Archive for VideoStory News

On Mentoring

By admin on July 17, 2010

Brien Lee Casual

Brien Lee

I’m a mentor. I don’t know when I figured it out, but it is what I’ve been doing most of my life.

I’ve been the owner, creative director and head writer for three of my own companies, and people working at those companies left a lot smarter than when they came in. (Of course, one thing they may have learned is “I’ll never work for that guy again!”)

I’ve taught creative theory, writing, direction, sound design, industrial theater techniques, short and long form video editing, and much more.

My past employees have gone on to success– some running their own creative companies of note and accomplishment.

I’ve helped clients improve their communications efforts, taught both the creative and technical at workshop and university levels, and started friends, relatives and customers on their way to achieving their dreams of being writers, producers, and entrepreneurs.

And this is what I want to do now that I’ve relocated to the New York / New Jersey metro area. Teach. Cajole. Foster learning by doing. Create a few success stories.

You’ll soon see more about this on my various websites– videostory.com, videostorysecrets.com, moderngeezer.com, and avsquad.com (I think that’s all of ‘em.)

I plan on offering a lot of quick-start knowledge for free. Some podcasts, some tutorials, reviews and recommendations, and some running off at the mouth.

It’s taken a while to settle down. Now it’s time to saddle up!

Sincerely,

Brien Lee

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Categories : Current Affairs, VideoStory News, VideoStory Team News
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“Custom Creative Content”: A Web 2.0 Concept that Makes Sense

By admin on February 17, 2009

If the buzz on the web is to believed, Custom Creative Content is the next new thing.

A Company's Vision or Sales Concepts must be transmitted on many different levels.

A Company's Vision or Sales Concepts must be transmitted on many different levels.

But it really isn’t. What it is, really, is a manifesto of a company’s need to shift it’s marketing into “Web 2.0″ mode– a credo of engagement, involvement, and discussion, all spurred by the use of various media methods to create interest in you and what or whom you represent (product, personality, cause, service.)

It includes web presence and interactivity, from blogs and podcasts, to video casts and regular marketing videos, all offered for free as in the form of valuable information that may or may not include your product or primary message. What’s important is what the customer wants to know. In the case of a brand, it may be the brand’s history or culture. In the case of a product, it might be how the product is made. In the case of a service, it might be getting to know the people who provide the service.

All this revolves around a MIX of media, from web based, to directly marketed or presented. A website, YouTube, a blog or a forum, even Twitter and photostreams (and slideshows- remember them?) But also a DVD, a direct (snail) mail, TV Spots, newsletters (web and paper), and viral campaigns.

It’s not enough to simply hire a web specialist, programmer or a video producer. Your consultant must know how all of these activities intersect. They must have been there, and know where next to go. They have to know your story and feel your vision. They have to be able to create content.

We’ve been doing that since we were kids. But we’ve been forward looking just as long. We’re no stranger to video, meetings and presentations, audio, streaming, blogging, or  RSS feeding. We listen. We analyze. We propose. We execute. All the media, all the details. We measure, report, respond, refine and enhance. We grow your page views, enhance your image, get you applause and earn you the response you require.

What is Custom Creative Content? It’s a story, on many different levels.

  • Level One: Concept. What is the plan? Who is the audience, where are they, what turns them on?
  • Level Two: Words. The blueprint to all else that will follow.
  • Level Three: media selection, based on the above.
  • Level Four: Design. Make sure there is a common look and feel to all your content.
  • Level Five: Creatively exploit each medium to its fullest, in light of your strategy. Testimonials? Interviews? Flow animations? Mind Maps?
  • Level Six: Place the messages where they will be found. Web-Centric? Direct? Mass media? Auditorium? Trade Show? Brochure, free DVD, YouTube?
  • Level Seven: Before paying for exposure, maximize your free exposure. Keyword optimization. Forum presence. Street Crews. PR. Speakers Bureaus. Viral Video. Word of Mouth.
  • Level Eight: Track the action. See what works. Modify. Your keywords. Your creative. Your media placement. Your web presence. This is the thing…. you can make changes– even in video– overnight.
  • Level Nine: Build on Your Success. Now, YOU’RE the expert. Be interviewed, appear on other people’s podcasts. Become the go-to-person locally or nationally on your subject.
  • Level Ten: Never stop listening and conversing. All of tis has to be two way, whether you hand type your own responses, use autoresponders, or virtual assistants.

In the advertising business, this used to be called a campaign. But an ad campaign was simple. This is a Hydra. This is Now. And this works.

Categories : Business Solutions, Current Affairs, History Lesson, podcasts, VideoStory News, Web Video
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Playing in Traffic in NYC

By admin on June 7, 2008

Doing a video shoot in New York City can be a bit more complicated than in the Midwest. There are people everywhere, traffic galore, and we were shooting taxicabs in the middle of the street.

A few observations:

To work in NYC, You need permits and insurance to shoot. You need to provide a schedule. You need to stick to that schedule, especially when you’re in no parking zones or other heavily trafficked areas. However, the process is easy, and the city is very welcoming. The traffic police sometimes don’t get the message, however.

Pedestrians don’t care that you’re shooting– they just keep walking. There’s no gawking, no "What’s this for?", no "When is this going to be on?". They’ve seen it all… entire blocks have been roped off for big-time Hollywood shoots, and a one-camera industrial isn’t worth their time.

Briennyc1

Local NYC suppliers are plentiful, and I’d dare say that where once you might claim we can do it cheaper and better in Milwaukee, now the cheaper part is not a total given.

In Milwaukee, I know my suppliers and they know me, we know each
other’s approach to things, and I can expect a high level of quality
and craftsmanship. That’s the only way for a good supplier to survive
in Milwaukee. But there is a limit to that supply, and the rules of
supply and demand come into play.

In NYC the supply is plentiful and there’s a lot of competition for shooters, editors, graphics, etc., and they respond quickly and are very educated and accomplished. But there are lots of them, so supply and demand works in our favor.

The difference is made in the ideas and the direction (that’s a pitch, folks.) Given our growing list of partners in NYC, and our existing base of talent in Milwaukee, we’re feeling very confident about our quality / value mix. We’ve got the experience to control the budget, the ideas, the strategy, and the execution.

And as I’ve said, the last year has been really satisfying in terms of the creative results on both "coasts."

It’s fun being flexible.

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Categories : VideoStory News
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Life in a Low Tech Town

By admin on January 12, 2008

Phillipsburg, New Jersey, is a charming place. It is nicely situated on the western border of New Jersey, is a one-minute hop to Easton, PA, about 1.5 hours to NYC or Philly, and near I-80 and the Lehigh Valley airport for quick trips to the home office in Milwaukee.

Union_stn_guerra_bldg_resized

But in our new apartment, getting a phone, DSL, cable, cable internet, or any combination of those things has been a bit challenging. Which leads to more challenges, like returning emails, making flight arrrangements, emailing Quicktime rough-cuts, and updating websites and blogs.

Suffice it to say that things will be resolved starting Monday, when the local phone line goes in, which will then allow for DSL. Cable goes in Friday, and you may wonder why we wouldn’t just go with a cable modem for our zippy speed needs. Well, it’s because the local cable carrier offers only one-way internet. You can get a nice fast download; you just can’t upload. (You need to use a regular land line modem for that.)

After laughing off that news as preposterous, I did the research and found it to be true. So yes, they will be feeding us TV signals from NYC and Philly, which is nice, because the over the air signals (three) are non-network affiliated locals which only seem to run game shows and prayer programs.

But the hi-speed internet will come from Verizon (if they remember we ordered it, which right now they don’t), or a local provider who needs the business more than Verizon does, even if pricier.

Buy local.

Meanwhile, the folks at Panera Bread have been meeting my internet, coffee, and cobblestone muffin needs. Nice way to meet the locals and other nomads.

By the way, if you live near a Staples, they offer free internet too. You can just sit in your car and log on. Of course, I assume they’d like you to buy something, too, and indeed, I already have (faxing services since we don’t have a land line yet!)

Brien Lee

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Moving Back, Moving Forward

By admin on December 18, 2007

To my Clients, Friends, and Colleagues:

Thirty-five years ago, after graduating from Marquette University, I had to make a single decision–return to New Jersey to accept a job on my hometown newspaper, or start a communications business in Milwaukee. I chose the latter.

Many moons, many generations, and many media (slides, video, digital) later, I am choosing to relocate to the Pennsylvania / New Jersey border to be closer to family and to take advantage of a number of documentary opportunities there, while hopefully continuing many of my ongoing client relationships here in the Midwest. That move is effective January 1, 2008.

Our Milwaukee office will remain open to service your needs, be it updating projects, providing masters for duplication, or, should you choose, providing you with whatever production materials you might need. The office will be maintained by my associates Eileen Devine and Joe Miller, with whom I produced this last summer’s Walgreens meeting extravaganza. (I urge you to see the HiDef compilation on our website.) Our phone number (414-271-2170) remains active, and I can be reached at any time on my cell at 414-852-3104. I will return to Milwaukee often.

The world has changed, and as it has changed we’ve learned that core capabilities don’t change– otherwise, they’re not core capabilities. Three years ago, with the help of my partner, Diane Wilson, we remade "Brien Lee Creative Solutions"–a broad-based multimedia and web production company–into "Brien Lee VideoStory," a high-niche creative boutique where we could offer real "creative solutions" that I could guarantee–by writing, directing and producing only turnkey "critical" video projects, for meetings, marketing, fundraising, and the web.

This strategy was successful, and you can see many examples of that success on our website.

But it could not have succeeded without your faith in our approach, our teams, and our promise to deliver a result that moved audiences.

The world has changed, and the Internet makes so much more possible. We have production suppliers who know us and our demanding style in Milwaukee, Chicago and New York. This past summer, nearly all of our HiDef videos for the Walgreens summer meetings were shot in Milwaukee or New York, finished in Chicago, and reviewed and approved via the web.

So, in the future, when something pops up that needs a "Brien Lee-style" solution, I hope you’ll consider, well, Brien Lee (that’s me.) In today’s world, we’re never very far away.

And thank you for so many opportunities to be a part of your story.

Cordially,

Brien Lee

brienlee@videostory.com
www.videostory.com
414-271-2170
414-852-3104

Milwaukee:

Brien Lee
Brien Lee VideoStory
759 N. Milwaukee Street Suite 612
Milwaukee, WI 53202

New Jersey:

Brien Lee
Brien Lee VideoStory
23 Union Square Suite 4A
Phillipsburg, NJ 08865

Categories : VideoStory News
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Thank You, Mayor Barrett

By admin on November 7, 2005

Milwaukee’s Mayor Tom Barrett, who led an MMAC /City of Milwaukee "mission" to China recently, has been outspoken about the role our MMAC-sponsored "Good Fortune" Milwaukee image video played in the success of the trip. To whit, from Sunday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"During an eight-day China mission, my delegation and I took the message of Milwaukee directly to key municipal, business and education leaders in Beijing, Shanghai and Ningbo: Milwaukee offers you many advantages as your partner in good fortune.

We did not leave the message solely in the hands of our translators. We brought with us a dazzling promotional video that captures the qualities about the Milwaukee that would most appeal to the Chinese.

I knew we struck a chord when I first played the DVD for a group in Shanghai and the officials stopped the video when they heard the narration in Mandarin, one of the dialects in the Chinese language. They thought surely someone had put in the wrong disc and were surprised to learn that indeed it was the Milwaukee video, produced in Mandarin.

The image of Milwaukee as a welcoming, friendly city was just enhanced with one simple act. The Chinese are mighty in the marketing of their country. They were not expecting Milwaukee to wow them with its own brand."

Thank you, Mr. Mayor!

And by the way, kudos for your warm and infectious tribute to Studs Terkel at the new Bay View Schwartz Booksellers. Folks, if you have a chance to hear Milwaukee’s Mayor ad-lib, you’ll recognize that Milwaukee has a leader with a sharp wit and a sharp mind.

Categories : VideoStory News

Recent Projects

By admin on September 18, 2005

Heard about the Milwaukee area missions to China? The Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Commerce (MMAC) is going on two– one very shortly, and another in October with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. VideoStory is proud to have been selected to write and produce the mission’s video DVD overview of the best Milwaukee has to offer, in Chinese of course. An English language version will also be available.

We’re also completing a second in a series of Public Service Announcement commercial spots for the American Cancer Society,  explaining ACS’ Navigator program for those diagnosed with cancer. This follows a long form DVD documentary we completed earlier in the year explaining the program to those interested in the assistance ACS can offer in "navigating" the process of treatment and recovery.

Thanks for letting us tell your story.

Read More…

Categories : VideoStory News

In Production….

By admin on March 18, 2005

VideoStory has been selected to produce a meeting video for the Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc. Their slogan is "Doing More Good Than You Know" and it couldn’t be more true. The incredible amount of research and development being done has won the Blood Center worldwide recognition and saved countless lives… We’re pleased to be updating a CD-ROM we produced for Guardian Business Solutions, the creators of the incredible ShopTalk system. ShopTalk is software and hardware system that integrates visual touchscreens and voice activated hands-free communication to enhance communications between the shop floor and the front office and save time and money… and congratulations to Steve Wallace of the Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company, whose company has grown enough to move into new headquarters and warehouse near the airport. In 1994, Omanhene became the first company in the world to effect worldwide distribution of single-source chocolate – that is, chocolate made from cocoa beans grown exclusively from a single country-of-origin. You’ve got to taste it. Chocolate fans will tell you there is no better gift. Visit them at http://www.Omanhene.com. Our video produced for them last year and shown at the United Nations will be streaming on their site soon.

Categories : VideoStory News