Today marks InVision’s 10th birthday. In 2010, after more than two decades of working in television news at ITN and Sky News, I said farewell to journalism and began a different adventure.
Although this current year has certainly been challenging, I’ve no regrets about the change in career direction and have some memories from the past ten years that are a match for anything I experienced in 20 years “on the telly.”
I’ve directed a fundraising film in war torn Syria and worked with Sir David Attenborough on a climate change video. I’ve filmed experts tasting champagne that was a century old and worked with clients producing the most cutting edge technology. I’m particularly proud of putting together a team of talented people whose love of the art of storytelling matches my own. Thanks to Chris, Phil, Lucy, James, Martin, David, Simon and the many other camera operators and editors who’ve helped to create some truly memorable films. So what do the next ten years hold? Well Covid-19 has already forced us to adapt the way we support clients in delivering the services we provide. For almost six months now, all the media and presentation training courses we’ve run have been via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
The filming side of things has been a real challenge and all the conferences and events we had in the diary from March onwards were cancelled or postponed. We are still filming with some clients (under strict Covid-19 protocols), but a real growth area has been training clients how to film video clips of themselves or colleagues on their smartphones and tablets. We then take the raw footage and polish it in post production with graphics and video effects. We’ve also been running a one hour “We are all TV Presenters Now” online course aimed at teaching people how to effectively deliver their key messages via a computer screen.
One message that has come through loud and clear from so many clients is the need for effective and engaging communications at a time when so many employees and stakeholders in general are worried about the future. It’s no good burying your head in the sand and hoping this is all a bad dream. The companies that are going to ride out this storm are the ones who are being proactive in talking to their staff and customers. Although a rocky few months still lie ahead, I remain confident that the next decade will offer up myself and InVision the chance to work with new clients as well as continuing to support the ones we’ve collaborated with over the past ten years.
Although I would rather not return to Syria, I would happily work with David Attenborough again for free. If Moët & Chandon decide to auction some more vintage champagne I could also be persuaded to return to Épernay.
Finally thanks to all of the clients we’ve worked with since 2010. It’s been a pleasure to help you tell your stories.