Skystorm Productions - Blog

Skystorm HD Mobile Goes Political With Mitt Romney

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

We just finished a successful live HD shoot with former presidential elect Mitt Romney. Events By Design hired us for this unique opportunity and they were thrilled with our flawless performance. We were also hired to setup lights, which gave us complete control over the look and feel. We are so happy to now be filming exclusively in HD and yet we can still compete with standard definition trucks. As an added bonus we also recorded live HD to a client provided usb hard drive. At the end of the show the client was able to walk away with a Hard Drive containing all the footage in HD, and copies in Standard Definition Beta SP.

Winning HD Mobile Truck Design!

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

We would like to thank you for participating and giving us your feedback for the design of the new HD Mobile Truck.

All of your comments, votes and critiques were greatly appreciated and taken into consideration. We decided to move forward with the design featured above. The reason we chose this design is due to the fiber optic feel of the graphic. As a video production company we feel this design visually communicates our companies identity. Due to our diligent crew the HD truck finally has the all of the needed equipment installed and is ready to roll!

Infomercial Shoot In Tampa

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

We just finished shooting an infomercial in Tampa using our HD truck and working with Jordan Direct. Bruce Dworsky, the principal, is a recognized leader in the infomercial industry directing over 200 infomercials in the last 15 years. The infomercial that Jordan Direct brought us in on was about an amazing new product designed to be inserted into your shoe to make you taller. The entire shoot was done in HD and the product will be distributed in both English and Spanish.

Vote for Your Favorite Skystorm HD Mobile Truck Design

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

We are currently in the process of upgrading our HD mobile production truck. We have a couple different designs for the exterior of the truck that we want your feedback on. To vote for your favorite truck design visit the Skystorm Facebook page, become a fan and leave a comment.

We are excited about being able to make our new fully-digital, HD mobile truck accessible to more businesses that previously would not have been able to afford it. Other mobile trucks with the same high-quality production capabilities normally cost two or three times the price of Skystorm's. We can switch up to eight cameras live and stream the HD footage from remote locations. Need the equipment on location? Not a problem, all of our equipment’s located on portable racks for easy transportation. The 24-ft. truck features internal wireless capabilities, solar panel activated GPS tracking, a 30 ft. jib and producer tables complete with an espresso maker for clients. Skystorm’s HD mobile truck is able to stream live footage instantly to any web site, anywhere and is affordable.

Don't forget to visit the Skystorm Facebook page and vote for your favorite Skystorm mobile HD truck design. We're anticipating a lot of great feedback!

Day Three: Skystorm, Hillman Curtis and Ogilvy Wrap Miami Shoot

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Skystorm quickly reacted to the agency changes by coordinating with the local municipality to secure the downtown Miami location at 11 P.M. the night before, with a call time of 7 A.M. The casting director for Skystorm supplied 30 actors as extras. Despite the inclement weather and last minute changes, Skystorm and Hillman Curtis worked together as a team to produce a high-end commercial for IBM. Working with Hillman Curtis and Ogilvy & Mather was an incredible experience and they were extremely pleased with the results Skystorm delivered.

Day Two: Skystorm Scouts Locations for IBM Commercial

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Olivier Arnesen, who had just finished working on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice starring Nicolas Cage produced the project for Skystorm and worked closely with producer Will Schluter. Olivier took the Ogilvy & Mather creative team on a tour of the scouted locations for final approval. The team decided to add another location and an additional half day of shooting. Skystorm located a penthouse suite overlooking the Miami skyline, available for filming the same day. The production crew finished at a sound studio to record voice-overs for the interviews.

Day One: Ogilvy & Mather Teams Up With Skystorm

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Ogilvy & Mather, a worldwide ad agency headquartered in NYC, created a national TV campaign concept for IBM. Hillman Curtis, a leading filmmaker based in Brooklyn directed the spot. Skystorm was contacted to produce the Miami portion of the three-city shoot spanning San Francisco, Miami and New York City. Within 24 hours, Skystorm scouted multiple locations in Miami, and sent photos to gain client approval. Ogilvy & Mather’s creative team and client flew to Miami to attend a coordination meeting on Ocean Drive with Skystorm’s producers.

Wishing You a Prosperous New Year in 2010

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

During this Holiday Season, we want to pause and thank our clients and the team here at Skystorm for a good 2009 in the midst of a tough economy. We highly value our relationships with you and look forward to what lies ahead in 2010.

As a team we are passionate about video production and serving our clients needs. We hope you are enjoying the Holidays and having extra time with family and friends. We wish everyone all the best and a prosperous New Year in 2010!

Skystorm Is a Favorite Place on Google Maps

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Here at Skystorm we use Google every day like millions of other people to get our work done. Whether its using Google Earth to zoom in on a location on the other side of the country so we can plan how we want to set-up for a live event or just using one of the many useful Google Apps. We recently received a very cool mailing from Google congratulating us on being a Favorite Place on Google because of our popularity on Google Maps.

Of course, Google didn't stop there. They sent a decal with a barcode on it that you can take a photo of with your iPhone or Android and it takes you right to our Skystorm business listing on Google Maps where you can read reviews and view videos that we've produced. So drop by our offices and try it out for yourself before you walk in the door.

Skystorm On Location at Central Florida Hospitals

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Covenant Communications, a full-service marketing communications firm located in downtown Orlando, partnered with Skystorm to produce a series of promotional videos for several prominent hospitals in the Central Florida area. The videos included a tour of each facility by the President of the hospital. These spots will be incorporated into a social media campaign on Facebook to build awareness for this local group of hospitals. Skystorm provided an award-winning crew including Steve Campbell, director of photography for the movie Beethoven, and Olivier Arnesen who recently finished working as visual effects supervisor for The Sorcerer's Apprentice in New York City.

Justin Ramb, founder and president of Covenant Communications, was thrilled with the depth of experience on set and the overall experience working with Skystorm Productions on this project.

Skystorm Crew Heads Out On Another Road Trip

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

We recently launched a fully-digital HD mobile production truck that is configured in such a way that all the gear in the truck is removable. This enables us to ship it and do events anywhere in North America cost-effectively. The response from our clients has been fantastic! We are hitting the road again over the next couple weeks. The first stop is a Thanksgiving broadcast in Medicine Hat, Canada where we will be filming a LIVE concert and broadcasting via satellite. From there, our gear will be shipped to the next event where we will catch up with it in Houston, Texas just in time to produce that event. We close out 2009 in Birmingham, Alabama for a New Year's special event.

Skystorm Video Crew Shoots Halloween Special Broadcast

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

The Skystorm crew just got back from a video shoot in Birmingham, Alabama using our fully digital HD mobile production truck. Over 4,000 teens and young people showed up for this exciting event hosted by The Church of the Highlands, the fastest growing church in America. The broadcast was aired on Halloween reaching over 20 million households in the USA with many more internationally.

The next stop for the Skystorm HD mobile production truck is Phoenix, Arizona with a 6 day turnaround between events. Our video crew will be flying out tomorrow to shoot that event.

How To Use Video On Facebook

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last two years you've witnessed Facebook's rise to prominence and exponential growth to over 250 million active users. Roughly 120 million log in to Facebook every day and the fastest growing demographic is those 35 and older. The million dollar question is how to effectively use Facebook to market your business without being intrusive. Big brands like Gap are leading the way and launching Facebook promotions that utilize video front and center to get casual visitors engaged and interested in their Facebook Page.

The great thing about using Facebook Pages to market your company is that you don't have to be a big brand like Gap with thousands of fans to pull it off. You can easily build your fan base using Facebook advertising which is far cheaper than bidding on keywords using Google Adwords. The real difference is that Facebook visitors can become a fan of your page providing lasting value for long after your advertising has stopped. Having a fan base is better than collecting email addresses because you can send a message to all your fans whenever you like with your latest promotion and links to your website and they will see it the next time they log in to Facebook.

At Skystorm, we are excited about using video in social media campaigns. Lately, we have been brainstorming about new ways to leverage Facebook specifically and make it affordable so local businesses can get started quickly and easily. We have launched a social media division to accomodate the demand for YouTube and Facebook video content creation. We are now offering social media video production starting in the $1,000 to $2,000 range at our studio. We also offer Facebook Page development starting at $1,000 depending on your needs. If you want to launch a large-scale, viral campaign on Facebook or just get started with a basic Facebook advertising campaign we can handle that too.

Skystorm Broadcasts LIVE from San Francisco

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0500

We just got back from California where Skystorm was hired to film and broadcast a live event downtown San Francisco outside City Hall. It was a beautiful location. Our client broadcasts to over 20 million viewers here in the US and had just increased their coverage in San Francisco with the recent addition of 1 million ComCast viewers so they wanted to reach out to these new viewers with a local live event.

Using Google Earth the producer was able to scout the location online and determine the best location for the production truck. Check it out for yourself here. In this case, it was critical that when broadcasting via satellite uplink that we had a clear shot at the Southern sky so we could hit the satellite. The producer was even able to use Google Earth to count the parking spots needed for the production truck, satellite truck and generator. This saved our client the added expense of plane tickets and a whole day of scouting a location in advance. At the end of the day, the actual broadcast went off without a hitch and the client was extremely pleased.

Skystorm Webcasting LIVE in Vancouver

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Skystorm's crew is flying to Vancouver to get set-up for simultaneously broadcasting and webcasting a LIVE event called "TheCRY" in Canada on Saturday. Organizers are expecting thousands of people to attend this event. We are anticipating serving up at least 5,000 live video streams online for those unable to attend multiplying the impact this event will have. The word is spreading fast on Facebook and viewers will be able to view the event together in high-definition, full screen video and discuss it in real-time on the TheCRY web page via Facebook Connect. This will make this LIVE webcast a "social" experience for all involved. Each time a viewer connects from their Facebook account it will show up in their newsfeed for all their friends to see amplifying awareness of the event exponentially. At Skystorm, we are excited about the impact social media can have for our clients when combined with LIVE video streaming and webcasting. Video and social media are the two hottest forms of content on the Web right now and we're finding forward-thinking clients understand that and are turning to Skystorm to help them promote themselves online as well as through traditional broadcast channels.

Auto Warranty TV Commercial National Campaign Launch

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

In a tough economy, more and more Americans are thinking twice before rushing out and buying a new car. This nationwide trend has resulted in more consumers purchasing auto warranties to protect themselves in the event their car breaks down. Skystorm has just completed a TV commercial for an auto warranty company. The goal of the spot was to take the viewer through the emotional rollercoaster that you feel when your car breaks down and then show how purchasing an auto warranty can protect you in that situation. The nationwide media campaign will be launched next week on top cable networks like CNN, MTV2, FX, Fuse, CNBC and BravoTV.

AAA Back To School Video Gets 9,500 Views In 3 Days On YouTube

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Skystorm produced AAA's Back to School promotion encouraging AAA members to "Show their card and save!" on school supplies at over 162,000 locations. Skystorm helped AAA with their YouTube launch strategy resulting in over 9,500 views in 3 days and more importantly ranking well for keywords important to the success of the campaign. Skystorm continues to assist AAA optimize their social media and ensure maximum exposure for their campaigns.

Skystorm Productions Wins Prestigious Telly Award

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) July 7, 2009 – For the past 30 years, the Telly Awards have been the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest film and video productions, and groundbreaking web commercials, videos and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, video production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

With over 14,000 entries from 50 states and 5 continents, Skystorm Productions made the final cut winning a Bronze Telly Award in the Health and Fitness category for Welnia, an innovative health and lifestyle company. When you consider that video production companies submit only their very best work as well as the extremely high number of entrants, earning a Telly Award is a significant creative achievement.

Welnia was launching a new product that required communicating a significant amount of information during the selling process. Skystorm created a promotional video that visually demonstrated the intangible health and lifestyle changes made possible by using their product. As part of the creative process, Skystorm’s team led Welnia through a series of exploratory questions designed to gain insight into the health and wellness industry, their existing selling process and the challenges they were facing.

Skystorm wrote a script that persuasively told the Welnia story and shot testimonials of actual participants sharing their positive experiences using the product to build credibility. Skystorm designed motion graphics around a 3-step process that demonstrated how their product was linked to a website where customers could log in and see their personal progress and receive wellness coaching.

Skystorm produced the entire video for Welnia and delivered on time and on budget. Welnia was able to use this sales video to present their innovative lifestyle product to hospitals in Florida and other large organizations critical to the success of their new product launch.

Our focus at Skystorm Productions is to create high-impact marketing and sales tools that create excitement about your product or service and deliver a strong Return On Investment. Call us at 1-800-783-8508 to schedule a no-obligation Discovery Session to explore how your business can boost your bottom line.

Skystorm Launches HD Mobile Production Truck

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Skystorm is pleased to announce the launch of an all high-definition, mobile live switch production truck complete with high-end, HD Varicam cameras. This is significant because we are now able to offer our clients, media companies and other video production companies an HD mobile truck for the price of a standard definition truck rental which represents a significant savings. In addition to shooting and broadcasting a live event, we can also simultaneously push streaming video to the Web that can be viewed "live" or on-demand. The Skystorm crew just returned from a busy week in St. Louis, Missiouri where we debuted the HD mobile production truck at a "live" event shooting in HD for an upcoming broadcast on GodTV with 160 million connected households worldwide while streaming the event "live" using the Adobe Flash Media Server 3.5. Our client Jeffrey Levinson from GodTV said, "Watching our live event full-screen and in high-definition was amazing and enables us to reach a wider audience."

If you are looking for an HD mobile production truck for an upcoming event give us a call at 1-800-783-8508. Our 18 foot mobile truck has 3 HD flypacks built inside that are removable for added flexibility. For a complete listing of what is included visit http://www.skystorm.com/hd-mobile-production-truck

AAA Debuts "Save Your Shoes" on YouTube Channel

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

As part of an ongoing series, AAA launched Save Your Shoes...Rent with Hertz on its YouTube channel today. AAA's marketing team came to Skystorm with the tagline "We'll Come and Get You!" to promote Hertz Local Edition rental car services which includes the option of getting picked up at your home. Skystorm's team developed the concept, provided scriptwriting, animation and managed the production of the web commercial to AAA and Hertz satisfaction.

Skystorm Launches Financial Counseling Infomercial

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

In today's tough economy, more and more hard-working families are getting into trouble with payday loans. Typically, they are unaware that they will be paying over 325% interest annually and renewal fees that make it virtually impossible to repay the loan. Skystorm has been working closely with Progressive Loan Assistance, LLC to market their financial counseling services designed to help hurting families end the payday loan cycle.

In March, we launched a short-form direct response radio campaign to test the response and messaging. The radio campaign was hugely successful generating over 1,500 new business leads in the first 3 weeks while reducing the cost-per-acquisition by 47%. In April, Skystorm's production crew went on location for 3 days to shoot footage for the upcoming infomercial. Since then we have produced two versions of the 2 minute infomercial for Progressive Loan Assistance. This enables us to do A/B testing and maximize the viewer response when we run the national media campaign.

We have also produced a 45 minute financial counseling DVD product as an alternative marketing approach for Progressive Loan Assistance. As a team here at Skystorm we are pleased to do our part to help working families get their finances back on track and end their payday loan nightmare. Watch the Real Payday Loan Help informercial here.

AAA and Hertz Make It Look Easy

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

For the second web commercial in the series, AAA and Hertz wanted to emphasize how easy it is to pick up one of their rental cars and drop it off anywhere nationwide. To communicate this concept in a simple and fun way Skystorm's creative team produced the Piece of Cake promotion using 3D modeling and animation. The web spot grabbed the attention of AAA's membership online like only video can and increased sales.

Skystorm Attends NAB Show 2009

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Skystorm owner, John Haslam, and head engineer, Robert Miller, are in Las Vegas this week attending the NAB Show 2009 which is the largest digital media industry event for audio, video and film professionals. The main goal for attending this year was to discuss with industry leaders the newly implemented solutions that Skystorm utilized in their new High Definition mobile truck.

Skystorm used the best selection of HD cameras including the industry workhorse Panasonic Varicam, along with 3 Panasonic HPX 500's. To use these cameras required custom cabling that engineers told us was impossible and currently not available. Our dedicated crew at Skystorm discovered a way to create this custom cabling and after rigorous testing they have a proven solution. Attending NAB every year is a MUST for learning about the latest cutting edge technologies.

AAA and Hertz Drive Sales With Web Commercial

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0500

AAA came to Skystorm looking for a creative way to drive sales of Hertz car rentals for their Fun Collection, Prestige Collection and Green Collection in an upcoming promotion.

We brainstormed as a team and provided 3 concepts for AAA to choose from. The final script and storyboard featured animated 3D models of Hertz rental cars popping out of gift boxes and driving off with the tagline "Live in the present. Or just drive in it!".

The web spot was well received by the marketing directors at AAA and Hertz. Take a sneak peek.

Skystorm Productions Shoots Lead Generation Infomercials

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0500

When this client initially came to us they needed our full range of services. We took the time to fully understand their business and research the industry they are in. Our creative team then went to work on branding and product naming. The client's marketing goal was to generate leads. Skystorm recommended multiple approaches. One tactic was to produce a 45 minute DVD and sell it using direct response marketing. This strategy generates revenue and greatly reduces the cost-per-lead for the client. The other approach was to produce an infomercial offering consumers a Free Consultation as the call to action. Skystorm has just completed shooting both of these infomercials and the 45 minute product DVD in a studio downtown Orlando. Our production crew was on location for three days including one day shooting outdoors. We are excited about this project and anticipate launching the campaign in May.

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About Skystorm Productions

SkyStorm is a full-service infomercial production company providing the full range of branding, marketing and video production services to the direct response industry nationwide. Highly committed to creativity and customer service we have a proven track record of producing infomercials with a strong Return on Investment for over 10 years.

Skystorm Awarded Online Campaign For AAA and Hertz

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0500

In 2008, Skystorm produced a series of successful viral videos for AAA. We are pleased to announce Skystorm has been awarded another online campaign. AAA has a strong partnership with Hertz car rental and refers all AAA members exclusively to Hertz. The goal of the campaign is to use online video to show off the great rental car options Hertz is offering and give sales a lift. AAA's marketing team understands that they need to use rich media to get their audience to engage with their content online. Skystorm's creative team looks forward to this challenge and working with the team at AAA once again.

Skystorm Productions Launches Short Form Direct Response Radio Campaign

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Skystorm Productions launched a short-form direct response radio campaign for the business division of Progressive Debt Relief in March. The radio campaign has generated over 1,500 new business leads in 3 weeks while reducing their cost-per-acquisition by 47%. Skystorm partnered with radio advertising powerhouse Robinson Radio well respected for its ‘accountability advertising’ approach. The direct response radio campaign also serves as a highly efficient testing mechanism for the national direct response TV campaign scheduled for May of 2009.

Live Event Broadcast in Newfoundland A Huge Success

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0600

The LIVE satellite broadcast from the St John's Convention Center in Newfoundland, Canada went smoothly and our client was extremely happy with the broadcast.

Whenever you ship 3 tons of equipment internationally for an event it requires careful planning and an experienced crew that can handle set-up and troubleshoot if necessary. Its always exciting for us to see the event come together and be successful.

Skystorm Auditions Talent for Infomercial

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Today, the Skystorm creative team is holding auditions for an upcoming infomercial for a debt relief organization. Over 150 actors responded to the casting call which improves our chances of finding the ideal actor to suit our client's needs. When it comes to on-camera talent for infomercials, we go the extra mile to make sure that we find the right talent that can sell the product effectively and build trust quickly with the viewer. We're not satisfied until our client is comfortable with the talent and we do whatever it takes to make that happen.

5 Tips To Choosing A Video Production Company

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Video is currently the fastest growing advertising medium especially online and is no longer the exclusive domain of Fortune 500 companies. Increasingly, companies of all sizes are realizing that video is a highly effective marketing tool when produced properly and are looking for a way their company can benefit from this trend. What holds many companies back is the fear of spending their marketing budget on a video production company that does not deliver the expected creative result and Return on Investment.

Why is this so often the case? One of the reasons is that many companies follow the same procedure for hiring a creative company that they do when purchasing a tangible product. They get 3 different quotes from local video production companies and choose the most appealing offer which is normally the cheapest one. The problem with this approach is that it is often extremely difficult to truly compare apples-to-apples in the creative services industry.

Here are 5 guidelines to making an informed decision when hiring a video production company.

1) Do they have specific experience in the type of video (corporate video, sales video, training video, etc.) in their portfolio that you are wanting them to produce? While this may sound basic it is easy to get caught up with a demo reel filled with special effects and forget that at the end of the day your video must accomplish its intended purpose.

2) Did they take the time to ask you questions about your target audience and your business goals before discussing the specifics of your project? You want to hire a video production company that is marketing oriented and understands how to sell your product or communicate your message.

3) Do they care about the success of your project? Look for a production company that has integrity and builds long-term partnerships with their clients. These companies enjoy ongoing relationships with their clients. Ask for references and call them.

4) Did they provide a professional proposal that clearly explains in sufficient detail what you are paying for? Are they shooting in HD or SD? Is it a 2 camera shoot or 3 camera shoot? How many days of shooting are involved? Are they including a full buyout for all the actors and voiceover talent involved to avoiding additional costs later on? These are all questions you should ask so you can understand how each company arrived at the quoted price. This ensures that the video production company isn't cutting corners so they can come in at the lowest price when its not in your best interest.

5) Did you receive prompt and professional customer service? When you called the video production company what were your first impressions? Did they listen to your needs and offer helpful recommendations? If they are difficult to communicate with during the beginning stages imagine how hard it will be when they are under pressure to meet a deadline.

Following these guidelines when evaluating video production companies will improve your chances of success and ultimately enable you to identify the company best suited for your needs.

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About Skystorm Productions

SkyStorm is a full-service Orlando video production company providing solutions to the corporate, advertising and direct response industries nationwide. Highly committed to creativity and customer service we have a proven track record of producing unique, effective corporate videos, sales videos, training videos and infomercials for over 10 years.

Skystorm Crew Broadcasting "Live" from Newfoundland, Canada

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0600

On February 21st, the Skystorm crew will be broadcasting LIVE via satellite for 12 hours straight from Newfoundland, Canada. To make this possible we are handling all the logistics of shipping over 3 tons of camera equipment and production gear to Canada.

For this shoot, we modified Skystorm's 30 foot camera crane and were able to reduce the weight by 300 pounds to save on shipping it internationally. We are planning a 6 camera shoot and will be rotating our crew every 4 hours throughout the "live" broadcast for 12 hours.

We are busy finalizing all the arrangements to ensure the broadcast goes smoothly. We are looking forward to another opportunity to serve our client during our time in Newfoundland.

Skystorm DRTV Infomercial Listed in IMS Report

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Skystorm produced a DRTV short-form spot and long-form infomercial for KwikKerb that was broadcast on the Fox Business News Network in 2008. These DRTV spots were listed in the IMS Report under New Breakout Shows. The IMS monitors 40 cable and satellite television networks nationwide and records over 30,000 hours of paid television programming each month. They are widely recognized as the world leader in direct response television monitoring. Skystorm uses this information to measure relative saturation achieved by competing paid programming spots for its clients when necessary. This objective and verifiable data enables companies wishing to enter the DRTV market insight into their competition and the media spend required to compete effectively.

Online Video Is Top Priority in 2009

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Marketers in the US will take a closer look at online video in 2009, according to a survey conducted in December 2008 by PermissionTV. Over 400 senior-level decision makers were surveyed about their 2009 online marketing plans and more than two-thirds said that online video is the top priority for their digital marketing budgets.

Key Findings:

71% believe online video will enhance customer engagement and build brand awareness
52% expect to implement an online video project in second quarter of 2009
63% are most likely to invest in branded content/video destination next year

Marketing Objectives:

64% reported that strengthening relationships with customers and prospects is the primary goal
47% driving lead generation was the second largest objective
44% enhancing loyalty/retention programs
41% converting prospects into customers

Traditionally, video production companies have produced content destined for broadcast TV, cable or DVD. Skystorm recognizes this huge shift in how video is being used by marketers and has the expertise to work with agencies and companies wanting to produce branded online video content to attract visitors to their website and generate advertising revenues.

Skystorm Launches Website Redesign

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Welcome to the freshly redesigned Skystorm website for 2009. Our goal with our new website is to provide visitors to our site with a state-of-the-art online video experience. The reason we feel this is important is prospective clients are able to view our work online in its entirety without having to come in to our studios. At their convenience, they can view our work in full-screen and high-definition and decide if Skystorm is a good fit for them.

With this goal in mind the Skystorm crew went to work and literally spent hundreds of hours in the studio rigorously testing every available video format and encoding software configuration until the highest quality files were unanimously agreed upon.

The next challenge was to find a content delivery network capable of streaming H.264 high-definition video in 2 seconds or less. After extensive testing, EdgeCast Networks came out on top as a clear winner. Our web developers worked closely with their technical team and a senior software engineer at Adobe to push the limits of the Flash Media Server and EdgeCast delivery network to its maximum to achieve a near instant-on experience.

Our development team programmed the video player to auto-detect the user's bandwidth and deliver the appropriate video stream. While most video players offer a choice of high or low bandwidth our player chooses from one of 9 video streams to ensure a superior and incredibly smooth playback experience. The viewer can seek forward without having to wait saving time and keeping the viewer engaged.

One of the major benefits of the investment we have made in our new website is that we are now able to offer all our clients this truly state-of-the-art online video player experience to enhance their websites where it makes sense as part of our full-service approach to working with them. This is especially valuable as the Internet is widely recognized as one of the most important distribution channels available.

Skystorm Named Top 15 Digital Media/Film Production Company

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0600

According to the Orlando Business Journal, Skystorm ranks as one of the Top 15 largest digital media/film production companies in Central Florida for 2008. We count ourselves very fortunate to be expanding during such a tough economy. We don't take ourselves too seriously but appreciate the recognition.

In 2009, we are extremely busy and have already signed several new clients. Compared to last year we are expecting to grow by 30% in the first quarter.

We look forward to another great year!

tst