REBOOTING CORPORATE VIDEOS

By David Macias

and Vince Vasquez

HOW CLOUDBOOK UTILIZES CISCO’S FLIP MINOPRO CAMCORDER TO DEFINE THE NEW BEST PRACTICE IN CORPORATE STORYTELLING.

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By David Macias

and Vince Vasquez

veryone loves a great story.

Actually, the elements of a great story haven’t changed since Pla-to told them in the Amphitheater; however, how they are told has changed dramatically since the dawn of civilization. Technology has been the catalyst to increase engagement and distribution of

stories, from Gutenberg’s press and Shakespeare’s theatre to pho-tographs and motion pictures. The next phase is the HD handheld camcorder, fully enabled for social media. In other words, the story of a story is getting another chapter written.

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Indeed, the personal technol-ogy evolution has spawned a personal publishing revolution for the masses. YouTube, Face-book and other vertically ori-ented sites have become both the stage and water cooler, for sharing both casual and busi-ness stories. Yet, social digital video is not just for staring into a Webcam and uploading to count the views. The social media revolution is changing the game for corporate B-to-B sales and marketing, as well.

At Cloudbook, we’re helping Cloud Companies build their businesses using next-gen storytelling tools and tech-niques that are both social and real, thus bringing them to life. We call it creating a Cloudbook StoryTM; it’s where personal publishing and so-cial media meet deep experience in Cloud Computing. Move over Hollywood reality TV. Move over “Keep-ing it Real” hip-hopsters. Technology entrepreneurs and enterprises have exciting stories to tell as well, introducing tech’s living in the Cloud reality.

Of course, video is a powerful element for storytell-ing. Move aside anonymously written marketing-speak blah blah blah white papers. We’re talking users describing on camera how they use cloud products in “Customer Stories,” giving depth to their experiences. We’re talking execs sharing what they think is important in “Introducing Company Stories.” We’re talking content specialists sharing their “How-To Stories,” again filmed in detail for all to see.

We call it keeping it “notorious.” In other words, the audience knows who is telling the story; no more hid-ing behind marketing firewalls.

In the past, creating quality videos seemed to be the exclusive realm of the rich and famous: too expen-sive and arduous for the typical budget-conscious company to dabble too frequently. But it’s a differ-ent story today.

One of the primary tools Cloudbook uses for creat-ing the video component of a Cloudbook StoryTM

is Cisco’s Flip MinoPRO HD camcorder. Flip helps

Cloudbook introduce the new generation of Cloud stars, enabling them to tell their stories in a format that is spontaneous, natural, convenient and free of the drab backdrop of a studio curtain.

SPONTANEITYLet’s start with those mind- expanding discussions that just erupt in bursts of cre-ative brilliance. Wouldn’t it

be cool to capture them live before the thoughts vanish

into the ether?

Say you’re driving along and the conversation all of a sudden be-

comes very meaty. No worries, just take your Flip from your pocket and

shoot. Just make sure the person behind the wheel can drive and talk at the same time!

In fact, in this video we watch GenieDB Founder Jack Kreindler introduce us to his company. And, yes, Jack being one of Britain’s finest, kept the car on the left side of the road the entire time.

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LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATIONEnough of the filming in a sterile, professional studio. It just looks so staged that way. Oh wait, it is.

Yes, there is a time and a place for the professional studio. But what about all those stories that can be told in interesting locations that help add to the story? For instance, what about filming in a coffee shop to dem-onstrate that you can spin up a Cloud instance in about the time it takes to order a latte?

In this introductory “How-To” video, Edward Wusten-hoff, CTSO of Burstorm, demonstrates how one can provision a blog server in a manner of minutes using GoGrid. In addition, as we were fully armed with our mobile video prowess, we were also able to capture a humorous moment when Edward tried to put a lid on it (on the latte, that is).

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CONVENIENCEWhat about those times when you just don’t have time to get into a professional recording studio? For in-stance, perhaps you’re trying to interview a corporate exec with an extremely busy schedule, and can only fit in 30 to 60 minutes for a video interview?

No worries. How about we film at the hotel lobby, be-tween the day’s last planned meeting and dinner? Find a comfy couch, set up the Flip and let the conver-sation go from there.

That’s actually what happened for this video in which John Considine, CTO of CloudSwitch, shares stories about his company. Here, he describes the value and approach the company has taken with the command of an expert CTO in the field. Wait, that’s who he is. Enjoy.

NATURAL CONVERSATIONHave you ever noticed how many people seem to change instantaneously once they’re staring into one of those huge professional cameras? Unfortunately, when staring at a camera’s big red light, it can be quite challenging to impossible to have what looks and feels like a normal, fluid conversation.

With Flip’s small size, during a meeting, we’re able to put the camcorder on a small tripod, hit record, and forget about it. The person being filmed can talk natu-rally to the interviewer, as the Flip disappears from view. The person comes across more relaxed able to tell the story without big camera inhibitions.

As an example, in this “Customer Story,” we watch SOASTA’s Founder and CEO, Tom Lounibos, talk about why his company runs on Amazon EC2. It’s as if you are sitting in the meeting with him.

Every day and every deal brings a wealth of new stories about the Cloud: about the companies deliv-ering it, how customers are using it, and how people can better use it.

In addition, any sales rep who’s actually selling tells stories. Whether it be the company’s ideas on secu-rity, integration or how a customer solved an identi-cal problem, a top sales rep knows how to line up the stories to answer the prospect’s questions and concerns.

Cloudbook is assisting Cloud Companies arm their sales reps with the stories they need to be success-

ful. And, clearly, video is a key element for quality storytelling. Among other advantages, video brings a story to life in a dimension that text simply cannot.

The emergence of Cisco¹s low cost, pocket size, high def MinoPRO camcorder has given Cloudbook the ability to shoot quality video just about anywhere and anytime. This enables Cloudbook to tell client stories in video not only on their schedules, but also in a way that is both educational and engaging. Wel-come to storytelling 2.0. Or is that 1002.0? After all, telling stories to communicate messages is not a new concept, just an evolving one. Nonetheless, ready, set, action!

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