Courtesy: suntimes.com

I wrote last Thursday about putting joy into marketing videos. It was in response to a good friend passing away. Later that day there was another passing, and I was thrilled to see one of my journalistic heroes apparently shared my sentiment.

Roger Ebert left us that day. He was my favorite movie critic. I often shared the same opinion as him on movies, but more than anything I just loved his writing. I remembered sitting in my high school’s library and reading his reviews every week.

A lot has been written about him since he passed, and I came across a quote of his in a few places…

“We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.”

That from a man who was battling cancer. It’s further conformation for me that I’m on the right track. Putting joy into our work, in this case marketing videos, is a worthy cause.

Ebert’s funeral is today. A sad occasion for sure, but I’ll do my best to think about all the joy his writing brought me on a regular basis. Then I’ll go about the business of putting joy into my work for my clients and their audiences.

–Tony Gnau

I mentioned yesterday I was going to a memorial service for a good friend, Marty Napoli, Jr. It was a sad but inspiring occasion. He was one of those people who simple shine, and it actually hit me during the ceremony that Marty had what we all need in our marketing videos… JOY!

Marty exuded joy. He was the type of person who made everyone feel better just having been around him. I don’t know about you, but that’s a response I’d like people to have after having watched one of our clients’ videos.

SEE MARTY’S JOY FOR YOURSELF

Marty made cameos in a couple of T60 videos. I shared one yesterday, but as I was driving home from the memorial I remembered another. It happens to be perfect considering this subject matter.

He was in one segment from our Telly Award winning video for Medinah Country Club following the 2006 PGA Championship. Marty was known as the “Mayor of Medinah” and the segment opens with him welcoming people to “his” club.

“Life is so good. I mean look where we’re at. We’re at Medinah. Sun’s shining.” VIDEO– 2006 PGA Championship

Classic Marty. That’s the way he looked at every day… always something positive. Life is so good.

I’ve always felt like the passion I bring to every project shines through, but now I’m going to put a little Marty into every video… I’m going add some joy.

–Tony Gnau

You might talk-the-talk when it comes to customer service, but to you walk-the-walk? I shot a motivational speech yesterday at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo regarding customer service, and it spurred some video thoughts.

The speech was given by United Airlines’ Captain Denny Flanagan. He’s a pilot who has single-handedly taken it upon himself to raise the bar when it comes to airline customer service (CBS News story). A bar he admits is really low.

Captain Flanagan mostly told stories about the different things he does to engage with customers and improve their travel experience. He’s been known to buy everyone hamburgers when there’s a flight delay, call the parents of child flying alone to let them know he or she is on the plane, and he even hands out his business card and cell number to customers in case they have problems making a connecting flight. To say he goes above and beyond is an understatement.

What struck me is that most companies have a person like Captain Flanagan working for them. Why in the world aren’t these businesses’ leaders featuring them in videos!? Companies need to make it a priority to single out team members providing excellent service and share their stories with customers.

–Tony Gnau

For the record…United Airlines is a past client, but I am receiving no compensation for this post.

Love, love, love yesterday’s guest post by Laura Click at spinsucks.com. She blogs about the four deadly mistakes made on corporate websites.

One of the things she suggests is incorporating video into their content. Well… yeah! She’s totally right, and yet video is missing from far too many corporate websites.

There are all sorts of options for the types of videos company leaders can produce. Highlight employees, new products, services, show how the business is involved in the community… I could go on and on. However, the one video EVERY company should have at their website is the About Us video.

It doesn’t have to be complicated… just a basic explanation of what it is that the company does and what sets it apart from the competition.

I know this might not be easy for some business leaders. It could take a little time and it could mean an additional expense. The benefit is website content that will be seen and heard. People watch videos. Give them a good one and you’re creating a terrific first impression.

–Tony Gnau

I’ve found all sorts of good examples of marketing and public relations videos out there, but this is the first time I’ve come across one from the FBI.

The G-Men started a campaign a little over a week ago… looking for leads in the most expensive art heist in U.S. history. 13 works of art, including rare paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer, stolen in 1990 from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The collection is valued at approximately $500 million.

The Bureau has a website devoted to the crime. It gives all the particulars behind the crime, and it also provides a series of videos featuring agents and a representative from the museum.

These are real stories. They’re not going to win any awards, but there’s storytelling taking place. This is the kind of thing I expect to find with medium to large companies and far too often end up with low-quality drivel.

The main video on the page has over 20,000 views. How many people do you think would have simply read the news release without the video?

That’s the power of video… the power you need to be putting to work for your business.

–Tony Gnau

Today is the final day of… Travel Week! Video production lessons learned on the road.

We do a decent amount of traveling for our clients, and there’s always insights we pick-up along the way. This post is one of the biggest surprises we’ve found on a trip… Seriously… I’m Praising THIS Video!?

–Tony Gnau

It’s Travel Week here at the T60 blog… looking back at some of our favorite travel-inspired posts. Good lessons learned on the road to help improve your marketing videos.

We’re doing this because I was in DC all of last week and I’m getting caught up this week. The reason I mention that is because I’ve been to our nation’s capital four times over the last four years. Once for work, but the rest for pleasure.

Interesting that one of those “fun” trips actually inspired the following post… How B-roll Can Save Your Butt

–Tony Gnau

Ground Zero: September 13, 2010

Day two today of… TRAVEL WEEK! I was in Washington, DC last week and this week I’m trying to get caught-up, so I’m visiting the archives with video production lessons from some of our best travel-inspired blog posts.

Today’s post is a good lesson from one of our most memorable shoots… Ground Zero.

Please enjoy… Lessons from NYC Shoot

–Tony Gnau

I just go back from a great trip to Washington, DC. Lots to get caught up on this week, so I have something fun planned for the blog.

Since I’ve been traveling, I though we’d revisit some of our best posts inspired by trips, so please enjoy… TRAVEL WEEK!

Today: Laziness Doesn’t Get You Shots Like This

–Tony Gnau