“The [Startup] Industry Lags When It Comes To Videos”, Says Concurrent Productions’ Director

How would you describe Concurrent Productions in a few words?

We help companies share their story through video, focusing our mini-documentary style investor pitch and marketing videos on the founders‘ story – their values and motivations that inspired the passion behind their idea.

What inspired you to create the production company? How did it all start?

We’re filmmakers working in independent film. My husband (and business partner) and I started making web sketches in 2011, figured out how to manage a crew and produce short content and we loved it. We have also spent quite a few years learning and practicing the art of improv comedy in Los Angeles and that led us to understand what makes for engaging storytelling (it’s simple – talk about how something makes you feel).

With my background in anthropology studies, grant writing and business plan writing for immigrant investors, the story is really the common thread for my career. For me, the stories of entrepreneurs, especially startup founders, is so compelling because business leaders are, in a real sense, passionate artists who can exercise their power to change the world in a highly positive way. That excites me! We’ve been working in this specific business this for two years now, but only full time since January 2019.

What is Concurrent Productions’ key differentiator? What makes you stand out from the crowd?

We focus all of our content on why you do what you do to create emotionally-engaging content. Investors often say they bet on the rider and not the horse – they want to trust the founder to keep going with their business when it gets hard and they know that you’ll do that if you’re passionate and personally invested. Now, the same investor might turn around and confuse you by saying all they care about is the bottom line financials and of course you have to have those numbers. But that just isn’t entirely true; humans make decisions based on emotion even if they say they are only rational in their decision-making.

Most startup videos are animated explainers, recorded live pitches, or a recorded repeat of a pitch deck. Startup founders are arguably the most highly innovative of our species, but the [startup] industry lags when it comes to videos. When you create a video that isn’t emotionally engaging, you risk boring your audience and you probably miss out on getting a meeting or getting to the next step. We help founders avoid that trap and offer video not as a box you have to check but as a genuine opportunity to use the medium to its highest ability. Plus, it gives you a chance to be your best-edited self – remove those „ums“ and „uhs“ from your pitch.

Brand video production is a highly competitive field. 10 years from now, what do you think the industry will look like for service providers?

I think the companies that truly understand what drives a compelling, emotionally authentic and resonant human story will always remain relevant. The DNA of storytelling and mythmaking hasn’t changed since we sat around campfires creating gods from star patterns in the sky. Humans want to believe in a hero who has a way to make our world a better place – that can come across clearly in a marketing video, a feature film, or a VR video game. Technology will change the way we consume video, of course, but the reason we’re drawn to stories and the content that inspires us will not change.

What is the biggest challenge that your company has faced so far?

We’re a bootstrapped startup ourselves. Making the leap to full-time work in this business for a husband-wife team raised the stakes on us, big time. We have no choice but to succeed. It’s all or nothing for us and we’re here to support entrepreneurs who are so passionately committed and know they really can’t do anything else with their lives. That’s us too. Doing the thing that only you can do is a huge challenge because it’s original and takes time for early adopters and education for your target market to realize they need you. That’s a challenge we live and overcome every day along with those we serve.

What’s your vision for Concurrent Productions? Where will this journey take you?

I would love to create longer form documentary-style content for socially conscious companies. I always want to share compelling stories of heroes that overcome obstacles and change the world in a positive way. My personal values are freedom, connection, and creativity. As long as I’m doing something that aligns with those values, my journey is taking me where I want to go.

What’s next for Concurrent Productions?

We‘re seeking partnerships with accelerators and incubators to offer our production services and e-course to startups at a lower cost by simplifying our videos and making them specific to a structured pitch format (Problem, Solution, Why?, Why Now? Why You?).

What’s one piece of advice you can give to fellow founders for their startup?

My advice for every situation is simple yet challenging: 1. Show up. 2. Be Yourself.

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