If you have ever been curious about Grumo Media, its Founder Miguel, or starting your own company, then I really recommend you grab a coffee, tea, or Jack Daniel's and watch this interview.

During the interview Miguel shares lots of insights into how Grumo got started, managed to grow the company, and great advice for first time entrepreneurs.

I apologize for my bad hair, it really looks I just got up from bed (probably the case) but I'm not sure because this was recorded over a year ago now. Oh well, you'll get a true honest look at the crazy mind behind Grumo Media.

Thanks a lot to George "Siosi" Samuels for letting me re-post this interview on my blog.
You can check more awesome interviews about animation, creativity, and entrepreneurship on his website at www.siosism.com

Check out other interviews with Miguel Hernandez:
How To Create Videos That Get You Customers – Mixergy Interview with Miguel Hernandez of Grumo Media.
“Life is too short not to take risks” – Audio Interview with Grumo.
How Grumo Overcame His Fear of English and Built a Successful Company
Startup Videos Interview: Running Grumo Media and Insights on the Demo Video Market.
Explainer Videos Explained: Interview by The Local Method

1 hour interview with Grumo Media's Founder Miguel Hernandez by Siosism - Wow!

Last week we released our first trailer. This week we release our first Grumo Ad.
We had this on the back burner for over a year but finally managed to make it happen.

Ok, so if anyone asks what Grumo does, Boom! just show them this 40 sec video and you're done!
In fact, this is a Grumo demo video explaining Grumo, a Grumo of Grumo, a Grumo Grumo! Grr, Grrrr!!!

And the masterpiece here:

Below the video transcript for your enjoyment. For everlasting happiness you shall memorize it and repeat it every morning as soon as you wake up for the next 43 years.
It should be the first thing that comes out of your mouth (even if you only speak Spanish or Chinese). Don't miss a day or cookie monster will come down the chimney (even if you don't have one) and force feed you 43 large chocolate chip cookies in 43 seconds (mmm.. I like cookies may be I shouldn't..)

### START MEMORIZING NOW ###

You've got an excellent product, but how do you inform potential customers?
The concept is rather complex for the average person. And without a simpler explanation, they may not stick around.

But fear not, Grumo has a solution!
We take your explanation and get right to the point of what it is that makes your company…special.

Henceforth, you need not explain a thing. Simply show them!
The Grumo way. That's right. We make demo videos.

Awesome demo videos.

### STOP MEMORIZING NOW ###

Grumo: we chain saw the heck out of your long boring explanation.. The Grumo Way™

FlexPod integrates the best components from industry leaders like NetApp, Cisco, VMware, and Microsoft into a single and reliable datacenter architecture.
With FlexPod your IT team won't need to spend weeks around a whiteboard reinventing the wheel every time to you need to fine tune performance and scale your datacenter.
They’ll be able to monitor all your datacenter critical functions from a single management interface reducing up to 80% of your typical administration tasks.
and because FlexPod optimizes your devices consumption you'll save thousands of euros in energy costs every year!

Explainer video produced by http://grumomedia.com

FlexPod: the end of all your datacenter management nightmares!

We've put together our first 30 sec trailer ad for Grumo Media.
It is made of a series of shots from some of our most fun projects with my voice explaining what we do in a few words.
Picking the right music for a video is always a challenge and in this case we chose two different tracks.

One track is more classical and relaxed so you can hear better the quirky home made sound effects in the background.
The other track is more epic and energetic and carries the voice over so well that it makes the ad fun even if you were only listening to the ad with your eyes closed.

Which one do you prefer?

Here is the relaxed version:

Here is the energetic version:

Here is the voiceover script:

We make the boring - fun
the dull - colorful
the complex - simple
the scary - friendly
Life is too short for long words
so we remove the fluff, get to the point
and share what makes you.. special
Grumo
Awesome Demo Videos

Grumo Media: Awesome Demo Videos that will help you rule the world!

Great Bridge helps you earn money for buying lipstick, red wine, dark chocolate, or anything really.
You just register any credit or debit card at GreatBridgeGroup.com and just like that, you can earn up to $240 / year.
The program doesn’t track what you buy, just where you shop and how much you spend.
And you needn’t worry, because your information stays anonymous and won’t get into the hands of evil marketers trying to sell you things you don’t want.
We don’t even collect or store your personal information because it’s, well, personal.
The data is collected from tons of registered members and it is simply used to identify important trends, changes in national spending, and also helps new businesses decide where to set up shop.
As an active member, you can earn even more by answering little surveys about your shopping habits and preferences.
And if you don’t want this free money, you can choose to pay it forward – to your favorite charity.
It’s time to start filling your pockets at greatbridgegroup.com.

Great Bridge Group: Contribute your shopping data to research and get compensated

Watsi is a non-profit organization that combines donations as small as $5 to fund low-cost, but high-impact medical treatments.
What does this mean?
It means they choose candidates where the treatment is not too expensive, it is likely to be successful and it will significantly change that person's life.
In short, the treatment will make a difference. A BIG difference.

So how exactly will you know that person you selected actually benefited from the money you sent?
Watsi will send you an update and photo of the person.
So you get to see the outcome of the treatment.

Donate at http://watsi.org to help someone get the life-changing medical care they need.

Explainer demo video produced by http://grumomedia.com

Watsi: help someone get the life-changing medical care they need.

Philip Petrescu and his team took Grumo's animation course to create an explainer video for their startup Lead Converter.
They actually got me to record the voice over for them and here is the result:

Philip tells us a bit about the process of creating his first demo video:

How long did it take to put together?
Between one month and a half and two months.

How did you record the voice over?
By asking you

What was the hardest part?
Synchronizing the voice with the animation.

What was the simplest part?
Watching the Grumo course.

How did you create the illustrations?
Our designer watched your Grumo course and made the illustrations using Adobe After Effects.

Where did you find the music?
On one of the websites recommended by you (pond5.com)

How did the Grumo course help you?
By showing me which are the basic rules of creating a SUCCESSful demo video.

How did you find about Grumo?
By watching the Hipmunk video.

Well, thanks Philip and team for taking my course!
I hope your demo video helps you convert many visitors into Lead Coverter customers too!

LeadConverter: convert web visitors into customers like never before!

This article is part of a blog series where Beth (Miguel's wife) shares some of her thoughts and experiences being married to Grumo's eclectic founder.

Since I met and married Miguel I have spent a lot of time talking to myself. Just to be clear, I don’t mean to be talking to myself. I actually think I am part of a conversation.
Of course, this doesn’t seem too out of the ordinary. How many times have you heard women complaining that their significant other just doesn’t listen to them?

Miguel is different though. Whereas most men “tune out” and don’t pay attention, Miguel isn’t listening to me because he actually believes I am having an in-depth conversation with myself. Seriously.

“Oh, are you talking to me?” Yes, I am talking to you. Let me make this clear for you.
If you look at me and my mouth is moving that means I am talking.
If you look around and there aren’t any other people standing next to us then I am talking to you. No, I am not having a conversation with myself.

So at this point you might think I am telling you my husband is a complete idiot. Not true.
He is probably only 10% idiot, and in fact 90% genius. Most of the time I am amazed by his mind, his ideas and all that he has accomplished.
Then at other times, like when he takes 5 minutes to answer a yes or no question all the while staring at me like he has never seen me before, I am amazed he is able to function at all.

Here is a little video showing what I mean:

“Am I ready to make a video?”

This is a question we get asked a lot so we decided to create a list of some of things you should have in place before you make your video:

1. Your baby is ready. Believe it or not some people ask for a video as their product is still in the womb. Changes to your product’s functionality or marketing strategy are inevitable when you’re still developing. For every change to your product, you’ll have to change your video and that could cost mucho dinero. You should at least have your MVP (minimum viable product) in ready and in diapers.

2. Brand Design. You should be very happy with your logo and website and have your corporate colour palette decided.

3. Brand Personality. Is the writing on your site super conservative and corporate? Is it fun and playful? Sinister and dark? If your brand was at a party what would it talk about? Would anybody want to hang out with it? Stand for something. Figure it out and if you can afford it, hire a copywriter to write your content.

4. Elevator Pitch. You should be able to explain the essence of your product in one clear, engaging sentence and not just in a language that makes sense to people in your industry. It should make sense to my great great great great grandma the cave lady. Ask yourself, what is the single most persuasive sentence I could say to get someone to scream, “Holy Caca! I need this. I want this. I can’t spend another day without it!”

5. Cashola. Yes, unfortunately these things cost money. To work with us, you’ll need at least 7K to do a :60 second video or a gigantic supply of super tasty cookies. And before you hire us or anyone, make sure you review each company's portfolio to make sure you like their style of work.

6. Validation. You should already have some traction and validation for your idea. You’ve tested the puppy and people like your puppy.

7. Trust. You need to be able to let go a little bit when you put your puppy into the hands of a magical video-making studio. They’re going to interpret your content and make it conversational so everybody can understand it. When you first see the script you might think to yourself, “That’s wrong! That’s not how I or anyone in this company would say it!” Just remember, they’re not writing the script for you, they’re writing it for the rest of the world so it can sell like chocolate chip banana pancakes sprinkled with coconut flakes.

8. Time. You or someone in your company must have the time to dedicate to making a video. Videos take 4-6 weeks and you’ll need to give feedback fairly quickly at each stage of the production. Ideally you have one person in charge of this process who you trust to make key decisions.

9. Promotional Plan. Is this video just going to sit on your website to explain your product? If so, how are you going to drive additional traffic to your site? Is it going to be part of an e-blast? What keywords will you use when you post it on YouTube, Vimeo, etc.? A lot of people make the video for their website and think they’ll use it for all kinds of things. If there’s no plan in place, it likely won’t happen. The best time to do it is off the back of the momentum created from making the video. Make it pay for itself. Push it. Push it real good.

10. Why? Don’t just get a video because that’s what people are doing these days. You should know why, specifically. What problems does it solve for you or what opportunities does it present? Maybe there is one specific element that your consumers are failing to understand. Maybe it’s also to communicate your personality. The more we know about your current hurdles and goals, the better video we can make for you.

And that’s about it, folks. All you need to do is learn this easy-to-remember acronym we created for you and you can share this with your peers YBBECVTTPW!

Good luck with the development and give us a holler once you’ve got YBBECVTTPW in order!

Woot! Go get em tigers!

This is one of the best executed demo videos we've seen from a student after taking our After Effects animation course. Bill Coughlan spent a month of hard work perfecting his animation and eventually came up with this great demo video:

Bill shares with us how the production process was for him:

How long did it take to put together?
All told, it took about a month from our initial meeting to final delivery. We got moving very quickly — the client gave us her initial thoughts on what she wanted to say, and I turned it around and just had her tell me what the key things that really got her excited about the product, what problems potential users had that this solved, and so on; then I took that and wrote a script, and it stayed mostly unchanged from the start.

What was the hardest part?
I hate to say the hardest part was something technical (since it's usually the scriptwriting or workflow areas that introduce problems), but in this case that was actually true — getting the motion of the characters to look "real." Yes, it's animated, but I really wanted the movements to look as natural as possible (within the constraints of the style).

What was the simplest part?
The simplest part had to be the smoothness of the operation — I had a client who was really open to trying something "outside the box" of what we usually do; I showed her a couple of Grumos as an example of the format, but never thought she'd be open to going with such a "drawn" animated style (since it was such a departure from our regular corporate work). But once she saw those, she said, "That's what I want!" And then we planned everything out carefully (I even recreated the Grumo storyboard document in MS Word to make it easy for us all to edit) and it was smooth sailing from there on out.

How did you record the voice over?
We recorded the voiceover using GarageBand and a USB microphone. I actually did a "temp track" recording to start animating, then we brought in someone on our staff who's a professional presenter. I directed the performance, and it took us a while to get a delivery that really suited animation — you really have to pump up the emotion a lot more than you would for a live presentation. But our Chief Marketing Officer was so happy with it that he told us to make sure we got him to do as many of our future projects as we could!

Where did you find the music?
The music is from the OmniMusic library — since my group does a lot of videos (though this was our first full-on After Effects animation), it's nice to have a library of material on hand to chose from. If we need something that isn't available there, we'll license on a one-off basis, but having a full library at the ready saves a lot of time.

How did you create the illustrations?
I did the original concept for the illustrations in Adobe Illustrator, and then we had another artist (the incomparable Matt Starchak) do storyboards with good old-fashioned pencil and paper — we scanned those into the storyboard document for approvals, then I created the character and all of the component elements in Illustrator again. I imported those into After Effects, and did most of the animation with the Puppet Pin tool.

How did the Grumo course help you?
On the technical side of things, I had the animation courses up in a separate window a lot of the time as I was working in After Effects. But honestly, the biggest help was in the concept and workflow stages — how to structure a video (especially how to get right to the point as quickly as possible, and not belabor things with a lot of background) and how to organize your workflow to minimize wasted effort. I've set up a whole "script review" process now, where I (and a few other trusted writers) take client scripts (*all* client scripts) and run them through the "Grumo" filter to make sure they meet Miguel's exacting standards! (My boss will actually tell clients, "Well, that's not the way Miguel would do it, so we need to make a few changes.")

What other places online have helped you learn to put together this demo video?
As far as other resources go, in addition to my own experience as an independent screenwriter and director (with Tohubohu Productions), I've been scouring YouTube every time I run up against a problem I don't know how to solve. One resource I will specifically call out is Video Copilot (www.videocopilot.net), which (in addition to some fantastic plug-ins) has a lot of tutorials on After Effects. Definitely worth checking out.

Thanks so much for putting this course out there. Yeah, I could have done an animation without it, but I don't think it would have been nearly as good. And even outside this one project, the course has completely changed our thinking about how we produce *all* of our videos.

In fact, our *second* animation produced under the Grumo framework is also now up on YouTube, if you'd like to give it a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WTu_7i1koc

Thanks, Miguel!

Well, thank you Bill for taking Grumo's animation course and ensuring your demo video met our exacting standards because it surely paid off!

Another awesome demo video from another awesome Grumo student!

Explainer demo video produced by http://grumomedia.com

Whether you’re a big time publisher or a blogger, your business is content – and you want everyone to see it.
But…content pirates can steal your hard work, and you can lose potential ad revenue-and page views.
Even if the good guys link to your content, only 2% of readers click links.
Hello, Repost – We help share your content EVERYWHERE, and it stays YOURS.
Repost shares entire articles with branding, images, authorship and ads attached.
With just one click, your post can be instantly republished – exposing it to a whole new audience, which means more reach, more readers-and more revenue.
This FREE plugin is available on WordPress and Blogger and can be easily programmed on most publishing platforms.
And If you ever need content for your site, visit Repost.us to find breaking news stories and feature articles you can republish for free.  
Reposts are automatically reformatted to match your site and they’re updated in real time –which is perfect for live blogging, and developing stories.
So, come join us. We’re changing the whole sharing thing, with you in mind.
Repost – imagine your content - everywhere

Repost: changing the whole sharing thing!

TownCenter is a one-stop solution for managing all of your online business profiles on all the big sites like Google+ Local, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Foursquare, and tons more.

Demo video produced by http://grumomedia.com

With TownCenter every single directory is updated automatically, oh yeah!

With LIGHT you can merge your entire digital life, organize and share it with others in one private place accessible by web, mobile, or desktop.

Explainer video produced by http://grumomedia.com

LIGHT: merge all your digital life in one place.. oh yeah!

This article is part of a blog series where Grumo attempts to define common terms in a nonsensical and sometimes politically incorrect way. Please do take all statements with a grain of salt or acetyl-para-aminophenol.

The pretty girl in the picture is Grumo's wife (at least before posting this..)

Beth is a nocturnal free dancing spirit living in a beer bottle made of semi transparent indulgence.

Her long body, fluorescent white skin, small green eyes, sensual smile and strong yet feminine jaw are all majestic in a Renaissance kind of way.

As the night unfolds this cosmopolitan princess transforms into an abstract mixture of nonsensical words and gestures which only seem to gain a seducing sinuous coherence when entranced by their musical muse.

Once on the dance floor Beth becomes a mesmerizing queen oblivious to the lusty gazes of suitors hoping to conquer a bit of her queendom.

In the morning, and only after a due dose of caffeine Beth will struggle to be her elegant self again and blend into the land of the living. Yet even when immersed in her daily routine she won’t be able to stop herself from daydreaming about cute baby elephants, adorable fluffy kittens, and baby orangutans which she would love forever and ever.

If only proven by her addiction to cheesy romance TV, mindless Internet games and of course lots and lots of chocolate, Beth perfectly embodies which could only be defined as modern hedonistic royalty.

Her competitive nature makes winning another of her addictions be it games, sports, or arguments. Although sometimes her desire to win can get the better of her it’s that same competitiveness that motivates her to perfect her passions, being one of them running.

Running is the healthier counterpart of Beth’s struggle to clear her mind from the weight of the past and frustration of her present...

[...Bzzz Whirrr Bzzz.. this part of Beth's definition has been lost.. or censured by marriage saving leprechauns]

[...3, 2, 1.. Resuming transmission..]

...Finally, another day is about to give its ghost and as hot water fills up the tub, she now just looks forward to simmer in her fantasies with a good old book in hand.

BETH
by Grumo

Professional animation software like After Effects, Flash, or Maya is expensive and too complex to learn.
I know because many of my previous students struggled learning how to animate in After Effects.

Well, It turns out that you can do about 90% the same with just Keynote!
Don't believe it? I actually went ahead and recreated one of our most popular demo videos to date (PadMapper) entirely in Keynote
Check this video comparing the original After Effects version versus the Keynote one:

In this new course I'll teach you how to animate in Keynote using the PadMapper video as an example.
Keynote is the Mac version of PowerPoint and it is very cheap and super simple to use, but comes with a great set of animation tools.

We will go over the entire production process, from how to write an effective script that is fun, concise and sells, all the way to how to publish your video for maximum impact.

In 10 hours of video content and 84 lectures we will cover:

• How to write an awesome script
• How to storyboard your script
• How to record voice over
• How to illustrate in Keynote
• How to animate in Keynote
• How to edit your animation
• How to add sound effects
• How to pick a music track
• How to export/publish your video

In a few hours you will learn everything you need to produce an awesome demo video, will save thousands of dollars by doing it yourself, and will have fun in the process.

You my dear readers can take the course here for 50% off using the coupon GRUMO99:

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE COURSE

Let's do it!

PS: If you are one of the 2000 students who took my previous course you should have gotten an 85% percent discount coupon via email. If you did not get it and you would like to take the course please write to me at miguel@grumomedia.com and I'll send it to you!

PS2: Do you enjoy my courses? would you like me to teach anything in particular?
Just let me know in the comments or email me at miguel@grumomedia.com. Gracias!

PS3: Would you like to talk to me in person? vent your frustrations? tell me your secrets?
Hear my Spanish accento live? Just give me a call at 1-650-981-4400

Miguel wearing a tuke with a logo sticker on it.. eh!