Whether the purpose of the message is to sell a product, or to create a brand or personal profile the key is to look to unconventional approaches.
Using film and media to convey critical business messages has resulted in some unusual adventures over the past year for me and my crew, including a recent stint of filming in
Hollywood and a film production being entered in the globally renowned Sundance Film Festival.
What started out in 2015 as an efficient way to preserve a training day that I held for my newly formed Sydney based team, has blown out into a full production studio being established in Sydney’s North West, complete with modern equipment and changeable sets.
It’s incredible what can be achieved with a bit of vision, some accessible equipment and a small crew of people all happy to roll their sleeves up and jump into a new project with a willingness to have a go and learn or try something new.
The first major Know My Group production was a series of filmed interviews of people united around the cause of improving the plight of Aboriginal children living in out of home care in Australia.
The compilation, known as Walking the Land Together was screened earlier in the year at Event Cinemas and achieving critical acclaim and was entered into Sundance.
Although not expecting to win major awards, I am pleased that the film has served its purpose in raising much needed awareness of the work being done in the foster care arena by Western Sydney based organisation KARI, headed by Paul Ralph and his family.
The filming of Walking the Land Together gave my team the opportunity to work, develop relationships and collaborate, with household brand names such as the Commonwealth Bank, NRL and Foxtel, but more importantly it has shone light on a problem little is known about in this country.
That first production was a lightbulb moment for me. I realised that further productions could offer my clients highly lucrative opportunities to connect with and through media and events, strategically showcasing them through social and digital coverage.
Over the past 12 months, some of the productions that have been filmed include interviews with Sandhurst Fine Foods, the Salvation Army, AmCham, Royal Institute for Death and Blind Children, Paralympian Champion Ellie Cole and business and media identity Peter Switzer as well as an international venture which took the small production house to Hollywood’s Madam Tussauds’ to film an interview with Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President “Mr Hollywood”, Leron Gubler.
With every Know My Group production comes an opportunity to facilitate collaborations between those involved, to get closer to the network surrounding the organisation or person being filmed, as well as sharing and telling a brand, organisational or personal story.
Film provides us with a unique opportunity to tell a story and convey a message, and when done with a business mindset, can achieve many more objectives for those involved.’
Placement and usage of the footage we produce is a key component in maximising the opportunity for all involved.
Recognising the need for reliable channels to promote my film productions, I have established partnerships with media groups such as Foxtel, Event Cinemas and various news publications, and well established member based organisations such as Family Business Australia and the American Chamber of Commerce.
These partnerships have allowed us to distribute our work, which often features unsung community heroes or not for profit organisations, well into the public eye and to attract attention far beyond that of traditional marketing.
The Know My Group productions, which originally started as a small-scale attempt to showcase my company’s own work has gained industry credibility.
We have secured IMDB accounts and achieved recognition as an Executive Producer with AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts). The association has Geoffrey Rush as President, Cate Blanchett as Ambassador and George Miller, the director and producer of the Mad Max films, as its Patron.
Plans are in place for a production about a variety of medical conditions and the associated organisational and individual stories that stem from a personal experience within my own family.
Along with plans to collaborate on a potential Tropfest entry for 2017/18 and plans for several internet television series, there is plenty to look forward to.
Hardeep Girn is managing director of
