Video company reaches out to local organizations

Inspired by people’s thoughts, emotions and strong feelings about important issues, Jeff Brandt developed a passion for video-shooting and editing.

“Video is really interesting in the sense that if you do it right, you can get access to people and environment once, but share it over and over,” the Woodbury resident said.

Jeff and Jennifer Brandt are owners of StoryboardFilms, a company that began working last fall on branding and marketing work focusing on documentary-style films.

Creative Director Jeff Brandt wasn’t always involved in video work professionally.

Brandt has a background in content development and design. He was working remotely from Chicago, which made it difficult to spend time with his two children as they got older, he said.

Then he lost his job and began looking for work in a market where “the competition for these jobs was crazy,” he said.

He was overqualified in some areas but underqualified in others for lack of direct experience in the health care industry, for example.

That type of work wasn’t really what he wanted to do anyway.

“I realized at the end of the day I was looking for jobs I didn’t really want,” he said.

Brandt started shooting and editing videos for school events like the Montessori School fundraiser as well as other documentaries.

He would work on videos for different organizations and businesses here and there and that became something he did on a regular basis.

“At one point, I was like, ‘I should just do this,’” Brandt said.

Then he and his wife Jennifer, the business manager for StoryboardFilms, began establishing the company.

From iMovie to the professional editing program Final Cut Pro, the StoryboardFilms videos became more and more professional.

He said although the technicality of it all is important, the most important thing is to put videos together in a way that impacts people.

“You’re going to connect with someone on an emotional level that you would never get from a static Web page,” Brandt said.

He was responsible for shooting and editing an awareness piece aimed at state legislators about special education needs in Minnesota in relation to mental health services.

“The services for those kids have been cut over and over,” he said.

The seven-minute video – which was not published for privacy reasons – included shots of students in the classroom, interviews with special education teachers and administrators.

The video focused on challenges special education students face when they struggle with mental health illnesses without access to treatments.

“If they can’t get that down, it’s hard for them to do other things like learn and make friends,” Brandt said.

The video was presented at a hearing at the state Capitol. Brandt said it has made an impact on everyone who watched it.

“Everyone I showed it to either cried or got teary-eyed,” he said.

Video shooting and editing, a hobby Brandt developed while documenting his children’s lives growing up, has become an everyday job he is sure he wants to keep.

“I’m 42 and like a lot of people have always been struggling with what I’m going to do with my life,” he said. “I can honestly say this is what I’m going to do.”

To see a sample of StoryboardFilms work, visit: www.storyboardfilmsmn.com/portfolio-view/ valley-crossing-community-school/

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