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Engaging conversations. Authentic stories. No scripts. One Take!
This unscripted video podcast from Visual PR Productions showcases the work we do for a clients with genuine, conversation-led storytelling that connects people through creativity, curiosity, emotions, and (if appropriate) laughter. Each episode highlights real journeys, inspiring insights, and the value of authentic video content.
00:00:01:21 - 00:00:38:21
Tom
I remember probably one of the ones that I really enjoyed was I made a video for my form class at the end of that year. That was the class just after they came back to school from the pandemic. Yeah. So they were used to all my videos and all of this at this point. So I made them a special one on the whole, and I delivered it to, to all of the my parents via the Google Classroom and has this is from me to all of you going and this is your your children's year right here is and I love that because it got to to put across the joy, the enthusiasm, the happiness
00:00:38:23 - 00:00:45:14
Tom
that was in the students and in their days and stuff that as a parent, you don't get to see that because you're not there.
00:00:45:17 - 00:01:08:01
Chris
And I think that is the, you know, again, in line in our perspectives is that that was that or it wasn't just the video that said something that that that just recorded something. It was about that authenticity oozing through its content. Yeah. And that's what, again, that we do. So again, I can see even more why we aligned.
00:01:08:01 - 00:01:11:17
Chris
As soon as it was put to the idea. Yeah.
00:01:11:19 - 00:01:24:00
To me. You.
00:01:24:02 - 00:01:38:03
Tom
Always said if I can even get if I can put in half as much as I was able to do with teaching, I'll do well, because what I did in teaching, I did very well. Yeah. So if I can even be half of that, I should be able to get to a decent point somewhere in this new career.
00:01:38:06 - 00:01:39:10
Yeah.
00:01:39:12 - 00:01:56:10
Tom
And I want to enjoy that that time a bit more at home. So let's focus on getting the qualification nailed and try and enjoy that home life a little bit more, because those are the bits that actually I'm valuing more and more. And so that's exactly what I did. Yeah, I opted not to do the third year.
00:01:56:11 - 00:02:12:01
Tom
Whereas again, with that we were on about Swindon College. So yeah, so we were fortunate this year and I was quite proud to be able to do it, to reach back to the college, who obviously helped me and go, look, I know you've you've got people on the third year who need work experience, you know, can I have Charlie for a couple of days?
00:02:12:01 - 00:02:23:01
Tom
He's, you know, one of my friends. But also I trust her skill set. There is that element to me. If I'm boring, if now I'm bringing them in to what we do, I need it to be up to standard.
00:02:23:03 - 00:02:26:01
Chris
Well, yeah, because once we go out, I'm not. You got to trust if.
00:02:26:02 - 00:02:30:20
Tom
I'm not bringing someone in to train them. No, that's not the point of what I'm doing. I'm bringing them in for work experience.
00:02:30:20 - 00:02:40:11
Chris
Hence, it's the third year, isn't it? Because it's not training them necessarily on the job. It's trusting them to do it. Yeah. And get practice and experience and all of that.
00:02:40:11 - 00:02:59:18
Tom
Exactly. Yeah. I mean yeah, we we were we managed to partner with them a couple of times for a couple of different things, which was lovely. And I enjoyed being out sort of give that back a little bit. But yeah, also obviously been out to work with Charlie was was fantastic for me. Yeah. You know someone I implicitly trust with with that and knows my work style and workflow and it works really well.
00:02:59:20 - 00:03:01:02
Tom
But yeah, so but.
00:03:01:03 - 00:03:11:23
Chris
It was great watching her growing confidence on the. Yeah, she's with us. That was very visible. So that was that was really nice indeed. That second year.
00:03:11:23 - 00:03:12:06
Tom
Yeah.
00:03:12:11 - 00:03:14:17
Chris
I, I had a meeting.
00:03:14:20 - 00:03:15:02
Tom
Yeah.
00:03:15:06 - 00:03:37:01
Chris
I'm trying to remember now, it was either an event in there. I got a feeling it was actually a specific meeting with Darren Marks at the at the college. Great guy that that sort of really championing the college and everything about it. And we'd met at an event previously, down Corsham Way or something and he said, let's, let's get together.
00:03:37:03 - 00:03:44:07
Chris
Went in and it was always going to be meeting and giving me a tour of the studio facilities and everything, a fantastic facility.
00:03:44:07 - 00:03:53:09
Tom
It really is that that they were fortunate to get some increased funding, and what they've done with it is spectacular. I mean, it really is second to none. The equipment you.
00:03:53:09 - 00:03:58:10
Chris
Get hands on in the college now, I mean, it's that good. You've got a studio, you've got the sound studio.
00:03:58:12 - 00:04:19:00
Tom
Everything in there is professional. Quality is designed to be. If you come and do this with us, you walk out and you have used the kits that will be being used in the places you are working for. The editing studio is a fully kitted editing suite. The the cameras are all up to standard. The audio equipment is all up to standard.
00:04:19:02 - 00:04:20:22
Tom
It's brilliant what they've been able to do.
00:04:21:00 - 00:04:42:13
Chris
It really is. I mean, we're able to go and use their studio facilities if we wanted to as well, you know? Is that good? And within that tour, I met Sam. Yep. And we had a great chat, and he was really enthralled by what I was creating here at visual PR productions. Or visual PR as it was originally.
00:04:42:15 - 00:05:01:15
Chris
But then people kept thinking that we were a PR agency. So visual PR productions that. Yeah. And he was like, okay, that sounds great. So he said, I've got someone that might be of interest to you. I you could self. But he said, keep your blooming hands off until he finishes his course. All right. That's fine, I respect that.
00:05:01:17 - 00:05:21:09
Chris
But I managed to convince him about a month before you were finishing, I think it was to say that's fine. He's now close enough that he is going to finish. But I do need to get these conversations going because I needed a video editor and producer in the house for for a whole raft of things that has grown massively since since then as well.
00:05:21:11 - 00:05:29:09
Chris
And he put us in contact and we got together, I think was the first time just you and me, and we chatted about you as a person. This story that.
00:05:29:11 - 00:05:30:03
Tom
A lot of this calls.
00:05:30:04 - 00:05:49:21
Chris
Exactly right. And we hit it off and we would chat for ages, to be honest with you. And I was just like, this is interesting. You were interested with what we were doing for reasons that, again, we found in this conversation, is that our principles aligned to what content you liked and what we were trying to create.
00:05:49:23 - 00:05:57:15
Chris
I then got my wife, Claire, who is, is, co-owner of the business, to come in so that there was that second set of eyes.
00:05:57:18 - 00:05:58:09
Tom
Very important.
00:05:58:09 - 00:06:07:11
Chris
We both walked away and went. Absolutely offered you the job. That was two days a week to start. Yeah. Because you were unsure at that point whether you were going to do the third.
00:06:07:11 - 00:06:11:08
Tom
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It was we were two days a week to start with.
00:06:11:10 - 00:06:12:23
Chris
That didn't last long. No, no.
00:06:12:23 - 00:06:18:18
Tom
It didn't I, I made the decision not to do the third. Yeah, well, I've done few months.
00:06:18:22 - 00:06:29:00
Chris
Before you even decided that we had to take you to three days, because, remember, we worked out that you needed two days a week for the course so we could take you up to three. Yeah, and that change was very quick.
00:06:29:01 - 00:06:31:05
Tom
I think that was within like two months.
00:06:31:06 - 00:06:48:11
Chris
Easily I would say easily absolute. Yeah. Which is brilliant. You know, it kind of was self-justifying then. Yeah. I know you went to the three and then suddenly it was like, right, I'd say I'm not great, I've got more of your time. And so it increased and yeah, and that really was the story of where we where we started and how we got you on board.
00:06:48:11 - 00:06:54:16
Chris
And unbelievably, we were just saying this the other day. It's it's now a year. Yeah. I mean, that doesn't seem possible.
00:06:54:16 - 00:06:56:19
Tom
That's it's crazy. It's been a year. Yeah.
00:06:56:22 - 00:07:15:13
Chris
Other than the fact we said this as well is that other than the fact when we think about how much has changed in those 12 months, we I was in a, in a in a small serviced office, but not that small. But we could have had four people in there allegedly, but it was definitely not a studio. And all of that sort of stuff.
00:07:15:13 - 00:07:38:19
Chris
So it was a working, functioning office that had, the virtual online studio that we had branded to clients that then developed, that I invested in kit, that we could now take a studio out. And that was great. You drove that. The content grew, that what was possible grew to now that we're obviously in this studio as well.
00:07:38:19 - 00:07:44:01
Chris
And all of those are available still and in fact, a hybrid of any of them as well. Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:44:01 - 00:07:51:19
Tom
I'm really proud of when we have how we managed to implement the hybrid the first few times we did it, that was a real, real, I feel real feather in our cap for doing both.
00:07:51:19 - 00:08:13:12
Chris
Both guess the first two times were in Scotland from memory with National Self, but in Renovation Center, we were set up in their premises here in Swindon, and they had a guest two episodes where they had the guest up in Scotland. And so yeah, they brought in remotely via the branded studio. We're set up in their premises and it was opening up those, those possibilities.
00:08:13:14 - 00:08:48:08
Chris
But I've always said that it was having your expertise and you in that role that has facilitated a lot of that growth, because suddenly it's like, well, actually we can now go and do this. And, you know, we've kind of grown from this purely conversation led stuff to feature videos. Yeah, that still has the conversation at the heart of it, with all the b roll and jazz it up for a three minute promotional video or whatever it is, and you're able to bring that together with both.
00:08:48:08 - 00:09:12:07
Chris
You're shooting. Sometimes you're external people that we bring in as well. And your editing, your post-production work after. And would it be fair to say, though, that whilst we've grown as a business, it's I think that you've been able to grow or learn more because I kind of was suddenly go, so any chance we might be on your own?
00:09:12:09 - 00:09:16:06
Chris
Here we go again. And then you kind of go and work away that we can do it.
00:09:16:08 - 00:09:54:16
Tom
Yeah. I mean, I think that's, I think that's going to be true with, with anyone. When you find that they're suddenly using those skills day to day, whereas obviously before and that was actually one of the things that the having having met with you and having discussed the job and how then it could still work with the third year of the course at the time, and all of that, it was one of the things that was part of my decision to not go to that third year, because I wanted to do producing and editing and also a couple of really interesting units on that third year that sort of spoke to that.
00:09:54:18 - 00:10:04:16
Tom
Well, that was two years and the lots of the other bits were it was a broad course. It was designed to get my views in lots of different areas.
00:10:04:19 - 00:10:05:08
Chris
Yeah.
00:10:05:10 - 00:10:31:18
Tom
Okay. But I've figured out where I want to narrow down to. Yeah. So what's going to be more valuable for me going and doing that to get the piece of paper at the end, or getting myself a position where every workday is using those skills. The more I'm using them, the more their skills get more comfortable. Yeah. And then from there I am able to step up again and then again and again.
00:10:31:20 - 00:11:04:01
Tom
So yeah, by by being in here and, and working and producing and editing all, you know, all of our content, it has allowed me to to push myself further. And I remember one of the things we spoke, actually, it was either in that first into your second interview, I can't remember which, but there was a I'll paraphrase because I obviously don't remember it word for word, but one of the questions asked was something along the lines of with your knowledge, one thing that you know is important is if you don't know something, do you know where to go and find out about it?
00:11:04:03 - 00:11:04:15
Chris
Exactly.
00:11:04:15 - 00:11:20:23
Tom
And I distinctly remember that. And I'm like, yeah, absolutely, absolutely. But the reason I bring that obviously links with your your comment there about how as we've grown, I've been able to grow, which then allows us to grow more. So it might be yeah. You do. Awesome. Well, what about this right there? And I'll sit there and go.
00:11:20:23 - 00:11:26:02
Oh, here we go again. Yeah, we'll figure it out.
00:11:26:03 - 00:11:28:12
Tom
I'll figure it out.
00:11:28:14 - 00:11:30:10
Chris
But you know where to go and look to.
00:11:30:12 - 00:11:44:04
Tom
That said, oh it's then okay. Right. We can do whatever it is we can definitely do. It's the thing you see and stuff. It gets made on films and TV these days of people can do that. Then I'm sure there's a way we can figure out to do one of these things. Yeah, it's just a case of, right, how can we do it?
00:11:44:04 - 00:12:14:12
Chris
And how one of the key things for, for this business model is that how can we do it streamlined economically, things like that, because we are set up in a way that makes suddenly content affordable. Yeah, for people to do it. Hence, you know, I love the repurposing because actually your development has not just been on the actual doing so with the shooting, the producing, the editing afterwards, and the creativity of what we can do, which is great.
00:12:14:12 - 00:12:49:10
Chris
You know, we've suddenly got clips and we've got, you know, intros and outros, transitions, all of these kind of things that are around the core content of the business. But a vital to make it pop. But there's also that organization, the process driven organization that you're not just sat there going, great time, crack on, keep video editing, keep producing is that there is the whole process is now one of the things that we introduced this year that has been big for the development of visual PR productions is automation.
00:12:49:10 - 00:13:10:17
Chris
Yeah, we're going to get a get another guest on one of these episodes, Liam Barry, that we work together with called The Hidden Genius, and he's created this automation for us that you create the clips, they then get throw into this automation. It transcribes it, it creates captions in the color codes of the client. But you've got to then go, right.
00:13:10:17 - 00:13:32:06
Chris
Part of my procedures are I now go into that check. Has it made any mistakes correct it. It corrects on the captions. Make sure that happens. It then does things like create social media post based on what was discussed in it and the language used. You know, the brand voice, all of that that comes through. You then know that I've got to be notified.
00:13:32:06 - 00:13:53:14
Chris
That's ready for me to check. Yeah. There lies growth. Will have marketing people for marketing people on board that will do that. But, you know, it speaks through to that. You manage that. It's been signed off technically, etc. through it goes. We can create blogs and newsletters, all of those things. You know, where you fit in with that.
00:13:53:14 - 00:14:01:10
Chris
You have feedback on how those processes are going to link together. And I think that's been a big thing for you as well.
00:14:01:10 - 00:14:24:17
Tom
Yeah. Again, I think it somewhat comes down to that when you're doing it every day, you you adapt, you get used to the workflow and therefore you can sort of then adapt it and change it. But you're right, with with the growth that we've had, we have obviously been able to implement new things or take on new kinds of projects, and the workflows have needed to be adapted for that.
00:14:24:19 - 00:14:46:15
Tom
So yeah, it's a it's an interesting one. And we're at a point now obviously where where we're hoping sort of keep growing within, within the business as well. We're starting to try and get stuff out of both of our heads and get it actually down. But you're right, the feedback from doing all of that stuff I know has been has been crucial.
00:14:46:15 - 00:15:03:13
Tom
And, you know, you namedrop Liam there, but being able to sort of speak to him to to email him or pick up the phone to him and just. Right. This hasn't, this hasn't quite gone to plan or have I, have I done something here or is there could we is there any way of tweaking this for this purpose.
00:15:03:13 - 00:15:14:22
Chris
Yeah. Because what's that phrase. You don't know what you don't know. And it's like as we've been I mean, we're probably the bane of his life because we're going, oh, now that we're doing that, actually, Liam, what about this? And, and that's how it's evolved.
00:15:14:22 - 00:15:38:11
Tom
But, you know, feedback wise is, you know, I remember having that chat with you and being so dead set on going, no, I want the checks in that I don't want it to let us sign it off until it's been able to be double checked. Yeah. So I appreciate I understand that I know that's another thing I have to add to my steps of my job, but I, I strongly believe it's crucial.
00:15:38:13 - 00:16:02:05
Tom
And sure enough, we've integrated that and it's worked instantly and straight out of the gate. And as you say, ultimately it won't be. You haven't see the other half of it. But for me, having that safety net and security and especially thinking going forwards of growing us internally, I need to know from my end if someone comes and joins my team and works alongside me, I need to know that that safety net exists.
00:16:02:05 - 00:16:25:14
Tom
Because whilst I would trust myself because I've been in it. Yeah, they would still be having to get up to speed of of our workings. They might be the most technically gifted people going. You still got to get up to speed within the business and what we do. So, so that's been been vital and yeah, just adjusting other little bits of work flows and you know, me getting slicker.
00:16:25:14 - 00:16:27:15
Tom
It's doing certain products of ours.
00:16:27:15 - 00:16:37:02
Chris
Constantly trying to streamline and slicker and confidence grow in all of those kind of things. Ellie, of course, is our VA and project manager. She sits then above us.
00:16:37:02 - 00:16:37:20
Tom
Really? Yeah.
00:16:37:20 - 00:16:51:13
Chris
And keeps it all together. And has got the project management system in place that we use that make sure we know. But even things like you take for example, when we're doing work for clients is that we use I frame.
00:16:51:13 - 00:16:51:22
Tom
Frame.
00:16:51:22 - 00:16:52:22
Chris
I frame, I.
00:16:53:00 - 00:16:54:09
Tom
Silo.
00:16:54:10 - 00:17:19:16
Chris
And that enables us to send content out, upload it, and send this as a link to a client to view it. And they can press pause and put a comment. So it's time stamped to that bit saying, actually, could you tweak this all, could you add that that would be good if we could do this? There, and instead of doing an email that says that bit around the 38 minutes where it did X, Y, and Z, and we're like, oh, I think that's where they mean.
00:17:19:20 - 00:17:38:18
Chris
No, it's absolutely on point until eventually they go signed off. Yeah. You know, all of those things in place is what has made the difference in this. It's what enables us to to have the pricing model for our one off projects, or more often than not, our retainer projects with our clients. That means that this can be done.
00:17:38:20 - 00:18:00:22
Chris
I mean, we both love that whole point. We can have a client come in and sit down for 30 to 60 minutes, whatever the length of the show happens to be. And that's the end of their work. And they suddenly get an audio podcast, YouTube, longform content. We can do YouTube, YouTube, mid form, as we call it, off of that as well.
00:18:01:00 - 00:18:21:03
Chris
We'd say 3 or 4 key chunks from that. Yeah. The short form for the social media and YouTube shorts, that is what they need, we need for social media. Plus it pushes them to the long form content. We can provide SEO content on your website with the blog post, the newsletter for your LinkedIn or your email marketing.
00:18:21:05 - 00:18:26:07
Chris
But all the client is done is sat down for 30 to 60 minutes and then we.
00:18:26:09 - 00:18:26:17
Tom
Yeah.
00:18:26:19 - 00:18:41:00
Chris
Collectively then are able to make the magic happen. And I have to say is it's not just editing to make it punch with sort of throw in B-roll over the top of it. But there's things like maybe coloring audio, there's.
00:18:41:00 - 00:18:53:00
Tom
The little tweaks that take it from being cool. You've we've set up some cameras and mics and hit record to actually, okay, this is a produced show.
00:18:53:00 - 00:18:58:14
Chris
Correct. And that without over editing that's what I love. Is it we know your authenticity.
00:18:58:14 - 00:19:11:07
Tom
You won't find it on our stuff. You won't find all, you know, fancy super fancy effects here and there with gaudy transitions or giant inserts and things like that, or.
00:19:11:07 - 00:19:17:10
Chris
Removal of mistakes, you know, invariably, for the authenticity and the humor is that mistakes okay to me as well?
00:19:17:11 - 00:19:33:10
Tom
I mean, it's important say, obviously, if you know, if a client is on here and actually they say something and off there's they got, oh, shouldn't have said that. Then obviously we can we can do that. Likewise if suddenly they turn around, go. Actually, you know, I've sworn too much, you know, can you censor it out then?
00:19:33:10 - 00:19:34:18
Tom
Yeah, we can censor it, say, for.
00:19:34:19 - 00:19:38:08
Chris
As long as it's an as live, because we are able to do this live.
00:19:38:09 - 00:19:44:18
Tom
Yeah. We can't do everything live. Yes. Don't. Please don't swear when it's live. We don't want to be dealing with that.
00:19:44:20 - 00:19:46:12
00:19:46:14 - 00:19:48:04
Tom
Yeah. If you do that, I'll be.
00:19:48:06 - 00:19:53:07
Yeah.
00:19:53:09 - 00:19:57:03
Tom
But. Yeah. So it's it's great. I've lost the train of thought.
00:19:57:05 - 00:20:17:14
Chris
Through us that completely. But it does. It enables us to to provide something. I mean, even like you take the studio is that, you know, this is all the reverb, back in it, but it's designed to be quite a cool looking sound. We've got off camera on the ceiling. We've got what? I don't like the corrugated foam.
00:20:17:18 - 00:20:40:00
Chris
Yeah, but it's there to provide sound deadening. It's not soundproofed in here because that's not necessary. It's the sound deadening. So it doesn't reverb around. We've got a big fluffy rug here. The material of the chairs are like this. Even things like this shelving unit with things on it, which, you know, clients can bring their own stuff. We we're going to have more and more bits and pieces that will switch it around.
00:20:40:00 - 00:20:57:15
Chris
But this breaks up sound waves. Yeah. All of these things are designed to make it this crisp. It's not suddenly a microphone or two in the middle. We've got deliberately, you know, wireless mics that our clients have got on so that we've got the freedom of movement. And, you know.
00:20:57:18 - 00:20:59:00
Tom
This little box, top.
00:20:59:00 - 00:21:00:21
Chris
Quality audio.
00:21:00:23 - 00:21:05:07
Tom
And obviously we just clip it on, but you can go that, it can go. So we've got a few different tools.
00:21:05:07 - 00:21:07:16
Chris
He's got a handheld for it as well. If we maybe.
00:21:07:21 - 00:21:12:11
Tom
We can look and find some of that. And I think on some of our Sparky episodes, those examples of that.
00:21:12:16 - 00:21:33:02
Chris
There is because, I mean, there's an example of where it expanded. We suddenly did, live shows, not just as in live broadcast, which we can do to the clients YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, whatever, but as in an event. And so we were wondering, we've got gimbals for people who don't know, that enables you to sort of like smoothly wander around and things like that.
00:21:33:02 - 00:21:44:09
Chris
And we were we're able to do that kind of stuff. We partner at the moment. We partner with the drone, organization so that we can add drone B-roll or feet. Thriller. Thrilled.
00:21:44:11 - 00:21:47:04
Tom
One thriller, that one. Yeah. That's really, really good. Yeah.
00:21:47:04 - 00:22:05:09
Chris
And for us, that was a logical thing is to go, hang on. I'm good friends with someone that is proficient at that, really creative at that. Yes. I could go and invest and get that, and we could train ourselves and we might do it in the future. Who knows? But it will be just because we want to suddenly add something while we're out there.
00:22:05:09 - 00:22:28:02
Chris
Yeah. Where is it's like, no, no, no, these guys are legends at it. Work with us on these projects and it can just sort of add all of it. But what we you know, we keep for the visual PR productions content is it keeps true to that PR principle of conversational no script, no hard sell. It is engaging with the people.
00:22:28:02 - 00:22:37:21
Tom
Yeah. I think what I've I've always held dear to you with it is it's about getting across the story from the images, the story of who's who, of what is, which.
00:22:37:21 - 00:22:43:18
Chris
Is always amazing, isn't it? The people, their experiences or their product, their service, the organization.
00:22:43:20 - 00:22:44:09
Tom
Even if you.
00:22:44:09 - 00:22:44:23
Chris
Love that.
00:22:45:01 - 00:23:14:04
Tom
Even if it's a product or service and there's nothing to say, we're still going to be able to take what we film and tell the story of your company or yourselves or your product with that. And I think that's that's the part coming back to that link about how where are you sort of meshed so well is, yes, there's the conversational side of it, which is so core and so near and dear to what the heart of this business is.
00:23:14:06 - 00:23:29:13
Tom
But then I'm able to sort of come in and go, but we can also take a bit of this on, we can take a bit of that on, but it's still keeping with the principles of the company. We're not diverting away from that. We're not just becoming a, you know, production house that yeah, you can come in and make whatever you want with us now saying we're wrong.
00:23:29:13 - 00:23:32:16
Tom
You can come and film your own podcast or whatever, but we want to be part of it.
00:23:32:17 - 00:23:48:06
Chris
That's very recent, isn't it, that we've certainly got to hang on. We've got the studio, we've got the equipment, we've got the production and post-production expertise. And you have to keep reminding me at times and going, Chris, that's not visual PR content that go out. And I don't even need to be here.
00:23:48:06 - 00:24:07:06
Tom
They're just the facilitators at that point and whatever. You know that if I'm involved in the post-production part of it, what you want in it, I'll put in it. Yeah. Because at that point you're paying for the Me to perform the service of making that video. What? What that it could be the worst idea in the world. But if you ask me to do it, because you're paying, you're the client.
00:24:07:06 - 00:24:09:01
Tom
So you get what you thought, what you want.
00:24:09:01 - 00:24:11:15
Chris
But they still get to get you from our expertise, I think.
00:24:11:17 - 00:24:20:01
Tom
Absolutely. I think that's important. It's, you know, our clients are not necessarily video people. They've got.
00:24:20:01 - 00:24:21:03
Chris
An idea that.
00:24:21:03 - 00:24:29:08
Tom
Regular people who do their own jobs, have their own businesses, and they want to find a way to to present the most popular.
00:24:29:08 - 00:24:48:16
Chris
A common thing is they go, we want to do a podcast. Yeah. And it's like, okay, yes, is the answer, but have you actually thought about this? So we talk about the video, we talk about the benefit of having the clips to help promote it, to bring it together about the posting about the, you know, and all these other bits and pieces that suddenly goes, well, actually, let's expand this out.
00:24:48:16 - 00:25:06:00
Tom
Yeah. And I think that's an important thing that they get from us. It's almost that they, you can pay to come in and use the equipment or to use my services, but you're also getting along with the side that my knowledge. Your knowledge, it's not for our stuff, but you get that as.
00:25:06:02 - 00:25:06:12
Chris
Part.
00:25:06:12 - 00:25:07:02
Of.
00:25:07:04 - 00:25:23:18
Chris
What's, some even suddenly trying to do on me as a co-host. And and that's fine. If not, I'm nothing to do with it. It's that's in your hands and that's the beauty is where it's enabled us with this investment that, you know, the risk I took in the investment of the studio, the design of all of this.
00:25:23:18 - 00:25:31:04
Tom
Yeah. I mean, equipment, if we're honest about it, the studio sort of came at a time where we'd been hoping it would happen, but we didn't expect it to happen. Quite.
00:25:31:09 - 00:25:34:03
Chris
And I couldn't for the time, in all honesty. But I mean.
00:25:34:04 - 00:25:45:04
Tom
Opportunity came came the way, and you took the decision. You went, right, let's let's take the chance. Yeah, let's do it. And I mean, it's easy to sit here now and go. It was the right choice.
00:25:45:04 - 00:25:47:17
Chris
But best thing I did I it's a huge.
00:25:47:17 - 00:25:58:10
Tom
Yeah it I feel it's one of the, the moving to here. It's this year's version of adding me to the team last year. Yes. It's taking.
00:25:58:10 - 00:25:59:17
Chris
You're absolutely right.
00:25:59:19 - 00:26:18:03
Tom
What is the next step for how we how the business grows last year is you add me. What? What does that do? Well, it brings my knowledge to the table and my abilities. Yeah, not only that, but it helped free you up a bit more. Because now when you're hosting, you're not having sit there running the show. Because I.
00:26:18:03 - 00:26:19:02
Chris
Would do w no.
00:26:19:02 - 00:26:42:11
Tom
One task to do that. Which was freed up your ability as a host. Yeah. Which I think then has also helped make clients feel more comfortable still and grown with them and help develop those business client relationships on your end. Yeah. So there was that whole element to it of me coming in and then being able to take on new and bigger and different kinds of projects at times, and having the confidence in us to be able to go and deliver that.
00:26:42:11 - 00:26:43:06
Yeah.
00:26:43:08 - 00:26:51:18
Tom
Then we've moved here. We've been able to add to it, we've adopted it. We're able to produce shows that look better than anything we've made before in terms.
00:26:51:20 - 00:26:54:15
Chris
We're not standing still only right like strikes.
00:26:54:17 - 00:27:00:18
Tom
This was the next big step forward, and it's really exciting to figure out what the next few ones are going to be.
00:27:00:20 - 00:27:09:17
Chris
Exactly. And I mean, you know, talk about the future is that, you know, so many more projects, the conversations are going then there's so many.
00:27:09:17 - 00:27:10:01
Tom
Good ones.
00:27:10:01 - 00:27:11:05
Chris
Coming on. Absolutely to.
00:27:11:05 - 00:27:12:03
Tom
That. We've got some really.
00:27:12:03 - 00:27:29:21
Chris
Good ones we do. And conversations that are only just start in conversations that I've been told are going to have to start is that it's so varied. It's brilliant. We're going to have to be growing the team some more. Again, I'm going to need more marketing clout within. Yeah. The office, we're going to have to then add to your team.
00:27:29:21 - 00:27:47:05
Chris
And that is the part that will keep going up, I think, and I agree with your sentiment, you said in the past is that you want to not just add another you. We want to add someone that yes, is another you in the team, but with some other skills that you might not have. Yeah. And that means that the company has expanded.
00:27:47:09 - 00:28:05:16
Chris
I want to create a second studio space over over that side of the room is, you know, that is going to be the in my head, the tall table, the the brick wall background, you know, the bar stools around it. It gives another vibe again. And that is, is, is we are not standing still. We're continuing to grow.
00:28:05:18 - 00:28:15:18
Chris
This was all created for our content, but it now just happens to be whoa! It's there. Why can't we let people come and use it or use parts of it or whatever?
00:28:15:19 - 00:28:26:08
Tom
I think that came from a from a is a brief from just a chat me and you were having one day and we went, why hang on a minute. Yeah. We saw someone. Well okay. Well, that doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually.
00:28:26:13 - 00:28:31:03
Chris
Yeah, exactly. And to to the realms of no brainer in the end, wasn't it? So that's expandable.
00:28:31:07 - 00:28:37:11
Tom
I'm going to pull you back on one thing. A minute ago you went, we don't just want another Tom. First of all, what's wrong with another Tom?
00:28:37:13 - 00:28:38:07
Chris
Don't stop me.
00:28:38:08 - 00:28:43:09
Tom
Secondly, there is no one else like me. There is no one else like me. You can't.
00:28:43:09 - 00:28:43:21
Chris
You know.
00:28:43:21 - 00:28:45:22
Tom
Another Tom.
00:28:46:00 - 00:28:59:07
Chris
So true, so true. But incidentally, by the way, I've also remembered someone else I should also name checked. That has been brilliant during this, growth. And is there as a resource for us to use? Nick. Rodel. Yeah, I have to give a massive shout to Nick.
00:28:59:08 - 00:29:13:08
Tom
Huge, huge respect for for Nick. Getting to know him across my time here has been it's been actually quite a highlight of it at the times we've worked with him and just been able to talk. You know, I have I get to have the nerdy talk to him about what we do. And, and he's.
00:29:13:08 - 00:29:15:03
Chris
So willing to share his knowledge.
00:29:15:08 - 00:29:19:03
Tom
Yeah. He's fantastic. And he's so personable and easy to get along with.
00:29:19:03 - 00:29:21:23
Chris
And he's an extra set of hands on some of our shoots, and he's more.
00:29:21:23 - 00:29:38:20
Tom
Than happy to. He can talk to me and give me advice when I need it, but he also will do what I've asked to happen in that moment of it. And he's had my back with you a couple of times when you've got to tell me. Are you sure about this, Chris? Yeah. He's fine. Yes.
00:29:38:20 - 00:29:39:17
Chris
Just leaving me.
00:29:39:17 - 00:29:41:08
Yeah, I know,
00:29:41:10 - 00:29:54:22
Tom
So no, he's he's fantastic and great and, Yeah, I hope we can we can get involved in something again at some point soon. Or at least. I mean, if he's up for every lovely to have him on on this show at some point and have a chat to him. But here's.
00:29:54:22 - 00:29:57:10
Chris
An idea. Yeah, I think that would be a good idea.
00:29:57:10 - 00:29:58:13
Tom
Yeah, that'd be great.
00:29:58:15 - 00:30:01:19
Chris
The bad news for you is that I would almost envisage not including you.
00:30:01:20 - 00:30:05:17
Tom
I was about I was well, I was about to say, if that's the case, that show I want to be on it.
00:30:05:19 - 00:30:26:11
Chris
Yeah, I think so. Yeah. I think there's something there because I just love the possibilities. The creativity of all of this sort of thing. There's so I've learned there's so much more to both the production, the technology that's used in it, the post-production and editing. But the potentials are endless and I just love seeing.
00:30:26:11 - 00:30:27:05
Tom
The sky's the limit.
00:30:27:10 - 00:30:49:04
Chris
Absolutely. And that's why I just love all the projects that we're that we work with people and, and I love seeing the excitement when they suddenly go, okay, this is sounding interest in a new way to market, a new way to get the PR messages out, all of that sort of thing. And of course, we collaborate with digital marketing companies that work for people.
00:30:49:04 - 00:31:20:15
Chris
We just happen to provide the video content that they can use with PR companies, because it's like, look, this is going out every month from your client. Here is a transcription and maybe a blog draft one for you to be able to do something with. And they've got additional content. Instead of trying to bleed that out of a busy client, that we're doing all sorts of collaborations like that as well, which is really exciting to ask questions because I'm conscious of the time is has gone a lot longer than I intended for us to do, but oh yeah, so.
00:31:20:15 - 00:31:22:14
Tom
I get to watch it all back.
00:31:22:16 - 00:31:36:18
Chris
You're welcome. Two questions I've got for you then. First one favorite projects or projects? Slash location locations that we've worked on with visual PR content. Oh.
00:31:36:19 - 00:31:58:19
Tom
I don't want to annoy anybody by not saying that ones, but favorite project? Ten highlights. Yeah, I'm so proud of what we did with that video and because it's only sort of three, 3.5 minutes, it was a 40, 45 minute interview that we did with Andrew.
00:31:58:21 - 00:31:59:14
Yeah.
00:31:59:16 - 00:32:15:17
Tom
And I mean, if you remember, I, I'd literally I'd gone through it and I had typed out certain quotes and bits from it, and I had to make that video peek behind the curtain. I printed those quotes out, cut them up, and I arranged them on my desk.
00:32:15:17 - 00:32:16:04
Chris
I remember.
00:32:16:04 - 00:32:19:18
Tom
That in a way of going, how can I stitch these quotes together to.
00:32:19:20 - 00:32:21:23
Chris
Witness that at once? I remember that.
00:32:22:01 - 00:32:25:00
Tom
I every day I'd be taking a photo.
00:32:25:02 - 00:32:25:14
That's right.
00:32:25:14 - 00:32:43:23
Tom
Just in case. So if I changed it, but yeah, being able to take his words there and match them with the visuals that we filmed to deliver that story of who they were, that's that's the part I love doing the most.
00:32:44:04 - 00:33:02:08
Chris
And you were hugely proud, as was I, because it is what I'd always set out with the vision of is that we've won business. Off the back of that video, with the comments going, oh my God, I watched that. And it wasn't that I was being sold another gene. It was the I wanted to buy from that distillery.
00:33:02:08 - 00:33:07:15
Chris
Yes. And that's what I've always said. I want you to connect on a deeper level with the people in front of the camera.
00:33:07:17 - 00:33:20:20
Tom
It wasn't I mean, okay, let's put it this way. Let's take aviation gin, Ryan Reynolds. Well, yeah. No one's going and buying that because of how that bottle looks or because. Oh, that sounds like a cool gin. You're going and buying it because it's Ryan Reynolds.
00:33:20:20 - 00:33:23:21
Chris
Jim and the adverts are hilarious. And everything else. Yeah.
00:33:23:22 - 00:33:47:10
Tom
It's you we you don't watch that that ten hides advert and. Oh, those gyms look nice. Now we did make the jeans look nice in the show, but no, it is. You okay. Sure. What I've, I enjoyed that. I get they seem. That seems like a company. I would want to buy something from. Said, you know when I'm next in the shop and I'm picking up my bottle again, I think, or whiskey.
00:33:47:11 - 00:33:53:08
Tom
Rum or whiskey and whiskey with the whiskey. Be fine. I don't know, it's got to be getting that got be close.
00:33:53:10 - 00:34:03:22
Chris
And they've got a, I shouldn't probably shouldn't say it this way, but I'm going to say it because it's the easiest way to describe a Pimms derivative now that they've got as a, as a mixture of that. Yes.
00:34:03:22 - 00:34:14:04
Tom
It's going on and seeing it on a shelf or stumbling across the website or even just googling it to check it out after you've seen the advert and got and going, you know, I'll try it.
00:34:14:10 - 00:34:14:22
Yeah.
00:34:15:00 - 00:34:33:12
Tom
I and that I'm so proud of what we did with that and the story we told. And you know, I think that links so much back with what I said of why I wanted to work in this industry and what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell stories. Yeah, I wanted to tell people stories and put that out there using visual methods.
00:34:33:14 - 00:34:41:15
Tom
So there's that one. I'm also incredibly proud of, the two full live events, Nespresso.
00:34:41:17 - 00:34:46:12
Chris
I hope to say, because that's where I'm probably most proud of you. Because you manage those projects.
00:34:46:12 - 00:34:51:04
Tom
Yeah. So funny enough, the three things I've said are all three things that I've managed to do.
00:34:51:06 - 00:34:52:14
Yeah.
00:34:52:16 - 00:34:57:22
Tom
But for for two different reasons, because we did both of those days in different ways.
00:34:58:00 - 00:34:58:15
Chris
We did. Yeah.
00:34:58:16 - 00:35:13:18
Tom
The first day was live. Yes. All day. Yeah. With different segments in there. I say like all day. We went live at X time, stopped for an hour, went live again and it was built that way. And there was the management of that and how that worked.
00:35:13:18 - 00:35:25:07
Chris
Which we're going to point out included two different things. One was panel shows, which is really cool, and we do loads of those at events or whatever. But also roaming cameras as well. Live.
00:35:25:12 - 00:35:33:08
Tom
Yeah, that was a new one for us at the time as well. That was another thing we've got was, can we do this? Yep. Yeah, we can do it.
00:35:33:10 - 00:35:34:09
00:35:34:11 - 00:35:50:02
Tom
So there was and so managing that and then the second one where we've gone. Right. Okay. But that was great to increase the quality of how we can do some of these bits. We won't do it live, but we'll put them out as if they were live. Yeah. We'll still keep to the scheduling as we did the first one.
00:35:50:02 - 00:35:55:05
Tom
So it's not it's not all going out in the evening when the event's over. It's still there in the day to keep.
00:35:55:05 - 00:35:58:05
Chris
It relevant to this, this episode. It was still take one.
00:35:58:07 - 00:35:59:07
Tom
Yes it was. Yeah.
00:35:59:13 - 00:36:13:07
Chris
That's the point we try to get out. Is that integrity, of it being it was that one take back to you. There's a memory card. Give me another one. Off we go. We go again. And that was literally because we were at the mercy of internet connection. It was being hammered by loads.
00:36:13:07 - 00:36:16:01
Tom
Of get over this event. Yeah. It was, that was.
00:36:16:03 - 00:36:18:00
Chris
So it was out of our control, wasn't it?
00:36:18:02 - 00:36:36:18
Tom
But yes, I've been having to manage the whole day of live stuff and then doing it the other way round of having to turn round those, those segments, for want of a better word, across the day in such a timely format, quick pace to get, be able to get it scheduled to be, you know, I get the memory card through it.
00:36:36:20 - 00:36:43:02
Tom
It's now 1145. This needs to be on YouTube at one, which means.
00:36:43:04 - 00:36:45:22
Chris
I've got the intro, the outro, I and.
00:36:45:22 - 00:37:02:18
Tom
Anything cleaned up. A quick bit of coloring work done to it, anything that doesn't. What's in that? Is there anything I need to remove from it quickly is that, you know, right. Get that done now. It's got to export. Now I've got to upload it. Now we've got a scheduled. Oh, okay. And then as soon as I've got that done door opens.
00:37:02:18 - 00:37:04:03
Chris
Here's the next another one. Yeah.
00:37:04:03 - 00:37:25:09
Tom
It was so that was, that was great. Favorite places quickly I'd probably say the mezzanine at NSPCC is gorgeous. And that is just a beautiful, beautiful place to film. I enjoyed again. And I mean, there's just so many places there, but that one sort of in that glass room with the green wall behind us.
00:37:25:09 - 00:37:35:14
Tom
Yes. From I believe that was there South. I was they were talking about, being, cell phone or.
00:37:35:17 - 00:37:38:22
Chris
Employee employee and. Yeah.
00:37:39:00 - 00:37:55:06
Tom
So there's that one and name drop a couple other ones quickly. I the site in Cheltenham. Yeah. That one and then that beside us. Those are cool places. Yeah. Cool way to try. Sort of different look to it. Yeah. For a visual. And then here to be honest with you.
00:37:55:06 - 00:38:04:03
Chris
Yeah that's true. That is true because we got to be clear that that is a legitimate I'm looking forward to. We got coming up, shoot at Bow Wood.
00:38:04:03 - 00:38:05:16
Tom
Yes. That's going to be lovely.
00:38:05:18 - 00:38:06:22
Chris
That's going to be nice as well.
00:38:06:22 - 00:38:10:20
Tom
Yeah. Knowing knowing where we're filming that as well. I'm really excited to, to to get that.
00:38:10:20 - 00:38:32:08
Chris
Everywhere present this new challenge, which is again part of the excitement as well. Okay, final question. And you might not even have an answer to this one, but going to ask it just in case, do you? If I said right, what does the future hold for visual PR and, and, and our projects go wild. What what do you what can you potentially envisage happening.
00:38:32:09 - 00:38:35:19
Chris
You doing and us doing?
00:38:35:21 - 00:38:42:06
Tom
I, I would like us to reach a point. This is pie in the sky future.
00:38:42:09 - 00:38:43:11
Yep.
00:38:43:13 - 00:39:08:19
Tom
I would love to be able to have obviously expanded what we do. So you you're able to concentrate on doing what you do best, getting out, making those contacts, developing those conversations and hosting the shows and bringing out that conversation and people, yeah, I'd love that to be then people behind the scenes, then to be able to work on marketing, to be able to go and maybe take part in the mid parts of those conversations for your clients so you can start it off.
00:39:08:23 - 00:39:25:11
Tom
You'll come back in to sign it, seal it towards the end, but you can have someone in the meantime sort of work on the nitty gritty parts here in that. Yeah. And then I would like us to be able to grow the video team to a point where we can have we've got our retainer business. That's how cool a cool thing.
00:39:25:12 - 00:39:45:01
Tom
Yeah, that we can we can have someone working on that. We've got someone who's doing clips specified certain things. Everyone can cross collab and do different things. I want us to be able to reach a point where we've got a team together, enough that that core content is still regularly being produced at the right rate. It needs to be okay, keep the business going be.
00:39:45:01 - 00:40:10:13
Tom
It's very much what we do, and see, make sure everything is delivered appropriately, effectively and efficiently enough for the clients. Yeah, but I also want us to then to be able to because that stuff is looked after, get more of our features, get more of our features. One offs are those sorts of things. We'll be able to offer that to clients who are on these retainers with us, who then reach out and go, well, actually, what about this?
00:40:10:13 - 00:40:15:01
Tom
Yeah. Thing? Yeah. And I'd love them to be able to go and work on that and be able to develop that side of.
00:40:15:01 - 00:40:29:20
Chris
Things that is increasing, isn't it, to be fair. So it's really enjoyable, all of that. I will also add, you know, and again, I'm going to be quick apologies that this show has been so long, but it shows there's so much that we had to talk about because it's not been forced, as.
00:40:29:22 - 00:40:35:06
Tom
I'm sure I'll be figuring out a way I can break this down into mid form. I think we're going to have. Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:35:08 - 00:40:35:20
Chris
Absolutely.
00:40:35:20 - 00:40:40:19
Tom
You want to watch the whole live episode? It's that we do. You can go do it.
00:40:40:21 - 00:41:01:01
Chris
But one of my big ones for this is that, I see that this whole operation that we are setting in place, the processes, the procedures, the, the, the content principles, all of that sort of thing is a franchise possibility. And I tell you why I think that is that my in my head, the franchisees are presenters like me.
00:41:01:01 - 00:41:20:20
Chris
I'm very lucky. I get paid to commentate on motorsport, to host awards nights and various online streams and all this sort of stuff. If I had my way, I would be a TV presenter. I would adore that. That would have been where I'd have liked to have gone. But it's phenomenally difficult. It can be who you know, not what you know.
00:41:20:20 - 00:41:46:22
Chris
There can be stroke of luck. You could be. Just not what they're looking for, but good at presenting. It's fine lines on it. So for me, the franchisees are presenters like me that go, I love doing this. I'm told I'm good at it. I want to do this all the time. Like you, if you want to do the video all the time that they kind of I want to do something fine, we can build a business around you.
00:41:47:03 - 00:42:11:21
Chris
We get a studio set up in, let's say, Manchester Visual PR productions, Manchester. Yeah. We can't have someone from Manchester coming down to the studio every month, so that can't works. But if we go and set a studio up in Manchester, but part that is part of the franchise. Then a presenter is doing that, getting the business in doing the hosting, we have got the processes in place that then does all the post-production work.
00:42:11:21 - 00:42:39:04
Chris
It's got the automations that we've now got created that's out there. Suddenly we've got visual PR, Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Belfast, whatever, whatever. And for me, that's where I think they go, because I love that people get to express their personalities, their experiences, their that their, you know, beliefs, their knowledge, whatever it is in a more relaxed because everybody who pays on camera tells us that they're nervous as hell.
00:42:39:04 - 00:42:53:16
Chris
Yeah. And then relaxed within two minutes. Yeah. Because that's what the nature of this does. Just chill. Let's relax. We're having a conversation and people that hopefully you agree, people that are watching believe it because they can become part of that conversation.
00:42:53:16 - 00:43:01:19
Tom
Yeah, absolutely. It's about bringing the viewers inside. For all intents and purposes, you are another person on that side of the table. You know, it.
00:43:01:23 - 00:43:05:02
Chris
Could have walked two feet. By the way.
00:43:05:04 - 00:43:06:15
But you know what you were saying?
00:43:06:15 - 00:43:15:18
Tom
The different franchises, and for whatever reason, on my head, I could see it as like an advert. And just with a little disclaimer down the bottom with asterisk, you know how you get the toy advert does batteries not included?
00:43:15:18 - 00:43:16:20
Yeah.
00:43:16:22 - 00:43:19:01
Tom
Franchise opportunities, Tom. Not included.
00:43:19:04 - 00:43:21:05
Chris
I'm not included. No, exactly. There's only one.
00:43:21:06 - 00:43:25:13
Provider, right? Yeah. Tom. Sold separately.
00:43:25:14 - 00:43:44:09
Chris
Exactly. So I mean, there's there's in essence, there's so much there's loads to where we're only two years old as a business. And most of that growth has happened. I was about to say in the last 12 months, we could probably narrow that down into the last nine, that most months that most of that changes happened, to be fair.
00:43:44:09 - 00:44:03:20
Chris
Yeah. And there's so much more to come. Tom, you've been fundamental to that, and it's an absolute pleasure to have you on board. I hope everybody's enjoyed finding out a bit more about my right hand man. He, he keeps all of the technical side going. And, it just creates wonderful, wonderful content. Any questions at all?
00:44:03:20 - 00:44:30:05
Chris
Please do get in touch. You know, we'll be delighted to answer if you want to chat about it in more detail. Again, get in touch so you can come in and see the studio. And we can discuss what possibilities could work for you. Keep your eyes out. Take one with visual PR. Productions is going to be a regular, series now where we're going to get a variety of guests on for a whole different raft of environments.
00:44:30:05 - 00:44:49:18
Chris
In reality, that hopefully is going to be, you know, insightful. It's going to be entertaining, educational, you know, maybe motivational, who knows, is going to be a big mix. So keep your eyes open to the next episode of Take One. But for now, from Tom Cottam myself. Christos, thank you so much for joining us. We'll see you next time.
00:44:49:20 - 00:44:55:07
Tom
Bye. I'll go get that behind my desk.
00:44:55:09 - 00:44:56:03
Chris
Could we stay? No.
00:44:56:03 - 00:44:59:02
Tom
Hang on. I got a smile. I made a quip.
00:44:59:04 - 00:45:05:06
Chris
He just can't stop himself. Let. And I was just sat there smiling. We're going to stay smiling.