Oliver Karstel - Video Production Company

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the ICT manager for an international development organization that aims to improve the exporting capacity of businesses in South Africa.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oliver Karstel - Video Production Company?

We needed someone to help us develop a learning platform and produce our marketing material.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Oliver Karstel collaborates with another service provider to create a learning management system. This platform can help us upload and manage modules to be export-ready and be accessible to users at any given time.

As for the marketing phase, their team has been traveling with us to film interview videos to present an overview of the impact story of our program. Apart from that, they’ve also been creating the entire process of the learning management system.

What is the team composition?

We mainly engage with the client-relationship leadership team, but we’ve also interacted with other team members.

How did you come to work with Oliver Karstel - Video Production Company?

They were introduced to us by our development service provider, and we chose to hire them based on their competitive pricing and quality of service.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our continued partnership started in June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our internal team and clients were really happy with the outcome that Oliver Karstel delivered. In addition, people generally engage with the product and the feedback has been positive.

How did Oliver Karstel - Video Production Company perform from a project management standpoint?

Oliver Karstel is highly professional and organized, and their meticulous approach to quality makes the product more sensible.

We typically communicate through Zoom, phone, and WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their consultancy skills and proactive listening. They have a great work ethic and I’ve had a positive experience working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Whenever something in the partnership needs improvement, they’re always willing to communicate and make adjustments.

They’ve never held back or resisted any of our feedback, so I can’t think of anything else they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to engage Oliver Karstel in the early stages of building what you’re trying to do, so that you can get the most out of the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the lead project manager of a trade education institute in South Africa. Our core focus is trade facilitation and training on exports, imports, custom practices, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oliver Karstel - Video Production Company?

We needed a specialist in design and e-learning, as well as someone adept in multimedia, video creation, and content implementation in a learning environment.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked with Oliver Karstel on two separate projects. First, they helped us with our SA IP exporter of the year event, where they handled our digital stream and our program development and design. They also coordinated the event and helped us market it in a lot of digital mediums. Additionally, Oliver Karstel created the videos for our nominations, interviews, and more.

On the other hand, Oliver Karstel is currently working with us to develop an entire LMS for an international organization. This LMS will help train exporters within our region. The project involves animation design, motion graphics, videos, and stock footage.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with Oliver (CEO), who acts as the creative director. I’ve met a lot of his team, including designers, video editors, and scriptwriters. However, I don’t work with them daily as I do with Oliver — he is the liaison between his team and me.

How did you come to work with Oliver Karstel - Video Production Company?

We came to work with Oliver Karstel through a very rigorous procurement process. Part of our work’s nature is having donor-funded projects and collaborating with international organizations and governments. Thus, we have to stick to a lengthy procurement process to ensure that there is not an unethical procurement process in place.

Initially, we started this process with 16 different companies. From there, we narrowed them down to eight and then to four, and Oliver Karstel was one of those four.

Ultimately, we chose Oliver Karstel largely based on their previous projects and their credibility, but there was also some competitive price bidding as well.

How much have you invested with them?

The total contract value across our projects with Oliver Karstel is about 800,000–900,000 Rands (approximately $52,000–59,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our first project wouldn’t have succeeded without Oliver Karstel. They worked through a lot of reviews, late nights, early mornings, and numerous design inputs to ensure that the project was a success. Additionally, they went the extra mile during the event, walking us through the day before and overseeing all the details and aspects during the event. Overall, they went above and beyond to help us succeed, and that success is the reason why we started another project with them.

Before working with Oliver Karstel, we weren’t design experts or technology experts. However, they’ve helped us improve in terms of digital transformation, always advising us on different things within our business and becoming the digital implementation experts of our institute.

How did Oliver Karstel - Video Production Company perform from a project management standpoint?

Oliver Karstel takes a very structured and teamwork approach to the projects. They’re open to our ideas regarding visuals and storyboarding, but they also add their own ideas and take the initiative to come up with designs that they feel will capture our audience. Additionally, they help us and advise us throughout the projects to ensure their completion.

Oliver Karstel also follows a lot of the core principles of agile project management without being strict on how a project should be done. They’re open and adaptable to adjust to our needs. Oliver himself takes a very hands-on approach as creative director, and he promptly communicates any issues and provides creative solutions.

Over the course of last year, we’ve asked Oliver Karstel to do some backbreaking work involving very late nights and very early mornings. However, Oliver and his team have broken their backs to ensure that they deliver on very tight deadlines. We’re really appreciative of their effort; that’s why I agreed to leave this review.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Oliver Karstel’s work ethic and attention to detail are their best assets. For the first project, they had the task of completing 1.5–2 years of work within eight months. While other companies told us that it would be impossible, Oliver and his team made it possible with great attention to detail.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Of course, there have been improvements needed. However, most of the improvements we’ve talked about aren’t things that we’ve identified, but they rather are improvements that Oliver Karstel has suggested implementing to bring the overall results to a higher standard. Thus, I have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be transparent with Oliver Karstel because they’re always willing to help you overcome any hurdles with creative solutions. Additionally, be engaging and collaborative with them; that’s how you’ll get the most out of the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing for the Middle East and Africa at Bühler Group, a Swiss engineering company. We have subsidiaries all around the world and around 15,000 staff members worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Oliver Karstel - Video Production Company?

We needed help creating corporate videos for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Oliver (Principal) provides photography and video services for us. For our latest projects, he produced three videos: a health and safety video for new employees and two videos showcasing our manufacturing facilities in South Africa. 

We work collaboratively with Oliver. I usually brief him on what we want for videos, he presents ideas, and we brainstorm together as a team. Our team is always present when he’s filming, making sure he captures the correct shots with good lighting and that the footage aligns with our requirements.

Oliver then puts the video together, we review it, and he makes the necessary changes. He handles editing, sourcing music, and creating subtitles, and he also sources the voiceover talent. Because we’re an international company, the corporate team has to review the videos to ensure they align with our corporate identity. Oliver makes sure that those requirements are met. 

He’s also photographed our equipment for us. Currently, he’s quoting me for an upcoming project on our Morocco site. 

What is the team composition?

The team composition depends on the duration and complexity of the project. We worked directly with Oliver and his assistant for our most recent project, though I don’t know how many teammates were behind the scenes for post-production.

How did you come to work with Oliver Karstel - Video Production Company?

I’ve been working with Oliver for 10 years now. Somebody recommended him at my previous company, and I decided to hire him based on his showreels and CV. He provided a range of services for me at that previous company, and because I was happy with our collaboration, I decided to bring him on to work with my current company. 

How much have you invested with them?

The corporate videos cost around 220,000 South African rands (approximately $14,500 USD), and the health and safety video cost 80,000 South African rands (approximately $5,200 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Oliver’s quality of work and his service are always exceptional. Every time we’ve worked with him, he’s met our business objectives. We’ve used his work for social media and to enhance internal presentations. These videos also save us time during employee inductions, and as a result, they help us increase productivity.

How did Oliver Karstel - Video Production Company perform from a project management standpoint?

In terms of deadlines, Oliver always delivers within the set timeline. We communicate via email or phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Oliver’s innovative thinking and fresh ideas are impressive. He’s always open to our ideas and offers a fresh perspective. Within that, he’s always willing to learn in any new environment he’s in. By the end of our video projects, he understood our business.  

Additionally, he’s a perfectionist in everything he does. Oliver makes changes until we’re happy with the product. He’s always accommodating with his time and with the budget restraints. His use of different mediums stands out, including the latest technologies such as drones. I appreciate that he puts 100% of himself into anything he’s working on.

Oliver brings positive energy to any project. He and his assistant are very friendly and have a great demeanor when interacting with our staff. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’ve never had a bad experience with Oliver.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to give Oliver an in-depth brief. Be as detailed as possible and provide him with as much information as possible on your company and project. That way, Oliver can capture every detail from the biggest to the smallest.