There’s a new creative director in town at Brafton’s video department – Ian Servin. Coming into the role with plenty of production and strategy experience, he’s ready to build on the foundation of what’s come before and take video workflows to the next level. Now’s the perfect time to meet Ian and learn how he sees the state of video production – both here at Brafton and in general!
The journey to the Brafton team
Ian comes to Brafton fresh off leading global video marketing at a video platform company that handled in-house and event video production, as well as live streaming. He’s spent years working with companies to help them improve their use of video.
Rather than just seeing video as a deliverable, Ian thinks of it as a problem-solving tool.
The Brafton role drew Ian in because it aligns with his feelings on the right way to use video as a marketing product: Rather than just seeing video as a deliverable, he thinks of it as a problem-solving tool. When production personnel and clients work together closely, they can use creativity to achieve their goals.
A day in the life
Being the creative director of the video department means keeping tabs on multiple projects and taking key meetings. Commuting every day from Providence, Rhode Island, gives Ian the chance to get a head start on his daily prep, working through emails and checking the status of ongoing tasks in Brafton’s purpose-built content management system. Having access to that one-stop tool makes Ian’s job a little easier.
“I’ve worked with a lot of different project/resource management tools in the past and it’s really cool that we have our own program that’s developed in house to match our processes,” said Ian.
The workflows and established processes built around those systems have helped Ian slide into his new role as creative director. Since there are best practices in place, it’s simpler to know how best to solve a given client’s business problems. Since joining the team, Ian has been impressed by the nature of the connection between Brafton and its clients. The strong relationships allow for more exciting and impactful creative work.
Ian says that, while marketing video production revolves around client needs, creative personnel should have something to bring to the table in collaborative settings.
As for what’s next, as Ian settles in, he’s planning on looking for any opportunities to augment and improve the video products on offer. Video is a fast-moving field, and constant changes to both deliverables and the processes that go into them will keep the offerings relevant and appealing.
Advice to prospective video marketers
As a longtime participant in the video marketing field, Ian has plenty of insights about what it takes to be successful in this space. This doesn’t mean there are a few set-in-stone rules that he recommends people follow, however – quite the opposite. Getting into video as a content producer will likely go best for people who can be flexible and change with the times, because the times are always changing.
Since there’s more than one way to distribute marketing video today, from websites and social networks to direct email, Ian recommends that up-and-coming video marketers think hard about all the possibilities. On the creative side, he wants people to embrace a distinct and innovative point of view. While marketing video production will always revolve around what the client needs, the creative personnel should have something to bring to the table in collaborative settings.
Developing that voice is easier than ever. Ian encourages up-and-coming creators to get out there and start making work, overcoming any hesitation that may come from worrying about how many elements go into video production. He urges people to finish their projects, even if they’re not “perfect,” and move onto the next, getting lots of practice and developing skills.
“It’s better to finish an imperfect project than hold onto it, and you’ll learn so much from your mistakes,” said Ian.
A busy life outside of work
While being the new creative director keeps him busy, Ian’s life outside of Brafton is packed with hobbies – maybe too many hobbies, his friends have told him. Some of these personal interests involve the same video-making skills as his work life, with many of his vacations coinciding with recording and editing together the highlights of visually impressive destinations. He loves the experience of sharing the essence of someplace via a video.
Another of Ian’s interests is learning to fly – he’s earning a private pilot’s license. Every weekend that the weather allows him to leave the ground, he flies from Rhode Island’s North Central Airport. On these flights, he uses video yet again, to debrief the flights and get others interested in his high-flying hobby.
Ian also gives lots of time to helping those in need. Specifically, he’s a frequent Red Cross volunteer, performing communications and public affairs work from major disaster sites approximately once a year and contributing to local day-to-day efforts at other times. The home fires campaign called Sound the Alarm has been the beneficiary of his communications expertise.
Flying, volunteering and constantly creating new footage – it’s all in a day’s work for Brafton’s new creative director of video.
