Behind the Scenes

Content creation is no longer confined to the worlds of marketing and advertising. Today, everyone carries a near-production-quality camera in their pocket. And video platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok have become common household names. Everyone has access to the tools needed to capture and record anything and everything at the mere touch of a button. There is also more access to learning material than ever before.

Out of our seven-person crew here at Storm Cloud Marketing, five are graduates of Missouri Southern State University. Naturally, when MSSU Athletics reached out to see if we could help out with a video project, we were filled with Lion pride.

Jon Koucky’s refurbished Volkswagen camper bus is a tubular time machine, a vibrant look backward into the halcyon days of the Haight-Ashbury 1960s, when free love and legal LSD dominated the cultural landscape and paved the way for bands like The Grateful Dead to stamp their names into the rock n’ roll lexicon.

When setting up for a shoot there is a good amount of gear to have ready and set up. Typically the day before, I am checking batteries, memory cards, making sure lights and stands and tripods are all where they should be so I can have it all packed up and set up quickly. Prepping for a shoot calms me and helps keep the butterflies at bay. Even though I have done plenty of video shoots, it still has that new feeling every time. Having everything ready to go makes the process go by that much smoother.

Yup. You read that right. We do work for other agencies. When I first started with this agency in 2008, the agency world was a different beast. Competition was fierce. Collaboration was rare. The marketing world of 2019 has forced us all to either grow in-house capabilities or partner with third-party providers. If inviting a partner firm to the party means that you’re able to achieve more toward the client’s goals, do it.

Brand development is high on our list of favorite undertakings. There is just nothing quite like taking a whole lot of abstract ideas and mushing them together to create a tangible end product that tells an entire story all by itself. Indian Creek Outfitters asked for a brand that reflects their upscale outfitting services and experience focused mentality. Their number one request was that it display a professional look and feel while clearly portraying what they do.

If you’ve ever visited our website, our social media, or even our office, you’re probably familiar with at least a few of these pretty faces. These ladies spend more time in front of our cameras than almost anyone else. But what do we actually do with all these photos of them?