Mobile Video Production in the Age of Twitter

As Social Media opportunities arise, the general public still struggles to understand all their options and embrace the newest tools. It is difficult to test and discuss the newer technologies when the application of the program is cloudy and gray. Bob Gollwitzer, owner of Pro Mobile Productions and veteran action sports producer of 20 years, understands the dilemma and has taken the charge to help bring some clarity to the possibilities. Where there is Facebook and Twitter, we offer to tell a story with engaging content and a forward-thinking message. Where there is YouTube and multiple, portable video player options, we offer to capture the heart and soul of the individual. Bob’s last foray into this area resulted in the design and development of THPTV.com, a video driven portal for company information for a local Philadelphia homebuilder. Our mission is clear, our passion became focused. Enter Pro Mobile Productions.

Pro Mobile Productions (PMP) was created on the foundation of professionally produced video. Pro-Inline Productions, PMP’s parent company, began coordinating and filming action sports events like inline skating and extreme games in the early 1980′s. Pro-Inline Productions served as the independent production company behind such well known events as “The Ultimate Inline Challenge” at Universal Studios, ESPN’s “X-Games” and NBC Sports “Gravity Games.” The vision was simple – capture the story on video: the moment, the excitement, the passion. Preserve those frames in time, and allow the participants to re-live their moments again and again. Producing the events not only enabled Bob, also owner of Pro Inline Productions, to storyboard each take, but he was able to capture B-roll footage and secondary clips and outtakes. In the end Bob had enough quality film to share a powerful story and re-purpose the many aspects of the event through vignettes and “teaser” reels.

PMP’s objectives are to produce the best video for many of the traditional mediums (e.g., T.V., on-line ads, product promotion, and video testimonials). Taking this business model one step further, we have married quality video production with mobile viewing. We utilize the available mediums to share the video on cell phones, iPods, and web-based video players.

Regatta Rowers at the Starting Line

Not only do we provide customized content for sporting-event participants, we package the entire event so everyone can benefit from the historical archive on video. Social Media has enabled storytelling to the masses; anyone can share, promote, and create an awareness of their idea. We have honed are services to maximize Social Media Marketing for the sole purpose of gaining a following with specific interest in the product, service, event. This advantage is critical to the effective optimization of the story to be told – we create the interest, we find those interested, and we provide the fanatics with what they expect. It is not the traditional advertising model; to the contrary, we provide the consumer with what they have been looking for, in an unobtrusive way. Enter Youniquevideo.com.

The premiere of our proprietary technology will be revealed at Philadelphia’s 2009 Dad Vail Regatta and Stotesbury Cup in May 2009. Our solution to the dilemma of providing high quality video to individual rowing teams is Youniquevideo.com. The site will be launching soon, and it will provide us with the ability to link event data, customized programming, and video footage of the event. This is the culmination of on-site video capture, mobile editing, and global distribution. We will produce individual video segments for each participating rowing team. We will utilize multiple cameras to capture every possible angle, and the videographers will be staggered throughout the event course.

Pro Mobile's modified RV - now on-site production HQ

Our Mobile Production Unit (MPU) will allow for video highlights via hard-wired cameras creating live feeds to be viewed during the event. We will engage the crowd and fans to peak the interest level and maintain everyone’s focus on the rowers and the schools representing the regattas. The keystone to our success is our MPU (very similar to large network TV trucks, but utilizing all digital HD equipment with laptop Final Cut Pro HD for post production) and the on-site headquarters it provides. Not only can we coordinate the video capture and programming with greater ease, we can manage all facets of the production by having adequate IT Staff available to handle the on-the-fly improvisation sometimes necessary at outdoor sporting events. Being at the heart of the action offers us the advantage of quicker team communication and problem resolution.

Youniquevideo.com’s future includes numerous other outdoor sporting events in 2009. In addition to rowing events, like the Dad Vail Regatta, our plan includes events involving runners and cyclists. From marathons to triathlons, for-profit to non-profit events, Pro Mobile Productions has positioned itself to be the primary provider of broadcast-quality video for sporting events nationwide, with one main difference…video as it happens, when it happens, to treasure and share for generations. PMP will take video storytelling to the next level, encouraging it to evolve as the fluid vehicle it was always intended to be. As times change and technology adapts, Youniquevideo.com is the destination for Your Unique Video.

Contact Information: Pro Mobile Productions

Bob Gollwitzer  |  Cell: 610-223-7884  |  E-mail: bgollwitzer@gmail.com; promobileproductions@gmail.com

However, Twitter can be an effective tool for businesses. Blu3Digital is using Twitter as one “spoke” in the “wagon wheel” of its social media campaign. Promoting clients’ projects and milestones, sharing important and vital links with known, demographically-targeted followers, and creating a solid network of like-minded individuals and companies are the three main tactics for which Twitter has been effective for this website strategy, search engine optimization, and social media company.

Pro Mobile Production (PMP) is a current client where Twitter has played a crucial role, creating awareness of PMP’s video production skills and helping to create a loyal following of action sports enthusiasts and videophiles. PMP might alert followers to a new Blog post on the latest HD Video Camera or when they will be appearing at the next Philadelphia Sporting Event. Subsequently, Twitter provides for a brief but effective outreach to “fill in the gaps” between a Blog post, RSS feed update, or e-newsletter.

Twitter is most valuable when it has clear objectives, a purpose, and metrics as to its weekly feedback. Like many other technical “vehicles”, without proper and constant review, Twitter will loose it potency and fall to the waist-side. Don’t count Twitter out, but do ensure it plays nicely with the other kids on the playground.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov3Y9YYMuFY

Twitter on the iPhone

And why not…it’s mobile, desktop, Adobe AIR accessible, and SMS friendly. You can take it anywhere. It is no surprise to me that people have realized how quickly and easily they can share websites, comments, great finds, and what they are doing.

Agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts with me on Twitter.

The key ideas are another valuable product of the short list. To fully understand the most important goals and objectives of the project, one must solidify the key ideas – the purpose, the reason for pursuing the project. Some questions might be “why do we have the need for the project?”, “why was this question posed to the team/company/organization?”, or “how will this resolution improve the status quo?”. When those key ideas are agreed upon by the team, each member should have a clear vision of why they are on the team, what you hope to accomplish, and what value you hope they will contribute to the end results.

Now that we have a short list containing key ideas, key goals, and a clear summary of the team’s intentions, we are ready to discuss the length of time for the objectives and what milestones might pertain to each of those goals and objectives. We will not finalize dates and milestones, yet, but we will begin to assign milestones (even if there are steps for further discussion). At this point the discussions will center around quantifying the steps within each milestone and the approximate time needed to complete each step. This brings us to another important Project Management practice – defining milestones and their time lines. In the next step, Defining Goals, Steps, and Strategies, we will continue to refine our progress and ensure that we remain on-track with the original intent of the project.

This news fits well into what we are experiencing right now. Our business model embraces this new and up-and-coming trend – sharing the best content we can provide. When you control the content and freely provide the manner in which it can be shared, you have gold. Pro Mobile Productions is pursuing that same vertical; reaffirmation at its finest.

No limits…

This idea-challenge is a fun and engaging project, and as I have worked with Bob in the past, the discussions and problem-solving forums tend to be a very open and “no-idea-is-too-crazy” type of setting. Successful brainstorming must begin with guidelines and parameters – who is involved, what do we need to accomplish, and what are the financial hurdles and/or restrictions. Once these details are laid out and documented (for future reference, as it will come up again), you can open the table to discussions, and begin to tackle the most important of the outstanding questions. A less structured atmosphere is acceptable, at first, as the group becomes familiar and comfortable with one another.

After the walls have come down and everyone feels that they are a valued member of the whole, begin to use techniques like mind mapping and basic note taking and outlining to capture the ideas and new issues that will arise. Our project has had many rounds of notes and visual aides (from basic meeting notes to a very detailed SEO/SMO global site map). As I am a visual person, my understanding lies in the detail I capture when speaking with someone and my ability to visualize and form analogies to our specific situation. The better I am able to equate today’s challenge and hurdle with other relevant history, the more effective I can be to solve the problem and facilitate its completion. Even though I tend to be a more visual learner, I still recommend the use of visual aides as you balance the speed at which the group members engage and grasp your objectives.

As your meetings progress and your group narrows their focus on the best ideas, you will begin to converge on the next step -Step Two: Create the Short List of Key Ideas and Actions.

The social media (optimization) experiment is my latest challenge. The project is to blend event-based marketing with the combination of video production and the viral web. The result will be a brand new, patent-pending idea. I plan to detail and explain the entire process, from the brainstorming/idea sessions, through the key milestones and hurdles, wrapping things up with the delivery of our unique, event-based marketing idea.

His involvement in projects like THPTV (an industry-specific video portal) and Guardian Wear (high quality performance athletic apparel) are critical to the challenges we will be undertaking in the next few months. We are pleased to foster this unique partnership.