With the video production industry’s ever-evolving landscape, where storytelling formats and the tools shaping content are constantly being reinvented, companies have thrown down the gauntlet on the race to innovation and the bid for maverick staying power.
But amid all that are the elements of the video world that have not only remained intact, but are buoying the metamorphosis seen across the industry.
Hayden5 keenly understood that from its inception, and carefully crafted building blocks that would sustain its march toward growth, and a lasting ability to capture best-in-class video content for an array of brands and agencies.
The company achieved that by structuring its methodical process, integrating the use of technology, and forming robust relationships and collaborations with local vendors. And it’s safe to say those bastions are here to stay.
When it comes to Hayden5’s partnerships with local vendors, those relationships have been fortified by mutual trust, and a dynamic, united attitude that has bridged success across projects no matter the scale or complexity.
Kenley Duke, an Atlanta based producer and director, said that she loves the way Hayden5 collaborates with vendors from their initial reach-out all the way to when a job wraps up.
“I feel like Hayden5 really uses me for everything that I can offer and I appreciate that–that they don’t let a talent go untouched with me,” she said.
Amid the nearly 20 projects Kenley has worked on for Hayden5, she has assisted in jobs involving Sherwin-Williams and Well + Good, as well as directed a major Instagram campaign that highlighted global female entrepreneurs.
She said her favorite project that she worked on was that of Nike Inc.’s Jordan Brand, which involved a basketball tournament in her hometown area in Virginia that celebrated the brand’s vice president Howard H White.
“They wanted me to do a post cut for it, I was really thankful for that … I really enjoyed that one because it was close to home and I was really familiar with the area,” Kenley said. “I was able to lay out a hotspot locations guide for the physical production team that was on the ground in Virginia.”
Hayden5’s longstanding internal processes have allowed it to seamlessly deploy a deep bench of global talent specifically curated for any type of production shoot.
Nil Tiberi, a Turkish native and production sound mixer based in New York, described the company’s system as clear and straightforward.
“They make my life so much easier when it comes down to handling work and the load of gigs,” Nil added.
According to Nil, who began collaborating with Hayden5 in 2017, her love for production sound mixing began during her time studying film production at the Vancouver Film School in 2008.
Nil said that she receives super clear information from Hayden5 producers and clients, and the company knows her gear package right off the bat.
She touted her work with Hayden5 for nonprofit organization Wellness in the Schools among her favorite projects.
Many Hayden5 vendors remember the COVID-19 pandemic’s brunt on video work being blunted by the company’s multilayered innovations that kept production shoots on track.
Brynmore Williams, a Denver-based camera operator and director, said while the global pandemic put a wrench in video industry professionals’ ability to work, Hayden5 gave vendors the opportunity to continue securing jobs, and assist the company in building and utilizing its innovations across projects.
“It was surprising that for that year, I was working as much as I did,” he said. “And that was a direct result of pivoting and trying to be innovative, and then engaging all of those subjects to create a very safe, firstly, but very productive and efficient process.”
Brynmore, who began collaborating with Hayden5 in 2016, said his participation in the company’s Future of Production video, which depicts its use of Crew+™, allowed him to both direct and appear in front of the camera.
The video, which simultaneously connected teams in New York, Colorado, Miami, Japan and London, broke the fourth wall and served as proof of concept of Hayden5’s live, remote shoot capabilities.
Several other vendors remember the days when they first came across work for Hayden5 from online advertisements that the company had posted in search of local crews. Others began their tenure through word of mouth recommendations.
Director and cinematographer Michael Cooke began working on projects with Hayden5 in 2018, primarily focusing on jobs in the healthcare and branded content realms. He said Hayden5 regularly leverages both his lensing and cinematography skills along with his keen ability to facilitate productions utilizing non-actors.
In 2019, Michael directed a project for Spotify that involved bringing in rock band Waterparks’ biggest fans to come meet its lead vocalist without knowing it.
“I love the prep that they do, that’s one of the things as a director that I really love and a lot of production companies short-change,” Michael said. “They go into jobs, and the first email has four or five people on it, I know from there these are the folks who will help make the thing real, so I appreciate that and they have a system.”
During its more than a dozen years in business, Hayden5 has joined forces with a diverse, talented, global group of local vendors who have weaved their skills, artistry, and passion into a vivid range of storytelling.
Hayden5 has utilized these worldwide creatives together with their proprietary software and service products to coordinate more than 3,000 shoot days a year, giving it the chance to channel innovation while championing the steady heart of its enterprise.
