A client had a last-minute request yesterday for some DVDs and I was happy to be able to accommodate them. I also promised to deliver them myself. A promise made and a promise kept at about 8:20 a.m. this morning.

Pat on the back… nice job Tony… thank you T60. If you’re a hard worker and want satisfied customers, this is pretty standard stuff, nothing noteworthy. Believe it or not you deserve that pat on the back because that’s not always how it works.

I got a reminder on the way home while waiting at the Clark & State “L” stop. Looking for my train I spotted at flat screen monitor operated by the Chicago Transit Authority. Various ads were running, the time, weather, and then something that caught my attention… a graphic that said, “CTA Train Tracker.”

Standing there in the cold I anxiously awaited to see how long it would be until my train arrived, only the information never followed. The CTA announced they have a train tracker, but that’s it. Frustrating.

About 10-minutes later my train showed up and I was on my way, but it really made me appreciate people who deliver on promises. If that’s you, this is your pat on the back.

–Tony Gnau

One of the things we pride ourselves in at T60 is the effort we put into every video we produce, so why do some win awards and others don’t? The reason this year is simple, and it’s a great lesson for business leaders.

It’s the people. Take one look at the videos we produced for DuPage Habitat for Humanity and Glenwood School for Boys and Girls and the common denominator is each features compelling people.

Shari and Arletta in the Habitat video… Vashawn in the Glenwood video… they’re comfortable on camera, they’re engaging, and most importantly they’re speaking from the heart. They’re not delivering a scripted corporate message. You can tell they believe in what they’re talking about.

It’s a great lesson for businesses leaders who want to produce their own video. Think about all your employees. Think about your customers? Who are the most engaging people who surround your company?

It might not be the CEO, executive, or manager you planned on featuring, but sometimes they aren’t your best representatives.

–Tony Gnau

T60’s 32nd Annual Telly Award Winners

VIDEO– DuPage Habitat for Humanity

VIDEO– Glenwood School for Boys and Girls

We got some great news last week. T60 won a pair of trophies at the 32nd Annual 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. There are two levels of awards, the silver (top honors) and bronze.

This year, T60 was awarded both a silver and bronze for videos submitted to the Film/Video, Non-Broadcast Productions, Non-Profit Category.

Please join us in congratulating our clients… DuPage Habitat for Humanity and Glenwood School for Boys and Girls.

SILVER TELLY VIDEO– DuPage Habitat for Humanity

BRONZE TELLY VIDEO– Glenwood School for Boys and Girls

T60 has now won nine Telly Awards over the last four years.

There’s an old adage in video and film production. When you think you’ve shot enough, shoot a little more. That’s because you never know what might come in handy in the edit room. Better to have too much raw material than not enough.

It’s actually a concept that translates well to just about any field. Don’t do just enough work to get the job done, go beyond that so you have plenty to do a great job.

Usually doing just enough work will get you paid, it just won’t get clients to return.

–Tony Gnau

Last week Danny Brown blogged about relationships and how they lead to sales. He also mentioned something that really struck a chord with me… that we base our decisions on emotions.

He’s right, which is why marketing videos can be such a great way to reach people. A good video can elicit an emotional response and connect the viewer with the company on a personal level.

Enter storytelling.  It fosters these emotions in a way facts and figures don’t. The lesson? Don’t get wrapped up in the facts behind a product, service, or company. The story should come first.

–Tony Gnau

Give ’em all the facts and figures you want, but in the end many consumers will take a good story over logic any day.

Yesterday, Seth Godin blogged about the limits of evidence-based marketing. He also offered up an alternative… persistent storytelling.

I like the sound of that. As a matter of fact, regular readers here know it’s one of my favorite subjects.

Simply put, storytelling sells. Give viewers interesting stories, deliver them on a regular basis, and good things will happen.

That’s because they trigger and emotional response. The better the stories, the more favorably people view the subject matter.

So… are you ready to tell people the stories surrounding your business?

–Tony Gnau

Figuring out what a customer needs, expects, and then surpassing it. Tough to do in some cases, easy in others, but you should always give it a try.

It doesn’t have to be a big gesture. For us, it often involves including a little piece of video our client isn’t anticipating. I got to do that last week and it always makes me smile. I can’t wait to hear back from the client about the little surprise we slipped into their video.

Little things go a long way to satisfying a client.

–Tony Gnau

It’s okay to ask for help. Sometimes it can be humbling, but it’s okay.

I got a little reminder about this yesterday. A short video has expanded into long video… a very long video… and it’s kind of b-roll challenged. We shot a bunch of raw video, but it started to get a little thin as the production grew in the edit bay.

So as much as it pained me, I turned to my client for help. And you know what? It paid off. Turns out they had exactly what I needed, was no work for them at all, and the video will now benefit.

It’s hard to ask for help sometimes, but when you get it you wonder why you ever made a fuss.

–Tony Gnau

Videos don’t need to long, substantial… epic. A series of short videos done on a regular basis can actually have a bigger impact than a single, big time production.

Why? Good quality, short videos are something people can look forward to, they’re easy to share with friends, and they’ll earn you a following.

One incredible video might get you some attention at first, but a solid series will keep people coming back for more. Business leaders should decide whether they prefer a big splash or a steady stream.

–Tony Gnau

We did a same-day shoot and edit for Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo last week at the Regenstein Center for African Apes, and it presented a common situation worth noting.

We were only doing a single interview, and someone from the zoo asked if we would like to sit the subject next to the animal enclosure to use it as a backdrop. That’s when a silverback gorilla walked in and sat down.

I declined and the person suggesting it was surprised. I explained that on the surface it looks like a great backdrop. I mean, come on, gorillas are pretty cool, but think about the backdrop from a visual perspective.

If you’re interviewing someone and a gorilla walks up behind them, will you as the viewer be looking at the interview subject or the 800-lbs. gorilla?

A good interview backdrop is one that looks nice, but also isn’t distracting. Keep the focus on the person being interviewed, not the backdrop.

–Tony Gnau

VIDEO: Lincoln Park Zoo – Dr. Fisher Birthday Party