Digital Hitchhiker

I’m a big fan of stickers, I love getting stickers from businesses and brands. They are low cost and easy to get printed. That’s why one of the first things I did when I started LooseKeys and got going with the HopCast was to make stickers. Some of the stickers are just the logos but the ones that people really love are the illustrated characters. They are a lot more fun then just a simple logo sticker and often instead of giving out business cards, I hand out the illustrated stickers of myself to people.

What’s great about stickers is where they end up. I’m really not out there putting them up anywhere since most of the time you don’t want to get busted for vandalizing property or public spaces. Still somehow they end up all the over the place. Sometimes they are in fun places that a ton of people will see like the bathroom at Pizza Port in San Diego or just a fun location like 15 stories up on the outside of a building.

Typically they end up on street signs or more then likely in the trash. For every 50 I give out, one or two end up someplace pretty neat. What this really has become for me is a low cost form of advertising. Stickers attract attention when someone sees them. So much attention that when someone see’s one, they snap a picture and send it to me on Twitter. How cool is that. Not only have 100’s of people seen this sticker on the street but now everyone that follows this person on twitter now knows that sticker is me. It’s an extremely cost-effective way to create a lasting impression.

Next time you see a sticker of me somewhere, grab a picture and send me a tweet, I love seeing where they end up.

If you’re flipping through the most recent issue of Screen Magazine, you might notice a familiar face. Earlier this year I had to chance to chat with Andrew Schneider about my creative past and how I’m building my production company LooseKeys, here in Chicago. It was great to be included in Screen Magazine and under a very cool article title of “Someone You Should Know.”

It seems like everyone has a newsletter lately that offers special content or a recap on what’s been happening on their blog. It’s a great way to have direct communication between you and your readers.

Blog posts and videos you upload can sometimes get missed with the amount of content getting shared but newsletters go right to the people that are interested in what you or your business has to say. The easier it is for people to get your content, the more likely they’re going to read or watch it.

I’ve been having some really great success with the Chicago Motion Artists newsletter; I’m sharing quality work from members and keeping everyone updated on upcoming meetings. I also have one for the Hop Cast that recaps the last month. With those two newsletters up and running, I figured it was time to get one going for digitalhitchhiker.com and maybe LooseKeys in the future.

I found this awesome service called Chimplr (MailChimp + Tumblr). It adds a button at the top right of the blog under the follow button. This gives anyone the option to follow you on Tumblr, like a post or sign up for the newsletter. When someone clicks the button they get a little popup to add their email address. Making it really simple.

I’m still working on what I’m going to include in the newsletter but you can count on the same great quality you find here and don’t worry I’m not going to fill your inbox with spam.

I’ve been looking at the process of how to explain to people what it is LooseKeys does and how I go about creating an explainer video. The first step I always go back to is the story, it starts with the story. If it’s the idea of the story or just knowing you need to figure out a way to tell your story. Great stories have the ability to move and excite us, whatever the medium. I love helping businesses tell their story, that’s the backbone of LooseKeys. The film director Shekar Kapur said that “We create stories to define our existence. If we do not create the stories, we’d probably go mad.” I can fully agree with this statement. If I wasn’t helping others to tell their story I’d probably go crazy or at least be working on a lot more side projects of my own.

Every business has a story but without a great story that doesn’t move people emotionally you might fail to make a connection. The videos I put together are really only one part of the brands story but a carefully crafted marketing story is a tool that can serve any organization trying to break through the clutter and connect with new markets.

Jeremy Ragonese, the Director of Marketing at Boulevard Brewing Company said that “Storytelling is one of the primary elements of marketing… and the brands that lose their story lose their soul.” The great leaders know their businesses story, they live the story and they keeps the story alive and coach everyone in the organization to tell the story. People connect with stories that move them and most every business can and should tell a story that helps prospects and customers connect at a deeper level.

LooseKeys explainer videos capture attention, are easy to understand, are memorable and motivating. Taking a complex story and turning it into an engaging message in two minutes or less.

So the next time you are about to present your idea, think about what makes a great story and see if that changes how you would present yours.

You hear people say it all the time “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That seems like such a copout, is that really the best way to run a business? Especially if you’re trying to innovate. Personally it seems backwards to me… how are you going to move your company and our collective culture forward if you’re always just going with what works. Shouldn’t you be pushing yourself and your business? Otherwise that mentality can stand in the way of progress. And at some point you’ll get left behind.

LooseKeys wants to work with the businesses that are pushing our culture forward. The ones that would rather break something to make it even better. A business that sees something that is commonplace and widely used like… socks and then tries to figure out how to make it even better. Nothing is ever perfect, there is always a way it can be improved on. Everything can be made better, if its an animation, socks or getting deals on goods and services. So stop worrying about if it’s broke and not why not just think about how you can fix it and make it even better.

It’s hard to believe that its already been a year since I left Daily Planet Productions ltd. and started my own business, LooseKeys. Going from a secure job with benefits and a guaranteed paycheck each week to… well, no job security, no benefits and if we don’t get enough work, there’s no paycheck at all. Its been crazy but at the same time exciting. I have no regrets for making this change and starting this venture. This year has flown by and has been one of the most exciting times of my life. Every day has proven to be a new adventure and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. You can only be prepared so much for starting your own business. Having Maeve there with me along the way has proven to be an extra benefit, without her by my side, everything would have been twice as challenging. Over the last year I’ve had the chance to work on some amazing projects for LooseKeys with some great clients.

Its been a crazy ride these last twelve months, but we’re only getting started. I’ve built some solid relationships already and I’m looking forward to strengthening them even further. So get ready for some big things from the LooseKeys team.

Thank you all for your support in helping to make LooseKeys a success!

I’m always interested to hear why people started to build their business. Sometimes its a passion, sometimes its an accident and often it’s for the money. I knew in college that I wanted to start a design or motion graphics business. I loved the craft then just as much as I do now, it’s inspiring to see what people can create with a computer and time. In college, Nik Madalinski and I tried to get something going but with the lack of experience and clients, it sort of fizzled away. Which was probably a good thing since we had no idea what we were doing at the time and we had a lot to learn. Flash forward to four years later at Daily Planet Productions ltd., Vanida Vae and I had the chance to work on a number of animated explainer videos for the Chicago startup, Groupon. At the time, we were both fans of Groupon and had no idea how big they were going to get or how our videos were going to help drive that success. At that time there were a few businesses doing explainer and demo videos but I wasn’t as familiar with them as I am now. My focus was much more on the top tier post production studios and the work they were creating. Holding my work and the work we did at Daily Planet to that same level. Vanida and I both saw the Groupon video as a great motion graphics piece we could build. We wanted to make an awesome and clever video. Without knowing it our video became a part of Groupon, people all over the internet saw the piece and many wanted something like it for their product or startup.

A year ago, after seeing the success of the Groupon video and receiving emails everyday asking if I could create a similar video for other startups, I knew that I needed to start my own company. The demand for startup videos was there and somebody needed to do them. I know the motion graphics business and what it takes to get something designed and animated. I’ve been doing it for seven years, behind the keyboard and screen almost everyday. I knew that I could create some pretty awesome explainer videos for start ups and other businesses. Helping tell their story or explain their product just like I did with Groupon. And so LooseKeys was born.

I’m not just another business owner who has money and is hiding behind the scenes letting other people do the animating and designing. I’m here working on every project at some stage of its creation. Right now I believe this is what makes LooseKeys unique. Startups and businesses know they are working with me. I might have help in order to make deadlines or pick up slack where my skills are lacking but you know if you are talking to me you can bet I’m leading the crew or doing much of the work myself. That team of people are very important to me and coming from the motion graphics world, I know how important sharing work and being credited for your time is to someone. That’s why on every project I post or LooseKeys posts, I make sure to credit the people that worked on the project. I want them to get the same amount of recognition as I did for making sure the project came together. And I’m not worried about a client or competitor stealing away these awesome people in the credits either. These talented people want to design and create as much as I do, so more power to them if they can get additional work by working with me. Having your name out there has value and I would have never been able to start LooseKeys if I couldn’t of shared the Groupon video almost two years ago. Someone asked me if I was worried that a startup who was on a budget would just try to contact the people I’ve credited instead of approaching LooseKeys for the job? Especially since you can see the name right there in the credits.

My response is no. I know that people are coming to me and LooseKeys for my work and my knowledge not just because I know good people to work with. Anyone can find great talent to work with and build a team. I understand what it takes to make a well thought out, uniquely designed, successful product. I know I have the skill set to head up a project, to coordinate with clients, to craft a script, design style frames and storyboards, animate, and do sound design. And when I don’t have the time to do it all, I know many talented people who can help me with all the aspects needed to get the job done.

Each day there are more and more explainer video businesses and motion graphics shops popping up. It’s easier everyday to get started. But it’s the businesses that are run by the creative person first and not just the guy with the money that succeeds in making the most creative and enduring work.

While building LooseKeys with the team I work with I’ve quickly learned the challenges of being a virtual leader is much different then being the boss in the corner office. At the office you can quickly walk down the hall and ask a question or get feedback. When the team is spread out working where ever they like and on their own schedule I have to make sure I’m available whenever they might have a question. Which get’s tricky sometimes. I often find myself distracted with my own projects and consumed with day to day business, that it is easy to ignore emails or phone calls. I do my best to not let this happen but it can happen from time to time. Since I’m at my computer my most of the day I make sure to have Skype or IM open and if an email comes in from someone I’m currently working with then I try to answer right away. I don’t want to hold up the project and I want to keep the team working and not waiting around. Learning how to function in this “new” work environment can be challenging but that’s ok, I like a challenge.