Episode 6
How to Tell Effective Stories (ft. Minifridge Media)
Andrew Osborne is the founder of Minifridge Media, one of Toronto’s top video production companies, and a freelance director whose work has played on national TV, in Cineplex theatres, and at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. He started the company in January 2016 with a specific irritation in mind: corporate video did not have to be bland, and it should not look like it.
That premise makes him a natural guest for a conversation about telling effective stories. Minifridge’s whole pitch is making videos people actually want to watch, work that lands with an explosion rather than a dull thud, even when the client is a local insurance company rather than a national brand.
Key Takeaways
- Corporate video does not have to be boring. Minifridge was founded on the idea that a business video can be held to the same standard as a TV commercial, whoever the client happens to be.
- Effective is the operative word. The goal in the title is not a beautiful story or a clever one, it is an effective one, which means the story has to do a job for the business paying for it.
- Craft credentials change the conversation. Andrew’s commercial work has run on national TV, in Cineplex theatres, and at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, the kind of track record that lets a shop argue for a higher creative bar.
- Agency experience teaches a different discipline. Before and alongside Minifridge, Andrew worked on commercials through major agencies, where the standard for a finished spot is set by people who do nothing else.
- Story is the differentiator in a crowded market. When plenty of shops can operate a camera competently, the ability to build a story an audience will sit through is what separates the work.
- This is the first of two story episodes. The very next episode continues the theme with Signature Video Group, making these two conversations a natural pair on narrative as a business tool.
Videos People Actually Want to Watch
Minifridge Media exists because of a specific frustration. Andrew started the company in January 2016 to make video content of a higher quality than the traditional bland corporate video, with the stated ambition that their work should look like a TV commercial even when it is for a local business. The company’s own framing is blunt about the stakes: in an age of limited attention spans, a video either lands with an explosion or a dull thud, and the goal is to make things people actually want to watch.
That is a useful corrective to the way many companies commission this work. Plenty of buyers still think of the category as a box to tick rather than something that has to earn attention, which is why it is worth being clear on what a corporate video is and what it is for. The same instinct drives the argument that one video is never a strategy, and it is one answer to the question the previous episode asked about standing out from your competitors.
A Director Behind the Company
What gives the pitch weight is the resume behind it. Andrew is a working commercial director, not only an owner, and his work has played on national TV, in Cineplex theatres, and at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. He has also spent time on commercials produced through major advertising agencies, an environment where the expected standard for a finished spot is set by people who do nothing but make spots. Bringing that bar back to business video is essentially the company’s product.
The dual role of owner and director is its own balancing act, close to the ground covered in what makes a great producer and lessons in leadership and creativity. Turning that creative standard into something a client can actually buy is the job of a well-run corporate video production process.
What Makes a Story Effective
The word doing the work in this episode’s title is effective. A story can be moving and still fail, if the audience walks away without doing anything differently. For a production company, that means holding two standards at once: the creative bar that makes something watchable, and the commercial bar that makes it worth the client’s money. Getting both right in the same piece is the actual craft, and it is much harder than getting either one alone.
That tension runs straight through the show’s catalogue, from creating results based videos to the harder accounting in the ROI of content. It is also why a serious conversation about story eventually becomes a conversation about budget, and what a video costs to make properly.
Creatives Grab Coffee ran two story episodes back to back here. The following week brought Signature Video Group on to talk about solving problems with story, approaching the same subject from the client’s business problem rather than from the craft. Listening to the pair in order is the better way to take them in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Andrew Osborne?
The founder and president of Minifridge Media, a Toronto video production company he started in January 2016. He is also a commercial director whose work has played on national TV, in Cineplex theatres, and at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.
What is Minifridge Media?
A Toronto video production company founded in 2016 that makes commercials, explainer videos, and corporate video for businesses, agencies, and brands. The team has since produced more than 2,000 videos for over 450 clients. Site: minifridgemedia.com.
What makes a story effective?
An effective story clears two bars at once: the creative bar that makes it worth watching, and the commercial bar that makes it worth the client’s investment. Something beautiful that changes no behaviour has not done its job.
Does corporate video have to be boring?
Minifridge was founded on the argument that it does not. The company’s stated goal is video of a higher quality than the traditional bland corporate video, held to the standard of a TV commercial regardless of the client’s size.
Which other episode covers storytelling?
The following episode, number 7 with Signature Video Group, covers solving business problems with story. The two episodes were released back to back and work well as a pair.
The Hosts
Dario Nouri and Kyrill Lazarov are the co-founders of Lapse Productions, a Toronto video production company, and the hosts of Creatives Grab Coffee, a weekly show about the business of video production.
About
Creatives Grab Coffee is a podcast about the business behind video production: sales, strategy, pricing, team building, and everything that happens off camera. New episodes every week on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Lapse Productions is a Toronto-based video production company serving tech, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing clients with corporate, promotional, event, and testimonial video. New to commissioning video? Start with our guide to the types of corporate video.
Minifridge Media is a Toronto video production company and marketing agency founded in January 2016 by Andrew Osborne. The team of writers, producers, directors, cinematographers, and editors makes commercials, explainer videos, and corporate content built to be genuinely watchable, and has produced more than 2,000 videos for over 450 clients including Pepsi, Ford, the NHL, Vogue, and GQ. Learn more at minifridgemedia.com.
