Staff Picks: Here Are the Top Videos From 2021 We Don’t Want You To Miss
We rounded up our favorite videos made through Storyhunter in 2021.
Stanley (Commercial Spot)
Stanley, a Seattle-based company selling quality food and beverage gear, wanted to create a commercial targeting Millennials and Gen Z. The brand turned to Storyhunter to discover and hire indie filmmaker Ricardo Betancourt to lead the production in New Orleans. The result was a one-minute humanistic commercial spot featuring hip-hop artist Pell that pays homage to the Big Easy (Both Ricardo and Pell are from New Orleans). In this interview, Ricardo tells us Stanley was “blown away” by the final result: “I believe it’s one of the first videos that they posted that broke the 10,000 views on YouTube,” he said.
Underknown (Explainer Video)
Underknown is a Canadian social video company that produces data-driven web series around science, history, geography, and culture. One of those is “What If,” which “takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities.” They hired Amanda Zola, a storyteller-editor with motion graphics experience, to illustrate this highly-engaging explainer on what would happen to Earth if it froze overnight. Amanda now regularly edits for the Webby Award-winning series.
Red Bull Media House (Animated Video)
In “For Real,” Red Bull athletes “share their craziest stories with us” from world champion Orlando Duque’s cliff diving into crocodile-infested waters to Zion Wright’s unexpected LA skate life. Red Bull hired France-based Storyhunter freelancer and 2D animator Hugo Louiset to help bring the athletes’ stories to life. Each episode, managed by Storyhunter freelancer Jason Beauregard, creatively and cleverly weaves in the featured athlete interview with bright animated illustrations that lean into the light-hearted humor of the series. And it seems like Red Bull viewers, much like us, can’t get enough of the animations. They commented on YouTube: “Huge props to the animators,” and “Really nice work! The artist for the animations has the best style!”
Vin Social (Pitch Video)
Vin Social, a virtual events production company and e-commerce platform, is one of the dozens of startups tapping into the power of pitch videos to raise money on crowdfunding platforms such as WeFunder and Kickstarter. Storyhunter and executive producer of ARORA media agency Adrian Baschuk created this video for Vin Social’s WeFunder page, which helped the startup raise over a quarter of a million dollars. So, why are pitch videos so effective? They allow for a founder’s personality to shine and serve as a powerful way to connect with potential investors through storytelling, and this is what Vin Social’s video does so well.
Read our full blog post on how Storyhunter freelancers are helping startups find success with pitch videos.
Meta x Paralympics (360 Virtual Reality Video)
Meta teamed up with the International Paralympics Committee to tell five uplifting stories from Paralympians. “RAW” is a sound-first, virtual reality experience that invites users to stand beside the athletes and “witness the emotions that define their most challenging, and rewarding moments.” Meta hired Storyhunter DPs, producers, and sound mixers from the Gold Coast, Hong Kong, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to help tell the athletes’ stories of courage, love, trust, power, and loneliness. Through this VR and immersive web experience, Meta and the Paralympics strive to change perceptions of disability.
By Shivan Sarna, Head of Stories
