StudioNow is a one stop shop for video. I had the pleasure of interviewing David Mason, CEO.
David Mason
What was the inspiration for StudioNow?
I noticed a growing interest in online video for a whole host of entertainment, marketing and advertising applications that led me to investigate existing solutions/services available to accommodate this new opportunity. I realized very quickly that traditional video production methods and the traditional economics for creating video content were poorly positioned to meet this huge emerging demand. So I began brainstorming for a solution that was scalable and low cost, but still retained a high-quality product. That is StudioNow in a nutshell.
Who are the folks behind the creation of StudioNow?
I founded StudioNow in 2007 with our CTO Adam Solesby. I’ve been involved in the technology industry for more than 12 years. I was co-founder, with my brother, Michael Mason, of an Internet retail company, SpeedServe Inc., which successfully grew from a two-person start-up into a 40-person organization selling books, videos, DVDs and Video Game hardware and software with customers in over 60 different countries. The company merged with BuyComp Inc. in 1998 to become Buy.com creating the 2nd largest Internet retailer behind Amazon.com.
Adam Solesby has extensive experience in managing complex software engineering projects ranging from startups to publicly traded companies. I met Adam in 1997 when he was hired on at SpeedServe. Adam stayed through the company’s transition to Buy.com where he went on to manage over 70 technical employees, helped design and implement a robust financial system, integrated technology platforms from acquired companies, and supported the front-end content system which displayed and updated millions of products each day and created the applications and integration to support additional product line launches.
How will Real Estate agents benefit from StudioNow’s service? Is it really a one-stop-shop for producing videos?
Real estate industry professionals stand to benefit from video the same way they benefited from websites in the early days of the internet. Video presentations of homes and commercial properties are quickly becoming the new standard for real estate marketing. It is significantly more engaging, entertaining and informative, and far more effective than virtual walk-throughs which are nothing more than photo slideshows.
What future enhancements are you working on?
We are continuously working on our user interface to ensure we offer the most efficient workflow solution available for creating video content. We are able to take on a significant volume of projects that are distributed across thousands of different location at incredibly low costs by leveraging our technical expertise. For instance, we are improving our capabilities to provide customers with quick access to local video professionals. We are also developing better screening processes to ensure we only work with the most qualified video professionals. This ongoing process is being continually refined by our algorithms. We are also doing some interesting things where we can create three to four pieces of video content per shoot without increasing the cost.
What obstacles do you see for agents who want to use video?
I think the biggest obstacle for agents would be overcoming the idea that video production is too costly and too time consuming to be a viable marketing tool. We’ve found once they use StudioNow, they are pleasantly surprised.
How has Studio Now overcome those obstacles to make video easier to use?
The biggest thing that we have done is reduced the content creation costs. To accomplish this, we built some amazing tools that help speed each step of the video creation process from scheduling initial shoots to reviewing the finished product. All along the way, users have access to helpful instructions, tips and tools for customizing their video and expediting the work order. Also we help agents distribute their finished video to the right destinations so that it is watched by the people most interested in that particular listing.
How does StudioNow differ from TurnHere, WellcomeMat and other competitors?
We believe we offer the largest and most diverse creative network available to real estate professionals. Our network consists of videographers, directors, editors, animators and voice-over artists who can create a myriad of multimedia real estate collateral. Also, StudioNow has developed a proprietary video creation management workflow solution that can be tailored to the unique needs of realtors and real estate agents. Our system is like a FED-EX style tracking system for the video creation process – users know exactly what stage of the creation process their video is in at any given moment.
What is the cost of the product?
Due to StudioNow’s robust network of video professionals and highly efficient technical platform, we are able to create the highest quality video content for Realtors and agencies generally for less than half of typical production house charges.
Do you syndicate video or have plans to do so?
We distribute video to a variety of sites but do not sell our video as a package to content aggregators.
What are the advantages of video over virtual tours?
It is just flat out better…more entertaining, more informative, easier to market the positive qualities of the listing and a much better representation of the listing. Imagine comparing a slide-show version of the TV program “Lost” to the full featured video version.
Thanks Dave. Best of luck with StudioNow.
Thanks, Joe.
See a sample StudioNow video here.
