Woman Power

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, Geomedia would like to recognize and show appreciation to all the women who have shaped our world and made it a better place. We sat down with our lovely ladies and asked them a series of 9 questions. We hope their responses resonate deeply within you as they did for us.

Chantel Nasits, Production Manager

1. Who is your favorite actress? I know everyone would expect me to say this, but hands-down, since I was a kid, Audrey Hepburn. Audrey was classy, a Humanitarian, an amazing actress and her style is still stunning!

2. Who is your role model/ heroine? She may not know this, but my role model is Beth Wammack, COO at GDC Marketing & Ideation. Beth is one of the most authentic women I have met in business. She leads a huge team over at GDC and has helped to guide me with my own leadership goals. I love the way she supports her team and the company culture she has helped to create in her own company.

3. What is most important to you in your life? My family, friends and my production family (they know who they are) are most important, I value my relationships with my core group because they keep me grounded, but they teach me to dream. I hate the term “self-made”, because behind every person there are people that have helped us become who we are.

4. What do you love most about Geomedia? I get to work with a super talented, quirky team, including my own Husband! We have the opportunity to collaborate with diverse clientele to produce amazing creative. Also, I am blown away by the support Geomedia has given me as a working mother whose most important job is taking care of my family’s needs. When I need to take my children to school or an appointment, I’m shown nothing but understanding and support from my coworkers.

5. If you could meet any woman from history, dead or alive, who would it be? Oprah

6. What is your favorite quote? “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” Mark Twain

7. What is your biggest strength? Well, according to the Clifton Strengths Finder 2.0 – it is WOO, which basically means I like connections with people, I’m rarely at a loss for words and I love the satisfaction of breaking the ice and meeting strangers.

8. What gets you motivated? The Sunrise, my Children, a strong cup of coffee, my production team mates that have all been in the trenches on set with me is where I get most of my motivation, but life also motivates me.

9. Why is Women’s History Month important to you? Too many times we have a tendency to lose our self-confidence or think we are not strong enough to conquer our dreams and succeed in business and in life. Being proud of our accomplishments as women and helping to support other women is an important part of Women’s History Month and I am proud to help lead the charge for my own girls, Chase and Zoe.

Kimberly Sabatino, Marketing Coordinator

1. Who is your favorite actress? Cate Blanchett, all the way. She’s driven, accomplished, an advocate for women’s rights, beautiful and an incredible actress. I love how she never quits and keeps getting better and better with each role she plays!

2. Who is your role model/ heroine? I would have to say that lately it’s been Debra Innocenti, Partner, Strasburger & Price, LLP. She’s an inspiration to all women, especially those in the workforce, like myself. Her strength comes from empowering women, mentoring, advising and working hard to change the status quo. I recall her saying, “we need to develop microcosms of women to surround ourselves with and help each other,” in one of her panels. This resonated with me because I truly believe the only way to succeed is to support each other, not tear each other apart or compete with one another.

3. What is most important to you in your life? First and foremost my family, my beliefs, my friends and loved ones. I also believe that love is one of the most important parts of life and that we should all treat each other with respect, kindness and patience. On a less serious note, my dog is also pretty important to me because he’s fluffy, loves to cuddle and is always happy to see me when I walk through the door… He’s president of my fan club.

4. What do you love most about Geomedia? I have learned quickly that everyone working here matters and that being a strong team is of the utmost value. I appreciate a company, like Geomedia, that treats everyone as equals and encourages each other to grow. I also love the fact that the upstairs break room is always fully stocked with Pop Tarts… *eating one as I type*

5. If you could meet any woman from history, dead or alive, who would it be? Either Diane Sawyer or Margaret Bourke-White

6. What is your favorite quote? “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” C.S. Lewis

7. What is your biggest strength? I think my biggest strength is my passion for life and adventurous spirit. I’m also a good listener, or so I’m told.

8. What gets you motivated? The beauty of life and all it has to offer, hardworking people, my friends, my family, fascinating strangers and Bird Bakery’s cupcakes.

9. Why is Women’s History Month important to you? I believe it’s imperative that women are celebrated, not just for one month, but everyday. Women have overcome a lot of obstacles over the decades and are, in my humble opinion, some of the most passionate, hardworking, caring forces on this earth. Women should be respected for who they are, not measured by what people think they should be.

What Geomedians are Saying About Women

Who is a woman who currently inspires you, past or present?

“My sister, Jennifer Zientz, truly inspires me. As a nurturing wife and mother to three active boys, she also serves as head of clinical services at the Center for Brain Health Services in Dallas, TX. She is SO intelligent and seems to understand exactly why and how people think the way they do. I am always impressed hearing about her publications in brain science and experiences at work, where she develops programs and tools that provide brain health development and cognitive solutions for Navy Seal teams, students, doctors and patients, large corporations, and more. Between her intensive work schedule and vivacious home life, she somehow maintains balance in her life and appears to do so with ease… which I am sure, is not the case.” – Zach Nasits, Director of Photography

“Malala Yousafzai. To go through what she went through and still be as positive as she is… that to me is really inspiring. She has dedicated her life to doing positive things and helping people. We need more of that in the world.” – Jeff Chesnut, Senior Editor

“Harriet Tubman inspires me because she was very brave, innovative and a hero from her time. Everything she did was truly inspirational.” – Murray Breit, Director

“Julie Hoshizaki. Her experience and expertise in programming is awesome. She went from game programming for the Atari to head of programming at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio.” – Joe Guerra, Game Developer

This is women’s history month. What would you like to shine a light on?

“Women’s history month gives me the opportunity to reflect on the wonderful women who have been champions in my life. My mother, wife, sister, teachers, co-workers and bosses have shaped, supported, and defended my everyday existence and have made me a better person.” – Jeff Stoyer, Animation Director

“The unfortunate misunderstanding of feminism. Feminism, is not a cult or boorish clique, it is simply the advocacy for equal civil rights for both females and males. This is an idea I’m hopeful that all humans can get behind, or at least have empathy for.” – Cullen Morris, 3D Artist

Our Favorite Quotes by Influential Women

“I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” Audrey Hepburn

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” Maya Angelou

The Future of Virtual Reality is here

A Closer Look: Martin Jaeger

You can’t get excited about a company when you base it solely off of the work they’ve done. In most cases, there’s a whole other world below the surface, which is true for Geomedia. Geomedia is more than just a production company that specializes in visual graphics, advertisements and the 30-second spot. Beneath the exterior is a force, driven by a group of highly talented individuals, who all work together to make great things possible.

That’s why we decided it’s about time you get up close and personal (without warranting a restraining order) to our team of creatives and directors through a series of 9 questions.

We present our first victim: MARTIN JAEGER, Art Director

What was your first job? Worked at a commercial art studio called “Contemporary Graphics”. I was a freshman in high school and worked half-days via a distributive education program offered by the school. I did illustration, dark-room work, silkscreening, print layout etc. All by hand, way before desktop computers even existed.

Where’s the last place you traveled to for vacation? I went to Denver, Colorado in January to see extended family. I love Colorado!

What sparked your interest in production? Geomedia was originally founded as an illustration and design firm. I had always been a fan of animation since the early Disney and Warner Brothers days. As the computer began to infiltrate the film, video and animation industries, I saw the potential to pivot Geomedia toward those services. The idea of doing motion graphics, 3D animation and CGI was such a fascinating synthesis of artistry and technology that it became the new primary direction for me and in turn, my company.

Your all time favorite book is: Critical Path by R. Buckminster Fuller

Who inspires you, and why? Lot’s of people inspire me (most people really). Lately I’ve had a resurgence of interest in the astrophysicist, Carl Sagan. The eloquence with which he describes the cosmos and the true nature of our circumstances in it always humbles me. I admire him for his deep understanding of nature and his ability to convey this complex knowledge to a lay audience. I admire him for his lifelong pursuit of teaching through his books and documentaries on the subject. Again, I admire many, many people on many different levels and for many reasons…

If you had to pack up and leave Texas to move somewhere else, where would you go? The practical answer would be Colorado. The dream-place would be Southern Germany or Austria.

The strangest odd job that you ever had? Worked at a raptor rehabilitation center. Got to train Hawks, owls and eagles using falconry techniques to rehab injured raptors back to health prior to their release back into the wild. Cleaned a lot of bird cages and veterinary clinic facilities in addition to the falconry work.

Name your favorite childhood memory: My Dad once showed me how to fold this really elegant and amazing paper airplane design. On a trip to the Grand Canyon, I folded one and launched it from a scenic overlook. Instead of gliding down into the valley, it climbed above all the onlookers and eventually soared out of sight just a speck in the sky. The other vacationers clapped and cheered as it flew away.

Best piece of advice you never got? Get an education, go to college.

Geomedia Attends the First Ever Women of Tech Bloc Luncheon

In celebration of our fearless female leaders, and day one of Women’s History Month, Geomedia attended the San Antonio Tech Bloc’s first ever Women of Tech Bloc Luncheon at one of it’s corporate sponsor’s headquarters, Rackspace.

The board of panelists included Carla Sublett, CMO, Rackspace Hosting, Cristal Glangchai, Ph.D, and Founder of VentureLab, April Downing, CFO, WP Engine and Debra Innocenti, Partner, Strasburger & Price, LLP.

The event began with a strong opening made by Ivy Taylor, Mayor of San Antonio, who described the event as “purpose driven” and “changing the stereotype”.

The message to be your true, authentic self was loud and clear. After being in the shadow of men for decades, women have a tendency to grow a tough skin, forcing them to put their femininity aside in an attempt to be taken seriously.

“You have to stand your ground. You need to know your stuff. Be vulnerable,” April Downing, CFO, WP Engine, said about being successful as a woman in tech.

Carla Sublett, CMO Rackspace Hosting, expressed that in order to connect with others on a professional level, you don’t need to act like a man to gain respect or get to the top, just be your honest self.

The Women of Tech Bloc encouraged women to nurture and lift each other up instead of tearing each other apart. Being surrounded by successful, hardworking people will help you to be the same.

“We need to develop little microcosms of women to surround ourselves with and help each other,” Debra Innocenti, Partner, Strasburger & Price, LLP.

Another important topic of the afternoon was the importance of a good mentor and being a good mentor to someone. According to Innocenti, you don’t need to have one specific mentor in your life, and the mentor(s) you end up with may not be the person you expected.

“There’s not going to be one person who’s going to satisfy all the things you’re looking for,” Innocenti said. “It needs to be a thoughtful relationship. Make an effort to talk to people of all generations.”

Being an entrepreneur or woman in business can be a challenge, especially when you’re figuring out where to start. According to Downing, the first mistake people often make is not asking whether or not what they’re trying to do is an actual business.

“Try to figure out if what you’re doing is really a business,” Downing said. “Give yourself honest criticism.”

Though many vital topics were discussed during the afternoon, the panelists collectively agreed that the most imperative factor in one’s success was following your passion and not giving up.

“We can be or do whatever we want,” Cristal Glangchai, Ph.D, and Founder of VentureLab said. “If you follow your passion success is going to follow as well.”

To see more of the event or get involved in future events with Women of Tech Bloc, visit their website at www.satechbloc.com.

360 Video Makes Your Phone the Biggest Screen in the House

YouTube rolled out 360-degree video support earlier this year, opening up a brand new avenue for creativity for digital campaigns. No longer constrained to static video, you can now easily upload totally immersive digital experiences to one of the most widely used video platforms in the world.

A more immersive audience experience means a more captivating one. If you’ve taken the time to watch a 360-degree video on your mobile device while twirling around, phone in hand, to explore every part of the scene in front of you, you understand how revolutionary this technology can be for creators, educators and advertisers.

A video created exclusively for Facebook allows users to roam through the desert planet of Jakku in preparation for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. You can scope out the ravaged remains of dilapidated starships while enduring insults from alien scavengers all from the perspective of a pilot roaming the desert.

For Shark Week, the Mythbusters released a behind-the-scenes video with more insight on sunken ships, coral reefs, and busted myths, all while swimming right next to the sharks in an interactive, panoramic video.

Thanks to efforts by the Wall Street Journal to create more immersive journalism, you can even explore the geriatric scene of Japan while learning about the country’s shifting age demographics.

Companies and developers have moved this technology beyond the realm of just Youtube and Facebook, and into the world of original apps. The ever-interesting Bjork recently collaborated with director Andrew Huang to create 360-degree music video for her song, “Stonemilker,” the opener on her most recent album, Vulnicura. You can now explore this intimate song and video with an app for your mobile device and watch Bjork clone herself while singing in front of crashing waves and rocky shores. In it, you’ll see that the real magic of this piece is, though you have the capability of taking in everything that’s around you, there’s always something else happening that you won’t be able to grasp.

Though this new technology is clearly still in it’s infancy, the potential for something amazing is there. There’s no telling how far we’ll go in creating a new form of interactive experience.

The creative teams at Geomedia Austin and Geomedia San Antonio are uniquely positioned to take advantage of 360 video. We’ve been in the immersive media game for years, cooking up virtual and augmented reality apps like our DinoTrek VR Experience. We’re also not bound to just animation, with a top-of-the-line production studio and award-winning crew at our disposal, we can create groundbreaking 360 experiences in the real world, digital world or a combination of both. Keep your eyes on our social channels, as we’ll be rolling out an awesome 360 video experience that we created at a recent shoot with a secret special guest.

Driving a Successful Video Campaign

Video production and advertising are two industries that thrive on a little bit of mystery. The creative types at ad agencies disappear into their offices with nothing more than a basic idea of what a client might want, only to emerge with a fully fleshed out, revolutionary idea that knocks the client’s socks off and moves millions of dollars of units.

No matter how impossible an idea may appear on paper, the right production company can develop the idea and apply the best-fit production and post-production methods to achieve great results in the end.

That’s why, when hiring a production company, it’s a good idea to go with an experienced team, who truly cares about the creative process, and isn’t just doing it for the paycheck.

At Geomedia we don’t want to see revolutionary ideas become reality, which is why we’ve put together a sampling of sound considerations so you can move your video campaign down a road to success.

A Difficult Script

A solid, organized, inspiring script is crucial. If the script is written poorly, your commercial will reflect that. The nice thing about working with an experienced production company is that they’ve shot a lot of these things, which means they can tell you if what’s on the page is going to translate in-camera. We ask Geomedia clients to bring us into the creative process as early as possible, so that we can help as possible, and turn ideas into reality.

A Rush Job

There are times when you need to get a job done fast. Completing a project quickly but also accurately is something not all agencies are equipped to do. With clients in a pinch, we’ve put turned around some projects pretty quickly, but we’ve also been at this since the mid-90s. Ideally, you have a production company in mind when you pitch a TV or digital project and involve them as soon as possible. While you’re putting the finishing touches on your campaign and getting approval from clients, your production company can start prepping a crew, finding locations and taking care of all of the technical details that make a shoot smooth and successful.

Taking the Lowest Bidder

It can be tempting to try to save you and your clients some money by going with a low-cost production company, but the old adage that you get what you pay for is especially noticeable when it comes to video production. When you need results don’t be afraid to ask to see results. If a reel doesn’t impress you, why would you think you’d see something better for your project? When you sit down with potential production companies there are important questions you need to ask. How long have they been doing this? Where do they source their crew from? Is there a creative fit?

Geomedia has been shooting TV and digital video projects in Texas for more than two decades, and over the course of those years, we’ve worked with global and national brands like Valero Energy, Bimbo, SWBC, Dell and the San Antonio Spurs. We’re a production studio, but we’re also your creative partners. Our expert team of production specialists, directors, photographers and editors produce world-class video projects all throughout the year – while our team of animators and digital artists create impossible worlds and amazing interactive features. You can see what decades of experience looks like on our Works page.

Chantel Gets The Band Together for Doc West Music Video

As you can probably tell by looking at all the different headings on the top of this page, we like to get creative at Geomedia. That means titles and organizational roles can get flexible whenever one of us is hit with a creative spark, which is what happened last month with Chantel Nasits, who made her directorial debut with the Doc West music video, “If She Wanted To,” that went on to win a Bronze at the ADDY Awards in the music video category.

The seeds of Chantel’s move from producer to producer/director were planted six years ago, when she met Jose Salazar (aka Doc West) while shooting a wedding. She shot some stills for the band and then, last year, produced a music video for him under the direction of one of our crew members.

Jose liked the video and approached Chantel again in September about producing another one for his new single. Unfortunately, the other director was unavailable and Jose needed a video fast. So, in stepped Chantel.

“I heard the song and had the idea for the visuals. It felt seamless going from producer to producer/director,” Chantel said. “For the first time I was tasked with helping design each scene, and being a decision maker in the edit, but I’m already bossy and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.”

Chantel produced the video in a week, and with the help of the Geomedia “film family” was able to shoot the video on a Sunday. (Despite Zach’s protestations that the time crunch was too tough.) The final edit (including color grading) was posted five days after the shoot.

While it may have been a quick turnaround, you wouldn’t know it by the final product. Chantel and the rest of the crew did an amazing job putting together a first-class video for a client in need. Jose was impressed.

“This is my second video project to work with Geomedia on, and I can’t compliment them enough on the overall satisfaction I’ve had working with them! From pre-production, shooting, to post production promptness and constant communication throughout the whole project. I’m so appreciative of their complete professionalism. I plan to collaborate with them on future projects and look forward to the creativity and the continued success we may encounter!” Jose said.

Jose wasn’t the only one pleased with the production, Joseph Rene, who starred in the video, also had a lot of kind words for Chantel and the crew.

“Shooting with Chantel and her crew was seamless and fun! Her process really catered to the actor – whether through preparing us for our next scenes, guiding us as we shot, allowing us to explore her vision on camera, etc. I’ve had limited experiences with the crew prior to the shoot, but felt right at home during our time together. I’d be more than happy to work with her time and time again in the future. Professionalism speaks volumes in this industry. Chantel and Geomedia exemplified this effortlessly,” Joseph said.

Chantel wasn’t the only one taking on a new role for the shoot. Kat Franklin, our makeup artist, took the production stills in this blog, while Jeff Chestnut, Geomedia’s senior editor, came out and helped with production and did post.

We love seeing members of our crew take on and conquer new challenges. It shows the value in having such a creative, collaborative environment and makes us happy to be a part of such a great team.

You can check out Chantel’s debut and the hard work of all of our crew in the finished video below.

Valero Gets Animated

The beautiful part about being a proven, full-service production company is the amount of creative freedom that our clients trust us with. We usually don’t work as just hired hands. Instead, we work with agencies and their clients in a creative partnership that allows everyone involved to draw on years of experience and imagination.

We recently had an opportunity to exercise our creative muscles with San Antonio advertising agency One-Eighty on a national broadcast and internet campaign for Valero Energy Corporation. The goal of the campaign was to showcase Valero’s great business accomplishments, along with its generous charitable side. One-Eighty and Valero (who we last teamed up with on a 2015 Alamo Bowl campaign) came to Geomedia with a basic idea: Valero is a big, successful company that makes wise business decisions, but it also positively impacts communities around the United States in many different ways.

Starting with that idea, we drew on our collective creative resources to build an innovative, compelling campaign.

“Tom Norman and Lisa Breshiers with One-Eighty had several great ideas to support the concept, so we worked alongside them to develop a vehicle that illustrated this information in a smart and creative way,” Geomedia executive producer Zach Nasits said. “We agreed that this campaign required a simple, sophisticated style that would communicate Valero’s impressive statistics and achievements without sounding self-serving.”

Initial concepts incorporated imagery that played with icons of “the head,” to illustrate Valero’s business side, and “the heart,” to convey Valero’s charitable side. This idea was a good starting point, but Tom and Lisa wanted to push the envelope by developing spots that had more emotional engagement for the viewer. They challenged us to use our skills to come up with something truly unique.

With further conceptual design and development, we finally unveiled the right vehicle for this collaborative campaign. We decided to go with elegantly simple, 2D basic graphic icons and add complexity by having them flow and evolve into each other.

To convey this idea to the client, we produced new concept boards, as well as a mix of animation tests. Some of the tests were a “safer match” to what we anticipated a large corporation like Valero might expect, while others developed into something a little more experimental.

Valero decided to move forward with the style from one of the tests – which we referred to as the PR Softsell. This style presented Valero’s story in a way that embraced artistic potential and flexibility with elegance and sophistication. The technique was welcoming, confident and could appeal to anyone – investors and the general public alike.

Aesthetically, we all agreed that we should keep the visuals and audio score as clean and straightforward as possible to keep the story we were telling front-and-center, without any distractions. Simple colors. Simple sound score. Confident and compassionate voice-over narration.

Animation Director, Jeff Stoyer, along with animation generalist Martin Jaeger, completed the visuals over the course of several weeks. Turnkey audio post-production was performed by Keith Harter Music.

Our involvement in this project reinforces what we’ve always believed: Nothing demonstrates value to clients better than the combination of experience, creativity, passion and execution. Lisa, One-Eighty’s creative/art director said it best, “Geomedia has been up for any challenge we’ve given them through the years. They always bring innovation to the table and partner with us creatively so we can deliver a project that surpasses anyone’s expectations.”

Check out both of these great spots below!

Valero Energy “Did You Know” from Geomedia on Vimeo.

Valero Energy – “Did You Know, Pt. 2” from Geomedia on Vimeo.

Work Smarter: Augmented and Virtual Reality Training

Augmented and virtual reality have only recently broken into the mainstream entertainment world as consumer headsets and mobile devices are finally both powerful and inexpensive enough for mass consumption. However, industries that rely on precision and safety, including medicine and the military, have been using augmented and virtual reality to enhance training for years.

While they don’t make soldiers look exactly fearsome, AR glasses by SA Photonics are giving troops an impression of the chaos of the battlefield, without the attendant danger. A group of marines used the glasses to turn a golf course in Virginia into a virtual battlefield. Theoretically, augmented reality will allow soldiers to train in a variety of combat and peacekeeping environments, without having to leave familiar confines.

We’re no strangers to the power of virtual reality training. When University Health System was building a massive new hospital in San Antonio, they came to Geomedia to get their staff ready to save lives as soon as the building opened. Our virtual reality designers and artists built a digital replica of the hospital from scratch, which we then turned into a gamified training simulator. Prior to the new building opening, hospital staff familiarized themselves with the hospital layout (as well as where life-saving supplies were located) in the digital version of the hospital. Once the hospital was opened, doctors, nurses and support staff were able to hit the ground running.

The private sector is beginning to realize the fruits of virtual and augmented reality training as well. At the recent Augmented World Expo, a Boeing engineer claimed that trainees who used an AR app to assemble a mock wing for a Boeing aircraft performed 30 percent faster and 90 percent more accurately than trainees using traditional study tools. These results from Boeing show just how impactful even a relatively simple augmented reality program can be on training.

Forgive us for this, but virtual reality training can even be… out of this world – just ask NASA. NASA has been training astronauts using virtual reality since the early 90s, and today they have a VR lab where astronauts train on everything from spacewalks to manipulating robotic arms.

You don’t need to be going into space to realize the safety benefits of virtual reality, there’s plenty of danger here on solid ground (or beneath it). The oil and gas industry is tightly regulated and requires highly-trained workers for dangerous environments. For oil and gas workers, virtual reality helps save lives. By using 3D virtual reality environments, trainees can learn the ropes of pipeline work without putting themselves or other employees at risk.

As virtual and augmented reality technology continues to proliferate, forward-thinking organizations have the potential to entirely revolutionize the way they conduct training. Dangerous environments can be seamlessly and safely replicated in virtual reality, while instructions for complex tasks can unobtrusively be superimposed over augmented reality glasses. Workers will become faster, more efficient, and safer. To see how augmented and virtual reality can change your training, and what’s out there for you, call or email us and we’ll help you bring a new dimension to training. To follow all of the exciting developments in the training field, visit our virtual and augmented reality page and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Geomedia and Documentarian Steve Acevedo Bring Reality to University Health System Spots

The Director Difference

We’ve enjoyed a great creative relationship with University Health System for several years and produced some beautiful, cinematic spots for them, like our “Now” campaign.

For University’s most recent broadcast and internet campaign, “The University Difference,” we captured real stories from four families who had life-changing and life-saving experiences at University Hospital. To imbue the spots with the level of emotional depth and sensitivity that they deserved, we turned to one of our favorite up-and-coming directors, Steve Acevedo. Steve came to our attention when his short, El Cocodrilo, won several short film awards. When we explored his work further, his beautifully shot documentaries and documentary shorts had our office in tears. We knew he was the perfect choice to bring the appropriate gravity to this campaign.

The University Difference

“The University Difference” campaign focuses on the differences between a University Hospital and a community hospital. Real patients and their families share how the hospital doctors and staff were able to do what other hospitals could not – save a life. Whether it was cancer, a congenital heart condition, or a car crash, each of these families was able to move past a terrible situation with the help of University doctors and staff. Steve and the Geomedia production crew brought their stories to life in an intense, emotional style.

“It was a privilege to meet these four special families and get to talk with them about their very personal experiences. What could have been tragedies for all of them turned into stories of inspiration and hope,” Acevedo said. “University and Creative Civilization wanted the spots to be totally real, so we worked hard to create conversations that emitted just that. I think the results speak for themselves. Each spot is an honest portrait of the difference University made for these families.”

While we didn’t shoot in each family’s real home, production designer Paola Cortez-Manthey (Tree of Life) ensured that each set fit each patient and each patient’s family with authentic memorabilia and set decor that represented their real homes and lifestyle.

Since we were working with real people and not actors, we needed to respect their time and be as efficient as possible. They gave us time out of their lives to share their stories, so production went above and beyond to try and create comfortable and homey worlds. To keep everything authentic, we employed two Red Dragon cameras to ensure we got the natural flow of their stories without having to do lots of repetitions.

The Finished Product

The final project turned out great. Steve gave us the emotional depth that we wanted, while our Geomedia crew came through with the usual top-notch work. In addition to the shoot, Geomedia handled the post-production editorial, color grading and finishing. Our friends at Keith Harter Music did the score and audio production.