Sky21 Media

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a video editor product specialist at Karma Automotive, a California Auto Dealer. I handle most of our digital content.

What challenge were you trying to address with Sky21 Media?

I needed assistance with video and audio production for a couple of projects that I was producing, shooting, and editing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of our projects involved a meeting, which at our company includes 500–600 of our employees in one area to hear our CEO talk about our direction and strategy. It’s very critical to document those meetings, which was an 8-hour day for that shoot, of the two-hour meeting. There was one hour of preproduction, one hour of breaking down equipment, and then a six-hour shoot.

They were running around, monitoring our audio levels during the meeting, but there wasn’t any storyboarding. It was similar to a speaking event in which the cameras are just pointed at the speaker.

What is the team composition?

My main points of contact are Joe (General Manager, Sky21 Media), Chris (Production Supervisor, Sky21 Media), and Paul (President, Sky21 Media). For the meeting project, we had roughly three people from Sky21 Media running the cameras and audio.

How did you come to work with Sky21 Media?

They came highly recommended from a few people I had worked with before, so I was well aware of their skills and their background. It was a huge plus that they are local, as well as their availability, skill set, and background.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $12,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2019, and the work is ongoing.

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

We’re really impressed with them. My boss said their work is very good and that he hasn’t seen that in a while. I work with a lot of videographers and camera people, and I’ve found that Sky21 Media has a trained knowledge of what we expect from them.

We employed them to capture and document a project, but we were so impressed with their camerawork that we brought them back for another project. Everyone was really excited about each new venture with them—the content they produced garnered a lot of enthusiasm from my co-workers and was a great success.

How did Sky21 Media perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been super responsive, particularly between myself and my three points of contact—it’s out of this world good. I hit them with some pretty tough deadlines, and they responded instantly that they’d be happy to assist with any projects. Most of these projects do come on short notice, so it’s great that they’re available like that. The notice for these projects was, at best, two to three days and sometimes even one day. It shows a really high level of commitment and that they take their work seriously.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They outshine everyone in the video production world. They spend a good amount of time preplanning projects so that the production runs smoothly. They spend a significant amount of time considering potential errors or anything that may come up throughout.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can't name anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very specific about what it is you’re trying to capture, your vision, and your goals. Voice any ideas that you think will enhance your video, and they can work on them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the general manager for a consulting company that advises on marketing, business development, and product development.

For what projects/services did your company hire Sky21 Media?

We hired Sky21 Media to help complete a variety of internal training videos for one of our clients.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to streamline the training and onboarding processes for our client.

How did you select this vendor?

We searched through several online forums and referrals but couldn’t find anyone who could put together the videos within budget. Eventually, one of our employees who used to work with Skye21 Media introduced them to us. They had nothing but good things to say about the company, and the results speak for themselves.

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

The team immediately went to work to try and figure out exactly what our client needed. They conducted fact-finding meetings to develop a timeline and flow for the videos. This allowed them to limit the production time, which, in turn, kept the costs down and was less intrusive on us and our client’s staff. Once they completed production, the turnaround time for the final videos was very short.

​​​​What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

They delivered the videos digitally for us to review and give feedback. Overall, the entire process was easy and relatively stress-free.

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

We've recently launched the project with our client, and the feedback has been amazing. The videos have changed training and onboarding from a mundane, paperwork-filled process to something more enjoyable and interactive. 

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Things couldn't have gone smoother. The process was thorough from start to finish, and Sky21 Media made additional efforts to make sure everything was clear and transparent. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their knowledge and expertise in everything they did. Their communication and follow-up was impeccable, which was a breath of fresh air. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not that I can recall. Working with Sky21 Media was a pleasure, and we will be working with them again.