Reliant’s Blog

Heading to KC

reliantstudios — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 10:56:25 +0000

We are heading to Kansas City in a few hours to participate in the Philanthropy Midwest Conference. We are excited to break out the orange couch again. Funny thing…we learned in D.C. that it costs more to ship our little couch back home than it does to buy a new one including shipping it to a new destination. So hopefully Target will keep stocking them if we are to be successful at branding Reliant as the company with the orange couch at our conferences.

Heading to D.C.

reliantstudios — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:01:20 +0000

Reliant is excited to be at this year’s Bridge Conference in Washington D.C., July 20-22. Bridge is a gathering of fundraising and marketing types who have a passion for helping nonprofits. Our team would love to connect and hear your story. Come join us at Booth 137 (look for the orange couch and big TV). To make sure we connect, reach out to Paul Vachal or Jeff Valder. Looking forward to meeting you!

AMA – Clover Frederick

reliantstudios — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:35:09 +0000

FEATURED PROJECT

Congratulations to Clover Frederick, winner of Marketer of the Year through the American Marketing Assocation! We enjoyed producing this video that was shown at the event earlier this month. She made it pretty easy to help us capture the heart of what she does.

3D Isn’t for Me

reliantstudios — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:33:55 +0000

By Jared Staab – Assistant Director, Reliant Studios

Gimmick, trend, fad…new storytelling standard? It’s hard to tell exactly where the recent resurgence in 3D will fall. Is it anything more than what it’s been in the past, which is mere spectacle? In my opinion, no. Granted, people enjoy seeing things in new and exciting ways. In terms of storytelling, however, it’s hard to argue with anything more than the standards that were established in film by pioneers like D.W. Griffith, and also with the basics of storytelling that were set forth by the ancient Greeks.

Storytelling at its purest will do more to pull us in and grip us than any new (or in the case of 3D, “refined”) technological advancement ever can. If there’s anyone who truly enjoys the element of 3D in movies I won’t begrudge them of it, but for me, the extra dimension provided does not equal extra depth in the story or emotional connection to the audience.

Hollywood will relentlessly pursue more and more 3D films in hopes of recapturing the magic (and money) of ‘Avatar’ from 2009, but don’t let the overwhelming majority of 3D films lead you to believe that 3D is now the only way to see a movie. Not only will you still have to where those large, goofy over-sized glasses (and in my case, over my regular glasses) and pay a higher ticket price, but there’s a large chance that the 3D movie you’re seeing could give you a headache simply because we as humans can’t properly handle the forced perspective being shown in front of us. All of these things could prove more of a hindrance to your investment in the story rather than enhancing it.

Don’t just take my opinion on the matter, here’s a great article from prolific movie critic Roger Ebert and Academy-Award winning editor and sound designer Walter Murch, two legends in their field who make the case that we the audience may never quite be ready for the onslaught of 3D:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/01/post_4.html

Crafted in the Heartland… Ready for the World

reliantstudios — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:25:36 +0000

FEATURED PROJECT

After the success of the first video in 2009 Lincoln Chrome, a division of Lincoln Industries, hired Reliant to come back out and produce a new video for 2011. From the guys on the manufacturing floor to the truckers on the road learn how and why Lincoln Chrome makes the best truck stacks on the market!

“Reliant Studios has played a major role in the promotion of the Lincoln Chrome brand. Their staff engaged our customers flawlessly and produced a video that is treasured in the industry. They act as an extension to my team and represent our company very well. I could not be more impressed with their people and the end product they produce.” Darren Parker, Director of Lincoln Chrome.

Tabitha is the Answer

reliantstudios — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:23:50 +0000

FEATURED PROJECT

Reliant was truly grateful to be a part of Tabitha’s new marketing campaign. We were hired to produce three thirty-second spots currently airing on TV as well as a longer format video to be used for their other marketing needs. Our goal was to find the difference that Tabitha makes in the lives of those whom they serve and the answers we found were incredible.

Bearing it All

reliantstudios — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:21:59 +0000

Hear it straight from the horse’s mouth! Or more truthfully our mouths, in which case no, none of us are actually horses…but there is a horse in this video. Confused? Probably. Just watch this video and find out why we at Reliant do the things we do!

Featured Projects

reliantstudios — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:35:05 +0000

People’s City Mission

Reliant is currently partnering with Lincoln’s People’s City Mission to help them achieve their goal of bringing awareness to the many causes of homelessness to the community. Over the years, Mission Director Tom Barber has had an impact on Reliant as he has served as a business teacher and mentor to Reliant President, Mike Sukraw. We were happy to have the opportunity to work with him again! Please take a moment to check out this 30 second spot currently being shown at Marcus Theaters.

Nebraska Home Improvement Company

Reliant recently partnered with Valerie Jones at Red Rover Media and the owners of NHIC to produce a new 30 second commercial for their company. The goal was to capture an intimate family portrait while highlighting the company’s core values of trust, tradition, and transformation. Reliant was fortunate enough to be put in touch with a family whose home had been completely re-sided and furnished with new windows all done by NHIC. The final spot was completed last month and is currently airing on 10/11 and KETV.

Paul and Kristin Join the Team

reliantstudios — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:32:05 +0000

Paul Vachal – VP Sales

Paul Vachal recently joined the team and brings along plenty of experience after working for several web-based start-ups, a software development company and a Lincoln-based marketing firm. But more importantly, he brings along a natural gift in truly understanding our customers’ needs. Check out this short video of Paul discussing how we inspire people through the art of video production.

Kristin Sukraw – Program Director

Kristin Sukraw has officially joined the Reliant team after serving behind the scenes for the past five years. Kristin introduces herself and discusses how her background in psychology will impact our culture in this short video.

Kimberly Walker off the Market

reliantstudios — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:29:53 +0000

Reliant’s production coordinator Kimberly Walker married Thomas Lucas on July 23rd. The Reliant team spent most of

thewedding night together on the dance floor joined by the likes of Play Creative, Aaron and Brooke Davis, Reliant actors Nicole Hustad and John Wachter, and some real-life wedding crashers.

Below is a picture of the Reliant team at the wedding along with significant others. It looks like Tom fits right in.