Corporate Stories
Telling people’s stories is what we do.
At AV Collective, we specialize in telling people’s stories. Everyone at a company has a story to tell about their part in what makes their company, and their customers company’s run. We’ve talked to hundreds of real people and helped them tell those stories. Our expertise extends from the start to the finish of every story. When a project starts, we help our client’s craft the “ideal story”. That ideal story is what you’d want the interviewees to say, in an ideal world. But the key to these videos isn’t soundbites, it’s authenticity. So we take that ideal story and we create questions that will lead the interviewee down that path, allowing them to say what we would want them to say, but in their own words. If they go down an interesting path, we ask follow up questions and encourage them to share. It’s in those authentic moments, where someone is sharing what’s important to them about their work, that the best parts of the story are typically found. And by asking them the right questions, we’re not making them uncomfortable by giving them a list of things we need them to say. We work together to allow them to say what we need, but in a truly authentic way.
We’re able to get the best sound bites from people because the majority of who we work with are non professional talent. We’re experts at making everyone feel comfortable, from the CEO of a top brand to a welder out in the field. We ask questions in a way that will lead them to the answers we need for a video, but we let them talk about the things that make them and what they do unique. We allow them to start and stop as much as they need to, sometimes we ask questions in multiple ways to get the takes we need. And we keep them comfortable throughout, letting them know it’s just a conversation and it’s our job to ask the right questions.
Once we get the story, we’re experts at crafting the edit. Making people look and sound their best. Cutting it together with b-roll or stock footage. And delivering a final product that exceeds even the expectations of the person who we interviewed. I can’t count how many times we’ve sent the edit to the talent and they’ve said “I can’t believe you made something like that out of what I said!”
Here’s some of our work…
McDonald's / HAVI - CPFR
Our Reel - So I Did
A little about us
It’s important to learn a little bit about who you’re working with before a project starts. We’re not fresh out of college and decided to start doing our own thing. Our founder & Creative Director, Cal Engel has over 20 years experience in the industry. Spanning from traditional marketing agencies to innovation agencies to brands to digital out of home, even working with literally the biggest music acts in the world. Ten years ago he decided to form AV Collective as a way to provide that same high quality work to clients, but without them having to pay the overhead of a traditional agency. Why’s that important for you? Every project is going to have challenges. It’s about the knowledge and expertise of the people you work with, that allows them to overcome those challenges and deliver projects beyond your expectations.
Here’s what a few of our clients have said about us…
“Working with Cal at AV Collective has been a feather in my professional cap. We have created work that changed the way people thought of my company, turning our executives and customers into rock stars. Cal is highly creative; he can put together innovative ideas and concepts independently. Cal is also highly collaborative, so you can bring your ideas (no matter how crazy) with you and he can help bring them to life.”
“Words do not describe how amazing Cal and the team have been to work with. They have helped our agency out on a lot of last minute projects, which have included editing, VO, music and design. The attention to detail and thoughtfulness for each project they have been engaged on has been incredibly refreshing. They take true pride and ownership in each project.”
“From beginning to end, just a world-class experience. I do know that those words get used a lot, world-class, to the point where they don’t mean much but, for me, as someone who has been on countless photo, commercial, and video shoots, knowing every single detail is the difference between a project that moves through ideation to completion smoothly and an experience that is less than ideal for all involved. Working with Cal has been nothing short of spectacular.”
