Nice Shirt Media

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the art director for HoMedics, a global health and wellness consumer products company. I focus on branding, marketing, and advertising for print, web, and social media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Nice Shirt Media?

We launched a beauty line that introduced new products into the market. Consumers needed to know about the tools’ functionalities and expected results. We hired them to produce two how-to videos. The first would be an overview of the products for social media platforms. The second, to be featured on our website, would show each product’s function and features.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted customers to make informed purchases with an understanding of the tools’ functions and benefits.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One our employees recommended them. We appreciated their diverse portfolio, clear project outline, and quick responses. Their services also fit our budget. We were excited to work with the team.

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

They collaborated with us to develop a brand story and coordinate location, props, casting, and editing design. We wrote the scripts while they created storyboards that accommodated specific timelines. They started editing after shooting wrapped, for which they provided regular updates.

The project recently ended. Although we’re still placing assets, we already have several social media placements slotted for the next few months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

They provided two cameras, which allowed us to make real-time editing decisions. Those additional options increased our flexibility and enhanced the overall shoot. During editing, Nice Shirt Media always solicited our feedback to ensure they were representing the products accurately. They upheld the brand’s image.

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

Internal stakeholders responded enthusiastically to the videos. We can’t wait to share them online.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Overall, the engagement was a successful collaboration. They worked hard to incorporate our feedback in the final results. The creative director effectively managed the timeline and constant communication flows. The team was also responsive to last-minute requests.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had a versatile shooting style that accommodated gradual and sudden changes. We enjoyed the storytelling process, specifically their filming and editing techniques. They also employed film students; we loved that because it created a great mentoring opportunity.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Deliveries were slightly delayed because we needed to wait for feedback from in-house teams; that was not solely their fault. We were very happy with the videos.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re community college open enrollment and approximately 20,000 students annually. I’m the VP for economic community and college development. I also oversee marketing and public relations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nice Shirt Media?

We were looking for video material that we could use to be able to create a platform around becoming a leader in connected and autonomous vehicles. We wanted to be able to position our college as a leader in the space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve worked with us on a lot of things, but the videos were the most important part. They put something together for our 50th anniversary that laid out the history of the college and where we are today as an external piece to communicate.

We did a piece that was related to the connected and autonomous vehicles used at an auto show. That was to position ourselves as a leader in terms of training for not only for new, emerging jobs, but also for training the incumbent workforce. We also worked with them on videos for social media, or a longer ones for YouTube to help market our programs.

They worked with us from the initial meeting to tease out the scope of the project, asking a lot of questions. They wanted to know what we want, who we’d like to reach, etc. They worked with us to develop the scripts for the pieces and managed all of the shoots on and off the campus. We help them find clients off-campus, but they schedule meetings and prep the person before they are on camera. They also do all of the editing and sound work. We go back and forth to review the videos see if there any additional editing needs to be done.

What is the team composition?

The size of the team depends on the project. We usually have at least two people involved, but it can be more than that.

How did you come to work with Nice Shirt Media?

I saw a video that they had done because Garrett (Chief Creative Director, Nice Shirt) was a student in our film program. His work was excellent, so I knew I needed to talk to him. I put out an RFP and he responded. When we went through the candidates, his work was really good. He did the first piece, then we kept asking him to come back because he was excellent. He was great to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

Projects range from $5,000–$12,000 depending on the video. The total has been between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them two years ago. The most recent project was in January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We use the pieces in different ways. The videos are excellent and everyone loves them. They do a fantastic job.

How did Nice Shirt Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great. They met their deadlines even when we have a tight timeframe. They’ve even worked on the weekends to make it happen. They’re very organized in the process of their steps: In the first meeting with them, they go over what you can expect from them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the things I appreciate the most is the quality. I wouldn’t keep hiring them if I didn’t think the quality was good. They have a way of working and talking through the right questions so that they can understand what you need. The final product ends up being very close to what you envisioned.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing. They’ve been great to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Senior Media Producer at Duo Security. We’re a cloud-based cybersecurity company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices in Austin, San Mateo, CA, and London. Working with a creative team, my role is to create videos that are everything from marketing and promotional to internal culture.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Nice Shirt Media?

We needed an internal culture video for a company kickoff event in Austin with 600 people. We had a small budget to do a video summary of the sales team’s focus and themes that would create hype and inspire before an eight-hour sales presentation.

The second video was for the launch of a new brand—a security-based publishing medium called Decipher. We needed a teaser video that could be used for the social media campaign, embedded in the website, and shown at the kickoff.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Nice Shirt worked very collaboratively with us to produce both of the videos. We focused internally on the concept and goals of our messaging while Nice Shirt focused on the production including casting, locations, and all of the logistics. We did the storyboarding internally and shared those resources with Nice Shirt for them to build the sets and source the locations.

The Decipher video was a bigger project that required building and extensive coordination between our team and theirs. For example, we were filming in Detroit in the winter which meant issues with the weather. We had to come together to produce the video before the set launch date.

What is the team composition?

I worked primarily with their Creative Director. He hired the crew, some of whom worked on both jobs.

How did you come to work with Nice Shirt Media?

I heard about Nice Shirt Media, and specifically their Creative Director, through a mutual friend that also works at Duo. I had been following their work for months. When the opportunity came to reach out to an external team to produce the video, I reached out to them.

I reached back out to them for the second video after the sales kickoff because our experience had been really smooth. My experience is primarily on the East Coast in New York. When I moved to the Midwest, I didn’t know the production companies out here. Working with Nice Shirt, I had a good sense of their Creative Director’s character and eagerness. It was easier for me to go with his company than to cold call a production company that I had no real connection to.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November of last year until January this year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have any metrics on the Decipher video yet – we’re still collecting data since it just launched – but the feedback has been positive. It had a warm reception at the kickoff event. We have at the end of the event for all the employees to leave comments on the videos. Everyone was really amazed by the Decipher video. They said it felt like a movie trailer. That’s a testament to Nice Shirt’s ability to understand my vision and work together organically to elevate the source material.

As far as awareness, we hit our goals to get our messaging out there, especially at the sales kickoff event. That opens up for other departments to reach out to us to create content for their teams. For Decipher, the video set the tone for the entire brand. Producing the video helped us understand the rest of the design and branding, the whole aesthetic.

How did Nice Shirt Media perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was efficient and transparent. We were working under some serious time constraints, for example, trying to film before Christmas when everyone left on vacation. There was a lot to organize and get done, like managing the location and casting. They worked at a fast production pace and got everything done. It reminded me of my experiences in New York City where the industry is larger and everyone’s conditioned to work at a faster pace.

They worked very flexibly, such as in understanding our deadlines or the importance of having the right person from Duo in the video. For example, with the sales kickoff video, someone was supposed to be in it that didn’t show up due to a miscommunication. We were able to get our CEO to fill in and they were able to pick up the shot with him instead. For the Decipher video, they were able to get the crew together and push through an outdoor shoot under harsh conditions in Detroit in the winter. They really went above and beyond to meet our deadlines and deliver.

They also worked within the budget. It was really great to work with a company that didn't have any surprise budget overages at the end. They were really cognizant of what our resources were and how much we could spend. They hit that target.

Everyone was knowledgeable and great at problem-solving. With video, things never run 100% smoothly. Something always comes up. But I don’t recall anything that hindered us. They found the right people for the job. Everyone was really enthusiastic, worked hard, and had great ideas and suggestions. They were very professional.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Nice Shirt can adapt to any project regardless of the industry. The projects we presented were vastly different. They were able to switch gears and adapt while maintaining a high level of production value.

I feel confident that no matter what project I would bring to them, they would understand it really well. They would do the research to discover new things to elevate the material, rather than going through the motions. Finding inventive ways to tell stories is a quality that the best production companies I’ve worked with have. That’s what Nice Shirt does.

They were really able to focus on the messaging that was really important to us. They integrated our mantra – which is about security without fear – and took our values of diversity and inclusion into consideration for the casting. They really paid attention and they didn’t take any shortcuts.

If I were to reach out to Nice Shirt as a vendor again, there wouldn't be any pushback because of what they delivered. It makes my job easier to be able to outsource to a company that understands our brand rather than trying to find a new vendor every time and explain our mission.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of. I know what we could have done better on our side but we really got a lot of return on what they delivered.