How has your company been impacted by concerns over the coronavirus–or the virus itself if a worker or client has been stricken–in terms of business, your staff, client relationships?
We have not had anyone personally stricken with the virus…but we, like all production and post companies, have been impacted by the “shelter in place” order and the inability to really get out there and safely film anything.
The well-being, health and safety of people is clearly top priority. What measures have you taken to protect your staff and collaborators during this challenging time?
We work from home.
How have you adapted your behavior, practices, policies, approaches, ways of thinking and doing business in response to the pandemic?
We recently developed a kaboom “COVID-19 Playbook” where we spell out for agencies and brands what we can do NOW- while we are all “Sheltering in Place” — and what we can do later when we are “through this.” For now, there are clear ways we can be of assistance by leveraging our directors who are also editors to do post projects, and by working with an animation team that’s part of our creative network. There are other out of the box ways we can create content now with the talent we have. For example, one of our directors has started creating stop motion food animations in his home studio; Or we have Director/DPs who can leverage those in their “small circle” as talent and shoot outdoors (or in their own homes) staying safe and still creating beautiful content.
When we get “out of this” my feeling is that our new normal will not be what we are used to. Gatherings will likely still need to be limited in scope, so being able to work with a small footprint will be key. Because we have been doing that for years we will be able to leverage our experience in bringing that to the “post-COVID” production world.
What’s your biggest takeaway or lessons learned from your experience dealing with coronavirus concerns thus far?
I really appreciate our teachers, our grocery store workers, our postmen & women and, of course, our nurses and doctors — anyone and everyone on the front lines. I am sure most people would say the same. I really hope that when we get to the other side of this that things change in terms of the way we support and appreciate certain work and how we pay those people. In times like this you really see who carries the load.
When we come out of this the new normal will be like nothing we have seen before, in our business and also in life in general and how folks work in various sectors. Working remotely has made us realize what is possible…how much is possible…but also how important it is to be together when we are able.
When you look at the difference in the governmental response from one state to the next, it is mind-boggling. And I am so proud to be from California, and the Bay Area specifically, because our elected officials were on it, and on it early. The messaging and actions coming from our state are decisive and also compassionate.
In that same vein, what this virus has taught us is how incredibly interconnected we are…state to state…country to country. We need to pay attention to what is happening around the world and we need to treat each other as if we were right next door to one another.
What advice, if any, would you offer to your counterparts at other companies/agencies, your clients and collaborators?
When this first started, friends would give me helpful platitudes about how this could spark creativity. I frankly thought they were full of it and I was annoyed. But now that we are in it, I am actually feeling very creative and hopeful. “Our COVID-19 Playbook” is getting a lot of great feedback and I feel good about offering up solutions during this time – even if they are a little unconventional. As I mentioned earlier, the new normal will not be anything we are used to. At least initially, crews will need to be scaled small, and clients may need to watch from monitors remotely. We will need to be vigilant about cleanliness and safety. And we will adapt. We’ve been working nimbly for years but now the times demand it. I have hope that we will come out of this stronger and more creative. I really do.
Contingency plans have been prepared by many in light of the situation. Please share any aspects of those plans or tell us how your short and long-term business plans have been affected.
We are in crisis mode now. Everyone is. The future is unclear. As I have explained to family and friends who are gainfully employed, working from home and whose greatest challenge is how to keep their kids occupied, it is different for those of us with small businesses who cannot work in the way they did even last month. Yes we all are doing what we can. Yes, of course, we will network and reach out to folks and make the best of it. We are production people — that is what we do. But this is a big deal for us. This is not just being put out because we can’t go to our gym or our local restaurant. What we had “planned” in terms of the business is out the window now and we are dealing with the here and now. I think the programs that the government has put out there via the SBA are great. The support and guidance the AICP has been offering its members has been outstanding. They have truly met the moment. (And I am not just saying that because I am a West Board Member).
It’s said that strength emerges from adversity. Do you see any silver lining or positive dynamic emerging for our industry/marketplace from this global health crisis?
As I mentioned in an earlier answer, I really do believe that this crisis has sparked creativity and ideas that would not have taken place without it. I also think that we have all been humanized by this crisis. We start our conversations asking how people are, and really mean it. I hope that the client community and their agencies have a better understanding of how vulnerable we – their production and post partners — are vis a vis timely payments..now and in “normal” times as well. I hope that the industry at large will support healthy practices on set including being more mindful of green practices. People are seeing how connected we all are and how what we do really does impact our neighbors, whether they are next door or across the world. And lastly, I hope that when this is over we will be more mindful to slow down, to breathe and to be kind to each other. Sounds like hippy dippy California speak…but I really believe that this crisis has made us all more thoughtful humans.
Have you deployed your company’s creative and communication skills to address the pandemic (PSAs, educational videos, other initiatives)? Please tell us about these efforts.
We have not but we would love to. Reach out to us.
