RaffertyWeiss Media

Please describe your organization.

I used to work for a large communications firm.

What is your position?

I was a senior partner.

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

My previous employer has worked with RaffertyWeiss Media a couple of times. The projects ranged in size and cost. Generally, the videos that we needed to produce were some form of an informational video for a range of audiences.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

The first project was for a union issue. A local union in the DC, Maryland, and the Virginia region, was considering a potential worker walkout. One company’s Chief Executive Officer [CEO] wanted to make a video. I called RaffertyWeiss at the very last minute and said, “We need to record the CEO so that he can send a message to the employees in case they are considering walking out, that way he can get his message out there.” They came over a weekend; we did a couple of takes, and they turned out fantastic.

Another project had a much larger budget as it was for the Department of Homeland Security. It was a national-level exercise, which is basically FEMA’s [Federal Emergency Management Agency] practice drills to prepare for emergencies. It was a pretty significant production where we even had reporters come in.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

I knew Patrick personally. When I needed video production work, I thought about RaffertyWeiss’s work and decided to go with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

They were between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The projects are all completed.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The first project regarding union issues ended up not being shown because the workers didn’t walk out. From our client’s perspective, however, it was very well-received. The CEO was very pleased with the product, so it helped us from a client-relationship perspective.

The video for the Department of Homeland Security was posted to FEMA’s website. It was part of a huge national exercise that FEMA goes through every two or three years to make sure that they and communities are prepared for and able to react to a crisis or an emergency.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They were incredible. I called him on a Wednesday, we shot on a Friday, and it was due on a Tuesday.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

RaffertyWeiss Media's responsiveness was fantastic. It’s their calm approach and competence with which they approach everything that I appreciated most. That being said, while they’re very competent, they aren’t arrogant. They’re very good at what they do, and they get things done. I was very confident in their ability to deliver.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

Not that I can think of. They were fantastic.

Please describe your organization.

C. Fox Communications is a mission-driven strategic communications agency. We work exclusively with nonprofits and purpose-driven organizations to help them move their missions forward through smart communication, public relations, and marketing.

What is your position?

I am the President of the agency.

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

One of our clients was planning to launch a capital campaign to raise money. We had a designer lined up to do the case statement, so we wanted to make a visual version of that case statement, what we called a vision video. It was a very short turnaround, and we needed high-quality production, so we turned to RaffertyWeiss to solve that problem for us.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

I’ve known Patrick (one of the founders) for about ten years. He and I first met through a chamber event, and I have always thought about ways we could work with RaffertyWeiss. The right opportunity never presented itself until this time.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was between $20,000 and $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

It was one engagement, and it was completed successfully.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We don’t have anything specific like that, although the video was posted on our client’s website, so I could probably give you a sense for the traffic. For our project, we needed to persuade the state of Maryland to keep funding alive for capital building projects on a university campus. We used the vision video RaffertyWeiss created to help make the sale and ended up being successful in getting the governor to redirect funding to keep that building alive. Whether or not that was dependent on that video, I can’t say, but it was certainly a compelling message that helped the governor understand the value of what we were trying to do.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed excellently.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

We are very particular in the kinds of vendors we work with. We want vendors who are just as focused on the client’s success as we are, and operate with that triple bottom-line philosophy that melds social, environmental, and financial aspects of business together. It’s very clear that RaffertyWeiss does the same. They care about running a successful business, but they really put the client first. RaffertyWeiss is very in tune with their client’s needs. They learn fast on the issue at hand and what matters to the client. They really became part of the team in a very short amount of time.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

No, I really don’t think there is. They were spot-on with the quality of the product, service, and time. Each time I asked them for something, they were very quick to respond. I was very happy with their service.

Please describe your organization.

My former employer is an organization called United Way Worldwide. It's a global charity. It's actually the largest one in the world with presence in 43 countries and raises about $5 billion annually.

What is your position?

I was the Vice President of Major Donor Relations.

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

We needed to provide appropriate recognition for the donors who had achieved the highest honor or recognition that Worldwide provides. We thought a video would be a nice way to do that.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

I worked with RaffertyWeiss for three or four years. They produced several videos that we used during the award presentation.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

Patrick Rafferty (one of the founders) worked with me at United Way America many years ago.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was a $10,000 project each time.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

It was an emotional return on investment for the donor who was honored and won the award in the video, but it also inspired the others who were in the audience that night.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

RaffertyWeiss performed great because they always delivered on time.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

The fact that they were flexible was really big for us. We could count on RaffertyWeiss to fill in where we were lacking. They had great insight about what would be a good product. I trusted they would comply with the brand requirements of the organization, and that from a creative standpoint, they wouldn't do anything short of incredible work.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

It's a small thing but at the beginning of a project, sometimes it took a while to get a response. They fixed this, however, and by the end of the project, they were responding quickly.

Please describe your organization.

I work for a company called Concepts Incorporated. Concepts is a communications firm based in Bethesda, Maryland.

What is your position?

I am a Communications Consultant.

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

We worked with them on several occasions. The first time was for a campaign called the Campaign for Disability Employment. We were interested in producing a television PSA and had several firms bid for it. We loved what RaffertyWeiss responded with. We had a great meeting, going over our business requirements. We needed to create a PSA designed to change awareness and attitudes about workers with disabilities, and the employment of people with disabilities.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

RaffertyWeiss provided video production, concept development, and scripting. It was a full service, from casting to location scouting. They did everything: hair and make-up, pre-production, and post-production. That included the editing and preparation for distribution.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

My colleague Karen, who runs Concepts saw RaffertyWeiss on Twitter and noticed they had a PSA specialty. When we created the request for proposal, we sent it right out to them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The projects were in the $100,000 to $200,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

My colleague is currently working with them, creating some videos for another project.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The PSAs that we've produced with them have been very successful in terms of distribution. RaffertyWeiss didn't do the distribution but they did connect us with distribution providers. The PSAs getting picked up speaks to the quality of their production. One of them was in the top 1% of all PSAs airing, as measured by Nielsen – a rating measurement system.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. RaffertyWeiss takes care of everything and has a great team.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

The quality of production distinguishes RaffertyWeiss from other providers. There are many video production companies, so finding a production company that delivers quality results is rare. RaffertyWeiss is one of those rare exceptions. This ranges from the largest to the smallest videos.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

Not necessarily. All in all, it was a great experience. I would say that the one thing that might keep us from working with them more is cost. Because they're so high quality and because they work with the best and they have big teams, there's a higher cost. There have been a couple of occasions when we've needed to do a quick video and the budget is just too small, so we had to find a smaller company.

Please describe your organization.

We are St. John's College High School, a Catholic co-ed institution in the Lasallian tradition. We currently have about 1,100 students.

What is your position?

I am the President of the school.

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss?

When we first met with RaffertyWeiss, we were in the process of rebranding the entire look, feel, and image of the institution.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They provided a number of different services. They were part of the design and production team for our admissions video. They wrote the script of questions, interviewed all the participants for the video, and filmed the video on campus. They then edited and delivered the final product. For the initial project, we did four days of full shooting, and then a reshoot day for stuff that we needed. The whole process took four to five months.

Subsequently, we've hired them for about eight other mini projects. They've now redone two projects so we can keep it fresh. Often these videos are a little bit older than the day you air them, but RaffertyWeiss has been able to come back and freshen up the videos.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss?

I knew one of the founders of RaffertyWeiss from an earlier part of my life. Our children were in the same school. I had seen a video they did for the Washington Jesuit Academy that blew me away. We were starting to search for a provider and stumbled upon their website, saw that video, and were very impressed.

Schools don't do things at the same level as corporations. RaffertyWeiss was able to blend the high-level quality of corporate expectations while maintaining the mission-driven understanding of a Catholic institution. We were really fortunate to get the best of both worlds.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It was about $50,000 since our contact with them from beginning to end.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’re currently working with them. We launched the Entrepreneurial Center for Innovation and Leadership, so we contracted with them to capture all the activities that we've been doing throughout the course of the year. Additionally, we're going to ask them to put together a summation video, showing the highlights of what we've done with that program.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The number of hits we got to our admissions video was 30 or 40 times more, at least, if not more, than we ever had to our admissions video. It was a seven-minute video that pushed the bar a little bit for other schools, and forced them to put equal effort into their video production.

We also did an actual Save the Date video for our Gala. We were hosting a 100th Anniversary Gala for the Cadet Corps program at our school, and we wanted the video to be the best quality it could be. We had them do a two and a half minute Save the Date video that captured the essence of the tradition and honor of this program. I have an alumni base of 12,000 people; it was probably the most talked about thing that we've ever done.

How did RaffertyWeiss perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, RaffertyWeiss approaches work confidently, comfortably, and in a relaxed way. By doing that, they put everybody else at ease. The confidence that they came into this with, and the people their team consists of, really made the projects easy. They work well together. They have positive energy and treat people with respect.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss from other providers?

RaffertyWeiss is great at turning around last-minute work which has been a great advantage. They’re personally invested in everything that they’ve done. They were working with a number of different personalities at my school, from Principals to Directors of Admissions, to faculty, and students, and were able to make everyone feel at ease. Because of that, we were our best selves being shot. The questions they designed were very probing and really got the best out of us as well.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss could have improved or done differently?

There's nothing that stands out. I think he really approached everything really well.

Please describe your organization.

We are a small strategy firm called Purple Strategies.

What is your position?

I’m a founding partner at the company.

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss?

We needed help on some overflow work. We have some in-house production at our company, but RaffertyWeiss is top-notch at being able to figure out what it is you need done, maintaining a positive relationship with the client or talent that you’re dealing with, and can pretty much adapt to any way that you need to work. Whether it’s a more methodical, full-blown production in terms of a very expensive commercial, or if it’s a little bit more content based, they are able to accomplish it all. We’ve found their versatility to be a huge.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

RaffertyWeiss helped us with basic production and putting together an animated spot. They came up with the concept. I had a logo that we were trying to make into an ad, and RaffertyWeiss came up with an interesting concept. They helped me write and produce the videos. They did a couple of iterations for it and then showed it to the client, which ended up being a big success.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss?

I found out about RaffertyWeiss through Patrick, at a Country Club, we are both members at. I knew who he was because we worked with a common cameraman.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The majority of projects I’ve worked with RaffertyWeiss on have been between $10,000 and $50,000, and then some have been $50,000 and above. Every time that I’ve worked with them on the budgeting process, I’ve found that the production value was worth the amount of money paid. Whatever the budget was, the final product always looked top-notch, and I was never disappointed. They’re really good at working within budget parameters. They’ll let you know the differences and capabilities we’d have if we spent a little more money.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

With anything that RaffertyWeiss has worked on with me during in my political career, we have won. We won all the elections. In our public affairs work here at Purple, it’s a little harder to measure because it’s more of an advocacy role. In terms of client input, they are always happy with the result.

How did RaffertyWeiss perform from a project management standpoint?

Great. The relationship is very professional, there’s a schedule, and they worked with me ahead of time. Everything ran as smoothly as production can when we hit bumps in the road. When I get back to the editing room and start looking at the product, I’ve never been disappointed.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss from other providers?

In this business, there are companies who are really pretentious. Sometimes companies are pretentious and don’t really have talent. RaffertyWeiss is not only not pretentious, but a joy to work with, and really talented. Production is hard enough, but with RaffertyWeiss, you’re getting somebody with a team that’s easy to get along with and is top-notch in their talent and production values. That’s what I would say to any stranger that was thinking of hiring them.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss could have improved or done differently?

I honestly don’t think so. My experiences with them have been all really great.

Please describe your organization.

I work for The Woods Academy, a pre-school through Grade 8 independent co-ed Catholic school of about 310 students.

What is your position?

I am the Head of School.

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

We've worked with RaffertyWeiss on two different projects. The first was for a commercial that we were filming. We had done a bunch of research to try to reach a broader audience. We felt that the print media we were doing was fine but it really wasn't getting to all the people we wanted to get it to. We had just done a whole strategic branding initiative with great print and language around it, and were hoping to turn it into a 28-second spot. We reached out to RaffertyWeiss because we had worked with them on a previous project and remembered the great work that they had done for us there.

The second project was a video for our 40th anniversary. They came in for several days of filming and did a fantastic job tying together all the footage that they took. The video received a lot of great feedback from families at our Auction Gala who had just enrolled.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We sat down with them to describe the project and what we needed. We told them we had a print media campaign that we needed turned into a commercial. They came up with a concept of what they thought it would look like, did the filming, and dealt with the technical side of it along with planning and editing.

With our second project, it was the same thing. RaffertyWeiss put together a creative brief that we worked with them on. They filmed a lot of great interviews as well.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

I got to know Pat (one of the founders of RaffertyWeiss) while I was working at my previous school, Washington Jesuit Academy. I got to know him during my time there and was really impressed with the work that he did.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

For the two projects, we spent between $10,000 and $50,000 for each.

What is the status of this engagement?

They are both completed.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The commercial was also featured as part of our work with Comcast, which featured it online. This past year, in the '15/'16 school year, there were 654 click-throughs to our website from the video, a click-through rate of 0.75%. The video completion rate was 79.2%, which is a little bit higher than their benchmark. We were at or above their benchmarks with those two statistical points but had a number of impressions reaching a wider audience.

We enrolled a couple of students as a result of their family seeing our first commercial. The video paid-off because it was able to reach a much wider audience. We've run that commercial for two years now and feel like we've got a lot of good run out of it.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

RaffertyWeiss's project management was superb, partially because of how responsive they were. We started our conversation in September of 2015 and knew the timeline we wanted to accomplish the first project in. We not only stuck to that timeline, we finished with time to spare. They're responsive, professional, and well-managed from start to finish.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

RaffertyWeiss has a very high-quality level of work. We've worked with other folks in the past for video production, but they only offered certain services. RaffertyWeiss however, is a full-service operation. They were always listening to our feedback, even in the editing phase. Their ability to be creative helped me understand what we were trying to accomplish with these projects.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

No, RaffertyWeiss exceeded all our expectations which is why we continue to work with them. I’m very excited about the additional videos that we're going to cut from the footage that we've got. They saw the value in doing the additional footage so we can use it for other purposes too.

Please describe your organization.

The organization I worked at while using RaffertyWeiss Media was a non-profit.

What is your position?

My former position was the executive director of brand and creative marketing.

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

I worked with RaffertyWeiss on a number of projects. We needed them to shoot a few videos for campaigns for our organization. They’re excellent.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

The work that we did with RaffertyWeiss ranged from shooting, directing, casting, music selection, and graphics.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

RaffertyWeiss was among some of the vendors that we looked at because we had an existing relationship. My past organization can be difficult to work with because the shoots are often in very tough circumstances, so you have to have a crew and team that is tough enough to be in difficult situations. They must be resourceful and creative, but also have a sensitivity towards people who’ve been through the worst time of their life.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The campaign work that we did with RaffertyWeiss got a lot of exposure. The overall goal was to make sure that it was seen and received by people who were willing, able, and motivated to give to our organization. While I can’t attribute specific amounts of giving, I know that the spots were seen by millions of people, and generated many thousands of dollars in donated media because they were so meaningful and powerful. The work was not only stunning to look at but also extraordinarily well-produced and on budget.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

RaffertyWeiss performed great. When they needed to, they could expand and contract as the job required. They were always scaled appropriately. On the brand campaign job, they hired a producer that was at our side all the time, in addition to their regular team. We were able to meet and review the crew members and approve them in advance.

During the entire experience, we were never left in the dark. They were incredibly efficient and such good, decent people. I never felt taken advantage of financially. I always felt like we had an upfront understanding of what the cost was going to be, the timing, and the quality that was expected. They always over-delivered.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

When you’re producing media around cause-related content, you need to have someone that’s at your side that has the authentic sensitivity to what it is that you’re producing. You can’t have someone that has manufactured feelings about the cause because it will come through on the other side of the camera. What’s so great about working with RaffertyWeiss is that they’re actually moved by cause-related work. They gravitate towards this kind of work, and it shines through.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

I don’t think so. Honestly, I think they’re as good as it gets.

Please describe your organization.

Cornerstone Government Affairs is a full-service public affairs firm that focuses primarily on government relations and lobbying at the federal, state, and local levels.

What is your position?

I’m the founder and managing partner of the firm.

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

We approached RaffertyWeiss Media to assist us in developing a public service announcement for one of our non-profit clients in public health.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

RaffertyWeiss assisted us in developing and designing the strategy. Then they managed and coordinated everything, from identifying the people that we were going to be using, to interacting and managing the talent that was in the piece. They directed, produced, edited, and managed the distribution of the PSA itself.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

It was a referral. I have worked with them on a couple of other projects. They worked on a campaign video for a non-profit organization which I’m on the board of. The second project was more of a general marketing video for another non-profit.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Each of the projects would fall into the $10,000 to $50,000 range.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is complete.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

The feedback from the PSA that they did was tremendous. The goal was increased awareness in education. From that standpoint, it far exceeded expectations.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

RaffertyWeiss was responsive, hands-on, showed a tremendous amount of creativity and did an excellent job of managing the process. They were able to direct and drive the project from a creative standpoint. RaffertyWeiss did an excellent job in terms of being responsive to our feedback, and making those changes in a timely manner.

The product and its quality were superior. Beyond that, they were quite easy to work with, flexible and responsive to our needs. They met all the timelines. In fact, they usually came in before we started to panic. When we work with organizations of any kind, what we’re looking for is people who view the relationship as a strategic partnership – which they did. I’m very comfortable in recommending them because they really take that approach. They see themselves as part of the team and are interested in a partnership-type relationship versus a vendor-type relationship.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

I hate to evade a question, but not really. I’ve had three fantastic experiences with them, and I’ve since referred them to a dozen different clients or friends.

Please describe your organization.

I work at an agency called Proof Integrated Communications, which is a creative agency within Burson-Marsteller.

What is your position?

I am the Chief Creative Officer of the agency.

What business challenge were you trying to address with RaffertyWeiss Media?

I've worked with RaffertyWeiss many times over the course of my career. In the last ten years, Patrick Rafferty (one of the founders of RaffertyWeiss) has been my lead director on my largest account, Dominion, the utility provider in Virginia. RaffertyWeiss has directed probably a dozen spots in the last ten years. He's an extremely smart and pleasant person. Those two things already separate him from a lot of the industry.

Patrick is really good at bringing excellent performances out of real people. Our Dominion campaign was based on using real Dominion employees in the video. These people had no acting training. Patrick has a remarkable ability to make them feel comfortable and help them deliver a natural performance. It takes a lot of the pressure off of me as Chief Creative Officer, because I can step back and look at everything holistically, and also attend to my client because I know that the direction of the main talent is excellent.

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

I worked directly with the founders of RaffertyWeiss. They're very good and have expanded in the time that I've known them. They have a modest staff now and do some editing in-house.

How did you come to work with RaffertyWeiss Media?

About 15 years ago, I was putting a spot together for The American Civil Liberties Union. One of my colleagues knew Patrick in a different capacity and highly recommended him as a director. I've worked with him intermittently ever since.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

Most of the spots that we did were in the $100,000 to $150,000 range, which were main corporate spots. That said, I've worked with RaffertyWeiss on some lower budget stuff too. Those projects were in the $50,000 to $75,000 range. I've worked within those boundaries, somewhere between $50,000 and $150,000, depending on the scope of the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have no current projects ongoing. We have plans for a project in April/May and Patrick is definitely on my short list of people to talk to about directing those.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Dominion has ridiculously high corporate reputation ratings. That is very unusual for a utility. RaffertyWeiss's work has helped us keep them at that level. For the last eight years, hurricanes have knocked out power for a week at a time, and Dominion has maintained a corporate reputation in the high 80th percentile. That's been critical to their business success, and the work we've done with RaffertyWeiss has been a core component of that.

How did RaffertyWeiss Media perform from a project management standpoint?

RaffertyWeiss is very well-structured while maintaining the ability to change direction at a moment’s notice. We are able to communicate together very well without a lot of back and forth. RaffertyWeiss’s high level of decency is matched with its high level of talent. They've worked with us on tight budgets because they know that when we have a little more money, we'll still go to them. It's a very seamless relationship. From a project management standpoint, I have a tremendous amount of trust in their ability to deliver great work.

What distinguishes RaffertyWeiss Media from other providers?

RaffertyWeiss Media’s friendliness and decency are what sets them apart. If we need to have a quick call on a Saturday afternoon just to make sure things are tied up, it's rarely a problem.

Is there anything RaffertyWeiss Media could have improved or done differently?

I would always love a bigger team. If RaffertyWeiss were a company that could have 20 people instead of however they're staffed right now, that would be great. That being said, I've never had a scheduling problem. I've never come to them to do something and found that their size was an impediment.