Tell Your Story, Grow Your Business
People hate being sold. Hate being marketed to.
But the biggest problem most businesses face is being known.
After being known, the challenge is to be trusted and chosen by enough of the right customers.
The way to be known is to put your message - your story - out into the world.
That's what we help you do.
And we do it through documentary-style content.
Because people don't like being sold to, but we love being entertained and we like being educated.
Humans are a story-centered species. We make sense of life through story.
Businesses who tell their story are businesses that grow.
Businesses who don't tell their story stagnate or die.
Let's tell the story of your business together.
Your Own Little Doc
A Micro-Doc or Mini-Doc that tells your origin story, who you help, how you do what you do, and what makes you different can be used in so many ways. It can live on your website, you can send it to people before a meeting, it can live on landing pages, pinned at the top of your social media channels. It can be a tool in recruiting or training staff.
And what's best: when we film it, we're going to get a bunch of content that will be good but won't make the final film.
We will be able to turn all of that into social media content for you, turning the film into its own campaign.
Best of all: it will show, not tell.
Documentary format is believable.
Customers connect to what's real.
Docu-Series
Social media has become central to how so many businesses market themselves.
The problem: social media is a very hungry monster that needs to be fed every day.
So marketing teams have to come up with new things to post every day, chasing trends and trying to make engaging content.
There's a way to feed that machine and tell the fascinating story of your business that unfolds every day:
through a docu-series.
The elements of story happen every day in every business:
Challenges to overcome. Characters. Highs, lows, change over time.
There was a bar in Boston and a hit show called Cheers.
Aired from 1982 - 1993. People still visit that place.
There was a duck call company in Louisiana called Duck Commander.
They turned it into a show called Duck Dynasty and it became the #1 show on cable television.
There were some guys who had a business catching and selling alligators.
Swamp People became a hit that transformed their lives.
When people visit Las Vegas, one little pawn shop somehow competes with billion dollar casinos for tourist traffic because of a show called Pawn Stars.
Your series probably won't be as successful as those (but don't rule it out).
But it could be as successful as Iowa Dairy Farmer, which we produce.
An audience of 2.6M people follow a farm in Iowa, learning how the milk is made.
Filming a content series lets you put out regular episodes (weekly, monthly) but we can also create stills and clips that work between the episodes.
The result? People LOVE you. They know you, they feel connected to you. They feel a part of your business.
You're not only top of mind, you're part of their story and they're part of yours, because they're interacting in the comments, and you're giving them access to what you do.
Of course you maintain control: it's not a livestream. It's edited.
It has professional polish - but just the right amount.
It's not put-on, it's not acting, it's not scripted or forced.
It's just you doing what you do, and believe it or not, people want to see it.
(Talk about being set apart from your competitors!)
"Docu-Monial"
It’s a testimonial video, done in documentary film style.
Testimonial films are nothing new. A video of a person sitting in a conference room saying something nice about "how good it is to work with XYZ Corp."
They’re fine.
Documentaries are nothing new, either. In fact, right now more people are watching more documentaries than anything else. We are living in the documentary era.
"Docu-monials" blend the two.
A "docu-monial" is a film about your company, but nobody from the company ever appears in them.
We film founder stories - there’s a place for them.
But there's something so powerful about a customer talking about their experience with your company.
So that’s what these are. Documentary style filmmaking, where your customer talks about what it’s like to work with you.
So what does “documentary style filmmaking” even mean?
Here’s what it means - it’s real.
Not actors. People hire actors to be in commercials.
Why? It’s not believable. We can all see through marketing. None of us wants to be marketed to.
Not scripted. People see right through scripts. We’re all tired of what’s fabricated, we want what's real.
Not staged. It’s not that we wouldn’t set up a pretty interview location, we would. But it’s not a boring conference room, we’re not making absolutely sure the logo placement is exactly right, and we’re definitely not doing some nonsense where we are trying to get people who are not actors to act.
And documentary means "show not tell," so as the person is talking, we're showing what they're talking about.
And of course there is some production polish on it.
Some music, smart pacing, probably a little bit of text effects and graphics.
But we don't go crazy with it.
We want it to feel real, authentic, honest - but professional too.
We have never produced anything that has a greater ROI for our clients than docu-monials.
They are phenomenally effective, and we can also help you deploy them in the most effective way.
Recruiting Films
How do you know what kind of film you need?
It starts with your goals.
We'll start by listening and learning what you're trying to accomplish.
One of our clients - a consulting firm - was growing fast.
Their promise to their clients:
"If you work with us, you'll be getting a consultant with real-world consultant who has been at the VP level or above."
But the other thing their clients could expect was a certain way of doing business, a certain culture.
Guess what happens when you hire a bunch of leaders fast?
Suddenly you get a lot of different (very strong) opinions from leaders who have their own ideas of how to run business, who they like to work with, and their own sense of establishing different kinds of culture.
So the film we did for them had nothing to do with sales.
It was used to recruit: "this is how we do business. If you don't align with this? Don't bother applying, we are not a fit."
Then one the first day? Show the film again.
"Remember, this is who we are, this is how we do what we do."
It's a training tool that can be rolled out again every time culture creeps.
For companies who are hiring, showing what it's like at your company helps attract the right candidates.
And filmed in documentary style, people watch it, believe it, and buy in.
VSLs - Video Sales Letters
A VSL is a video that acts as a sales pitch, often placed on a landing page to explain an offer.
We've all seen them - you click a link and come to a page where there's a video that explains a problem and offers a solution. These videos encourage viewers to take a specific next step, such as booking a call or making a purchase.
Many of these are just a person sitting at a desk, sometimes with good lighting and a microphone, essentially "pitching" you across the table.
They're very effective, just ask Alex Hormozi, who has used them to generate millions of dollars in sales for his own companies and for his clients.
We can help you make a docu-style VSL that does more; in a couple of minutes it can let you tell your story, present your offer, but it can "show not tell" by doing it in documentary style.
Training Films
Ever seen a safety training video?
You can tell what you're in for in the first three beats of that cheesy corporate music.
Here's how everyone (including the HR and safety manager) watches those:
"How can I pay the minimum amount of attention to this and still pass the stupid quiz."
A fortune 100 company had a safety problem. A serious one.
They hired an organizational psychologist.
She hired us.
The thesis: "What if we don't do safety videos that look like safety videos?"
Instead, they'd do it in documentary style.
Real people at the company, from people on the floor to leadership, weren't given a script.
They were given a chance to tell their stories through interviews.
They said insane things that we would never use.
They said funny things that we would definitely use.
They said a lot of honest things and that's what makes people want to watch the film.
We filmed all over the facility, which of course took special clearances.
What do you think the result of that is?
It's so much more real. So much more relatable, and honest, and EFFECTIVE.
Which would you rather watch?
Company Legacy Films
Our companies are a huge part of our lives. The blood, sweat and tears that goes into our work is full of stories that mean something.
Our companies mean more than money.
Our companies can be extensions of our families - for many of us, second families.
Our companies are how we put food on our table, solve problems for our communities, how we create, how we build, and how we shape the world around us.
As our companies grow and change, telling the stories that go from the original idea and humble beginnings to where the company is today always inspires!
Company Legacy Films
It doesn't matter if it's a small town manufacturing plant or a Fortune 500 company, every company has a story to tell.
We would be honored to tell your story in a way that pays tribute to the founders, the workers, the customers, and the creativity that has driven the business.
We can shape the story to align with a milestone like a 50th Anniversary, to carry forward the vision into a new generation in the workforce, through a purchase and sale, or as a recruiting tool.
What we don't (and won't) make is a boring, sterile corporate video. What we'd love to do with you is to craft a warm, rich, high quality documentary about the heritage and legacy of your business.
Non-Profit Legacy Films
We have a heart for non-profits.
"I have founded two national non-profit organizations, and I sit on the board or volunteer my time to a number of them. I love non-profit work and the nature of giving back through them."
- Teeg Stouffer
With a deep devotion to the community and non-profits, we approach these films with dedication.
They can be impact films that help drive the mission and message of the ministry or non-profit, or they can simply share the heritage through compelling storytelling.
Let's get to work on yours!
Let's get to work on telling the story of your work.
There are so many reasons to produce a film about your business:
marketing, recruiting, employee engagement, celebration.
Films can run from 10 minutes to full feature length (90 minutes).
We can also work to package the full film into smaller "bites" that can be used on your website, social media, on screens in your facilities - wherever you need them.
Let's discuss your specific goals, your vision, we'll match our storytelling ability, and we can build a film and budget that works for you and your business!
Where do you work?
We are based in the midwestern United States so films shot in and around the midwest are in our back yard (and therefore have lower travel costs in the production budget). However, we are prepared to work anywhere in the United States, and in some cases, can travel abroad for just the right client and story. We are accustomed to travel and ready to come to you - or to travel to multiple sites and facilities if needed - to capture the story and tell it in the right way.