Letter of Recommendation from a Past Client
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to take a few moments to comment on the videography services provided by Simply Interactive, specifically Rusty Worden. My wife (fiance at the time) and I weren't initially sure if we wanted to allocate monies for a wedding video during our initial wedding planning. After getting to know Rusty over the course of 6 months and receiving the wedding video, making the decision to hire Simply Interactive for our "big day" was undoubtedly one of the best decisions we made.
It was apparent from day one how much time, effort, and care Rusty puts into his work. Rusty was more than accommodating in finding times to meet with us on an initial consultation, and thoroughly covered "all our options" during our first face-to-face conversation. His relaxed, comfortable rapport, coupled with ability to ask questions and listen made us feel comfortable from the start, and would prove invaluable on our wedding day. The business aspect or associated costs never seemed to be the focal point, which was a refreshing change from our many other vendor "budget discussions" during the planning process.
The nature of the relationship didn't change once we decided to choose Rusty and Simply Interactive. I use "relationship" because that is how the experience felt. Rusty was in constant contact and remained available at all times. I honestly felt like a family member was going to be handling our wedding video – he genuinely seemed to care that much. He did a fantastic job with our "engagement shoot." In what would become a theme of his work ethic, Rusty was out early to get "extra" scenic shots. In a relaxed and approachable manner, he was able to get my wife, someone who doesn't feel at all comfortable around cameras, to "open up" and talk at length about our engagement and upcoming marriage. In simplest terms, he made our afternoon "in front of the camera" fun. The same can be said for his performance at our rehearsal.
I assume there is always a certain extent of "worrying" that goes along with the performance of the chosen vendors on the wedding day. My wife and I didn't have any such concern with Rusty and Simply Interactive. He of course was there extremely early to get additional footage of the winery and preparations. And during the ceremony, when our minister inexplicitly read the incorrect vows, it was Rusty who was an absolute rock. He suggested taking a moment, going to a private spot, and re-doing our vows. His assistant quietly read the vows we had written (and that were supposed to be used) and we repeated them while Rusty filmed our own "impromptu ceremony." Rusty used quick thinking to make an extremely unfortunate situation remarkably better. Because of Rusty and his composure we now have "our" vows captured on tape, something my wife and I are eternally grateful for.
We could only hope the final product was as good as our experience. We were thrilled to find Rusty is as talented with the camera as he is personable. Our wedding video was in a word, fabulous. The culmination of his time and effort in getting to know the couple, as well as his attention to detail, shines through in his work. The video is simply more than we could have hoped for. Rusty captures each and every special moment, from poignant and playful shots of my wife getting ready, to the reactionary shot of this groom from his best mans speech. The natural shots of the winery, words from friends and family, moves on the dance floor, an embrace from an old friend, a smile from a relative, are all there. The video picture is of the highest quality, and the editing is state of the art. Moments seem to naturally flow into the next, as the "story" is told in a perfectly paced manner. Rusty has an innate ability to blend music with pictures, as his use of music perfectly fits the footage (and our personality). This aspect is one of our favorite components of the video. At no point is the video "stagnant," as Rusty uses multiple editing techniques to keep the picture "fresh" and "moving."
I could write several pages on the subtle nuances in Rusty's work that come together to make in my opinion a video that perfectly captures our memories of a lifetime. Those who have seen our video have the same reaction – a wide-open mouth in absolute disbelief that it is that amazingly good (OK…. tears is the other popular reaction). I wanted to get to a computer right away to express my gratitude for Rusty's magnificent work, as I truly felt it was the least I could do for all the effort he put into giving us a beautiful reminder of our wedding day.
Regards,
Ed
¶ 1:02 PM
6.23.2004
Getting Referrals
The bulk of the business that comes through my doors is from referrals. I take great strides to make a good impression wherever we are invited and do my best to make my conviction that the customer always comes first (especially when that customer is a bride). It is always extremely nice when someone else recognizes it, particularly when that someone else happens to be a photographer.
About a month ago I got a message from someone who was referred to me by a photographer that I've worked with and recommended before. That in and of itself is not really the wow factor here though. This bride decided to sign with Simply Interactive and on that same day, another photographer who she had asked for referrals gave them the Simply Interactive contact information.
Wow. I have to say that I feel no small amount of pride that my company is being seen exactly the way I had envisioned, planned for, and strode towards. For years I have watched the deterioration of customer service from companies touting that customer service is their number 1 goal. The phrase "The Customer is Always Right" went out the door and was replaced with something along the lines of, "The customer needs to be told why and how they are wrong."
I think what happened is that small companies got replaced with big ones who employed people who were paid little and had no real vested interest in its success. But from my end, working with a total of 6 videographers (besides me), the one thing I state more than anything else is that we will focus on customer service. How? By doing whatever is necessary.
We always go the extra step to make the day of the wedding as smooth as possible.
That's why we don't charge for hours
That's why we go to every rehearsal
That's why we don't charge extra for "premium editing" (all our editing is premium)
That's why we put in the contract your specific requests for editing style
And that's why we don't charge as much as the other top-end video companies (though our quality competes effectively with their premium packages)
We have a commitment to excellence that I have actively pursued -- and I love it that it pays off in ways like this.
¶ 12:38 PM
6.22.2004
Wedding Highlight Video Shown at the Reception
I was chatting at length yesterday with a new customer who took advantage of our discount that ends this month. I was reminded that she had asked me at one point about editing the video of the preparation and ceremony and showing it later that day at the reception. At first I was concerned that the quality I offer would go down because the systems used to edit video and compile video that quickly tend to only leave room for cheesy video effects and lame titling.
But I really put some thought into it and mapped out a way that I could offer that service and not change the way I edit, or the tools I use. It involves more people and therefore, less time. So I am now offering a really sweet new package -- or should I say, "Stunning" new package?
Simply Stunning!
$3475.00 Coverage Includes:
One Camera Rehearsal Coverage
Two Camera Preparation Coverage (Bride AND Groom)
Two Manned Cameras and One Unmanned Camera Ceremony Coverage (3 Cameras!)
Two Camera Reception Coverage
Love Story Interview Shown at Reception
50 Image Photo Montage Shown at Reception
Two Copies of the Edited Video on DVD
NEW - Wedding Highlights of the preparation and the ceremony shown at the reception!
Wedding at a Winery
Simply Interactive had a very busy weekend. We had three rehearsals and three weddings in a two day period. While those types of weekends can be a little hectic, I am honored to be able to say that the people in my employ who are entrusted to handle a wedding without me being there to handle all the nuances, are exemplary above all else. It takes a very specific type of person to handle the pressure and stress of providing any type of service to a bride and groom. They only have this day once.
David and Sue chose to have their wedding at Michel-Schlumberge winery in Healdsburgh, CA. It was, in a word, beautiful. Not just the ceremony which went over nicely under the shade of a giant oak tree, but the actual venue itself. The style of this home/winery is reminiscent of an old spanish mission, complete with small courtyard, fountain, and spanish style doors that would have been used to admit horses back in "the day".
Shooting the wedding video for Sue and David was about the best scenario one could ask for because they had an intimate party, but more so because I was able to have free reign with where my cameras could be placed.
I really enjoy weddings when they are at a winery (obvious reasons aside) because the atmosphere of a winery grooves very well with the elegance and beauty that a wedding naturally is.
Contact the Winery Here
¶ 10:50 AM
6.10.2004
Busiest Season
First off, let me remind you that for this month only, we are offering discounts for all couples getting married in 2005. The discounts are pretty significant and are enacted only once per year.
I had a bride-to-be ask me for a discount the other day for a wedding happening in June 2005. I was happy to inform her of our discount for early-brides like her but it got me to thinking that brides tend to not really know the culture of the wedding industry. Of course I did not know at one point either and the only reason I know now is because I have been involved with 100 weddings or so over the last two years.
Wedding videographers, photographers, and DJs will all usually tell you the same thing. The busy season starts in May and does not really let up until September. For Simply Interactive our busiest months this year are June, August, and September. Last year they were May, June, August and September.
Are you seeing a pattern there? Good. Because if your wedding is in those months there are two things you should probably know --
1) Your vendors are not likely to come down in price unless you book them about 9 to 12 months in advance.
2) You should REALLY consider booking them early.
Especially the videographer and the photographer. The reason is that those two are the ones that will capture your day in a way that will enable you to relive the hard work and effort and ultimate payoff of all of your planning and the second most life-altering event in your life (kids being the first, trust me on that!). You want to make sure that you are able to pick and choose, not get stuck with who is available.
For videographers it is important to know that you don't necessarily have to have a specific videographer shoot your wedding as long as you get to pick the editor.
I am currently the only editor for Simply Interactive, but we have three different occasions this year where we are shooting 3 weddings on the same day, and several other occasions where we are shooting 2 weddings on the same day. Obviously I cannot be everywhere. I hire other videographers to shoot the wedding for me and I set about to editing the video later.
The point is that with the videographer at least, you do have some leeway (sp?) with the busy season, but you may have to wait a bit longer to get your video back and edited.
¶ 2:35 PM
6.03.2004
Kind Words from a Client or Two
I am asked often why our prices are so reasonable given the effort we put into each project. In fact, one notable moment at a bridal show, another videography vendor came to look at our demo and stated "Wow, you guys do a lot of editing on the footage, huh?"
The truth is that we do an enormous amount of editng. It is our attention to detail and the care with which we specifically work each clip to soften, brighten, enahnce, accentuate, and draw out each beautiful moment that allows us the rare opportunity to (while still a small, intimate business model) have such a growing list of clients. In fact, in just two years in business, we can safely state that we have shot and edited 80+ weddings. And our commitment to quality and customer service are noticed everytime.
This next quote was taken off of a forum website related to weddings.
" My Fiancee and I had no plans to hire a wedding videographer. No plans, that is, until we went to a bridal show and saw the Simply Interactive booth. It was obvious from the quality of the booth design that this was a company that took pride in every aspect of how they were presenting themselves so we stopped for a few minutes and watched the video playing on the screen.
We were amazed. We had seen a few wedding video demos from other companies but nothing compared to the thoughtful execution evident here. With our wedding only two weeks away, we hired Simply Interactive within days after the bridal show.
Rusty was very professional. He showed up 1 hour early to the rehearsal and started getting video of the grounds at the venue we had chosen. He showed up early on the day of the wedding and was one of the last to leave. When we got our DVDs from him we were just as awe-struck as when we viewed his sample at the bridal show. Simply Interactive truly pays attention to detail.
¶ 7:50 PM
Wedding and Corporate Video Blog for clients and potential clients of the award-winning Simply Interactive llc. Your stop for visual media, capture and design.
Wedding
and Event DJ Dot Com This is one of Simply
Interactive's favorite resources. This
site will help you find anything you
would need for your wedding video and
helps weed out the fly-by-night operations.
Wedding
Links Galore! This is a great resource
as well. Tons of links for different
wedding vendor types and broken down
by geographic theatre.
Party Pop
This is a
huge database
of tons
of wedding
service
providers
By Recommendation
Only
This is a
website that
lists vendors
ONLY if they
have been
referred
by
one of their
clients.
REFERR
US!
Approved
Photographer Links
Mark
Stagi -
Fine Art
Wedding
Photography
Mark and I have worked together several times and one
thing that stands out aside from his actual photography
skill (which speaks for itself on his website) is his
awesome, confident, calm and unobtrusive personality
and shooting style. Every time we work together I am
reminded of how cool and confident he is. Check out
his website - he's a great guy!
Anna
Myers Photography I
have worked
with Anna
Myers twice
and have
recommended
her for corporate
jobs as well.
Both times
I worked
with her
I was stunned
at her creativity,
her ability
to get stunning
shots and
work with
ct he bride
and groom
in a comfortable,
non-stress
inducing
way. When
I work with
Anna our
video work
and our synergy
together
to create
great shots
allows both
of us to
walk away
with some
extremely
glamorous
images.
Geoff White Photography While
I have yet
to work with
Geoff, I
have seen
his work
countless
times at
bridal shows
(our booths
are constantly
near each
other). Tremendous
quality every
time I see
his new array.
You can tell
how creative
this man
is by looking
at the effort
put into
his show
booth alone...
but once
you get sucked
into his
photo albums,
you'll likely
do everything
possible
to get him
as your photographer.
Jill
Johnson @ Insza Photography This girl was absolutely
wonderful to work with. She works very
well with everyone and even amidst the
mayhem of a wedding where an entire
TV crew was trying to muscle through
the hired service providers, she still
made sure she got everything the couple
wanted.
Darren
Wong Darren
and Simply
Interactive
have worked
together
on a couple
weddings
and has one
of the highest
skill levels
we have seen.
His compositions
and quality
are impeccable
-- matched
only by
his top-notch
equipment.
Approved
DJ Links
San Jose DJs DJ Earl is an excessively helpful
individual. His dedication to his clients means he
is willing to go above the call of duty to make things
flow smoothly.
Fog City Entertainment Russ Catanach is just plain
awesome! Every time I do a wedding with him he
is always prepared. He is smooth, suave, and professional
without being humdrum or frustratingly boring. He
reads crowds well, and guides the party along. I
could not recommend them more.
Carl
Mindling Music
This gentleman is a fantastic DJ - smooth, professional,
entertaining. Aside from his technical quality, this
was one of the most easy going and in-control DJs I've
ever met. I can only imagine how he would react under
pressure - with the same eloquence.
Approved
Venue Links
Nestledown
Estates
There are
no words
that can
describe
the beauty
and serenity
of this place.
We are proud
to have been
able to shoot
there.
Capital Athletics Club - San Jose Despite
the name,
this is
a beautifully
designed
building,
inside
and out.
Great Service
and wonderful
bar/pool
table/fireplace.
Great ambiance
with vaulted
ceilings
in a victorian
interior
decor.
Palmdale
Estates - Fremont Palmdale
Estates is
a beautifully
landscaped
spacious
venue location
that uses
beautifully
designed
two-story
halls for
the reception.
Ceremonies
are outdoors
on lawns.
Byington
Winery
- Los Gatos Definitely one of
my favorite spots. The ceremony area
is at the top of a set of brick steps
and surrounded by grape vines and gorgeous,
Los Gatos hills covered in hundred year
old forest trees. The reception area
is inside of a magnificent building
covered in ivy. Indoors are huge tanks
and an immense cellar houses hundreds
of oak barrels for aging wine. Great
stuff for video and photo.
Approved
Limo Links
White Hat Limo
I can tell
you this
about White
Hat Limo,
when it
came time
to hire
a limo
service
for my
6th anniversary,
White Hat
Limo was
the first
place I
called.
Reliability,
quality
and price.
White Hat
Limo is
exceptional
in all
areas.
