Prosper Digital TV

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the grants and special projects manager at a medium-to-large-sized social service organization serving New York communities.

What challenge were you trying to address with Prosper Digital TV?

We have an annual gala fundraising event, and every year, we produce a video that centers around the person we’re honoring and the work we do. So we were looking for a video production company that could help us create this year’s video.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Prosper Digital TV helped us prepare, plan, film, and produce a four-minute video for our 2022 gala. Their work also included providing their own filming equipment and studios, as well as handling the audio mixing, editing, and overall postproduction.

What is the team composition?

I worked with 5–6 people from Prosper Digital TV throughout our engagement. Joanes (CEO & Creative Director) was our main point of contact during the preproduction stage. He then brought a director of photography, who was also an editor, and a dedicated sound engineer into the project.

How did you come to work with Prosper Digital TV?

The executive director of my organization got Prosper Digital TV’s information from the DYCD, a New York City government department. Still, we interviewed a handful of other potential partners and ultimately chose Prosper Digital TV.

How much have you invested with them?

The video cost $36,000. However, one of our funders donates the cost of the video every year, so we only paid around $5,000 for other production costs and things outside the original scope.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working around April 2022, and they delivered the video in June 2022.

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

Prosper Digital TV was truly a full-service company, bringing a lot of resources into the project and dedicating time to it. The quality of the video they produced exceeded our expectations, and everyone from our organization was impressed with the result.

The video was posted on our YouTube channel and presented at our 500-guest gala. However, it hasn’t been widely shared until making a change needed, so it only has achieved around 51 views so far.

How did Prosper Digital TV perform from a project management standpoint?

Prosper Digital TV was great at staying within budget. They also provided us with a few extra services, such as transcription, and didn’t charge us for that. Additionally, they met our very tight deadlines, which we really appreciated. We used Monday.com to track the different tasks and Google Drive to share documents, collateral, photos, and other media assets. We also communicated via email and video conference.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Prosper Digital TV was very professional and helpful. In past years, my company ended up doing a lot more work than expected in producing the videos when working with other companies. However, Prosper Digital TV did a lot of things themselves that we didn’t have the time to do, which helped us a lot.

A lot of these videos can be very corporate, but Prosper Digital TV was very dedicated to telling the story and building a narrative to produce a high-quality video. Comparing it to past videos, the one they produced was much more approachable, which was a great outcome.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Prosper Digital TV wasn’t very familiar with the content we included in the video. Thus, I ended up having to double-check if they had matched the highlighted individuals with their respective information, and I explained multiple times various things to get the results I wanted. However, it would be unfair to expect a video production company to have detailed knowledge of New York’s political players.

Additionally, it would have been great if we got more support from their team during the editing process. We helped them get to the point where they could tell the right story, and they did a lot for us as well. However, we would have liked more guidance on how to cut the video to the four-minute mark we wanted to achieve because I ended up doing a lot of the work, going second by second to cut down the length.

Still, Prosper Digital TV was very receptive and willing to make the changes we asked for, and they were very appreciative of my very specific communication to get what I wanted. Although we would have liked a more creative direction, we happily collaborated on the project without feeling like we were doing their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I definitely recommend Prosper Digital TV to other nonprofit organizations looking to produce a very compelling video for their fundraising; they’re great to work with. However, be aware that they’re not economical; if we didn’t have a funder willing to cover their cost, I don’t think we would have been able to engage them.

To make the most out of your engagement, ensure that you communicate what you’re looking for and the story you want them to tell. Additionally, be very specific about what you don’t like so that you can steer the project in the right direction.

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Administration for Children's Services provides child protective, prevention and foster care, as well as juvenile justice services to New York City. As the Director of Video Services I support this work with videos for training staff, promoting improved policies and practices, public service announcements, etc.

For what projects/services did your company hire Prosper Digital TV, and what were your goals?

Prosper edited a video about our new Family Enrichment Centers. Our goal was to create a short piece that would attract members of the communities served by the FEC to participate in them.

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

Prosper has a track record producing for both corporations as well as government and non-profits, so they have experience dealing with the complexity of approvals and payment from government agencies. Prosper has the sensibility we require in our interactions with families and staff.

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

While Prosper has done some shooting for us, in this case they edited previously shot interviews and a lot of photos. As a video producer specializing in child welfare, I provided a detailed script and directed the edit with Prosper supervising the editor and interpreting my needs to her when we didn't all meet over Zoom.

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

I worked with Joanes and editor Jeanne

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

The video has been received very positively by all involved. It sits on the ACS website devoted to sharing information about our Family Enrichment Centers and we expect it to interest more community members in participating, as well as building support within the NYC child welfare and political communities for this prevention model.

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

On this project, all communication with the editor was made through Joanes, or in meetings with the three of us. They stayed on top of deadlines, produced estimates, and advocated for ways to support the editing. They take communication and meeting deadlines seriously, to their credit.

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

I like Prosper's blend of professionalism and personable style. Joanes' enthusiasm for the scope and quality of the services they provide instills confidence and excitement in the projects we've worked on together. I appreciate some of the suggestions he's made to the script. This and several other videos have been great quality.

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

I felt I had to push a bit harder than I have with other editors to bring out the "human" parts of the script, and to handle some technical issues (abrupt cuts, color correction, fixing distortion in the photos). Patience panned out on my part, and to be fair, on their part, since I posed challenges to them, such as replacing lots of photos that lacked consents. I also find that there are expenses in the invoices that should have been fully explained earlier.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive producer at a venture studio, and I produce content for our company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Prosper Digital TV?

We needed help creating a podcast during the COVID-19 pandemic that featured various guests.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Prosper Digital TV is helping us produce our podcast. They provide us with audio editing and production services, and they distribute the podcast on our behalf. We record the podcast and send them the audio to refine and process. Once they’ve uploaded the podcast, we’re responsible for marketing and promotion. 

What is the team composition?

I work with a project manager and an audio engineer.

How did you come to work with Prosper Digital TV?

A colleague recommended Prosper Digital TV to me. They submitted a competitive proposal, and they seemed to have the background for the project, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2021, and our relationship is ongoing. 

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

Prosper Digital TV has been great and easy to work with. 

How did Prosper Digital TV perform from a project management standpoint?

Prosper Digital TV is excellent in project management. We primarily communicate through Slack, email, and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Prosper Digital TV has been willing to guide us through the process. They are also patient and flexible in terms of time and payment. In addition, their team has been very engaged in following up with us. They’re a pleasure to work with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do a lot of pre-production work and come prepared with everything you need so the process will go smoothly. However, they’ll still walk you through if you go to them unprepared.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director at the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.

What challenge were you trying to address with Prosper Digital TV?

We needed someone to produce a video for an initiative we were working on.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Prosper Digital TV created a few videos for one of our events. First, they produced a script for the prerecorded videos and worked with us to determine the message we wanted to convey. The team then filmed the videos, which included interviews and montages of our work. Finally, they filmed and livestreamed the event itself.

What is the team composition?

We had two main points of contact, including Joanes (CEO & Creative Director). There was also a team working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Prosper Digital TV?

We were looking for a certified minority- and women-owned business enterprise and found Prosper Digital TV. We then interviewed them and asked for a proposal.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from March–July 2020.

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

The quality of their work was fantastic. Our internal team really noticed how professional the videos were. Their work resonated well with our young audience, as well. Additionally, the event received high commendations from our superiors.

How did Prosper Digital TV perform from a project management standpoint?

The Prosper Digital TV team performed exceptionally well with setting deadlines and following through. Furthermore, they were flexible and worked closely with us using Google Workspace. We also had a few meetings where we got to know each other.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Prosper Digital TV’s expertise helped us turn our vision into reality. They also genuinely believed in our advocacy and wanted to give us more value than we paid for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would’ve preferred if we had more in-person meetings.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be present and work closely with the team.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of events and operations at an award-winning events management agency based in New York City. We handle all kinds of events worldwide, such as galas, conferences, seminars, and recently, virtual events. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Prosper Digital TV?

When the world shifted to digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we also had to pivot to the virtual space. However, a lot of people did not know how to produce events after lockdowns had been implemented all over the world. We work with a lot of nonprofit agencies and their events are usually fundraisers. As such, we wanted to encourage all our clients to continue to push and move forward despite the situation.

Shifting to the virtual space is not the easiest thing to do. People typically think that conducting events through Zoom is the way to go, since that’s what everyone is familiar with. Yet it’s impossible to produce high-quality virtual events and retain the in-person experience on Zoom. As such, we started exploring different virtual platforms. 

That said, we needed a production company to help us enhance and produce our virtual events. We needed a company that has the expertise and experience in virtual events production.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Prosper Digital produced our shows, ran our live shows, and prepared our third-party integrations on Zoom and other platforms. Pre-event, I would work with them to be able to produce graphics like on-scene motion graphics. They would also assist with our background and ensure that the logo was on screen. 

Prosper Digital also helped us in managing rehearsals and guiding speakers on how they would enter during the event. They gave roles and instructions should participants encounter difficulties while streaming. 

Aside from on-site production, there was also a time when Prosper Digital had to actually physically go on location and record someone to produce a packaged video. We had also done prerecorded events, and they packaged the entire function and provided assistance during pre-recording. 

Prior to production, we always provided a scope of work that needed to be signed off — that served as our contract. 

What is the team composition?

The number of people that worked with us varied depending on the project, and it can be anywhere from 5–30 resources. For example, we had an event attended by 4,000 people, so we had 30 tech team members, a switcher, and an executive producer. 

How did you come to work with Prosper Digital TV?

We knew Prosper Digital’s CEO, and actually before the pandemic occurred we were already looking for ways to work together. We had a few pitches with them but nothing materialized. However, our pivot to the digital space allowed us to finally work with Prosper Digital.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent about $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from May 2020–May 2021. 

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

Prosper Digital’s production work was high-quality, and so we’ve had returning clients. Our clients were impressed by their event management and production. 

How did Prosper Digital TV perform from a project management standpoint?

Prosper Digital was great and wonderful in project management. Throughout the process, we developed different workflows and got better every time we executed because we learned from lessons from previous events. 

Our schedules are already conflicting and we can no longer do events for this year. However, Prosper Digital is now my standard for a production company moving forward. They raised the bar, and I now know what to expect from a production team, how I want them to work, and what our scope should be based on my great relationship with Propser Digital. 

We usually communicate through email, phone calls, and text messages. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The best part about working with Prosper Digital was their creativity. They could take my vision and make it happen in such a way that it would exceed my expectations. They went above and beyond trying to bring my vision to life. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are lessons to be learned from every event. However, I don’t think that there’s anything Prosper Digital can improve. If we encountered issues during events, we met about it and it never happened again. Their reaction to any feedback I gave them was always prompt and proper, and they made sure to address anything that might be a concern to me or a client. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You got to know and be able to articulate what you want. If you don’t have a vision, Prosper Digital can help you. However, if you’re working directly with a client, you wouldn’t want the vendor responsible for the event’s vision. Have a vision and allow Prosper Digital to build and execute on that.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Younger Than Last Year, a lifestyle company that’s dedicated to motivating people averaging 50–60 years old to stay in shape. My company is based on seven health foundations: mindset, breathing, recovery, fuel, mobility, strength, and passion — all of these combined are meant to bring freshness into our consumers' lives.

What challenge were you trying to address with Prosper Digital TV?

I needed their agency’s video production services to help me get the word about my company.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Prosper Digital TV assisted me in the conceptualization phase to help me clarify my project goals and sort out what we needed to execute those. We prioritized the seven foundations of my company, writing scripts and finalizing my branding mainly based on those.

The next step of the project was bringing in more people to help us develop the final product. My garage was repurposed as the studio where the videos are shot. 

Through the years, Prosper Digital TV has helped me boost my online presence. They continue to produce materials that help me sell my products and market my business to the public.

What is the team composition?

It was originally just Joanes (CEO & Creative Director) and I working together at the beginning. As his company expanded, he brought in more people to help us in this project. I now work with Keith (Organizer), Dalton (Music Supervisor), and an editor.

How did you come to work with Prosper Digital TV?

I met Joanes in 2013 when I just had the idea of putting up my business but didn’t know how to operate and market it yet. We met again and I relayed what I wanted for my business and what videos I needed to introduce it to the public — he quickly understood this and helped me grow my company into what it is today.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent $60,000–$70,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement kicked off in January 2015, and it’s ongoing.

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

I can say that my company has grown exponentially with the help of Prosper Digital TV, especially over the past 14 months, wherein the sales went up more than ever. Joanes’ team creates high-quality content that pays off well for my business — he’s a detail-oriented partner who’s helped me meet my goals through the years.

How did Prosper Digital TV perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via Slack. Prosper Digital TV has top-notch collaboration and project management skills. They’ve been great at meeting deadlines and coordinating with me to ensure that they hit the mark in terms of the post-production and editing phases. We have a give-and-take project management approach that’s been remarkably helpful, especially when it comes to making adjustments.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Prosper Digital TV works accordingly to implement my ideas — they’ve always considered my limitations and requirements without compromising the end products. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s really nothing major to improve on, but it will greatly help if they can accomplish tasks faster to help my business catch up more quickly in today’s challenging marketplace.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Determine what you want them to develop for you — come prepared with your ideas, goals, and preferred timelines. It takes time for agencies to understand what their client wants if expectations are not clearly set prior to the implementation stage, and it may also cost you more if deadlines are extended due to this matter.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior project manager of NYPACE. We’re a nonprofit dedicated to providing pro bono support to under-resourced businesses in New York and Chicago.

What challenge were you trying to address with Prosper Digital TV?

We usually have an annual in-person fundraising gala. Despite transitioning it to a virtual setting this year, we still wanted to have a gala feeling to it. Our organization brought on Prosper Digital TV to create a video that highlighted some of the successes of this year’s program. We planned to use the video as the main fundraising drive this year.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The program was going to be a highlight reel of the business we work with, highlighting the great experiences we’ve had working with them. Those clips were going to be self-taped and then compiled and sent to Prosper Digital TV. Their team was tasked to create a 30-minute compilation video.

When I came on, I changed the event to be more of a celebration and award ceremony. We had sponsors introduce entrepreneurs who then shared their stories. It became much more involved. In the end, they delivered a 24-minute video because we wanted a shorter video.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Joanes (CEO & Creative Director) and he had a team behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Prosper Digital TV?

Joanes was an entrepreneur we served two years ago. When we sent out an RFP, we were already familiar with his work. Ultimately, we selected Prosper Digital TV because we wanted to work with a minority business owner. Anytime we can give back to the organizations that we help, we take advantage of it.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project was from August–October 2020.

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

The feedback we received was incredible. Our key sponsors came back and expressed that they were extremely pleased with the flow of the video. They felt they received the right amount of recognition and that the video was moving and fun. Our sponsors and board of directors want us to hire Prosper Digital TV again to see how we can expand and use the video for marketing efforts.

Prosper Digital TV was patient and flexible in working with us. It was clear they ultimately wanted us to have a good video that served our needs. The video was better than we expected because of their expertise. We told them the feeling of what we wanted to accomplish, and they delivered a really good product.

How did Prosper Digital TV perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall communication was great. We didn’t meet the deadlines because we didn’t get the requested information to Prosper Digital TV on time. We kept having to ask Prosper Digital TV to extend our deadlines, and they were extremely patient with us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The level of professionalism during our check-in calls was exceptional. I was extremely impressed with the quality of their work as well. At every point in time, we were receiving quality materials.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. The project came in so late but it was something we had to do. It was not their fault, we couldn’t get our act together.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Describe your end product in terms of the feelings and emotions you want to emote from your audience. Let Prosper Digital TV deal with music selection, flow, graphics, and so on. They’re the professionals.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of NYC Smoke-Free, a program of Public Health Solutions (PHS), which works to protect the health of New Yorkers through tobacco control policy, advocacy, and education.

As on organization, PHS focuses on a wide range of public health issues that overwhelmingly affect the health of low-income families in New York City, including food and nutrition, health insurance, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, tobacco control, and HIV/AIDS.

NYC Smoke-Free is part of the Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities Grant from the New York State Dept. of Health Bureau of Tobacco Control.

For what projects/services did your company hire Prosper Digital TV?

Public Health Solutions' NYC Smoke-Free Program was seeking a media production firm to assist in our efforts to engage youth who are residents/tenants in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) properties.

They would help us research and produce a short documentary-style film/video to illuminate the opportunities and multifaceted challenges of NYCHA's implementation of the US Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) mandated smoke-free policies.

What were your goals for this project?

• Support Community engagement in the design of implemenation strategies for Smoke-Free NYCHA Build leadershop among youth residents/tenants of NYCHA to support the implementation of the Smoke-Free Public Housing Rule
• Create attractive, engaging content about the Smoke-Free Housing Policy (what it includes, why it was created, implementation deadline, and cessation support an dresources available to residents and staff.)
• Share a variety of perspecives of NYCHA Residents, staff, public health advocates and other relevant parties.
• Frame our program efforts around smoke-free housing as not only a public health issue, but also as a health equity/social justice issue - specifically tobacco disparities among NYCHA residents Build awareness and discussion around overall expansion of smoke-free housing efforts for rent-burdened New Yorkers.

How did you select this vendor?

After an official RFP process, Prosper Digital was awarded the contract.

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

As per the agreed upon scope of work, Prosper Digital created a main video as and 4 short videos as accompanying pieces to help describe NYCHA's Smoke-Free process. Principal filming was completed in February 2018 and final production was March 2018.

They worked closely with NYC Smoke-Free and youth from NYCHA Youth Leadership Councils to conduct interviews of public health advocates and NYCHA residents to reveal the true thoughts and feelings from several points of view about the NYCHA Smoke-Free rule.

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

The video to day has over 3,000 views and is still used as a training and information tool by NYCHA's Health Initiatives Department.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We worked very closely

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team was comprised of very talented people who were passionate about the project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/A

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide legal and corporate services to law firms, corporations, non-profits, and lenders. I'm the vice president of international digital marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Prosper Digital TV?

We were rebranding our company, and we wanted to send out a note from our CEO. We do some blog videos internally, but we wanted a more professional product for this message.

What was the scope of their involvement?

After our first project with them, we decided to use them for commercials to promote our products. Our primary goal is to raise brand awareness with these videos, and we've used them for some ambitious projects. We organized the brainstorming meeting internally, and we were very involved in the process. We came to them with the concept, and they helped us develop the script and do casting, set design, wardrobes, and everything else that went into production. We used professional actors for the speaking parts and our own team for non-speaking parts.

They gave us a lot of the vocabulary to bring our vision to life. We've done two commercials with them. The first was a minute and twelve seconds, and the second was a minute and forty seconds.

What is the team composition?

The first project had a team of four or five. The second project was more straightforward.

How did you come to work with Prosper Digital TV?

A member of our team found them for our initial project. We were really impressed by their work and decided to use them again.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our internal process in the beginning of 2018, and we went to Prosper Digital TV that summer. Production for our first commercial took place at the end of 2018, and we released it at the beginning of 2019.

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

The results were really good, and we won three awards for our first commercial. We have over 100,000 views on YouTube, and our non-profit contacts really connect to the content. We've seen some conversions, and demand for the featured product has exploded since then.

How did Prosper Digital TV perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very professional, and I was very pleased with how well they managed the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was very impressed by the caliber of the actors and the crew. Their prices were also very reasonable, and the other companies in our award category paid much more to other agencies.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had some very early call times for some of our internal members, and those individuals were left sitting around during the day of the shoot. They told us that's normal, but they might manage the time a little better for the employees of their client organizations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We came to them with a clear vision, but they're very good at brainstorming. The process will go smoothly if you have an idea in mind, but they can help you flesh things out.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Manager for MTM, a transportation and healthcare management company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Prosper Digital TV?

Prosper Digital helped our team create a training video for drivers to help them understand how to operate their vehicles. This video was in relation to one of our taxi clients.

What were your goals for this project?

To educate and inform the driver community how to safely operate wheelchair securement features on their vehicles.

How did you select this vendor?

We had worked with the Prosper team on another video project in the past. We were originally connected through a third party marketing firm.

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

Once we selected Prosper, they spent great time and effort with our operations team to ensure they fully understand our project goals and all operational aspects that we needed to familiarize drivers with. They worked with us through countless revisions of a script to ensure the process was reflected completely and accurately.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Working directly with Prosper's leader, Joanes, we worked through many revisions of the video to ensure the final product delivered met our expectations. The Prosper team was patient throughout the entire process, and never hesitated to help meet our needs. They thoroughly listened to and respected all of our feedback.

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

The project is yet to be completed.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Joanes and his team always gave us clear expectations on what was expected from both us and his organization. Timelines and deliverables were clearly communicated, and there was never question as whether their team would meet the deadlines promised. If they needed to delay the process, the delay and its reasoning was always clearly communicated in advance via email and/or phone call.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Prosper never hesitated to dive fully into the project to ensure our expectations were met. They are now better versed on vehicle operations then anyone would ever expect them to be! They clearly listened to our goals and worked tirelessly to achieve them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think of at this time.