Snowday

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I lead internal communication and employer branding at an online learning platform.

What challenge were you trying to address with Snowday?

We hired Snowday to help us produce really compelling employee stories via video. We were trying to create more content that illustrates how unique our culture is.

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we told Snowday our objective. Next, they came to us with a few concepts of how to do that involving various lengths of videos. Then, we worked together on those concepts and the team aligned them to our brand. After we approved the visual style, they took on the production and shot 10 interviews in two days.

This was all during COVID-19, which required special safety precautions and planning. The team did the same process for India. They kept a transcript of all the interviews and started to find out where the best stories were. Snowday proposed ideas of which stories should be turned into short video clips. They also proposed longer clips to feature multiple employees. The videos are already featured on YouTube and on our new careers page.

What is the team composition?

We had a director of operations as our main point of contact. We also had a creative director, a production lead, a production designer, and an editorial lead.

How did you come to work with Snowday?

I worked with members of the Snowday team before they were a company several years ago. I also worked with them again three years ago. They always had a great vision and style. When I knew I had this project, I knew exactly who I wanted to work with.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $200,000–$300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in September 2020, and we wrapped up in April 2021.

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

Their ability to lead us through on-set production during the pandemic was great. All of their safety precautions kept everyone safe. We were really concerned about timing and our ability to produce videos. Snowday made us really comfortable and followed all of the local COVID-19 rules.

On the creative side, their ability to quickly understand our mission and our company story were great. They were able to select The stories that represent our values from the interviews they did with our employees.

How did Snowday perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great with project management. The team was also really flexible on the timing of the original proposal. We were worried about how much work we’d have to do on our end to get the project done from start to finish. They really did all of the production work; I was just there for creative concepting and approval. The team was very often ahead of their deadlines for providing files., which was very nice to see.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Snowday is never willing to sacrifice quality. They have a very clear creative vision for each project. I know that when I need a video to look really great and be impactful, I know who to go to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to come in with a clear idea of what goals you want to achieve. Listen to their creative vision first instead of coming in with an exact idea of what you want to achieve, creatively. There are cheaper agencies that can execute exactly what you want. Snowday is a place to go to when you want to hear another group’s idea of a creative vision.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project lead at Google.

What challenge were you trying to address with Snowday?

We wanted to create a video series for Google for Education with the purpose of highlighting some of our products and accessibility features.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Snowday helped us produce, direct, and shoot a 12-part video series to showcase different accessibility features across Google Workspace. These features included a braille display, Google Docs, Chrome Screen Reader, and some other functionalities to help our students and adult users that otherwise wouldn’t be able to use our products.

It was a collaborative effort between our team and Snowday. I helped write the scripts for all of the different features that we wanted to highlight. Once the scripts were finalized, Snowday learned about all the topics and helped me do the videos.

We coordinated a shoot in Chicago, and they staged the set and took over the entire production. I was on-site watching and making sure that everything went smoothly. We flew in three teachers from across the Midwest to use as our talent, and Snowday guided, instructed, and directed them.

This project was completed right before COVID-19. However, they’re able to do completely virtual shoots now given the global pandemic.

What is the team composition?

There were five people on Snowday’s core team. I worked the closest with Sara (Director of Operations & Partnerships) — she handled all the project, management, and oversight. Chris (Managing Director) directed the videos and Avery (Former Creative Director) was the producer.

How did you come to work with Snowday?

Snowday had worked on a number of Google projects before, so they were recommended to us by another team within the company. I interviewed them and gave them a brief. They understood the reason why we were making these videos and were passionate about the topic. Chris, specifically, had experience filming for the accessibility world. It felt like a no-brainer to me, at that point.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe that we worked together from August 2019–March 2020.

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

The videos are live on the Google for Education YouTube channel, and they have about 98,000 views. More so than that, the project was made for our users, so it has been a really huge success for our internal stakeholders.

We have articles for some of the features included in the videos. However, this was the first time that an actual user, student, or teacher was able to see the concepts that were made explicitly for them.

Snowday understood the intended audience that was going to be using these features and watching this project, which made the videos unlike any other resource that we’ve had. The project was so successful because Snowday truly understood the mission of it.

How did Snowday perform from a project management standpoint?

Snowday was wonderful. They were always on top of everything and delivered early. Sometimes, we had tight deadlines and things that changed at the last minute, and they were very flexible with all of that.

They adjusted to the way they worked based on our needs. We communicated through email and used all Google products to collaborate with them, including a lot of Google Docs and Google Slides.

During the shooting, they had complete control over the situation. It was a video series designed by teachers with the purpose of helping them with their students. They made the teachers that we brought in felt like the champions, which was the main goal.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive aspect about Snowday was their team — they were completely amazing and professional people. They were a small and tight-knit group, and I really got to know each and every one of them very well. It really felt like they were true collaborators on the project, and I’m looking forward to working with them again.

Additionally, Snowday really helped us bring our vision to life in the videos. They seamlessly executed a lot of videos, production, and preparation, so I highly recommend them. I couldn’t have done it without them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We really had a seamless partnership working together — I can’t imagine it differently or with anyone else.

Any advice for potential customers?

To get the most out of the engagement with Snowday, loop them in as early as possible because they’re super intelligent. While they execute their tasks, they’re also able to brainstorm and come up with great ideas.

They were as much stakeholders in my project as anyone at Google. I really valued their opinions, ideas, and insights. If someone is looking for a true partner to work with, my advice is to hire Snowday. Make them a part of the conversation because they have wonderful ideas.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a visual artist and a sole proprietor of an LLC, and I’ve operated a studio in downtown Ann Arbor for about 10 years. I do large-scale sculptural work and some collaborative projects with scientists and researchers using my art as a tool to help them visualize scientific processes.

What challenge were you trying to address with Snowday?

I had been approached by Thames and Hudson, a publishing company, to make a book celebrating 10 years of my artwork. I needed someone to shoot a video for the book’s fundraiser and promote its launch.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Snowday had put together a 4–5 minute long video highlighting my artwork and discussing my upcoming book as an artifact of the work. They came to my studio and shot images and videos of me working. We also went to the laboratory where I worked with scientists, and they filmed me there. Additionally, they did some shots of me walking around places. They were in town for 2–3 days during filming. After that, it took multiple rounds of editing and revisions before they had the actual video.

Snowday came up with the outline of how the story will flow and be portrayed. They did some scripting after interviewing me about how I started and how that is connected with my work with scientists. They structured and edited the video. While editing, they sought my feedback using vision and mood boards.

What is the team composition?

I worked with three people: Josh (Creative Director), Chris (Managing Director), and Roddy (Executive Director). Another teammate helped with scheduling the shoot.

How did you come to work with Snowday?

I typically rent space in my studio to other artists when there is an opening. Snowday applied to be part of the studio, and they rented the space for two years. They’re solid people. They quickly outgrew their space because they were taking larger projects, and they moved to New York. 

When the book project came up, I enticed them to come back to town and help me do it. They were my only choice, because I thought they were great and would help me out. 

How much have you invested with them?

I have spent around $4,000, which was pretty low for a video shoot — I cut them a deal by giving them some art for a discount. Also, they were my friends, and they were helping me out. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership lasted from June 2018–August 2019.

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

I really love the video Snowday has put together. They even gave me multiple cuts so that some scenes could be used for promoting the book, while some would just be used for my profile piece. They gave different endings to the video, and they did a great job. 

For the fundraiser, we raised twice our initial target almost immediately, and I feel like a lot of that can be attributed to having really good visuals, thanks to Snowday. I would definitely recommend them, and I would not hesitate to use them again if another opportunity arose. They were spectacular and wonderful.  

How did Snowday perform from a project management standpoint?

Snowday was really upfront and very professional. I went to them as a friend, yet they approached the project as a real project and wanted to be professional with the invoicing, project management, timeline, and expectations. They were very easy to work and communicate with. In the end, the video they produced was dynamic, and I have nothing but positive things to say about them. 

We primarily communicated via email, phone calls, and text messages. Snowday was easy to get a hold of, and they would always pick up the phone if I had a question on something. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Because of our friendship, I expected them to approach this project as a favor to me. However, they still approached it with the same level of care that they would have done for a project with a $200,000 budget. They didn’t phone it in, and they pushed to make the video as top-notch as possible. They even hired a color grader and sound editor at their own expense just so the video would look polished. In the end, it turned out to be really spectacular.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I felt they were really upfront with costs and pricing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do it. With Snowday, I felt I was in really good hands, and they knew what they were doing in terms of scripting, shooting, and editing. The end product looked skillfully done. I really got to see them mature as a group, take larger projects, and handle everything with grace. They’re tremendous people, and they've got really good character. My advice is to do it and work with them.