Phase 3 Studios

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the former VP of in-theater marketing at various film studios, specifically Paramount Pictures, STX Entertainment, and Solstice Studios.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Phase 3 Studios?

We needed help with event planning.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Phase 3 Studios has helped me plan movie premieres and live events for various film studios I worked for. 

What is the team composition?

We typically worked with 3–4 teammates per project.

How did you come to work with Phase 3 Studios?

They used to work with my father, so I contacted them. We received many proposals, but Phase 3 Studios was the most competitive in terms of pricing.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from March 1998–March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They knew what they were doing and consistently produced high-quality work. The movie industry has some harsh critics, but Phase 3 Studios’ work only ever received praise.

How did Phase 3 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. The Phase 3 Studios team always came through and solved any issues that came up during the events, which we appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Phase 3 Studios was extremely reliable — all the events they helped us with went smoothly, and they fulfilled every one of their promises. Furthermore, their services were highly affordable because they always thought of intelligent, efficient solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We didn’t always agree on everything, but in the end, that ended up being super helpful because we got to think of the best solution together.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Explain what you want in detail and make sure they understand your requirements.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the Marketing Director of a electronics equipment manufacturer for transportation industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Phase 3 Studios, and what were your goals?

Our product launch involved the creation of a product overview video along with an internal company launch event that introduced the product to both internal sales teams as well as dealers and distributors that attended from all over the US, Canada and South America.

SOLUTION

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

We were originally introduced to Phase 3 by their account manager, then tried them out on a couple of small video editing projects, which turned into photoshoots and filming in the field, and ultimately Phase 3 become our go-to company for video and in-studio webinar sessions.

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

We started with an initial project overview meeting, discussing key product benefits and features, which then evolved into development of a theme, script and event planning for presentations and recordings.

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

We worked with the account manager and the production staff. Everyone is amazing - give them a goal and they come up with the most creative ways possible to present the solution.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone who attended or participated in this and other events produced by Phase 3 were always very impressed on the professionalism, clear message and superior content shared with the audience.

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

Professional, always on time, on budget - I was usually the guy who had to pick up the pace to keep up with them.

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

These folks are product marketing people - they learned the products very quickly and really helped us identify the product benefits.

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

This is a tough question - I would not change anything. These folks are simply the best.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief product owner of an automotive aftermarket business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Phase 3 Studios?

We wanted to put together a TV commercial to promote a new product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We already had a creative direction and content, so Phase 3 Studios just needed to execute the work. After we gave them our plans, the team shot the commercial, edited it, and delivered it.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Todd (CEO), their entire film crew, and an editor.

How did you come to work with Phase 3 Studios?

I worked with them before when I was in another company.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in January 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Phase 3 Studios did a satisfactory job and offered a complete solution.

How did Phase 3 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was excellent. We typically communicated through phone calls, emails, and face-to-face meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with how relevant and modern their techniques and equipment were. Furthermore, they were able to adjust quickly to any changes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I think they did a great job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be communicative from the start. Furthermore, the more information you can provide them, the better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder, executive producer, and creative director of a company called Beard Boy Productions. We write and produce all kinds of video content.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Phase 3 Studios?

We had a client who hired us to make a video that showed how their piece of farm equipment worked. However, it was difficult to depict what would happen underground through a live-action video, so we needed someone to animate the process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We first discussed how we could best portray the equipment. Eventually, we decided to show what would happen both above and underground when the tractor is used. From there, Phase 3 Studios came up with computer-aided designs (CAD) of the equipment, which we showed to our client. Next, the team proceeded to texture, color, light, and scan the CAD to create an animated wireframe. 

Once the client approved all these elements, Phase 3 Studios began to animate the entire scene. It went from being in real time to slow motion to show exactly how the tool worked. The final deliverable was 15 seconds long, and our internal team incorporated it into a longer video with live-action footage. We then handled the final editing process and delivered it to the client.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Jonathan (VP & Executive Art Director), who was the lead animator. In addition, two other animators worked on the project.

How did you come to work with Phase 3 Studios?

I knew of them because they had a successful facility near our offices. We tried working together in the early 2000s, and it worked out well. We’ve worked together on various projects since then.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from January–April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our client was happy with the project and praised it for how well it interpreted the device. It also ended up being very persuasive in convincing the audience that it was a necessary piece of equipment. Overall, we’re delighted with Phase 3 Studios.

How did Phase 3 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

They hit all the deadlines. Collaboration was also straightforward — the team uploaded their work into a platform that allowed us to comment on each element they upload. Everything went smoothly, and they didn’t miss a beat.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Phase 3 Studios team possessed a good combination of creativity and technical expertise. Additionally, they’re reasonably priced compared to other vendors. We were also happy that we got to work with the teammates who were actually doing the work — nothing got misinterpreted because we could give them feedback directly. It was a great experience to work with such creative individuals who cared about our vision.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everyone has room to improve. For example, they could be a bit more competitively priced and work a bit faster.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your requirements. Furthermore, recognize Phase 3 Studios’ technical and creative expertise so you can utilize them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I worked with Phase 3 Studios when I was Director of Events for a media company. We worked on our 3 day personal growth conference in Minneapolis together.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Phase 3 Studios, and what were your goals?

We needed a production company to do handle all stage production and show running for our 3 day event with 3400 attendees at the Minneapolis Convention Center. They handled everything from scenic, camera operators, FOH and BOH staffing, confidence monitors, tech checks with speakers, rehearsals, all main stage presentations, sound, lighting, projection, all rentals, closed captioning vendor liaison just to name a few things they managed for us.

SOLUTION

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

I scouted production companies that were familiar with the venue. I also looked for a vendor who could handle all of our production needs, not just 1 or 2 components of it. Phase 3 participated in site visits with me and were a great partner in pre-planning not just onsite at the event.

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

We started with an initial meeting to determine project scope and budget. We then did a site visit to further fine tune our bid and identify all of our needs for the project. After the initial meeting and site visit, the team at Phase 3 spent a week in Minneapolis for set up, the event days and tear down. They ordered all equipment and managed all production staffing in order to streamline the process for us.

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

We worked with Todd Yates as the lead project manager and POC. Most of our communication was done through email, conference calls and onsite visits. He managed all of our changes and last minute updates with calm and patience.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had a sold out, profitable event and recorded all content to use for future marketing purposes. All presentations, camera feeds, sound, lighting and staging were all flawless. We had live feed connectivity issues with our outside closed captioning vendor that we hired. Todd and his team were able to work with them directly and solve for their connection issues.

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

We worked with Phase 3 mostly remote through email and conference calls. They were always very responsive and attentive to our needs and requests. We used Excel primarily for our content planning and run of show docs.

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

Phase 3 was very patient with us as we quadrupled our event size from the previous year and were working in a new city and venue. They handled lots of last minute changes on our end with professionalism and attentiveness. They were a great partner too in working with a union venue. Making sure we had our schedule aligned in order to meet union restrictions.

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

No improvements needed that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a freelance producer, and I work with many production companies. I’m generally involved in the conceptualization stage and post-production. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Phase 3 Studios?

I worked with a company that does half-hour-long infomercials. My job there involved handling production aspects like the date of shoot and casting. After the shoot, I worked with their post-production team to edit videos so we could put them on air. In one project, we needed animation support, and that was when we worked with Phase 3. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed Phase 3’s animation support services to explain things nicely to our audience. They then developed interesting dynamic animations that we could integrate within our spot to better explain our product.

In this engagement, Phase 3 did graphic designs and 3D animations for me and my client. I mainly worked with Jonathan (Executive Art Director & VP). Oftentimes, we’d work together as he laid out everything for me. I’d tell him which ones I liked and which ones I’d want to change. From there, we did the animations. 

What is the team composition?

I only worked with Jonathan. 

How did you come to work with Phase 3 Studios?

We worked with another animation house at the beginning of the project. However, it didn’t work out because they didn’t grasp what we needed. 

Then, the production company I was working for found Phase 3. Jonathan met with the company’s owner. He asked them to give the project to their studio and see what they could do. That was how I got introduced to him and Phase 3. After that, we transitioned the entire project to them. 

How much have you invested with them?

For this project, we spent around $10,000–$25,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project from October 2017–July 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our end clients were happy when we transitioned to Phase 3 because we were having too many difficulties with our previous animation house. The Phase 3 team took our comments seriously and developed what we needed. In the end, the final 3D animation output looked so fantastic that our client was jumping up and down about it. 

How did Phase 3 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

Phase 3 managed projects in a way that I loved. I was always in touch with Jonathan, who was doing the actual work — I didn’t have to go through third parties. I’d hound him a little bit because that was my job, and he would go above and beyond to finish the project on time or faster.  

Since post-production wasn’t truly in my wheelhouse, I always joked that I didn’t get the rendering process. In fact, the word “render” made me cringe. Despite that, I liked working with Jonathan because he and I could collaborate well. I could also bring in our creative director to join the collaboration. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Phase 3’s collaboration skills were the best part of our work. When we transitioned the project to them, I felt heard. 

By contrast, the other animation studio we worked with felt so disconnected from me. They had a project coordinator, but he wasn’t the one doing the animation. On top of that, they didn’t get what we wanted. For instance, one of the designs they submitted looked like a wolf’s teeth — it looked scary! — even though it was for a beauty product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish we’d done storyboards before we started animating things. Since we went into the project halfway through, Jonathan and I didn’t do storyboards. As such, I felt that I wasn’t guided enough about such things. We also had to take a couple of steps backward because of it. 

That being said, this was also my mistake. I wasn’t super adept at this process, so I was a little worried that we’d spend too much money on storyboarding. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about what you want. On top of that, remember that storyboards are necessary before the actual animations. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the Director of Marketing and Promotions for AM870 Radio owned by SALEM MEDIA

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Phase 3 Studios, and what were your goals?

Due to Covid restrictions, we had to scale down our event and add a "streaming" element. So we hired the for all our production needs for the event.

SOLUTION

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

They were recommend to me by someone else. Sadly I can't remember who it was.

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

We had several conversations over the phone, followed by emails. Once we agreed on the scope of the work, they then sent us an estimate. Once we agreed on pricing, then we did several walk-thru's at the venue to discuss the layout and flow of the event. I really enjoyed working with the entire team!

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

I mainly worked with Todd Yates and some others (So, it's been a while and I can't recall other names. They had great communication and I hope I can work with them again!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The video came out great! Very clear and they entire team was very professional the day of the taping. I was surprised how large their production staff was, but they each played a major role.

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

They were easy to reach and connect with. They gave clear and concise info and great feedback. They also gave great input during all pre-production and during the actual taping.

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

Their overall professionalism was commendable.

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

Nope!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the Sr. Director of Partner Relations for Prison Fellowship Ministries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Phase 3 Studios, and what were your goals?

We were getting ready to hold a major fundraising event of 500 people at the Reagan Library. We needed a video of our TUMI program in CA prisons to tell our story to our donors. Our goal was to go into a CA prison and interview the warden, a few inmates, PF staff and tell our story well of what God was doing through this seminary program.

SOLUTION

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

I have know Todd Yates for over 35 years and know his stellar reputation within the video production industry and in my mind there is one who does it better. It was a "no-brainer" for us to choose Phase 3 Studios to complete this project. I needed the best out there and that's where we went.

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

We started by sketching out a script and the shots we would need and who we wanted to interview and how we would tell this story. We chose a prison in El Centro, CA that would allow us access to film. We went on location to film. We filmed other segments to narrate the story - all done on site. Todd and his crew did a rough edit and played it for us. We made some minor changes and then we had our final project completed in plenty of time for our event.

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

We worked directly with Todd. He listened to our feedback and made the changes we needed, but we also listened to him and his expertise and took many of his ideas and made those changes as well to make it a better product. Todd was great too work with and was easy to work with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We showed the TUMI video at our event to our packed crowd and received many compliments from attendees, as well as likes when we posted it to our YouTube channel. It is still getting use today as our main video piece for TUMI.

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

Todd was on top of all communication from the get go. Emails, phone calls and even text messages were all returned quickly.

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

They took a personal interest on our project as if it was their own and raised the level of what we thought we wanted to a whole other level we never thought possible. VERY professionally done and seemless.

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

None! I can't give them enough stars for what they did for us!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Respondent 1: I’m the principal marketing strategist at Tula Technologies, a software controls company in the automotive space. We drive efficiency in gasoline, diesel, and electric motor space.

Respondent 2: I work on business development on our electric vehicle side. I just joined last year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Phase 3 Studios?

R1: We wanted to showcase our dynamic motor drive technologies for electrical vehicles. With the pandemic, we couldn’t give demonstrations or take people face-to-face to talk about our technologies. Therefore, we wanted to create an impactful video that could give people insight into the concept and benefits of the technology. We wanted to use the video in many parts of the world.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

R1: Phase 3 Studios did everything from soup to nuts for the video. We had a fairly good idea about the script, but they helped to write and storyboard it. We went through the storyboard, graphic overlays, and 3D animations needed. They proposed all of this and moved it through to production.

We had multiple checkpoints for reviews and feedback. Throughout all the phases, they got all the feedback together and handled everything.

In the end, we also did a shortened version of the video. It was initially a 4-minute video and we did a one-and-half-minute cut and a Mandarin version.

R2: We wanted this video to be aimed at the general public; not just for experts. Phase 3 Studios helped us a lot with this.

What is the team composition?

R1: The two main interfaces were Todd (Executive Creative Director & CEO) and Jonathan (Executive Art Director & VP). Jonathan did the 3D animations and Todd did the entire video.

We also had a writer who helped us to make our storyboard more palatable to the general audience. Additionally, they brought in voiceover talent for the project, but it may have been an outsource.

How did you come to work with Phase 3 Studios?

R1: We searched online, including on Clutch. We had recommendations from people we knew in the industry as well. In the beginning, we had a list of 12–13 companies; we narrowed it down to 4–5, and then to two. We selected Phase 3 studios due to the timeline, previous projects they’d done, and their knowledge about automotive.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

R1: We had a solid deadline because we wanted to showcase the video at a conference. They came through spectacularly in every way possible. The output was stellar, and it was much better than any of us had expected. Once we released it to the whole team, everybody was blown away. The video went on the website as well. All of the three versions turned out great and were well-received across the globe. We were very happy with the results.

Furthermore, some of our technical advisory people and the board of directors commented on how well the videos came out. We’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback.

How did Phase 3 Studios perform from a project management standpoint?

R1: It was a joint effort, so both of our teams worked pretty closely. We went through all the storyboards, the graphics, and so on. Once they had something to show, they used a platform where we could look at and comment on.

Internally, we communicated on Zoom. We had meetings to go through the video and make sure our comments were all consistent. That’s how we moved the needle daily and weekly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R1: The best part was that they drove us as much as we drove them. We had great synergy across both our organizations. They brought in their wealth of experience into the project, and the results speak for themselves.

R2: Also, we were very impressed with their animation skills.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R1: There’s nothing that comes to mind for them to improve. Some of the roadblocks we had in the project could've been solved by face-to-face meetings but we couldn’t do them due to the pandemic.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

R1: Be on top of it. They’ll come back with changes and ask you to review things within 24 hours, so be prepared. Make sure you’re able to get back to them and provide feedback quickly. The longer you take, the longer the project will be.