Election overload… back tomorrow!

–Tony Gnau

That headline has been T60’s slogan since I started the company eight years ago, and the tradition may continue.

Admittedly, this is some self-patting on the back. I learned yesterday I’ve been nominated for another Emmy Award.

As many of you know, I got my start as a TV news reporter… winning three Emmy awards during my 9-year career. What many of you might not know is I continue to moonlight at WGN-TV as a freelance producer and writer.

At first, it started as a way to make some money while I got T60 going. Now, I freelance there less often, but it’s still a lot of fun when I do. I get to keep my toes in TV news, and I also get to work on a terrific team.

Being part of a team

Team is the key word here because for the first time in my career, I’m nominated as part of a team. Our 5pm newscast is nominated for best news gathering (spot news) for our coverage of the NATO protests. I wrote for that show, edited video and coordinated live shots, so I’m one member of the team that’s nominated.

We haven’t won anything yet. It’s just a nomination, but it’s fun. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work. I often tell people the Telly is like an Emmy for people in the non-broadcasting world, but that’s what’s cool about an Emmy. Everyone knows what one is and the achievement speaks for itself.

Any award you’ve won that you want to brag on a bit? I’d love to hear about it and give you a virtual pat on the back.

–Tony Gnau

Just got back from a shoot in San Diego and trying to get back into the swing of things.

Sorry for ditching the blog for a couple of days. I debated writing some posts in advance and auto-posting, but I just had too much to do preparing for the trip.

Anyway, no big insights today, but I found some really good blog material while in SoCal. I’m planning a whole San Diego-inspired blog week that’ll start Monday.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a preview!

–Tony Gnau

You don’t need a big production to create good videos. You don’t even need a big budget, and T60 is ready to prove it.

$500. That’s the price-point for our latest service. We’re calling them “Elevator Pitch Videos.”

I don’t typically write about the services we offer. This blog isn’t meant to be a sales vehicle. It’s a platform to discuss our passion… storytelling.

I decided, however, to write about this particular service because I run into so many business owners with the same problem. They understand the power of video, and they would love something for their company’s website and social media… but they don’t have the cash.

I’m a small business owner myself, so trust me, I get it. That’s why we developed this service.

Clients get a 1-hour shoot. During that time we conduct an interview of sorts where they give us their elevator pitch. What they do, what sets them apart, and how they want their clients to feel after working with them. We shoot a little raw video, then take it all back and put together a short video.

It’s basic but professional. It’s high-quality but budget friendly. It’s just what a lot of small businesses need.

–Tony Gnau

Even a little video is better than no video at all. Research tells us people LOVE watching online videos. A short video might be all you need to get prospects to explore your website further.

It’s all about creating a good first impression, and these days you can get professional expertise at a minimal expense. T60’s Elevator Pitch videos are just $500, and we’re not the only ones creating quality low-cost videos.

The point is you can get expert help at a reasonable price. You don’t have to figure out how to do it on your own and risk looking like an amateur. Find a video professional to give you business a polished look.

–Tony Gnau

A time out today from our usual video world commentary for an atta-boy to one of our past clients. He’s heading to the Summer Games in London… sort of.

About six or seven years ago we produced a feature on Dr. Stephan Mikulak. He’s an orthopedic surgeon in Southern California and former gymnast. We just found out his son made the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team.

Pretty exciting stuff! Dr. Mikulak was a great guy to work with, and our only regret was that we didn’t get to see him in action in his operating room. We shot an interview, him interacting with a couple of patients in his office, and he provided some other video. It was one of five videos we produced for the doctors in his practice, California Orthopedic Specialists.

While we didn’t get to see him in action… we can’t wait to see his son’s performance. Good luck to Olympian Sam Mikulak!

–Tony Gnau

Well, I’m please to announce that T60 has won two 2012 Telly Awards.

The Telly Awards draw over 10,000 entries every year and are considered one of television’s and the non-broadcast video industry’s most prestigious honors.

We’ve now won 11 Telly Awards over the last five years, but who’s counting? :-)

See the winning entries: METROsquash – Warrenville P.D. Recruiting

All kidding aside, we owe a debt of gratitude to our clients. Not just the award winners… all of our clients. Our mission is to create quality storytelling at an affordable price. We’re able to do both because our clients put a lot of trust in our creative ability.

That’s the value we try to provide each and every client.

–Tony Gnau

I love my job. I love getting to go places and see things not everyone gets to experience. Whether it’s going behind the scenes at Goose Island Beer Company or looking over the shoulder of an orthopaedic surgeon in their operating room… I get to see some pretty cool stuff.

One of my favorite shoot locations is Lincoln Park Zoo, and my favorite animals to shoot video of are the big cats. Yesterday, we had to say goodbye to one.

Adelor, the zoo’s male lion, was euthanize after suffering geriatric-related health problems. He was 18-years-old.

Adelor was everything you could hope for in a lion. He had a regal mane and a loud roar you could hear all over the park. I used to love walking up to the zoo’s gate in the morning and hearing him. Of course, he never seemed to do it when I pointed my camera at him. I’m sure he was toying with me.

Get a brief glimpse of Adelor: LP Zoo “About Us” – LP Zoo Events

Lincoln Park Zoo is well-known for its conservation and science initiatives. One of them even involves vaccinating African dogs to prevent the spread of diseases like rabies to lions. So while the public may have simply seen a magical looking animal, in many ways Adelor and all the animals there represent a bigger mission.

I’ll miss Adelor. I’ll miss hearing that roar, but it’s comforting to know our zoo is helping keep alive the roars of lions all over the African Serengeti.

–Tony Gnau

I hope your business is like ours. We have some amazing clients, and just when we feel like we know it all… we’re pretty sharp… one of them teaches us something new.

We share a lot of those stories here, but some of them we single out at our newsletter (newsletter signup). We’re starting an ambitious new project tomorrow that involves sharing some of our clients’ stories through a series of newsletter videos.

Why they use video, how they use it, target audiences… it’s all up for discussion and you’ll hear about it in their own words.

We’re constantly amazed at some of the creative ways our clients are using video, so our hope is that you pick up some good ideas along the way.

First up… Goose Island Beer Company’s Chief Operating Officer. He’s part of the talented team that has led to the craft beer company to new heights. How high? Anheuser-Busch bought them last year for nearly $40 million.

Sound like they might have something to offer?

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau, T60 Productions

T60 is excited about the new year, and we hope that you are as well. In 2011, we churned out 16 client videos, four newsletters, 184 blog posts… and who knows how many tweets and Facebook status updates. That’s a lot of content!

Guess what… we’re just getting started.  We have all sorts of plans for 2012 and they start this month.  We’ll be sharing a series of videos we’ve produced for you… our friends and followers.  Each video will feature a T60 client who will talk about their PR and marketing strategies for using video.  Why they produce them, who they’re targeting, and how they deliver them. Good stuff.

And since we’re toasting a new year, we’re going to start with some thoughts from the C.O.O. at Goose Island Beer Company.  You’ll hear from him in the coming weeks.

Don’t want to miss it? Just sign up for our monthly newsletter and you’ll have it delivered right to your email inbox (Newsletter Signup).

Happy to have you with us in 2012!

–Tony Gnau