Getting that Video Reaction, Working in the Fast-Paced Worlds of Sports and Video

Ryan Pritt, President and Co-Founder of Pritt Entertainment Group (PEG), took a youngster's avid interest in sports and an adult's realistic assessment of his own athletic prowess to chart his sports-related career. For the past 11 years, he has run his sports creative agency, which specializes in video production, animation, graphic design, and live events.

Today, PEG serves a roughly 50-50 mix of corporate and sports clients, and prides itself on constantly evolving to meet client needs, generating fresh inspirations, and utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and technologies. The mix of sports and corporate client is challenging. Sports, in particular, results in long hours and crazy timelines, particularly during the playoffs.

Video technology changes rapidly. Ryan notes video's increasing use of drones and the evolution of virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) – things that were not available when he started. He finds VR and AR interesting, but adds the caveat that people should not use those technologies just for the novelty of using them . . . that there needs to be a purpose behind their use.

Ryan warns that a company working in video has to be "nimble," to be dedicated to staying up-to-date with the newest equipment and technologies, to be willing to choose which services it will provide and which services it will not . . . and to decide where it is willing to partner.

Key to solving a client's problem is asking questions . . . the right questions. "What do you want? When is it due? And What is your budget" are not enough. Ryan believes that it is important to discover more about the business – the client's motivations, usage plans, and social channel resources – so his agency can recommend ways to expand the use of the marketing piece and optimize value for the client. His agency focuses on the Big Four socials platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

A tool Ryan has found particularly helpful, Frame.io, is a program/website where PEG uploads videos for client review and on-screen feedback. Frame.io integrates with Slack, which notifies PEG of any client activity in the channel.

Ryan observes that some very advanced capabilities have been rapidly moving down market. Today, clients may be able to produce smartphone-videos to meet some of their more day-to-day video production needs . . . such as a warehouse walkthrough . . . and save the agency for higher-end promotional/ showcase pieces that need the higher quality equipment, professional lighting, and precise editing PEG offers. Part of developing a company or organization's strategy is when the agency should step in.

Ryan can be reached on his company's website at: prittentertainmentgroup.com, on the subsite for his company's sports clients: PEGsports.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.