Creo Productions

Jake Himmelspach (http://twitter.com/jhimmelspach) from The Grand Rapids Business Journal wrote a story on two GR video production companies, 1041 and Creo.

Click to subscribe to GRBJ for the whole story. Here are a couple clips:

Across town at 40 S. Division Ave., Creo Productions is a full-service media company specializing in writing and video production. Creo, led by Aaron Carriere, creative director, and Andrew Tingley, chief cinematographer, editor and animator, will celebrate its third anniversary in August.

In that time span, Carriere has seen a rise in the amount of videos that businesses are using, especially for their Web sites.

"It gives voice to small and medium-sized businesses that couldn't afford to do advertising before. It allows those types of business to engage with their customers," said Carriere.

"So much commerce is done on the Web now. I think it's an added tool."

The advancement of 2-D and 3-D animation along with using cinematic techniques has been part of Creo's success. The company uses storytelling to bring a company to life and pass on its message.

"People remember stories. People have communicated through stories for a long time. If you can draw a narrative out of a business, it helps define who they are, and it also engages the viewer to say, 'I'm going to remember something about what I just saw,'" said Carriere.

"I've always said when people watch something we've created, let's give them something — not just try to sell them something. Let's give them a story or some kind of information. Then, if they want more, they can make their purchase."