The Studio

“Before Starting on a B2B video project," says Greg Johnson, BrightTALK Studios Managing Producer, “you need to be able to answer the question ‘Why can’t this just be an email?’. Video production is expensive and time-consuming. If you need to send a message, an email will do - and you’ll save yourself a lot of time and money. However, if you need to tell your story, then you need video and there is a lot to know about B2B video production.”

Now, for the first time, we’re taking you behind the scenes with The Studio, a content series that pulls back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

We’ve asked the team what they wish clients understood before starting a video project. “Know your story (a topic is not a story),” and “choose the right speaker (it’s not what you think it is),” are only a couple of the topics we’ll discuss as we build the top five things all marketers should understand before starting a video project.

Join Jeff Kunken and Nyekha Bennett as they host teammates Greg Johnson and Steve Madeja for a lively debate. And if you’ve ever embarked on a B2B video project, we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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BrightTALK Studios is the strategic, creative, and production division of BrightTALK. Along with our partners around the world, our teams in London, New York, and Sydney help businesses define and create the content they need to engage their target audience.

Episode 1 crew:
- Jeff Kunken, Director, Creative Accounts
- Nyekha Bennet, Art Director
- Greg Johnson, Managing Producer
- Steve Madeja, Producer, Animation

“We’re all struggling to create video content from our living rooms,” explains Mike Lacy, BrightTALK’s webinar services manager. “But a lot of people have been doing it for a long time now. If you want to see how it’s done, look at YouTube and podcasting.”

No matter how big the brand (or the advertising budget), everyone is struggling to produce great video content from home after the worldwide switch to a fully distributed workforce. We’ll let you in on a secret: it is possible to produce great content from your couch.

In this episode, we’ll explore how the switch to working-in-place has forced the rapid evolution of video production and what it means for the future. We’ll break down what’s working, what’s not, and what you can do to ensure your brand comes across as authentically authentic.

Join Frank Hanley and Pooja Kapadia, along with MB Welch and Mike Lacey, as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the BrightTALK content series that pulls back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

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BrightTALK Studios is the strategic, creative, and production division of BrightTALK. Along with our partners around the world, our teams in London, New York, and Sydney help businesses define and create the content they need to engage their target audience.

From webcams and USB mics to multi-camera 4K setups and drones, it’s easy to get lost in the tech of our trade. But, if there’s one question our team has heard time after time, it’s: “Do I really need this?”

“There’s a saying in the photography world,” says Tom Harris, BrightTALK producer. “The best camera is the one you have with you.”

In this episode, we’re debating the gear (and gearheads) B2B marketers need in their arsenal. We’ll provide recommendations for the essential equipment our team uses regularly - and even a few fun extras they take out when the time is right (i.e. drones). Plus, we'll give you handy tips and tricks you can use to make the most with what you’ve got on hand.

Join Greg Johnson and Frank Hanley, along with Tom Harris and Craig Bonheur, as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the BrightTALK content series that pulls back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

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BrightTALK Studios is the strategic, creative, and production division of BrightTALK. Along with our partners around the world, our teams in London, New York, and Sydney help businesses define and create the content they need to engage their target audience.

Effective art direction can be the difference between integrated brand experiences and one-off, budget-busting disasters. But, when framing a vision and setting expectations, marketers and creatives can occasionally feel like they speak different languages.

“Sometimes it seems like clients are coming at a video project from their left brain and we’re coming at it from our right brain and we can’t even understand each other.” - Nyekha Bennett, Art Director (BrightTALK)

We asked our marketing and Studios teams how they manage art direction when both have different priorities and timelines. “Trust the process” and “non-verbal communication is key” are only a couple of the tips we’ll cover as we discuss how to ensure effective collaboration from the very beginning of any project. Plus, we’ll include a template kit of quick workshops the BrightTALK team uses to help align project groups from the start.

Join Nyekha Bennett and Greg Johnson, along with Mike Marsdale and Kate Jacobsen, as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the BrightTALK content series pulling back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

In a world where content is increasingly more complex and data-centric, B2B marketers are turning to animation to create engaging videos and gifs that stand out without breaking the bank.

“Animation is only expensive if it’s a one-off. If you build it into your content motion, it can be cost-effective and powerful.” - Steve Madeja, Producer (BrightTALK)

As marketers, we need to wring every last drop out of the content we work so hard to produce. In this episode, we’ll explore how leveraging animations can breathe life into existing content without having to start from scratch. We’ll strategize the types of B2B content that best lend themselves to animation and demonstrate how you can captivate new audiences through multiple formats.

Join Jeff Kunken, Steve Madeja, and MB Welch as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the BrightTALK content series pulling back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

It’s time to hit the ground running when it comes to planning hybrid events, but if your in-person and virtual audiences aren’t top of mind, you won’t be going anywhere.

“Traditionally speaking, B2B hybrid events are awful. But, they don’t have to be. The key is to treat your two audiences as just that - two totally separate audiences.” Greg Johnson, Managing Producer (BrightTALK)

In this episode, we’ll take a look at what makes successful hybrid events successful. We’ll explore strategies that provide meaningful experiences for both of your audiences while also driving revenue and demand. Plus, we’ll break-down some practical considerations and challenges you might face during the production process.

Join Greg Johnson and Frank Hanley, along with David Edwards and Jon Mycroft, as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the BrightTALK content series pulling back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

As marketers, we’re looking for the ideal mix: great content that our audience likes and isn’t exhausting for us to execute. Live webinars get more engagement but content can get more views on-demand. Presenters feel more comfortable pre-recording, but that means more work for your team.

“I’m team live because it’s way more interesting,” says MB Welch, Producer (BrightTALK). “Yes, it’s unpredictable, but it’s also real, and real is what your audience wants.”

In the end, which is best? In this episode, we’ll explore how leveraging both live and pre-recorded video can help you get the most out of your hard work. We’ll strategize the scenarios that work best for each and demonstrate how to use both together to broaden your content’s reach.

Join Greg Johnson and Frank Hanley, along with Steve Madeja and MB Welch, as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the BrightTALK content series pulling back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

As marketers, we need to be aware of all possible options for making speakers look great, wherever they may be, and what each will need to know to pull off a successful event.

“Zoom fatigue, screen fatigue, webcam fatigue. Call it what you will. We're all trying to up our game to keep our audiences, and our speakers, engaged,” says Matt Harris, Director, Studios (BrightTALK).

In this episode, we’ll use a real-world example to break down how blending in-person and virtual speakers can add impact to your video projects. We’ll explore what you can expect in terms of possible production value and what you need to know to approach your project with the right questions and expectations. Plus, we’ll break down challenges you might face throughout the process and ground it all in practical experience.

Join Greg Johnson and MB Welch, along with Matt Harris and Tom Harris (no relation), as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the BrightTALK content series pulling back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

Is virtual production useful? Do online audiences really want to interact? Are hybrid events even real? As marketers barrel head-first into 2022, we’re taking a look back at the good, the bad, and the expensive of the past year- and trying to keep it 100.

“We thought 2021 would be the year we made it back to normal,” says Roma Patel. “Turns out, we doubled down on the new normal and learned a lot.”

In this episode of the Studio we’re taking a look at what our team thinks are the biggest lessons of the past year. “Hybrid events aren’t a thing, but hybrid audiences might be,” and “voice is everything - you better find yours, fast,” are only a couple of the topics we’ll cover as we evaluate if they’re smoke or fire: real concerns for the future or temporary bumps in the road.

Join Greg Johnson and MB Welch, along with Roma Patel, Jeff Kunken, and Steve Madeja, as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the BrightTALK content series pulling back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

The right host can bring even the most complex and confusing content to life. But what happens when the speaker you’re dealt just plain isn’t any good?

“Most of the time, when a speaker or host fails, they were set up. You have to know your speaker’s strengths and weaknesses, then build around them.” - Greg Johnson, Managing Producer (BrightTALK)

You don’t have to be stuck with a boring thought leader. In this episode, we’ll break-down what it takes to be a great webinar host and how you can set anyone up to succeed. Going beyond recruitment, we’ll strategize solutions to a few common scenarios and show you how format tweaks can help even the most bashful presenters shine in the spotlight.

Join Greg Johnson and Frank Hanley, along with Casey Alexander and Steve Madeja, as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the BrightTALK content series pulling back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

Marketers tend to think format-first when it comes to campaigns. But even the flashiest productions won’t get anywhere without a crystal-clear vision and the strategy to back it up.

“You can waste a lot of time and money making something really cool but totally irrelevant to your objectives” says Nyekha Bennett, Art Director, Managed Services (BrightTALK). “You have to start with the strategy, then format(s) will follow.”

Long-form video or animation? Webinar or explainer? In this episode of The Studio we’ll show how asking “why” leads directly to “the how” by following one of our own video productions from the initial marketing need to strategy development and on through the final product. We’ll give you tools to help you manage your video projects from start to finish and share tips marketers can use to bring in even the most complicated projects on brand and under budget.

Join Greg Johnson and Nyekha Bennett, along with Steve Madeja, Morgan Cantrell, and Katie Lewis, as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the BrightTALK content series pulling back the curtain on B2B video production in the marketing world.

95% of marketers believe in-person events are crucial to achieving their company’s primary business goals, yet nearly half are unsatisfied with the results of their current event strategy and its impact on their company’s bottom line. This is especially true when you win the budget to invest considerable time and resources into a booth sponsorship at a large-scale conference. The ROI on your events shouldn’t feel so unpredictable.

“The secret to better, more reliable ROI,” says Steve Madeja, Creative Director (BrightTALK), “is actually using your investment – and your time in the booth – wisely. You need your event content to have the longest tail possible and great video is how you get that done.”

Join BrightTALK's production experts as they take you behind the scenes with The Studio, the content series pulling back the curtain on B2B production in the marketing world. Together, they'll demonstrate how you can use conferences and tradeshows as an unparalleled opportunity to create product marketing collateral, capture content for demand generation, raise brand awareness on social media and collect customer or third-party validations.