REBL HOUSE INC.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder, owner, and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is a residential and commercial real estate firm. I brought this franchise and I have the rights to all of it for the whole province of Quebec. 

What challenge were you trying to address with REBL HOUSE INC.?

We engaged with them to do our design work, whether it be for print or digital. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the start, they produced video content for us which we used for promotions when we opened.

They now create designs for advertising materials that we use in print and digital media. They come up with the visual aspect of our ideas, and one of the things they can develop are property brochures. For example, when our real estate agents wish to mail something out, we give REBL HOUSE the size, information on the brochures, and they come up with a design for it. Then, we take care of its placement. 

What is the team composition?

Will has introduced me to some members of his team, and I’ve only directly worked with two of them, including Ronni (Senior Creative Producer) and a graphic designer.

How did you come to work with REBL HOUSE INC.?

Will (VP Operations & Business Development) has been a friend of mine for over 20 years. I also know people that they have worked with and they were very satisfied with the REBL team's outputs.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $20,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve been working with them since I opened up my company in May 2020, and we have an annual contract. They work exclusively for me in Québec, and can’t work for any other real estate firm. 

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

Our internal agents have been happy with REBL HOUSE’s work. Their work has always been delivered on time and just as we need it. If it’s not on time, they submit early, which is how I like to operate. 

How did REBL HOUSE INC. perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a fantastic project management process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like REBL’s energy and humility. In all of my years in this industry, I don’t work with people I’m not familiar with. It may be a bad habit, but if I don’t have affinity or friendship with the person I’m doing business with, I’m just not interested. In connection with that, since I already have a level of trust established with REBL HOUSE, I've been confident that I can work with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything they’re doing is great and we’ve never had any hiccups. We’ve had a very small learning curve and the team didn’t take months to figure things out. As long as we give the proper direction and know exactly how to communicate our needs, the engagement will go smoothly. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that everything you need in terms of expectations is jotted down on paper from day one. Be specific as possible as to the needs that are required. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Browns Shoes. We’re a large, up-scale, retail footwear chain with about 75 stores across Canada. I’ve held several positions, but I'm now senior marketing manager. I’m in charge of all our in-store campaigns and events. I’m also a senior accessory buyer.

What challenge were you trying to address with REBL HOUSE INC.?

As we were building and renovating our stores, we decided to include large digital screens. REBL HOUSE INC. creates content to fill those screens.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We develop campaigns every season where I come up with the concept and Alex (CEO and Founder) shoots the content. She has a month to edit and format everything for our different-sized screens. Normally, our spring and summer campaign is a seven-day shoot in January but because of COVID, we’re doing a two-day shoot in March. She also creates animations for our private label collections.

What is the team composition?

Up until recently, I only dealt with Alex but she’s away at the moment so I’m dealing with her senior creative producer. Alex handles the preliminaries and logistics, and the rest is handled by a production team, videography, and other resources to support her.

How did you come to work with REBL HOUSE INC.?

We met her before she started REBL HOUSE; she was recommended by a photographer I was doing business with. She was eager to show what she had to offer, and I’ve kept her on ever since. We’ve been one of her customer’s since she started the company.

What is the status of this engagement?

I was their first client; we’ve been working with them since January 2014 when they opened.

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

The content they provide is mainly in-store to create excitement. We also present it at company conferences and everyone thinks it’s awesome; that holds for me and the president of our company as well. If we included the content on all our digital platforms we may have metrics but we don’t offer it in those places at the moment.

Our president is comfortable spending big marketing dollars with them so they’re doing something right. If the content wasn’t well-received, the relationship would have ended a long time ago.

How did REBL HOUSE INC. perform from a project management standpoint?

I have no qualms here. Alex has always been on time with deliverables and able to adjust, doing what it takes to provide and make us happy. I’m tough to work with — fair but tough — and I’m loyal to her because of her performance. She’s provided amazing results.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're creative with amazing ideas — on top of other things and they're always here to please. Traveling together for shoots, I’ve gotten to know Alex and she’s an amazing problem-solver and team player. There’s nothing she can’t handle. It’s very important for me to work with a company that’s able to handle a big establishment like ours that comes with its own challenges. They’re a huge asset to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Everybody can do some things a little bit better. If I had to give an answer, I would say they can improve a little on the editing process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them and you won’t regret it. They’re extremely professional, creative, and ready to please. I would recommend them without a doubt — awesome to work with in every way.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director of an apparel brand. We’re a dual-gender brand that sells women’s and men’s apparel.

What challenge were you trying to address with REBL HOUSE INC.?

It’s two-fold: there’s a brand content aspect and a conversion-driving content aspect.

What was the scope of their involvement?

A lot of the content they develop is video content. I started with the company three years ago as we were just moving into performance-driven videos; beforehand, our company just used videos to decorate the stores. We came up with many new formulas with REBL HOUSE to shorten the videos, driving faster clicks and higher engagement.

We start with a concept development internally that has to be approved by our executive team. Close to the pre-production period, I reach out to REBL HOUSE INC., and they further develop our ideas. Their deliverables are normally brand videos. We’ve done explainer videos, but our customers aren’t looking for that content.

As a side note, we’ve done videos with them highlighting our partnerships with various ambassadors — like hockey players and actresses — that we’ve collaborated with. Those videos tend to do very well because they have media dollars behind them. They’ve also helped us develop musical tracks: finding local, up-and-coming singers to create songs for our campaigns.

What is the team composition?

I work with Alexandra (CEO and Founder), as well as Amanda (Cinematographer and Editor) and one other video editor. Tom (Head of Cinematography) helps us directly on the shoots, traveling with us when necessary, along with two other people.

How did you come to work with REBL HOUSE INC.?

There’s a lot of concern regarding the number of people we bring to remote shoots; we don’t want to fly in an army. They’re a small, tight group that helps us capture content quickly. They do this by being agile and working without requiring little direction, developing things themselves. I’ve never had an issue with them delivering late, either. Other video companies do less for more money than REBL HOUSE does.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $250,000 throughout our engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2018. They’d done a one-off project for the company before I joined, and then I brought them back.

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

We constantly try to get an NPS score from our customers, and we’ve seen a ten-point increase in our net promoter score (NPS) over the last two years. It’s consistent, too; it doesn’t fluctuate up and done. There’s something about the look and feel we’re developing that our customers resonate with. REBL HOUSE puts the emotion of our brand into the content.

The videos with media dollars behind them see a much higher engagement. I can’t give specific numbers, but we usually see a certain number of new customers at the end of the session.

How did REBL HOUSE INC. perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve never had issues, and they’ve never missed a deadline. When I’ve asked for revisions, they’ve delivered quickly. Because they’re not part of our permanent team, we provide them with a concept deck before we start ideating any sort of video. Once the video is captured on-site or in-studio, we provide them feedback on the draft via email. If it’s a long video, it may require lots of revision, though that’s only happened once in 2–3 years.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their agility and creativity stand out; they’re a good partner to collaborate with. I always use the example where an architect imposes their idea on you, so it becomes about their idea, rather than your idea. REBL HOUSE doesn’t impose itself on our brand; they bring creativity and technical knowledge to create the content. I don’t have to handhold anyone at REBL HOUSE.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could offer expanded services. The relationship with them is solid, and if there were more services offered, then they could do more in the long-run. Right now, we have to design the graphics in-house and then send them to REBL HOUSE to be animated. It would be great if they offered micro-services like graphic design.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing at a specialty foods company. We make products for people with digestive problems and sensitive stomachs. All of our products are gluten-free and vegan.

What challenges were you trying to address with REBL HOUSE INC.?

We worked with them to create content for our social media channels and advertisements.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided videography and photography services. We made two different series of videos. For the first campaign, they developed two commercials that were 15–40 seconds long. It was a full-scale production, so they helped us recruit talent, set design, location scouting, and scriptwriting, in addition to filming and editing. 

For the second campaign, we developed three commercials. There were no actors, we used voiceover talent instead. They helped with food styling, scoring, and post-production. This project was a bit more complex because we used specialized camera equipment. 

What is the team composition?

It depended on the type of shoot. However, we primarily worked with Alex (CEO & Founder), Andrea (Creative Producer), and Will (VP Operations & Business Development). On a film shoot, there were anywhere from 5–15 staff members. 

How did you come to work with REBL HOUSE INC.?

They’re a local company, and we’d heard good things about them. 

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve invested between $75,000–$100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2019, and the relationship is ongoing. We work together as needed. 

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

The videos are performing well. We’re very pleased with the work. We track clickthrough rates, cost per view, and engagement. 

How did REBL HOUSE INC. perform from a project management standpoint?

We had strong communication. They were great about providing updates and keeping us informed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed with their creativity, resourcefulness, and can-do attitude. Nothing scares them off; they’re willing to try anything. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We like working with them because they’re a small shop. However, some of the things that could be improved would be better if they had a bigger team. They were stretched thin sometimes. I think they’re working on growing their team to meet demand. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come with a clear objective and a good understanding of what you want to get out of the project. They will come to the table with a lot of creative ideas. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing project manager at a bathroom remodeling company. We do one-day bathroom remodeling solutions for tubs and showers.

What challenge were you trying to address with REBL HOUSE INC.?

We needed some updated photography. We were in the middle of a complete website redo and needed some new assets. Our team brought them on to provide some current photography that incorporated both with and without lifestyle, so people and talent.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We created and built four bathrooms on set as well as hired talent to represent some of the different demographics we’re targeting. Our team built the bathrooms in REBL HOUSE’s studio and then they did both video and photography in each of the bathrooms, with and without the talent.

They proposed the art direction for each of the sets based on who we were targeting. Their team brought us the talent and gave us the facility. Everything was managed by them, we just had to approve the art direction of the talent. The shooting happened over two days. After the shoot, we had some video snippets. We went and enhanced them after the fact, almost like a second mandate.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Will (VP Operations & Business Development) and Andy (Creative Producer).

How did you come to work with REBL HOUSE INC.?

My company had used them prior to my joining. We really liked the output of the video because they were really well-done so REBL HOUSE was immediately put in the running.

I did source several other agencies. Ultimately, we selected REBL HOUSE because of their confidence in their ability to provide what we needed in the right timeframe turnkey and with such a great attitude. I knew they’d make my job easy.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started and finished in August 2020.

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

They delivered exactly what they said and the process was exactly how they outlined it. The process was smooth and easy and the experience on set was good.

We had some budgetary constraints and planning oversight on our part that led to the outcome we got. By no fault of REBL HOUSE were the assets not what we committed to. When we got the deliverables, they were maybe a few more rounds of touchups than we would have liked, but nothing was even remotely problematic.

How did REBL HOUSE INC. perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated through emails and phone calls. We held weekly meetings in the beginning as we were ramping up. Then, correspondence was ad hoc as needed. The project was a quick turnaround.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They made my life easy and made me look good. It was a pleasure to work with REBL HOUSE. They have a great attitude, and I never felt like a burden or that I asked for too much. I’d ask for something, add to the list, or request to make a change and they always went above and beyond to take care of it. I genuinely felt that it was their pleasure to help us. I felt that my wish was their command and we were well-serviced. The engagement was enjoyable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have improved their documentation of the end result. It would’ve been helpful to document everything that was photographed after we finished each set. We never asked them for that so only in retrospect would I say that could’ve been improved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They make it easy for you. REBL HOUSE has a good formula. They had all the documentation so all we had to do was fill in the blanks. If you chose them, expect to sit back and enjoy the show.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive assistant at P.K. Subban, and under the company, there is a nonprofit called P.K. Subban Foundation which benefits a children’s hospital in Montreal. I’m also in charge of the company’s social media.

What challenge were you trying to address with REBL HOUSE INC.?

They help us with our digital presence and they work on increasing the funds for the foundation.

What was the scope of their involvement?

REBL HOUSE INC. helps our social media presence. They help us to strategically post at the right time. The team has even created a calendar for us so that we know when and what we need to post on the pages, what hashtags to use, and more.

REBL HOUSE INC. also helps us write our content. Essentially, they help us improve our platform. For the scope of work, the team always gives us a precise timeline on their outputs.

What is the team composition?

I work a lot with Alexandra (CEO & Founder). Then, we also collaborate with Will (VP Operations & Business Development), Ronni (Senior Creative Producer), and Andrea (Creative Producer).

How did you come to work with REBL HOUSE INC.?

We were introduced to Alex by a mutual friend. However, the main reason we partnered with them was because of their company’s size — they were more boutique and we were able to know their team. We liked that we didn’t meet new people every time we went and we dealt with the same people. Moreover, our relationship turned into mutual friendship when we bonded over our mutual belief in helping the community.

How much have you invested with them?

Our average annual spending is about $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve been collaborating with the REBL HOUSE INC. company since May 2015.

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

They’ve helped tremendously with the foundation's digital presence, especially in helping raise money and crafting ideas on how we can raise more funds. The collected funds have helped many children already.

They’ve been with us through the whole journey, which has been really nice. Furthermore, the team also gives insights into what we can do. They’ve never rushed and have shown genuine care and concern with our goals. They’ve overachieved everything they’ve promised. Overall, the team has made our projects come to life.

How did REBL HOUSE INC. perform from a project management standpoint?

They have met deadlines and sometimes, they even give outputs ahead of time. Even when we have rushed deliverables, they’ve accepted them. Additionally, their communication skills have been excellent and their response time is quick whether it be email or text. We’ve never had to wait long when we have to do meetings.

Alexandra’s professionalism has been evident throughout the project. We go to her for any questions we have and her opinion on a lot of things.  She has consistently followed up and helped us. She really goes above and beyond to make sure that we are doing the best that we can do. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciate that the team we work with has always been the same people we coordinated with from the start. They’ve invested their time in helping the children too. Most importantly, it has become important to them that we raise as much money and give back as much as possible. 

Additionally, the team is creative and thinks outside the box. I love that they give us every option possible because they’ve thought things through. They really have a plan for everything. REBL HOUSE INC. has also tried to give us the best-case scenarios to pick from because there have been things we didn’t see or we didn’t know that have made our campaigns better in the end.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, I don’t have anything bad to say about them. We never had negative experiences with them. Sometimes their accounting has been slow, and we can’t get the bill fast enough — other than that, I have nothing to say. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go in with an open mind and listen, because I can guarantee that they’re going to show you or tell you something that you never even thought about. Be receptive because they might give you something that can help with what you’re doing or they can make things even better.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Global communications consultancy. I'm a VP there.

For what projects/services did your company hire REBL HOUSE INC.?

We decided to work with REBL HOUSE to storyboard and animate a series of short-but-educational video animations for one of our clients. We needed to turn these around in record time while navigating the client's internal legal department.

What were your goals for this project?

Create quick turnaround content to be shared through various social media platforms. These were meant to be short and engaging, while condensing a lot of information into 15-20 second animations. A tough ask, but one that was brilliantly met by the REBL team.

How did you select REBL HOUSE INC.?

REBL is a local company run by amazing people and with a solid portfolio. We decided to try them out for the very first time and were not disappointed. We have a handful of external partners in Toronto we usually deal with, but REBL's portfolio (specific to what we needed) swayed us.

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

The animations were meant to be short educational driving tips, but there are several legal implications with creating this type of content.

REBL's approach to completely storyboarding everything to make sure we were good to move forward made things easier than expected. The collaborative process was simple and REBL's team was great in making everything smooth.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We of course had to go back-and-forth on a few rounds of approvals with our client, but REBL was more than understanding given the complexities of the content. Overall, I'd say the whole process was as smooth as it could have been and that's thanks to Will and his team.

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

Stakeholders on the client side loved these animations. As not all videos have been shared and amplified through paid social, we don't have all final performance numbers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Everything was so seamless! We worked as one team - as if REBL had joined our account team for this project. Andrea was more than amazing as our lead - super quick to respond and always willing to help.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Creativity, design capabilities, account management, and project management were impressive. But more importantly, knowing that you're dealing with a great bunch of people made things that much better.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that we've noticed for this project.