Storytelling

Zendesk Helpers

I always love it when a company decides to use a different marketing approach to subtly promote who they are. I recently discovered that CRM software manufacturer Zendesk has started producing a series of documentary shorts that have nothing to do with Zendesk. I came across the videos on Vimeo while actually looking for something related to their product and then discovered the link to Zendesk Helpers a microsite which has the purpose of being helpful and encouraging, and a little bit of software promotion.

One of the things that I love about the site and the videos, is the high quality production value that is presented. Especially the videos. These are not shoot it on your iPhone and edit in iMovie (although I have seen some videos done that way that look really amazing). All of these have a fairly large production crew and it shows.

Beyond the production however, is the quality of the content itself. Each video left me feeling good about humanity, something we all need these days. As of February there were a total of 5 video stories available on the microsite. I’m hoping they are in the process of producing even more, because these are great.

We set out to look for helpfulness in the world and were amazed at the stories we found. Because being helpful might sound simple, but it’s actually badass.
Zen Desk Helpers

Google’s “Year in Search” for 2020

Just in case you didn’t know it, 2020 has been a pretty trying year on so many levels. So much has happened in the last 12 months that it is easy to forget some of what we have all been through. Each year Google puts out their “Year in Search” video which curates visuals associated with the most dominant trend in search, and this year the trend was “why?”.

Google captures 2020 in 3 minutes and reminds all of us that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that while this year has been rough, to say the least, there is a reason to keep going. Here’s to 2021 and a better year ahead.

The Light in the Dark

It’s generally been a crappy week for a lot of people in the world. hurricane’s, monsoon’s, wild fires, nut job dictators launching missiles, political crap, economic collapse, and so much more. Unfortunately, that’s life, and while we can’t change it, we can at least accept the fact that things get better. It’s Wednesday afternoon and I just watched a really wonderful animation that was written by Hannah Maschoff, directed and animated by Eli Guillou, about loss, and moving forward. Shine a little light into your afternoon and enjoy the story and visuals.

BRIKK Animates the State of the Planet

For the last month and a half, along with my daily workload, I had been producing a bunch of stuff for last week’s InfoComm 17 which all but consumed my waking hours. Now that the show has past, and looks like it will be a huge success for my company, I decided to take some time this Monday morning and do some research and get some inspiration. The video below from BRIKK is a three and a half minute animation that is beautifully executed and provides you with some food for thought on this Monday morning. Follow along as BRIKK explores the major milestones that have shaped the world as Earth moves farther into the Anthropocene – the latest geologic epoch named for humanity’s influence on the globe. Get lost in the lush textures, rich color pallet, and illustrative storytelling. Then ask yourself, “Is there intelligent life on planet earth?”