Priority Marketing employs 65+ professionals whose areas of expertise span public relations, brand development, web services, social media, creative services, media buying, video production, digital marketing, event planning and more.
Want to learn more about these talented creatives and how they approach their craft?
Agency Access is a monthly feature that gives clients and partners a little insight into our dynamic team. This month, Jonathan Price is sharing his thoughts.
- Name: Jonathan Price
- Job Title: Video Department Manager
- Previous roles at Priority Marketing: Videographer
Agency Access Q&A
What first drew you to Priority Marketing?
“I’ve always had a deep love for gathering and telling compelling stories. However, my life took a turn into a counseling role in Pennsylvania, and although this was a rewarding profession, I wanted to go back to video. It just so happened that at that time Priority Marketing was looking for a videographer that was green enough (pun intended) to grow in the company’s culture and standards while growing and shaping the video department. That job description was the right fit for me! Plus, it gave me the opportunity to spend more time with the CEO’s beautiful daughter (I’m married to the president’s daughter, Anna Hansen-Price).”
What is the most important element of a video, and why?
“You need to know what story you are telling and why it needs to be told. If you know this, then everything else falls into that structure. Are you trying to tell a story of an individual that goes from victim to victor and ends with a triumphant note to compel donors? Then you need lighting that reflects that in your interviews. Your broll (footage that plays over the interview) needs to have some shots that are darker, pensive and slow while others are brighter, filled with laughter and heroic. Music selections, animated graphics, sound effects, etc. should also fit into that narrative. With a different story, different decisions are made. If you don’t understand your story, it makes it difficult to bring everything together in a satisfying way for both the client and the audience.”
Why should every business incorporate video into their strategic marketing plan?
“This used to be a hard sell when I first started nearly 10 years ago. Now, it’s the standard for so many businesses. Think about it: you can show a photo of tasty food, or you can show a group of friends giving a toast, a fork piercing a glistening steak and dipping it into a sauce that spills over the saucer. You can have a photo of a child struggling with a sickness or you can have a mother with loving tears in her eyes telling her story of how she was faced with an impossible situation and how donors came to the rescue. You can post a photo of an event, or you can show a video montage of people winning prizes, dancing amid twirling lights while cheering on a great cause. Which one do you think will do better? The photo or the living, moving video?”
What qualities or characteristics make a video memorable? Please give an example.
“There are a lot of things that go into making a memorable video. If we were to pick three, it would be a killer hook (the introduction of the video), a well-paced story and a good aesthetic sense. We made a video ad for a client of ours that was partnering with a local semi-pro soccer team. It opened with a recognizable face of the organization alongside a team representative on a soccer field with a quick appeal to make a difference. The video invited people to learn more, but it released all the information between slow-mo shots of the pros getting ready for the game and the client practicing with the team! It told a main story which was the invite to the event and then a secondary story of the soccer players getting ready for their game. All of this was strung together with joyful music and a crowd cheering and singing along. This sounds highly produced, but it was a very short video shoot with minimal editing, and it quickly drew thousands of views.”
What has been your most memorable or significant project at Priority Marketing?
“That’s a hard pick. There are so many! We had a nonprofit client known for doing a lot of good in the area, and they wanted to celebrate their donors with an event at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. During the event, they wanted a superhero-themed video made within a modest budget that hyped up the donors while introducing the speakers. Oh, and since it was going to be shown on a theater screen, blown up very big for everyone to see… I knew it had to be perfect. If any flaw existed, it would be magnified 100 times more. The video had everything… superpowers, car chases, interdimensional teleportation, comic book panels with objects traveling from one panel to the next, etc. When the big day came, the video was well received! The audience laughed, cheered, “ooo’ed” and “aaaah’ed” and the client was very pleased. It felt so rewarding!”
