Stepmates Studios

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of multiple compiles & the creative as a comedian and developer of content.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Stepmates Studios, and what were your goals?

The development and delivery of multiple creative projects  An animated adult comedy TV series, a children's book from print to animation, and the film clip to a children's dace track. The goal for the major project was to transfer my stand-up comedy into a visual story of the routines as the basis for the series.

SOLUTION

How did you select Stepmates Studios and what were the deciding factors?

Industry lead information and market successful results to date were major factors coupled with the proven results of their original series "Regular Old Bogan" which was hugely popular.

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

They took my stand-up show of 30mins and selected the best "stories" to expand into the clips and shows then worked on the cartoon version of me and the result was liek they were in my head- the artwork matched my vision, with elements that I was not briefing, but hey nailed.

For the children's book they took the initial artwork in PDF & Photoshop and brought it to life and then with the song it was from a couple of brief notes by me and a few images as examples and form there they drive the delivery until I was most satisfied mainly because they are engaged in the creative outcome.

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

Mark, Sebastian & Pete seamlessly work though the concept and scope, then back it up with smooth and vibrant animation mixed with big budget quality audio and flow sequences. Audio to artwork and the marketing that came from the team to show the best elements and give it credibility in the final product.

The team sent updates and allowed me to steer very personal parts, but were always on point.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have initial development enquiries and the rollout though socials has been gathering pace due to the quality of the work with thousands of views and streams.

The trailer was so good the Killers and management licenced their track "the Man "to the promotion! Universal Music is a global brand and they wont dilute their artists brand and the last time the track was licenced to a promotion was for the movie "Vice" starring Christian Bale and Sam Rockwell.

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

Stepmates studios have the unique skill set of being able to understand the artistic vision that begins the creative process and translate that into a remarkable product with minimum of changes required that leads to an explosion of pure creativity in that collaborative space, and yet still the acumen to deliver high end products, with a supportive can do-and zero problems attitude to steer the ship.

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

They were ahead of the game form day one. It was like they had been part of the journey all the way in how much they understood the vision and it was humbling as they had already had commercial success with other projects and still gave me the first class treatment. Stepmates Studios delivered everything I asked for and more.

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

I don't think so- whenever the creative was anything left of centre they moved quick and the results were amazing. I am looking forward to the future collaborations and projects together.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO and Founder of Dorpee. Our vision for the Dorpee Village is to create a world where people can work WHERE they want, WHEN they want, and HOW they want, so they look forward to each day and produce their most inspired work. In the true spirit of a village, Dorpee is a medium for connection. We have created an on demand sharing platform that connects people who need a workspace, the people who support them, and the new generation of workspaces - our local venues.

Dorpee provides employers with an instant and scalable work model that empowers their team with freedom of choice, individuals with a range of inspiring workspaces local and convenient to them, and venues with a new revenue stream from commercialising their underutilized space. It's a model where everybody wins and it will change the way the world works, for the better.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Stepmates Studios, and what were your goals?

To produce a series of Explainer videos that would animation to simply and clearly describe Dorpee to our various audience groups.

SOLUTION

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

After interviewing a number of candidate video production companies, we found the at Stepmates were standouts in understanding our vision, producing high quality outputs, as well as cost effective.

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

We started with a series of discovery meetings. Stepmates then took our vision and created a series of scripts which we collaboratively reviewed with them. From there, there were many iterations of the animations and storyboards to ensure we were entirely happy with the output. They then helped record the voiceovers and produce the final products in multiple formats for use.

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

Worked with Mark and Seb who were both tireless, always open to feedback, and always highly flexible and adaptive. Both very talented and able to steer the project in the right direction.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The videos have been shared directly as well as across of our social channels. Feedback is fantastic and they hit their mark with all audiences.

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

Quotes were clear, proposals included working examples to demonstrate their thinking, timelines were outlined and tracking and progress updates were always forthcoming.

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

Their alignment with and understanding of our vision and the ability to help steer all parts of the project - felt they were part of our actual team.

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

With the success of the first video, we requested them to create another 6 for us. All clients would obviously like to have their videos ready earlier, but we understood they are still a smaller team and they prefer to take a personal touch (rather than hand off to juniors or outsource). As their team grows, I am sure their ability to increase output will grow as well.