Frequently Asked Questions

Votary Films is a nationwide film and video production company that helps brands grow through deeper, cinematic storytelling: brand documentaries, customer story films, recruitment and culture pieces, training content, and more. We focus on real people, real values, and real impact—not staged corporate fluff.

We primarily serve mid-market and growth-stage brands:

• Manufacturers
• SaaS and technology companies
• Healthcare and biotech
• Education and training organizations
• Professional services and agencies
• Well-funded nonprofits and mission-driven orgs

If you care about brand, culture, and long-term reputation—not just short-term clicks—you’re our kind of client.

We serve every city in the United States.

Strategy and story development are handled remotely by our growth team, and we deploy hundreds of vetted directors and cinematographers across the country to execute production on location. You get consistent quality and story leadership, no matter where you’re based.

Most production companies sell you “a video.”
Votary builds a story asset that compounds over time:

• We start with strategy and narrative, not just “shots.”
• We care about emotional resonance, not just polish.
• We think about brand, culture, recruiting, and long-term equity, not just a single campaign.

We’re closer to a brand storytelling partner than a “camera crew.”

A brand story film is a short, cinematic piece (often 2–6 minutes) that answers:

• Who are you?
• Why do you exist?
• What do you value?
• Who do you serve and how do you change their lives?

Think of the way Patagonia, Yeti, Apple, or Volkswagen tell stories—you remember the feeling long after you forget the tagline. That’s what a brand story film does for mid-market brands too. Content Marketing Institute+1

Simple marketing videos talk at people with features and claims.
Cinematic storytelling:

• Builds emotional connection and trust
• Shows your values and worldview
• Makes customers feel part of a story
• Drives long-term brand affinity and loyalty

Research on branded films and documentaries shows they drive stronger emotional engagement and longer-lasting brand impact than traditional spots. Roo Smith+2newfocusfilms.com+2

A strong brand film:

• Shortens the “trust-building” step in sales
• Gives sales teams a powerful asset to send before or after meetings
• Clarifies your value proposition in a human way
• Helps you compete on value, not just price

It turns cold contacts into emotionally primed prospects.

The brands you mentioned—Patagonia, Yeti, Apple—don’t struggle to recruit because people already feel like they know who they are.

A strong culture or recruiting film:

• Shows your people and environment
• Demonstrates your values in action
• Attracts applicants who “get it” and self-select in
• Acts as an internal reminder of what you stand for

Video doesn’t just sell to customers—it reinforces culture for employees and candidates.

Absolutely. In fact, it often works best there.

Manufacturers, industrials, and B2B companies often have:

• Deep expertise
• Strong values and long histories
• Loyal customer relationships

But nobody ever tells their story.

Cinematic storytelling lets you own your niche, even if your product isn’t flashy.

Mid-market brands have a huge advantage:

• They’re big enough to have meaningful impact,
• But small enough to be human, nimble, and authentic.

Cinematic storytelling lets you build brand loyalty and pricing power like a Patagonia or Yeti—without their media budget. Content Marketing Institute+1

It’s an investment. But the right story doesn’t play once. It can work for:

• Website homepage
• Sales decks and outreach
• Conferences and events
• Recruiting and onboarding
• Social campaigns
• Investor relations
• Internal culture and training

You’re not buying “a video.” You’re building a flagship brand asset that gets reused for years.

The short answer: one that pays off big.

A well-crafted film often:

• Closes deals you would’ve lost
• Attracts talent you couldn’t reach before
• Raises your perceived value in the market
• Clarifies messaging for all future campaigns

When you look at cost over 3–5 years of use across sales, recruiting, and brand marketing, the ROI is usually enormous.

We recommend thinking of it as a core brand investment, not a one-off campaign line item:

• Allocate a meaningful slice of your annual marketing/brand budget
• Plan for a flagship film + supporting assets (clips, social cuts, vertical edits)
• If possible, pair it with a series and leadership content (see advanced strategies below)

 Pricing depends on scope:

• The type and length of film (brand story, series episode, recruiting piece, etc.)
• Number of shoot days and locations
• Size of crew and level of polish
• How many final assets you want (main film + cutdowns, social edits, etc.)

We typically build fixed-fee project pricing once we understand your goals and scope in a strategy call. The aim is to make costs clear up front and tie them to long-term value—not surprise you later with add-ons.

We typically follow three phases:

1. Strategy & Story (remote):
   • Workshops to uncover your story, audience, goals
   • Narrative and concept development
2. Production (on location):
   • Local or traveling crew
   • Interviews, b-roll, voiceover where needed
3. Post-Production:
   • Editing, color, sound design, music, graphics
   • Multiple versions and formats for different channels

Success looks different for each brand, but common metrics include:

• Engagement: views, completion rates, watch time
• Sales impact: deals influenced, faster sales cycles, higher close rates
• Brand lift: how often people mention, remember, or share the film
• Recruiting: higher quality applicants, easier hiring for key roles
• Internal impact: employees referencing or sharing the film, using it in onboarding or team meetings

We encourage clients to treat the film as a multi-year asset and track how often it’s used in sales, recruiting, and events, not just a one-week campaign.

Timelines vary by scope, but a 4-week production to finish is normal once we kick off:

• Week 1: strategy & pre-production
• Week 2–3: filming & first cut
• Week 4: revisions and final delivery

Larger series or complex multi-location projects will scale from there.

We lean heavily on real people and real stakes:

• We interview your team and customers instead of writing cheesy lines
• We shoot in real locations, not just staged sets
• We pay close attention to how your people naturally talk and think

Our job is to protect the truth of your story, not put shiny spin on it. When a film feels honest, it works better—for customers, recruits, and your own team.

You’ll be closely involved in strategy, story, and sign-offs, but we handle:

• Creative direction
• Crew and logistics
• Scheduling and shoot management
• Post-production and finishing

We make the process thoughtful, but not heavy on your team’s time.

Yes. Because of our nationwide network of directors and cinematographers, we regularly shoot:

• Multi-office organizations
• Field-based teams
• Customer locations across states

All under one unified creative vision.

Yes.

The cost to send a small, dedicated team is negligible compared to the benefit of having a consistent crew that understands your brand and is compounding your storytelling leverage over time.

For many clients, we combine a core traveling team (director/producer) with local crew support to get the best of both worlds.

We do.

Your footage is shaped by editors who understand the story we’re telling and the emotional tone your brand needs. That’s where a lot of the magic and meaning happens.

Yes, and you usually should.
We can spin out:

• Short teasers for LinkedIn or Instagram
• Vertical edits for Reels/Shorts
• Snippets for sales decks or recruiting pages
• Internal-only clips for onboarding

This is how you get maximum mileage from a single production.

Yes, you own everything, and all media can be played everywhere per the agreed usage scope.

We clarify any third-party licensing (music, actors, stock) up front, but by default, your brand has full rights to use the finished films across:

• Website
• Social
• Events
• Paid campaigns
• Internal channels

A series (ongoing episodic content):

• Builds familiarity and habit—people come back for the next episode
• Deepens emotional connection over time
• Lets you explore different angles of your story: customers, team, origin, impact
• Performs extremely well on social platforms that reward repeat engagement and return viewers nextinymarketing.com+2Pretty Little Marketer+2

Brands that invest in a series essentially move from “running ads” to owning a show in their space.

Examples of series we love (in principle):

• Customer spotlights released monthly
• “Inside the shop/factory” episodes showing process and craft
• Founder/leadership fireside chats about decisions and values
• Mini-docs about the people you serve

We help you design a format that is repeatable, sustainable, and true to your culture.

Because people trust people more than logos.

Recent research and industry practice show CEO personal branding:

• Boosts trust and credibility for the company
• Drives more engagement than corporate pages
• Shortens sales cycles and reduces price sensitivity
• Gives your brand a human face in good times and crises Financial Times+3DSMN8+3nDash.com+3

Video lets your CEO:

• Speak directly to customers, partners, and recruits
• Share vision, values, and hard-earned lessons
• Build a long-term asset that outlives any one campaign

Common high-impact formats:

• Short “from the CEO’s desk” reflections (1–3 minutes)
• Decision breakdowns: why we did X, how we think about Y
• Culture and hiring messages
• Industry commentary and thought leadership
• Stories from the early days of the company

We can design a recurring leadership series that feels honest, not corporate.

Educational and expert influencers are trusted guides in their communities. Studies show consumers often trust influencer recommendations more than traditional ads, especially when content is genuinely educational. Journal of Marketing & Social Research+5Think Orion+5Famesters+5

Votary can help you:

• Identify aligned creators who already teach your audience
• Co-develop educational episodes, mini-courses, or series
• Blend your brand’s expertise with the influencer’s voice
• Produce content that audiences genuinely want to watch and learn from

Done well, this positions your brand as a trusted educator, not a pushy advertiser. Samy+2Forbes+2

Instead of “here’s our logo in their video,” you:

• Co-create curriculum or episodes
• Bring your internal experts into the conversation
• Offer real insights, not taglines

The result: your brand becomes embedded in the learning experience itself.

You can:

• Make it the centerpiece of a landing page (people watch real stories longer than they read copy)
• Use it for conference screenings and industry events
• Build campaigns around its themes (articles, podcasts, short clips)
• Share it with existing customers as an “insider story” of your mission

The key is that it’s legitimate entertainment and story first—business impact second. That’s why people actually watch it.

It’s helpful to think about:

• Why your company exists
• What you’re most proud of
• Who you serve and what changes for them
• Where you’re headed in the next 3–5 years
• What isn’t being told well right now

You don’t need a script—that’s our job—but you should have honest answers.

Usually:

1. Intro call – Fit, goals, and challenges.
2. Story & Strategy session – Remote workshop with your leadership/marketing team.
3. Proposal & roadmap – Scope, budget, timelines, and deliverables.
4. Production – On location, anywhere in the U.S.

Launch – We help you think through how and where to deploy the films.

Yes.

Our favorite relationships are story growth partnerships where we:

• Build a flagship film
• Develop a series format
• Support leadership and educational content
• Help you keep compounding your storytelling leverage year after year

That’s how you end up feeling more like Patagonia or Yeti in your space and less like a commodity vendor.

We’re flexible. Not every project has to be a full-scale brand documentary.

We can help with:

• A focused recruiting piece
• A single customer story or case study
• A short leadership or announcement video
• A small project that fits into a bigger long-term storytelling plan

What matters most is that what we make actually moves the needle for you, not that it

Yes. While we love handling the whole process, we can also:

• Run a story/brand workshop and hand your team a narrative roadmap
• Take existing footage and re-edit it into a powerful story
• Consult with your internal or local production teams to keep everything on-brand

This is especially useful if you’ve done DIY or in-house video and want to upgrade the storytelling without restarting from scratch.

Almost every client says this at the start.

In reality, your story is hiding in:

• Why the company was started
• The problems you’re obsessed with solving
• The people who show up every day
• The impact you’ve had on customers or communities

Our strategy sessions are designed to pull that out of you. You don’t need to arrive with a finished narrative—that’s what you’re hiring us for.