challenge were you trying to address with M-1 Studios?

We needed a series of product videos for our website. We wanted somebody to fill in the role for monthly content production.

What was the scope of their involvement?

M-1 Studios interfaces in the process from start to finish. They’re involved not only in the video production but the post-production as well, which includes editorial graphics.

We hadn’t done this type of product videos before, so it was a quick learning curve. After the first round of videos, we got a good sense of our challenges and what we could do better next time. We’ve continued to work as a team, optimizing, communicating, and making sure things are getting done on time. Right now, the train is on track and moving full-steam ahead.

What is the team composition?

We usually have 5–6 different people. They’re very accommodating when we’re shooting. There’s always someone nearby to help with products, lightning, talent, and so on.

My main point of contact is Mike (VP & Editor). He’s responsive, always available by text or phone, and a good communicator. I’ve worked with him as an editor on several projects, especially on this video series. It’s nice because once you build a rapport with him, he understands and predicts your comments. I’m very happy with my working relationship with Mike.

How did you come to work with M-1 Studios?

I went back to them because they deliver on all fronts. These days, it’s a real challenge to do content quickly and within a budget. M-1 Studios figures out how to work with you. They creatively solve problems and get the best product for our budget. Also, they produce well-planned and thought-out content.

How much have you invested with them?

This year, we’ve gotten close to $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with M-1 Studios for almost a year now.

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

Our entire organization, including our executive leadership team, is satisfied with the content quality we’ve received from M-1 Studios. We can count on them whatever the budget is. Sometimes our budgets can get paper-thin, and that’s when our relationship with them comes into play. I trust 100% that they’ll do a great job. They always rise to the occasion.

How did M-1 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Over the last year, our relationship with them has been super tight. Communication has always been great, and the live production days are terrific. We do a lot of work in a good amount of time, but we actually have fun. Usually, we have all-day schedules for these days, but we finish up around 3:00 p.m.

Additionally, we’ve had more feedback and back and forth between us. We discuss how we can optimize things and keep the train running as smoothly as possible. Mike is a great producer, and he keeps us up to date on what’s going on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Since we started working with M-1 Studios, they’ve constantly been refining how they’re doing everything. We were in a big rush to get into this project, so a lot of details could’ve been overlooked, but it wasn’t the case. Also, their turnaround time was super quick.

They constantly ask questions on how we can do something better, and they’ve delivered on that. For example, in one of our videos, we had a tire suspended in midair, and there were wires hooked up around it. I said I wished we wouldn’t have the wire in there, and they worked on it until they came up with a solution. Then, they went back and re-edited all the footage. They didn’t have to do that, but they go above and beyond and really look out for us as partners.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can trust them; they’ll take care of you. I’m very confident in recommending them to other colleagues.

This review was published on August 13, 2020.

Chad Ackley

Executive Creative Director, Belle Tire Distributors

Automotive

1,001-5,000 Employees

Grosse Point, Michigan

$10,000 to $49,999

Jul 2018 - Ongoing

Project summary

M-1 Studios produces instructional videos for a tire distributor, working closely with their team to handle casting, filming, editing, and animation for a range of 2–5-minute videos on a relatively low budget.

Feedback summary

The videos produced by M-1 Studios have satisfied project stakeholder requirements and consistently been delivered on time and within budget. Their team is flexible and attentive to detail, always reacting quickly to find solutions to any challenges that arise in the production process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of production and creative services at Belle Tire Distributors. Essentially, I’m responsible for the production of television, radio, digital content, social media, and other things of that nature.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with M-1 Studios?

The goal for the project was to get as high a production value as possible with the limited budget that we had to work with.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We shot a series of about ten instructional videos with M-1, ranging from 2–5 minutes. Each of the projects required casting, a film and sound crew, and needs to be executed relatively quickly. I knew from the beginning that I needed a team that was going to be able to maneuver to shoot in a tire store and work around guys doing their jobs.

One of the things we’re working on right now is a series of tire videos in which we provide a personal introduction and description of each tire from one of our employees, rather than making customers read product descriptions and decipher the specifications themselves. Those videos are then made available on our website through a link under each product.

Included in that process are the full production of the video, as well as graphic and title animation, editing and color correction in post, and anything else that we need before posting the videos.

What is the team composition?

The main folks that I work with are Matthew (Owner) and Mike (Vice-President).

How did you come to work with M-1 Studios?

I had originally reached out to a friend who had done freelance photography before, and he was busy but recommended I reach out to M-1. I had met with a few other production companies, but their team’s passion and ideas were clear from the start, so I decided to move forward from there.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2018 and our projects are ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their people are extremely good at what they do. They have a great connection to the world of freelancers out there, and that allows them to deliver in a world where clients are continually wanting things faster and cheaper.

Their production planning and attention to detail are top-notch, and the questions they ask really demonstrate that they’re invested in the outcome of the project, not just finishing a job and getting paid. I’ve developed a lot of trust in them over the years, to the point where I know I don’t have to worry about being at the whole shoot or selecting every detail myself, because they will pick those things up and deliver no matter what.

How did M-1 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve been really satisfied with their communication. Mike is the main communicator on their team, and whether that takes place over email, text, or phone conversations, we’re pretty much in lockstep from the moment we kick off any given project. We haven’t had any issues with deadlines, and even when we’ve run into snags or issues, they’ve done a great job of reacting and coming up with solutions on the fly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to provide a good production aesthetic on a low budget really exceeds that of almost any other company out there.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everyone has some room to improve. I suppose there could be a little more follow up on things sometimes. I know it’s very easy for things to occasionally slip through the cracks, but we could all probably do a better job of being a little bit more proactive.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as clear as you can about what your expectations are from the start.

RATINGS

Overall rating: 4

Quality: 3

Cost: 5

Schedule: 4

Willing to refer: 4

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the sponsorship director of Jonathan Witz Associates. We are a festival events company that produces large-scale concert, art, and food festivals in South Eastern Michigan. I sell our sponsorships for all of our events and fulfill all the sponsorships.

What challenge were you trying to address with M-1 Studios?

We had a need for television spots to publicize our events.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide live-action video production for us. They come to our events and shoot B-roll for the videos we plan to create the following year. We put together a script and M-1 Studios creates the spots from that. They add different sponsor logos and they do all the production. After we approve the videos, M-1 Studios delivers them to the station. We make suggestions on the footage we’d like and they select from what they have shot at events.

How did you come to work with M-1 Studios?

We had worked with different firms over the years, but we found M-1 7 years ago. My boss worked with Matt, who was in charge of M-1 at that time. He was interested in doing some trade work for us to start with, and we continued working with him after that. Since then, we’ve worked with them exclusively because we liked the product so much.

How much have you invested with M-1 Studios?

M-1 is a sponsor of our events. They work on 4 or 5 events a year and we pay them $500 to $1,000 for video production. Then we’ll give them a sponsorship package valued from $2,000 to $5,000, depending on the event.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in January 2010 and the work is ongoing.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I don’t have specific numbers but we share their work with our current sponsors for approval. They’ve been impressed with the work and we’ve been able to recommend M-1 to other companies.

How did M-1 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a quick turnaround time. Sometimes, our events need last-minute work and they’re always willing to do so on short notice. We communicate through email and phone.

What did you find most impressive about M-1 Studios?

We have a lot of last-minute projects and their ability to work with us is very helpful.

Are there any areas M-1 Studios could improve?

None.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The company I work for is an automotive supplier. We sell sensors that go inside vehicles with our main product being TPMS which are the sensors that go inside tires to record tire pressure. I’m am the marketing and communications manager for all of North America including Canada and Mexico.

What challenge were you trying to address with M-1 Studios?

Our customers are normally distributors and retailers, but we also have a responsibility to make sure technicians that install our parts are doing it properly. We needed training videos showing the audience how to install and switch out our sensors properly.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We showed them other videos so they could see what we wanted to do. They told us what they would need to do the videos and came in to make sure the area was clean and that the set was going to work. They used the drone to take photos of our building. I did all the scripting of the videos, and they found ways to make the videos interesting. They did 15 videos in all for us. Right now, we’re working on a new corporate video. They take care of finding the right voiceover for the videos. 

How did you come to work with M-1 Studios?

I performed a Google search and called five videographers in our area. Two companies responded, and M-1 gave me a huge portfolio that was very detailed and professional. After meeting them, we trusted them immediately.

How much have you invested with M-1 Studios?

Almost all of the videos have cost under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in August 2015, and they’ll be an ongoing partner for us.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Our customers love the videos. I know our team likes them better than our previous set we had. We’ve been satisfied with the number of views the videos have received. 

How did M-1 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

I work mostly with Mike, and he’s great with adding input on the projects. We have a couple of meetings before the shoot to make sure we have everything we need.

What did you find most impressive about M-1 Studios?

They’re probably my favorite vendor. They’re very personable and very communicative. They know our product and our technician very well, so they’re able to make sure that what they’re creating is appropriate for our customers.

Are there any areas M-1 Studios could improve?

No.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior marketing manager at Ingersoll Rand, an industrial engineering company.

What challenge were you trying to address with M-1 Studios?

We needed their team to craft a promotional product video for our existing offering’s new features.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We kicked off the engagement with a scoping phase. We relayed our production needs to M-1 Studios’ team, and they provided examples to walk us through their production and editing processes and styles. Once we found a filming location and finalized the production outline, their team then shot the video. 

Apart from editing the footage based on our brand guidelines, M-1 Studios sent us a software link that allowed us to apply real-time captioning into the video, making the post-production stage collaborative.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three resources, including Mike (VP & Producer) and Chelsey (Editor & Director).

How did you come to work with M-1 Studios?

Our graphic designer found their team online while searching for potential production companies to onboard for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $3,000–$4,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from March–June 2021.

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

M-1 Studios produced an impactful and educational video that strategically highlighted our product’s features. Our distributors and customers specifically liked how the video was informative yet digestible — their positive feedback was our main success metric for M-1 Studio’s work.

How did M-1 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via email, Zoom, and phone calls. M-1 Studios was a collaborative and productive partner — they met our budget and exceeded our timeline expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

M-1 Studios produced a concise scope and met every phase of the project with utter promptness and cost-effectiveness. We were also impressed with their top-notch software knowledge, which allowed them to generate sophisticated and clear-cut design solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They did a great job, and we had a wonderful experience with their team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come up with concrete plans and find the time to gather as much internal feedback as possible.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the development director at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit, where we create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

For what projects/services did your company hire M-1 Studios?

We hired M-1 Studios to create a video for our signature fundraising event, as well as a shorter version of the video to be used for ongoing promotions.

What were your goals for this project?

Our main goal was to encourage the guests at our event to understand exactly what our organization does and to feel compelled to donate more so that we can further serve the youth in our community. Secondly, we wanted to have a video that we could use throughout the year at various events and put on the website as well as all our social media channels.

How did you select this vendor?

I had worked with M-1 Studios at a previous nonprofit and they were my first, and honestly, my only choice to work with. The fact that they have an in-house studio and can also film on location made it very easy for us when scheduling our interviews.

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

Our CEO AND I met M-1 Studios first to brainstorm and come up with a general direction for the video. Then, we worked on our end to recruit some members to be in the video and coordinate all of the schedules. M-1 Studios went above and beyond in making sure that all of the participants were scheduled and prepared for the questions they would be asked on camera. Prior to filming, M-1 Studios, also worked with us to make sure they had access to our brand guidelines and photos.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

M-1 Studios gave us a timeline for the filming, editing, and final production. Each step of the process was communicated to us via email or phone, and sometimes in person. We never felt out of the loop or left wondering what step they were working on. When we suggested changes or edits, they were received professionally and handled in a timely manner.

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

Our revenue goal the night of the event was exceeded. Besides money being raised, we’ve had a number of people become mentors based off of the video. We’ve also gotten countless compliments of the video and have used it in another small campaign that helped us raised over $9,000. The people featured in the video continue to share it today and are so proud of their involvement.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was amazing. M-1 Studios’ work is always great, timely, and done in a friendly but professional manner. I love working with them, especially when I need to hit a scheduled date, as I know they will meet every deadline.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their creativity is impressive. We come to them thinking that we had it all figured out and they come back to us with a few tweaks and ideas. We were blown away. They fully understand how to create great videos but shine at making said videos truly impactful. They do extra research to find the right music, lighting, and pictures to make it better. I love working with M-1 Studios.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No. I’m always satisfied with M-1 Studios and would recommend them to anyone looking for video production.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the controller of North American operations for a global IT company that resells IT hardware. We’re located in 26 countries, providing IT services, resources, and solutions.

What challenge were you trying to address with M-1 Studio?

Our parent company in the UK was rebuilding their internal website as an employee recognition portal. They had five leaders from around the world tackle our five company values to put on the site, and I was assigned one of the values. M-1 Studio helped shoot the video for that value explanation.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

M-1 Studio filmed our value video with multiple cameras from multiple angles — all in HD and in 25 frames per second (FPS), of course. Once they delivered the video, we gave it to an external marketing firm to fit it into the employee recognition site.

What is the team composition? 

There were three individuals on site, including two videographers and the main editor. I also worked with two other individuals through email about pricing and scheduling.

How did you come to work with M-1 Studio?

My company had used them in the past for our marketing efforts and other videos, so they already had a good reputation within our company. That’s what made us choose them again.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $2,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project took place in July 2020, but my company has been working with them since 2017.

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

There were a couple of highlights for me while working with them. They were wonderful to work with and very patient. 

On the first day of the shoot, we were locked out of the filming site and had to stay in the rain for 45 minutes. Even though it wasn’t their fault, they comforted us that it wasn’t an issue and were understanding about the situation.

While filming, they were professional and brought a lot of creativity to it. I showed them a prior version of the video that we wanted them to redo, and they built off of it with their own ideas.

Finally, they delivered an end result that really achieved what we were going for well. When the video came out, there were some parts that I didn’t care for because I was judging myself on screen. I asked them to go back through and edit out some scenes, and they turned it around within a couple of hours. 

How did M-1 Studio perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very accommodating with my schedule, especially considering that this was an urgent rush project. 

The team called me, in the beginning, to provide a personal quote, just to make sure we knew what we were going for and so that there weren’t any misunderstandings. They used this time to review some of the prior videos that we wanted to reference before delivering an easy-to-process quote.

During planning, M-1 Studio was quick to get us their vendor identification information so that we could get them set up in our system. They were just responsive and organized from A to Z.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Not only were they professional, but I also want to articulate how customer service-oriented they were. It was definitely important to them that we were happy with what they produced in the end.

I’m so passionate about that because I don’t make videos for a living, so this was very out of my comfort zone. M-1 Studios did a great job of explaining the process to me in simple terms to make sure we were on the same page, which helped.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I was so pleased with everything from start to finish.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very detailed and communicate clearly on what you’re looking for in the beginning. That’s what we did, and it made for an easy process. Neither party was disappointed in terms of what I expected, and they were able to pick up on what their role needed to be to deliver the right end product. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the curriculum development manager of a swim school. We have 108 swim schools in the US and Canada. The age group we work with is children between the ages of 3–4 months all the way to 12 years of age.

What challenge were you trying to address with M-1 Studios?

We hired them to create swim lesson quality videos we use internally for training purposes.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created roughly 40 videos in the first run. The videos range from three minutes to ten or fifteen minutes. They were designed specifically to help teachers in our system learn how to instruct every single level we teach.

We also approach things skill-by-skill so the videos break down different kinds of mistakes, what to avoid, how to perform correct swim techniques, and things of that nature. They came into our office with all the technology and equipment they needed.

What is the team composition?

They have internal staff, and I believe they work with contractors as well. However, we mainly worked with three people. Matthew (President & Producer) runs the show in terms of mission, goals, and objectives. Mike (VP & Producer) handled the day-to-day facilitation of the videos and communication. Stephanie (Senior Editor & Videographer) does our editing.

How did you come to work with M-1 Studios?

We had worked with several vendors in the past and were looking for something different this time in efforts to go down a new avenue. Our team wanted to find a partner who had extensive experience in training videos specifically. They also needed to have the right technology and equipment.

We found M-1 Studios through a coworker or online research. Our team considered and interviewed three different companies. We had two or three meetings and they seemed best suited to help us with the capabilities we wanted.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in August 2019. The project has ended, but we’re looking to do more with them in the future.

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

They’ve been phenomenal to work with and delivered the product we hoped to create. Working with M-1 Studios was a completely different process, in a positive way, than we’ve experienced with other agencies. Their process is very streamlined, and they’re very professional. They were exceptional in terms of what they provided with underwater camera work, lighting, and things of that nature.

How did M-1 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They remained on top of every deadline and their communication was excellent. Their team was proactive about relaying any issues with deadlines. They never overcommitted to something they couldn’t deliver on. They’ve even helped us during this pandemic time with some additional videos.

We had a weekly phone call and also communicated through emails. There was a schedule in place that relayed where we were in filming. We handled the editing through Wipster. It was a huge game-changer for us and made the editing process very seamless. They’d reply within 24 hours of us leaving a comment.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were professional in terms of communication, process, and product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. We learned collaboratively together.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have your goals, objectives, schedule, budget, and expectations outlined ahead of time because it’ll make the process run smoother. What’s more, be sure to know your business so you can give details about what you want to shoot. M-1 Studios can be experts in anything if you can communicate your vision to them.