Six Degrees Productions, Winner of the Great Companies Global Business Award - 2022

Business Name: Six Degrees Productions

Name: Lee-Anne Theron

Location: Vancouver, Canada

Establishment (Year): 2018

Category / Industry: Marketing and Advt

Sub Category / Sub Industry: Video Production and Graphic Design

Number of employees: 11-50 employees

Website URL: https://sixdegreesproductions.ca/

https://six.co.za/

Portfolio: https://vimeo.com/sixdegreesproductions

LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sixdegreesproductions/

Company Detail:

They are a full-service video, animation, and graphic design agency with offices in Canada, South Africa, and the Netherlands.

The solutions to Customer problems:

Problem-

Corporate clients hire them to create professional videos, animations, and graphic designs that they use to communicate internally to their staff or communicate externally to market and advertise their products and services online, in presentations, and at trade shows.

Solution-

Video and Animation

Their video and animation teams are stalwarts of the production industry. They have years of experience, at the forefront of modern techniques. Video is what they do because the video is what they love. Passion goes a long way when it comes to constantly produce content that fulfills objectives, keeps clients happy, and still pushes the necessary boundaries.

Anyone can make videos – not everyone should. Their team handles every aspect of the production of their videos. This is how they maintain control over the result. And there are a lot of moving parts when making videos…

Before making a piece video, they must understand why they’re making it. This involved meetings and brainstorming with their clients, so they can internalize the market, problems, and potential, which is how they create the solutions. The solution dictates the type of video they make – because not all are created equal:

• Interview videos: Filming people talking (‘talking heads’ as they are pejoratively referred to in the industry) is great at putting a human face on a brand or company, exposing certain personalities to a wider audience, or getting clients to back up our claims of credibility. They are also incredibly cost-effective.

• Explainer video: These are usually best done with voice-over and execution with custom-shot footage, or animation. If they’re explaining an idea to viewers, this is the way to do it

• Concept video: Challenging the status quo requires boundary-pushing execution. From the tops of mountains to the insides of the human body, to the depths of the mind, these types of videos combine a variety of execution techniques, motion design, 2D and 3D animation, custom-shot footage, and stock. These are the art movies of the corporate world, and they are a blast to make

These are only a few examples of what video can do. The lesson, however, is a simple one – make sure that their clients have a purpose, and that the video they create is fit for it. Once they know the why, and that has led us to the what, they will look after all the hows. Every piece in this video production chain is just as important as the other, which is why they treat them as such.

• Scriptwriting: Their writers aren’t just good with words, or the kind of people who know what an Oxford comma is, and where it should be used, they are experienced content aggregators and communicators who use words and emotion to drive content along. They will work directly with their clients, to make sure that the script that guides the voice is as accurate, powerful, and tight as humanly possible

• Motion design: Animation could be the text at the front of a video, the logo builds for the client, or an entire video, built from the ground up – and animators know exactly how to give the biggest bang for every buck. These begin with treatment ideas, proceeding to storyboard before being brought to life by their talented, caffeinated hands.

• Shooting: their camera people have spent years in the industry understanding different cameras, shooting techniques, lighting, and sound so that they can produce great-looking, superbly styled pieces of video content. Some call them nitpicky, they call them experts.

• Editing: Pacing, tone, color, tempo, message – these are the domain of the Six Degrees Editors. They assemble all the working parts, like watchmakers, into the perfect realization of the project’s purpose. Video is movement captured on film. It is purpose brought to life.

Graphic Design

Graphic design is one of the most unassumingly significant elements of building and maintaining a brand’s identity, campaign, physical or digital presence, products, and services. It is a part of absolutely everything. When done right, in the hands of a studious, mindful, creative, and experienced team, the pieces coming together are substantially more than the sum of their parts.

They always begin with a meeting of the minds, so they can understand the client’s reality, challenges and worldview as clearly as they do. This is the beginning of a relationship, after all, and there are still some things they think should be done the old-school way.

What are they trying to achieve?

Whom are they targeting?

What’s the purpose?

What’s the difference?

What’s their story?

What is happening in their industry?

Just who, exactly are they?

These are all things we need to know, to be that valued partner to their clients. They then machine all of this information through their insights and expertise to create new solutions in the visual space. Together – where your knowledge meets our experience – they will design things that will meet the objectives they set out. This is problem-solving, Six Degrees style!

Unique Value Proposition:

Their MANIFESTO

1. They ARE VISUAL STORYTELLERS – Whether it is a presentation, How-To video, or an explainer animation that they are creating, storytelling, a.k.a. their client’s message and their value proposition, are at the core of everything they do. They don’t just make pretty pictures. Everything they create has a clear objective that needs to be fulfilled.

They HAVE FUN – they may operate in a corporate world where they interact with suits and ties on daily, but that doesn’t mean they are corporate and stiff. they love serving their corporate clients, so they present themselves as professionals that are not afraid to be themselves. Their clients love working with them because they are authentic, fun, and don’t take themselves too seriously.

2. They ARE CREATIVE – they are commercial creatives, so it is their job to combine art and business seamlessly into everything they create. Their clients come to them seeking creative solutions to real business problems. They keep up with current trends and continuously develop new ways to help their clients communicate better and stand out from their competitors.

3. They WORK HARD – they are in a deadline-driven industry, so last-minute client demands, late nights, and working over weekends just come with the territory. When it is crunch time, their team bands together to finish the project on time while consistently exceeding client expectations.

4 They HAVE AUTONOMY & FREEDOM – There is nothing worse than someone breathing down your neck, telling us what to do. Although they are a team, they all work in relative isolation across the globe, so they have the autonomy to manage their own time and run with their creative ideas. Through trial and error over the last two decades, they have developed processes and systems to ensure successful project deliveries. Outside of these processes, their work is a blank canvas, and they welcome creativity and new ideas. Autonomy means they are free to work when and how they want so long as client objectives are met and delivered on time.

5. They CREATE WOW! FOR THEIR CLIENTS – they deliver value and wow their customers. They live to make their clients look like rock stars, whether in a presentation they are delivering or an internal campaign they just launched. Their job is to work quietly in the shadows to prop their clients up so they can take credit for their marketing and communications successes.

6. LONG-TERMERM RELATIONSHIPS – they are in it for the long run. Although they have some one-off clients, most clients become repeat clients they have worked with for many years. How do we do that? By being good, kind humans that care about our client’s needs, show interest in their lives, relate to them on a human level and do whatever it takes to make the job a success. No negative, stinky attitudes allowed!

7. COMMUNICATION IS EVERYTHING – It is their job to make dealing with them as stress-free for their clients as possible. This means to communicate, communicate, communicate. They keep their clients constantly updated on their progress, so doubts and worries don’t ever creep in. This is the basis for forming long-term relationships where their clients can trust them to deliver the goods. When they have new clients that might be treading with trepidation, they hold their hand and guide them through by explaining what is expected of them at each step of the way.

8. ATTENTION TO DETAIL – There is nothing worse than launching a campaign to notice a spelling mistake in a shiny, new marketing asset that has just gone live to the public. Sometimes mistakes fall through the cracks, but they strive to double-check their work to ensure that spelling errors, flash frames, and other gremlins don’t make their way into final deliverables.

Target Market:

They mostly work with corporate and marketing departments at medium to large companies across various industries.

Company’s Internal Objectives related to innovation, customer service, and operational excellence:

Invest a certain amount in innovation

Investing on Great customer service

Streamline core business processes

A customer’s review:

Reliable products/services

Best Service

Understands my needs

Benefits to Employees:

Positive Work Environment

Effective Communication

Job Security

Freedom in the Workplace

Community / Society Service:

They have worked with a number of non-profit organizations to create videos and design materials to assist in their fundraising efforts. They are also regular sponsors of events like awards galas and golf days at their local chamber of commerce.