Sept. 29, 2022

Telling your Brand Story Through Video

Telling your Brand Story Through Video

In this episode, listen in as we explore how to approach video as a brand equity tool with founder and principle of one of the best media firms in Texas. 

Meet Adam Dusenbury and Elizabeth Reiser from White Cloud Media Group as they share video content strategies for you to finally hit those ROI goals. 

Are you ready to take your brand to the next level?

Thank you for listening,

Zahra Cruzan

Founder, The Brand Collaborative And Brand Author

The Brand Collaborative      Brand Author

Transcript

Zahra  

Hello, everybody, and welcome to today's episode. The topic that we'll be talking about today is telling your brand story through video. So video, we all know we need it, we need to have it in our tool belt to help you tell your story yet many of us are so intimidated by it. So today we're going to do a deep dive with two of the best people in the industry to learn how to approach video as a brand equity tool. Okay, welcome Adam and Elizabeth, they are the founders of White Cloud, a highly sought after video production firm, their podcast host Tobin Center of Performing Arts to international conventions in Paris, France. So I'm so excited to have you guys here, I'm a big fan of your work. I love what you guys produce, I think you take a very intelligent, and yet common sense approach to producing video, which is a rare find. So tell me a little bit about you guys and your business nobody can say it better than you can. 

 

Adam  

Sure, so my name is Adam Dusenbury. I'm the CEO and founder of White Cloud Media Group. We started out six years ago in 2016, in the dungeons of Geekdom, downtown San Antonio, and just kind of grown and evolved since then. And now we're able to travel to Paris and Canada and all around the world to do a lot of these different types of various formats of video production so pretty exciting. 

 

Zahra  

Awesome.  Yeah and I'm Elizabeth Reiser, I'm the head of client success at White Cloud Media Group. And my role at White Cloud is really, you know, to onboard new clients, and to ensure that they have a great experience with us as we develop video content for their marketing initiatives.  Oh, that's awesome and so off the bat, I'm gonna go already on a tangent. So I know that you guys transition for more of a drone, to you know, what you guys do today. So as for those of us who are starting up, one of the things I always say, you know, if you're a bootstrap instantly, you're one they want to come in and go heavy on the brand and I always say, you know what, slow your roll a bit. Like, I'd love to tell you all the things but the first few years is kind of a proof of concept, right and so who you think your audience is going to be, and what you think you're going to geek out on, is going to evolve and change in those first few years, when you're kind of the experimenter. And you know, you're doing things you thought you'd have a lot of fun out and it turns out, it's not so fun. And it's really expensive to do or things that you thought people, me, you know, they need, what you learn later down the road is they need it, they just don't want it. And so now what do you do with that piece of information and so there's a bit of a rapid evolution that happens in those first two years. So before we get into the video, can you just kind of speak to what that experience was like, as you as you went through it? 

 

Adam  

Yeah, that you're actually about 100% accurate on exactly our evolutionary state of how we became who we are today. So in 2016, it was about a year after the FAA came out with certain guidelines, procedures, and laws, restricting specific drone pilots to operate in a commercial space, meaning that if you're actually out there, making money using your drone, there is a certain kind of process that you're going to have to go through, which was great for that industry, because now it's limiting people who actually want to make it a business to actually go forward with that business. So in 2016, started White Cloud Drones LLC, and with the hope in need of providing all things drone applications so whether that be scanning or mapping or creating photogrammetry or orthomosaics for construction, and all of these other kinds of high tech type stuff that was coming out in the market, to cinema and media production packages. That's really my background altogether was all things video and coming into the business in 2016, we felt like let's just cast the net wide, see what catches, see what really kind of grabs what kind of big fish we can capture and see what we can hold on to. And since this industry just like the dotcom boom, just like a lot of other tech booms in the past, the big fish start eating a small fish and that's exactly what happened. You got all of these big Silicon Valley companies out in west coasts, and even the east coast, that are just eaten up a lot of these smaller drone like companies that were just popping up. And and we were one in South Texas, and unfortunately, here in Texas at the time, a lot of the oil and ranchers here, and even the city government and municipalities were hiring people from the west coast and east coast, they just weren't hiring here within Texas. And so we just kind of fell short, we just didn't really grab the big fish that we were hoping to have to really take us into that next level, as another reason why I pursued more of not just the drone video production, but all things media production, just so we just keep the books afloat, just to have something coming in. And so we were doing that and ironically, one of our clients was the Boys and Girls Club of San Antonio. And that's actually how I met Elizabeth, she was working for them at that time in 2017, I believe it was. And we were just helping them out provide some sort of video production for their gala that they were doing on an annual basis. And Elizabeth and I just, you know, established a really good rapport, she was the point of contact that I worked with directly to create all the video production and just found that in 2019, she was looking for something a little bit bigger and better. And between the connection that we had already had, that was a time that my business partner at the time decided to go a different direction. And drones, this really wasn't selling and so we figured let's go full things media production, this is what Elizabeth knows is what I know, let's run it and that's exactly what happened in 2019. And we weathered there 2020, barely, but we did and in fact, 2020 was one of those ironic situations where she had just come on full time in February of 2020. And then, of course, a month later, the whole city, the whole country, the whole world shuts down the way that it did. And we're kind of both looking at each other, like, how are we going to do this, this is she was literally the first full time employee that White Cloud had ever had. And so for me knowing like, how am I going to pay this woman? How am I going to pay this person and keep her but at the same time she's looking at like, are we gonna be able to keep our doors open, we'll come May in June of that year, that's when all of the virtual hybrid like events started to come about and needing that...

 

Zahra  

Bingo.

 

Adam  

Yeah, that was the cash cow that we are going to be able to kind of capitalize on in between Geekdom, and Tobin and Code Up and a lot of these other organizations all around the nation started to really kind of reel us in because we actually had video production experience to assist in all of their virtual light type situations and thankfully, we we thrived in 2020 and we've only grown since then. 

 

Zahra  

That's fantastic. You know, it's funny that you say that, you know, we have been working as a partnership and in April of 2020, we so in January 2020, we formalized into an agency brought everybody on board, it wasn't like contractor, Freelancer network anymore. It was the agency and then in April of 2020, just two weeks after the shutdown, we were already all the way through it, you know, we signed the lease on our bricks and mortar and instantly, we were like, holy smokes, how are we going to do this, nobody's you know, even coming to the office. And so it was a very rough couple of months, until again, like you said, all of our most of our businesses at that time were bricks and mortar businesses. And so suddenly, they realized their web presence wasn't, you know, what it should have been, they needed to set up e commerce and needed to recreate their brand experience from an in person into an online virtual kind of thing. And so it's very interesting how, you know, some some things there was a lot of curveballs in that but there were also so many opportunities in that time, you know, for people who are willing to kind of rethink what, you know, what could be given the new environment so I think that's super cool. Okay, so back on topic, but I had to go there, because I love hearing origin stories, that kind of that first two years, it's always so exciting to hear how that kind of comes about. Okay, so, let me ask you this, why do you think that video is so compelling to storytelling, why is it so vital and why is it one of the most effective tools to really communicate you know, an idea that a brand is trying a messaging that a brand is trying to convey. 

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, you know, it's interesting over the last few years, video has become kind of omnipresent, right? Whether it's social media, or you know, just all of the all of the screens that we find ourselves in front of throughout the day, of all shapes and sizes. Video, you know, there's plenty of research that shows that video is just the most compelling medium. Not only do I think that we just enjoy consuming it, we grew up with television, but I do think it's an opportunity for brands to bring and show an authenticity that they can't necessarily in, you know, copy on a website or in marketing collateral, that there's an opportunity to build a connection with a prospective client or customer stakeholder that that no other channel can really allow them to do in the same way. 

 

Zahra  

Yeah, I love what you said there, because one of the things is, you know, as we dive deeper and deeper into this global market, and there's more and more competition, and now, you know, as an agency, we're not only competing with other firms in Texas, or in the US, we're competing with firms all across, you know, the world. And so it makes it a lot more and that's true of everybody in the industry, whatever you're doing. And so really, all features being equal, right, all pricing being relatively stable, what are those differentiating factors, and so I feel like having that video really does allow you to build those connections, so you get a sense of what it would be like to work with X people versus why people what that culture looks like, and then what you kind of gravitate towards when you're making decisions for anything, you know, especially when you're looking at brands that have a longer lifecycle, you know, so these are, this is not like a one time I bought a USB port from a brand. So I know who cares but you know, but for things that have more of a longer lifecycle, these are people I'm gonna have to be communication with. If I buy their software on subscription, I'm going to be probably call him to customer support every month, how's that gonna feel? How do I feel about that kind of stuff and so video kind of gives you a window into what that looks like. And so I love that, that's an approach that we're now seeing, you can leverage that video to showcase the best of who you are to make those connections. So, creatively, let me ask you, what is your approach to storyboarding, so I come in and I say, I need video. I know I need video, everybody tells me get a video on my website. I so get it you know, I'm trying to do a video commercial on YouTube to run some ad buut like, what do I need, what do you do with me? 

 

Adam  

Yeah, well, I think we will return a few questions back. What do you want that video to do? Do you want them? Do you want the video to inform people of what you do? Do you want people to be educated about the process of what your service or product does? Or do you simply just want to hype up your product or service? And I think that's really ultimately when someone comes to us with I know any of the video I've done on what it looks like, can you guys help us and so yes, but it then goes into what Elizabeth always kind of goes into is the discovery session. We have an onslaught of questions that we just do a deep dive on, exactly making sure that whatever we do end up producing speaks to what they actually want, and how that video will actually have an ROI. Because if this video is just going to be, you know, a landing page video to inform people to welcome people. Awesome is it supposed to have a higher ROI? Are you trying to retain business? Are you trying to actually have that convert or you just want that video just to be informativ and very educational that's nice.

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, I think we challenge all of our clients and prospects to think critically about why video because we don't want to create a product that, you know, they didn't have a vision for, and they leave not confident in the product that we created all because we didn't have a plan and a strategy in place. And I think, yeah, we've all been there, we've all been there.

 

Zahra  

I love that you you always everybody told me Graham, I gotta be able to get everybody's got this, I have to but then.

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, well, and you know, we really pride ourselves on becoming extensions of our of our clients, teams, you know, a lot of our clients, we work with our small business owners and startups, and we find that they don't have the bandwidth to have, you know, marketing team. And so we come in to kind of challenge them on, you know, are you thinking about your long term marketing objectives, are you thinking critically about your brand, and you know, what we create now, and that's probably getting ahead of myself, but what you think about now and what you want to produce, you know, under this, or on this channel, is going to need to be able to have a shelf life so that it is in line with your brand. I think that that's something to that, you know, I just want to a jazzy video, we can produce anything, but is it going to help you and your brand and your overall goals.

 

Zahra  

I love that so tell me a little bit about the discovery session itself because we do a discovery session as well and I think that that's one of the most, you know, critical because we get things all the time in websites submissions. I mean, at least two or three a day, you know, I needed this, this and this and I need it in four weeks what's your price? It's like we're talking about this we're not planning anniversary and I think that, to your point intentionality is one of the crucial parts of this, you know, and we look at that with brand strategy too. Everybody thinks that they need a brand, or they think I need a new logo, I just, you know, because they don't like theirs or because it was, you know, something that maybe they're bored of, or maybe they feel like it's not legit, or they found two or three people who are of their competitors that seem like they have a much cooler looking logo than they do. And so therein lies the issue got a scratch, right, like this thing done. And so kind of looking back and saying, Well, what's the brand what is the brand value Is there any, you know, value built up? Is there any equity built up in the visual that you already have and then why the change? Are you fundamentally changing? Are you narrowing into who you are and what your vision is, and now it's more refined, we need something that reflects that better, but just kind of like going through, what's the intention bcause video, branding, marketing, all of that, there's such a fallacy that that's like an expense, got to spend this percentage on it. And so it's money going out the doo but if we look at it more like an investment, what's the ROI? So if I do this, if I spend this money on a brand, if I spend this money on a video, what do I intend to get out of it right? Does that mean that now this new brand is going to help me at my price point? Does this new video allow me to include increase my click through rate and lower my ROI, lower my cost per click, like what's happening, that's going to change or be different. And I think kind of going into it with that intention is so critical, and so many people miss that, you know, as both consumers and you know, firms that are given that, you know, we don't really think about that. And nobody likes to think about it, because we want to make we want to get it done, right and we don't like anybody slowing us down, because we've decided to do it. And we want to, you know, it's like, okay, well, you're making me do work now, I'm not sure that I'm that I'm down for this. And so I think it's really a great way that you guys approach that. What do you think are some of the most valuable reasons to create a video that you've seen and how have you seen that kind of on the back end really operate as like an investment where they've seen a great return.

 

Adam  

So yeah, I'll just kind of jump in I know Elizabeth has a lot of good thoughts on this too. We really felt and feel like, since the world is turning into a review heavy, light type format, where everything on Amazon or Yelp is all reviewed by customers, sharing their testimonial, sharing their thoughts, sharing their opinions, I hear now even people saying, well, TikTok told me that need to buy this. And Facebook told me that I need to buy this meaning that they were influenced by somebody or something that was produced in a video format, that helped influence their spending. That's exactly where we kind of felt like we're fitting in because we are such good storytellers at heart, that by providing an authentic and genuine testimonial from customers, but our clients customers, that helps them actually have the ROI that we hope to have them have. Now granted, you know, delivery and broadcast is always a very specific situation that sometimes they don't have a strategy on, which is why I think they need to call you and people like you to get a bit more of a an idea of how they're going to be able to get that out there. But we felt that the storytelling component really is the most valuable resource that all companies no matter what they sell, or what they do, really helps convey exactly an authentic message of how they do it.

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, and some specifics, just the customer testimonials, obviously but I also think, you know, fundraising appeal videos, and there are a variety of ways to produce that. And then also, I think, you know, just general brand awareness videos, last year, we were hired by the Tobin to create a number of videos, because, you know, as the restrictions were being rolled back here in San Antonio, they wanted to invite people back to the Tobin and remind people that the Tobin is more than a building, righ and that's kind of their campaign. And so, they had us filming some community events, as well as, you know, some productions that they had scheduled. And we've created TV spots over the course of, you know, several months in the hopes that they would be able to bring in not only their patrons that they already have, but attract new people to the Tobin people that wouldn't see themselves as the Tobin type of patrons, you know, and I think they've been increasingly successful with that we've we've gotten a lot of great feedback, just about the performance and the performance of the videos. And, you know, their leadership he has been really pleased with the donor reception to the videos that they've produced and I think that just speaks volumes to, you know, the strength of video and the power of video.

 

Zahra  

Yeah, I think you know, and going back to again, like you can hear the intentionality and everything that you guys do. So, you know, it wasn't just, we're open now we got to get butts in the door it's like, well, what butts right, like, yeah, coming in and really understanding, you know, people are now emerging from their homes, and they're like itching to get out and do something. And so maybe they're willing to, you know, now, everybody's in this kind of psychographic model of live your best life and try new things. And so for a video production company to understand that we're trying to capitalize on that and these are the people that we're trying to, you know, reach through this kind of storytelling and provide this new experience that people maybe who aren't, you know, or they think it's all opera musicals, opera musical people, like, you know, and so I think that's really covered, I think, you know, going back to, and I'm gonna repeat a lot of what you say, because I love what you say. So just in case people missed it, the first I think that's really clever, you know, talking about what kinds of things should you be thinking about when you're considering video. And a lot of things you guys have already mentioned like, what's the intention of the video. You know, what's the shelf life you expect it to have, this is not like a reel that you DIY, you know, on your way to work this is a very different thing. And then also, what like, who are we, what is the audience? What are we trying to reach and what are we trying to say within that that message in that story. And so those are some really critical pieces to think through, that will give you a shelf life and results that you're looking for over time. And one of the things that's great about video, I think, is it's very similar to like YouTube versus Instagram, with Instagram, you post a video, from the moment you post it, like maybe peaks, and then it's just down right from there with YouTube over time that builds and it you know, and I think video has kind of that same effect where over time you make that investment over time, it's that piece. So especially when you're a nonprofit fundraising, and you don't have a big staff, having a tool that you can go to, and utilize over and over en masse, you know, really helps you kind of leverage maybe that understaffing if we you know, the joke of nonprofit profits, everybody's got a slash slash slash role. 

 

Elizabeth  

And my marketing goes first you know that.

 

Zahra  

Yes, and so this kind of gives you that go to application and so really looking at it really like an investment. So what other kinds of things should people really consider and think through, when they're considering that production, you know, besides the intention of it, and the shelf life and the audience.

 

Elizabeth  

I always love to ask, you know, typically we work with someone from the marketing team, or the leader of an organization. And I love to challenge them in bringing more people to the table, because oftentimes, we work in silos, and they're just focused on this one map marketing campaign, and they don't see the runway that there are opportunities to repurpose this footage for, whether it's a fundraising campaign or it's to bring in new community members over Geekdom like how else can this video that we're creating, be utilized beyond kind of your initial concept.

 

Adam  

And to kind of just jump in, because I don't know if it's been addressed yet but one of the most unique things that makes us who we are and how we do is because all of the footage that we shoot for our clients is theirs. We have a an exclusive copyright license agreement with them to say that all that footage in a raw format is theirs. So they can repurpose it, recycle it, reuse it, if they want to use it with another production company or an in house person that knows how to edit and all that fun stuff. That's totally totally up to them, we don't own it and we own it to the point where they allow us to own it. And I think that's really speaking to what Elizabeth was talking about, was that the intention of all of these meetings that we have these people is always making sure that we bring in the right kind of minds with the right kind of people that have more of a holistic approach on how they can really recycle all the footage that we're going to shoot and capture that way their investments is an actual investment and not just a one off.

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah and that comes down to also bringing people into the production not only the pre production planning and kind of the the strategy behind the video, but also who do you want on camera and thinking a little bit more strategically about that. Would it be great to also have, you know, these two individuals come on and speak about this, as subject matter experts come on and speak about this in a way that helps amplify the overall message of the video and I think that's just where we see ourselves as partners in the relationship.

 

Zahra  

And I couldn't really see that it's very authentic, what you say when you see yourself as an extension of, you know, the brand and the marketing team, because looking at it from that capacity. So, you know, one of the things that our firm, you know, is known for is our brand based marketing. And so what that essentially does, it's very much like a hub and spoke, right. So we take a math piece of content, and then we create, like, how do we now you know, so if it's a podcast, how do we now do audio clips and photos and profiles on social media and how do we take, you know, write a little paragraph excerpt and then send it to our email is to go and listen in. And how do we, you know, get them you know, so how can we repurpose that in multiple ways. And so then how do you in that same vein with video, like it's you really are built and creating content to fit into models like that, that can be re-utililize and repurpose, and that's a very cost effective way to approach it. And so for small, medium, and scaling businesses, where there's not a lot of fat in the marketing budget, that's a great tool to have to be able to repurpose that and look at it from that way, this isn't a one trick pony. This isn't just, you know, the header of our website, this also can be or needs to be what and so I think that's a really, really amazing way of looking at it. And it really does speak to how you guys are dialed in to what the marketing team needs and and it isn't just a silo, like, this is my creative, this is me being you know, my creative thing. And then there's marketing, and there's the financial aspect of it, you guys are dialed in on both ends. That's really cool. So in a perfect world guys, somebody comes to your client comes to you what, they're ready to do a video, what would you love for them to have ready at the onset of a project? What would you want them to know or have in their toolbox for you guys to use. 

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, well, I'd love for them to have a vision and some core messaging in mind. Personally, I know that's always easier for us, when we go into the pre production planning. I think if they, you know, in a perfect world, they've got a campaign that they are running, and this video is meant to kind of be an asset to to that larger campaign. Because we want them to see the value on video, we believe in video, our clients believe in video. And I think, you know, to your earlier point, finding ways to repurpose the footage and utilize it in other ways that continue to bring in an ROI is the only way we get buy in for video. And so we're not successful if they're not successful at the end of the day. And so I think it's just it's important for clients who are interested in video to at least have an idea of where they want to take it. And then we can, you know, be along for the ride and help them you know, develop the content. 

 

Adam  

And from a creative approach too it always would be nice if they could come in with some sort of inspiration on why they think they need video, did they see a competitor's video, did they see something on TV or on a movie that just really just turn on white ball, anything from a visual standpoint that can give us some ammunition to play with. And we really do start storyboarding, when we do start to visualize the whole concept of what their video could look like and feel like that's ultimately something that can really help direct some of the conversations we're going to have in the discovery session, but also down the road speaking to Elizabeth's point to that the whole silo effect, the more people can bring in to help guide them to stay focused, because sometimes their vision is way off from what their marketing team's vision is, or vice versa. 

 

Elizabeth  

Or operations or, I mean, yeah, it's interesting.

 

Adam  

Just getting everyone in the same room and just spitballing and making sure that the end product of this video actually does what they want it to do, as long as they have that strategy, or at least a concept of that strategy that really helps us nail down exactly how we're going to produce this.

 

Zahra  

That's very powerful and so this is just kind of a more granular question. So I know that so we work with video production companies, and you know, one of the things that when we give like style guides, and we give, you know, all that kind of information out one of the conversations that we have a lot with, video production companies in general and discovery and onboarding is a lot of the messaging, the tone and the persona of what the brand is, because it affects me, sometimes you get a video back, and it's cut cut cut cut cut, and really aggressive. It's like, well, that's not really what the brand is about, or the music isn't quite right and it's very slow, or and it doesn't really cater, it doesn't really, you know, speak to who the audience is or who the brand is, or what the message is and so it's kind off. And so having those kind of conversations like you were talking about earlier on, really helps to understand okay, well, you know, there's one way you're dizzy, you know, it's just dizzy, dizzy, dizzy, and you know, it was a product for you know, new moms, it's like, well, that's a freak amount.

 

Elizabeth  

They're already living in a dizzier world.

 

Zahra  

They have pregnancy brain, more stress on top of stress, like we need somebody that's a little, you know, and so walk me through that how you guys kind of go through and make those creative decisions and the nuances of some of that.

 

Adam  

Yeah, so from a creative approach, in the event that they were to actually provide us some sort of visual inspiration, if it was a competitive just video or just something to kind of give my brain a chance to at least start spitballing style and tone, then what we'll do is we'll go out and find other videos that have already been produced, and then we'll softball back to them, we'll call it back to them to say, which out of these three videos speaks to the tone and the energy that you think would convey your message in that kind of format. And that, again, just helps that we're trying to reduce the amount of revisions after we've produced this to a bare minimum. So that way, when we produce a rough cut, it's not 9%, the final cut but again, that goes into the process in the beginning to my background in video production, ironically, comes from the educational role. So educating kids at the time of before COVID, it was all online and so I quickly learned how to convey information through the use of sound and music. And so I kind of do things backwards from an editor standpoint, I find the music first to create the energy and the vibe, and then I build a story around that music. And I think, I mean, you told me, Elizabeth, I don't think we've really ever had a client ever come back and say I don't like this music. Or if they did, it was like, just turn up the energy a little bit more or just a little bit down but we've never had like a hate the music completely replace it and so that's at least a good sign that the energy and the vibe is there. Now, just going back to what you guys were talking about the core messaging, is it in line with the mission, the vision of exactly how this video needs to land, in front of our customers and clients. 

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, I think to what we do, and I'm more of the kind of pre production making sure that we have all of the information we need to execute on our clients on client's behalf. I think it's important for us to you know, gather all the assets, gather the brand guide, visual guides, take a look at their website, take a look at previous videos, if they have any those, you know how those were shot. And just trying to nail down really what from our perspective, their their tone and feel is and then and then kind of, we have the conversation to make sure that we're on the same page before we execute and in that time, we're kind of sending them some ideas to see whether or not we're getting closer to what they're looking for. It really is a collaborative, you know, experience, when you work with us.

 

Zahra  

I really love the way you guys explain that I kind of have this visual, maybe because they just went to the eye doctor. But you know, are they what's clear, you know, one or two, one or two, and you're just kind of showing them refining and refining to make sure there's that clear, you know, this is what we're looking at this what we want. I mean, that's really it's funny how similar the process is so when we first do so, you know, when we first do, you know, logo and visuals, we get three concepts, there's no color, there's no you know, it's just what are we looking at here, and everybody puts in their opinion. And because there's so much data collection and conversation that happened beforehand. We've never had somebody say I hate all three, you know, it's always like I lean towards one little tweaks here and there or, you know, but there's always there's never been kind of a throw it all away and start from scratch. Because when you are in line with what they want, and you ask those questions beforehand, then you know what the end looks like. It's easier to like you said kind of retro fit what that is so I think that's really amazing that you guys that you guys take it there with that degree of specificity. 

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, well, and I think it's probably been your experience, too, that you'll every once in a while, have a new client that you're onboarding and they just want you to get it done. They just want you to you create it and out of thin air and provide something for them. And we can do that but nine times out of 10 We're going to fall short and the last thing we want to do is to waste their time or our time and not produce the type of product that they're looking for. It really does require some time and investment on everyone's part to make sure that we knock it out of the park.

 

Zahra  

Yeah, I think okay, so we might edit this but we do have a I don't know if you've ever had this experience or this conversation, you know, where somebody does say, well, you're the expert, you you do it and yes, that's true. However, you know, in the thing we always say is, you have expectations whether or not you think you have them, you've got them, but we're going to be completely oblivious to them until we're in the final stages and you see it, yeah and you're like, oh, I don't like it. And then we're gonna have to go all the way back and nine times out of 10 timing is an issue for them. So it's like, you know, if we have to go all the way till final edit, and now we recorded it, we've hired the actors, they've done their thing, like, you know, we've made it all and now it doesn't meet expectation that we've got to go back to the drawing board either. So for us, it's like, we've already have the designers, the you know, the UI designers in UX developers have everybody's doing their thing and then at the very end, you're like, meeh. So everybody has expectations, it's gonna cost us time and money, because eventually, you're gonna have to let us know what they are. If we're gonna do something that you're gonna love so like, better to do it now and, you know, it'll make it'll save us time in the end getting it done. But I always think that's funny when me because I'm a bit of like, a control freak OCD so if I get something like, Okay, guys, I know, I know what I want, I know what I'm looking for. You know, I'm not a browser. If I go shopping at the mall, I know exactly what I'm looking for, in and out, and I'm not messing around. But it is interesting and do you guys ever feel like that has that ever happened to you where, you know, there's this kind of like, I don't have expectations and then at the end.

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, well, and what I really I really try to underscore in every conversation is you know your business better than I do. And that will always be the case that ultimately the client holds the keys, right. They have expectations, they have institutional knowledge. They know internally what their strategy is, I don't have any of that information to help inform the video. So we have we bring the skills to the table, but it is a very much a collaborative project, we are the guides, in essence.

 

Adam  

I think that speaks to what both of you guys just mentioned about the time expectations most times on why clients are asking, you guys are the experts, you guys do it, it's usually because they're in a time crunch with whatever kind of strategy that they've been told by another entity or another vendor or by themselves by rolling out a new brand. And I think, to some degree, that variable, the time component is the one that causes a lot of the rift on them losing the investments or losing some power out of the investment. And again, it just speaks to everything that you guys are talking about just planning and preparation way beforehand, which is why video is not something you just do in your car on the way to work, it's something you plan.

 

Zahra  

Yeah and we always challenged the time. I don't know what book it was I read, maybe it's I don't remember, maybe it's the business of expertise, I don't remember. But I read this book, and the author is saying, you know, we are so adamant, we love to put deadlines on things. But realistically, like, if you were to challenge yourself every time you set a deadline, and you said is that universally non negotiable the deadline. And oftentimes it isn't, it's the preferred date to get things done, and I'm all about, you know, getting it done quickly. I mean, we compile our financials, and we know, after logic goes past a certain date, the cost to finish the project increases dramatically. So we work hard to keep, you know, within that, but when a client comes to you with like, I have to have it done by this date, or I'm going to lose my spot manufacturing, or I'm gonna, whatever, something's gonna happen. I'm not gonna, I'm gonna miss my meeting with a buyer or something's gonna happen nine times out of 10, that's not an exact date. It's a preferred date, but it could and so for what, you know, you because if it was, you'd probably be doing it a little sooner, like, you know. And so I always kind of challenge that, like, is that the absolute last date and then just kind of give them the scenarios, right? Like, okay, so with this date, this is what we could do reasonably unexpected. But if we had another week, or if we had another two weeks, this is what we could do for you. And nine times out of 10 it's like, alright, well, no more than two. They understand the quality difference, and then that like, hardened past date maybe isn't so hard and fast. And so yeah, I was and so that was funny, because you said that I thought oh my god. Okay, so let's like pull back a little bit. I love all of what you guys have dive, audiences gonna really resonate and appreciate kind of rethinking how they approach video. It's not just a single thing. It's not a checkbox on your marketing to do list. It's really something that can give you much benefit, both short term and long term. And the things to really think about like to intelligently make those decisions and not just kind of, I think sometimes in marketing, it goes so fast, and there's so many moving parts. So a lot of the decisions that we make and the choices that we make are in autopilot, yeah and they're not well thought out. It's like, it's Tuesday, I gotta have something posted and so you know, but there's no intentionality behind it, you might as well not really and so I think that this has been eye opening for a lot of people. And then also kind of brings it into focus, like you've simplified that process for people, it doesn't have to be really complicated. You just need to have somebody who can guide you through that process and help you make smart decisions, the help is out there. And sometimes, it's overwhelming, because we're trying to do something ourselves that we really shouldn't be. We say that all you know, all the time, there's even when we work on our brand, we got outside resources, because you can't be unbiased about your own brand. We have all the blinders that every company that comes to us has about their own brands, you just can't do it. And so that's always a topic so moving on, where do you guys see the future of video over the next five to 10 years as we're moving more into this, like meta online experience and more, even if you're a bricks and mortar business, you have to have now a strong online presence. It's non negotiable.

 

Adam  

Yeah, no, I think I think it really kind of relates to what we've been able to do to sell ourselves to our current clients that we provide both short term and a long term solution. But in doing the short term and long term solution, we provide both a short format and a long format solution. A lot of people are using social media to get people in their doors, literally in their doors, some people are using their website, some people are using YouTube, some people are just using their website to get people to give them a call. So there are different kinds of ways that video can really be something that will help them convert whatever they're trying to convert. And so the short format being the small 15/22 Splash video is to help promote an event or help promote a product. That's really where I think it's always going to be whether it be the metaverse, whether it be on Instagram, or Tiktok, there's always gonna be some sort of social media platform that will speak to the youth, which is a driving economy, or driving piece of the economy that all of us need to be selling to. But whether your demographic speaks of the youth, middle aged professionals, or the elderly, video is always going to have some sort of influence, whether it be for a long format or a short format. It's really hard to say because I know two years ago, with COVID, we had kind of an idea where everything is going to be very, very virtualized, again, and to some degree, it really is. And I think another year or two people are gonna start to realize as much as we were coming out of this COVID light type era where everyone's going back in person to everything and be a part of the workspace again, not all companies really need to do that. And so having a virtual component is something that we think is always going to be around in some form or capacity for specific clients that can really utilize their marketing efficiencies, and of course, the budget deficiencies.

 

Zahra  

Yeah, I completely agree. It's so funny, this is just a little tidbit, you know, it's not any kind of data, just our data in house, is I hate being on video, I hate it with a passion. It intimidates me, I don't ever feel like I'm prepared. I don't ever feel like I have enough interesting content, to hold a 32 second video or you know, or that I can piece it together in an engaging way. And I am very critical of my likes, you know, those faces I make when I talk, you know, all those things, it's so I it's really something that I've resisted for a long time. I'm more comfortable in the writing space, that's where I came from ghost writing, marketing, writing copy, that's my background. And I feel more confident in that I feel like it's a better quality. But when we put it out into marketing world, the thing that gets the more views or the more traction, right, the more engagement, the more impressions, the more clicks, the more you name the metric is always the podcast or the video, as compared to the written work. And so and that's just my experience, it's you know, but we see those trends universally we see them everywhere. And so that just kind of goes to show even if you're not doing it as well as another format, it really does it really does make a difference impact and people are drawn to it in any any way, shape or form that you're getting it.

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, and I think we've always probably and unconsciously been striving for more human connection and then with COVID we were kind of thrust into this weird purgatory where we are, you know, Zooming with with everybody But now that we're coming out of it, I mean, I still take a lot of Zoom calls, yes, still take a lot, you know, more than I think I would have expected and I don't think that that's going away. And so kind of to answer your question in a different way, I think all of us are going to have to get more comfortable being in front of a camera, whether it's for, you know, a client conversation over Zoom, or, you know, sitting sitting down to produce something on your social media, personal or professional, I think everyone is building their own brand. And now we want to see the person behind the brand, I think that's important for companies to I think it's the human connection, you know, you need to humanize your brand, whatever that is company or an individual. 

 

Adam  

And the transparency behind that really kind of helps shine light on all facets that so speaking to you all's point, just getting on camera and say a few things. Ironically, both her and I prefer not to be on camera but we recognize that even like tomorrow, we have our shoot, and we're actually gonna be doing a story through Geekdourselves. And so both are not going to be on camera and this has been just be the first time in three years that both her and I have been together, but this will happen so get some preparation to do.

 

Zahra  

It's always a new adventure, speaking engagements were always hard for me at the beginning first. I remember the first few years I was doing them. 

 

Adam  

You're a rockstar though Zahra.

 

Zahra  

You know, I don't ever, I'll tell you this funny anecdote that we might end up editing out. I remember one of the first speaking engagements that I had done it was a woah was one of the first one that I had done that had like over 100 people, so I was like, really nervous. And I remember afterwards, you know, the people that are there will come and talk to you and I remember I was so nervous. I was like, nervous, sweaty, like, I was like dripping sweat, it was so gross. And I remember the woman I was talking to kept commenting on how cold the building was the whole time.

 

Adam  

You did a great job, when I heard you speak, especially at things over at Geekdom. I mean, you you were spot on, you're articulate, you had a lot of conviction in what you're saying. And I think that messaging carried along, carried across to the point where people understood from a non marketing type brain, and I think that's really where you crushed it. And that's where I think we're really where we resonate most with you because we prefer to work with people like you that have that type A OCD control I mean, especially because it works, right? You have your eggs in the basket may not be all the eggs, but we're gonna get there because you have the basket already and that's, that's huge. 

 

Zahra  

Oh, thank you, I appreciate that. Okay, so this is the fun part, rapid fire questions okay. We're gonna go, who do you want to go first? 

 

Elizabeth  

Adam goes first.

 

Zahra  

So we'll, I'll ask him then we'll rotate. Okay so dream vacation go.

 

Adam  

Tokyo 

 

Elizabeth  

Maldives

 

Zahra  

The type or name of a company that you're dying to shoot like, who's your dream client right now or industry?

 

Adam  

Documentaries

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, that's less about the client more about just kind of the long form industry long format that yeah, we're interested in.

 

Zahra  

I love it. Have your habit you adopted during COVID

 

Adam  

Cycling

 

Elizabeth  

Oh, reall that was you answered so quick, I am stuck on that one, I am stuck. Shoot pass.

 

Zahra  

Okay, favorite thing about being an entrepreneur.

 

Adam  

Working with different types of people everyday.

 

Elizabeth  

Being in control of your destiny to a degree.

 

Zahra  

Yes, that too okay, the book you're reading right now or audibly. 

 

Elizabeth  

Yup, I gotta follow up got a few going.

 

Adam  

Or last book you read.

 

Elizabeth  

I'll jump in, I'm in the middle of a few but Shoe Dog by Phil Knight.

 

Zahra  

I have so many follow up questions, I have to remind myself it's rapid fire guys. Must have resource tool or software that you use in business.

 

Adam  

For my line of work Milanote. It's like Evernote, but for creatives, storyboarding and creative spitballing, thought process to stop dumping basically, it's awesome.

 

Elizabeth  

Monday.com for me.

 

Zahra  

Ohhh i'm an Asana girl, but I do like Monday. Favorite place in San Antonio right now. 

 

Adam  

Downtown 

 

Elizabeth  

Ah, downtown, probably my default. 

 

Zahra  

Awesome, so that was a lot of fun. Thank you guys so much for joining me today. How can we get in touch with you if we're ready to make that move?

 

Elizabeth  

Yeah, we're easily accessible via info@whitecloudmg.com. You can also visit our website whitecloud mg.com.

 

Zahra  

Awesome. Perfect. For those of you guys who didn't have a pen with you, don't worry, it's all in the show notes. We're gonna link up all their stuff so they can just click and you're one click away and so we will see you guys next episode. Thank you so much, and we will talk to you later. 

 

Adam  

Thanks for having us. 

 

Elizabeth  

Thanks. 

Adam DusenburyProfile Photo

Adam Dusenbury

Director

Founder, Owner and Director of White Cloud Media Group; a commercial film and video production company specializing in highlighting the best of what life has to offer. Whether that be a company's impact on society or promoting a new product that will change the world we live in. White Cloud Media Group first started out as White Cloud Drones; a UAV/drone company geared to provide aerial data analytics and logistics as well as providing aerial cinematography services to large scale production companies.

Elizabeth ReiserProfile Photo

Elizabeth Reiser

Head of Client Success

At White Cloud Media Group, I work with clients to understand their core messaging objectives, and ensure that every video our creative team produces drives a return on their investment. Email elizabeth@whitecloudmg.com for a quote on your next video project.

Throughout my career I’ve been drawn to roles that harnessed my talent for building relationships and managing creative projects that influence behavior and build brand awareness.

Over the last 17+ years I’ve worked on marketing and fundraising campaigns with national and regional brands, including Medspring Urgent Care, Pro-Flowers, Subaru, Austin Pets Alive!, Boys & Girls Clubs, USAA, Planet Fitness, and the Ad Council.