Notable Video Production Companies to Watch in 2021, and the Leaders Behind Them

1: Andrew Spirk & Stevie James: Clockwork 9

Andrew Sprik got his start in video production creating music videos for bands. After freelancing for many years and working job to job, Spirk started Clockwork 9 in 2016, and Stevie James joined soon after. James had been working for an alternative press magazine and brought a wealth of marketing and sales information to the company.

And while they began as solely a Video production company they have since grown to include services such as photography, graphic design, and copywriting. In 2019 they were able to double the size of their studio and team, yet their goals remain the same as ever: produce the best work possible, and constantly work to sharpen and improve their skills. 

2: Jacob Perkins: Hen’s Bread Productions 

Inspired by the children’s story of the Little Red Hen, Hen’s Bread Productions is at its core a collaborative organization. In the story, the little red hen asks the other farm animals for help making bread, and is denied until the rest of the animals smell how good it is. When they come to the hen asking for some of the delicious bread, they are turned away because of their refusal to help.

This story resonates with Jacob Perkins because he is entirely self-taught. “When you’re poor, you can’t pay someone to do it so I had to… figure it out for my own projects”. Perkins is eager to help mentor other young professionals interested in video production, knowing what the other farm animals did not: supporting burgeoning talent can pay off big time in the long run.  

3: Todd Andrew Gross: New World Productions

 Todd Andrew Gross got his start in the 80s taking classes at his local community access cable facility. These classes familiarized him with using state of the art cameras and video production. Now the CEO of New World Productions, Gross strives to create high-impact marketing and promotional videos for his clients.

New World Productions works tirelessly to use the powers of video engagement to help businesses succeed and grow. They have worked with a range of organizations including Mind Up: The Goldie Hawn Foundation, Engineering America, and more. 

4: Max Rosen: Indigo Productions

Max Rosen, founder of Indigo Productions was on the path to becoming a lawyer when he realized his creative calling. Admitted to Columbia Law School, he changed gears to follow his dream of working in Video Production and hasn’t looked back since. Originally working for a failing low-budget TV show, he was promoted to running the show before going out of business.

This experience taught Rosen explicitly what not to do. Indigo Productions is now a vendor for Disney, and is currently working on a Hulu documentary on the Wu Tang Clan. Rosen strives to over deliver on everything he does, so his clients know they are getting the best service possible. 

5: Henry F. Schneider: Open Window Productions

Henry F Schneider was educated at the Minneapolis College of Arts and Design. After interning at FOX 9, he was hired to work for channel 5 while running Open Window Productions on the side. He left channel 5 after becoming executive producer of the successful youtube show ‘How To Make Everything’. Schneider continues to expand his business by growing a virtual event center in which events can be live streamed on the platform.

The success of Open Window is rooted in Henry’s ability to translate client goals into effective video content. Open Window Productions offers social media marketing, testimonial videos, editing & motion graphics services and much more. 

6: Clifton Barnes Jr: CA&C Video Productions

Clifton Barnes Jr is continuing the legacy of his father, and so is his company. Started by his father to film and record church services for congregation members who were unable to attend, the company expanded when they were hired by an attorney group to record and duplicate depositions. For Barnes, CA&C Video Productions is quite literally a means of preserving history.

Barnes has continued the company’s thirty-plus year legacy by filming weddings, conferences, church events and has grown the company client list to include Microsoft, Celgene and US Global. May we all have our legacies maintained as well as Barnes has his father’s!

7: Robert Weiss: MultiVision Digital 

CEO of MultiVision Digital Robert Weiss has only ever had one goal to guide his company: Providing quality video services that don’t break the bank, and allowing clients to invest in different types of video marketing content multiple times a year. Weiss is a child of the internet, and saw firsthand the ways in which social media could be adopted by businesses to grow their online business.

Now having produced over 900 videos and worked with a wide array of business from Law Firms to Real Estate, MultiVision Digital has shown time and time again they know how to meet and exceed the needs of their clients. 

8: Andrew Bennett: Bennett Creative 

Andrew Bennett found his passion for video production by playing around with cameras in high school. He continued on to film school and worked in corporate marketing and sales. In 2014 he returned to his filmmaking roots to be an apprentice to an award-winning director in Austin Texas. Since then Bennett Creative has worked with T-Mobile, Absolut Vodka, Adobe, Dell and more.

Bennett Creative is dedicated to top-notch quality at an affordable price. They strive for every piece they create to have that distinct cinematic feel. They hope to expand the company to bring in more talent and connect with bigger advertising agencies to increase the scale of their projects.

9: Quenton Thomas & Mark Dockery: HQ 22 Creatives

Both originally from Detroit, Quenton Thomas and Mark Dockery met at the University of Pittsburgh. They remained friends through different career paths until the two naturally began helping each other with film and video projects they were doing for work. Originally working with clients in the medical world, HQ 22 creatives has since expanded to include Cunningham Limp, the Detroit Jazz Festival, Macalester College, the People’s Climate Movement and the University of Michigan.

HQ 22 Creatives thrives at providing clients with content packages that accomplish all of their needs, and bringing as much value as possible to the project to ensure that no good footage goes unused. They aim to expand to work with bigger clients and leverage their certified government contracts. They want to continue to expand their clientele so that they have a foot in a wide variety of markets.

10: Erik Crosswell: Bridge City Media

Erik Croswell began his video production career by making films with his friends as a kid. He found it was something he instantly gravitated towards and went to film school to pursue film as a career. He started Bridge City Media with a friend and used it as a side-job for a while working weddings and film festivals, and found over time that he especially enjoyed empowering small business and non-profits through film. In 2016, Croswell began working full time on Big City Media.

The company has grown to include clients such as Best Buddies, Portland State Center for Women’s Leadership, and Minnow Technologies. 

11: Evan Lopez: Organic Originals Productions

Evan With a background in music and stand-up comedy, Evan Lopez brings a unique perspective to video production. Out of necessity, he began filming his own music videos and discovered he had a talent for video production. After a friend recruited him to make a music video for another artist he launched Organic Originals. Since then Lopez has been striving to help companies tell their stories while still giving them creative freedom.

His goal is to help companies express themselves that may not have the tools or know-how to do so themselves. Organic Originals is a one-stop-shop for every company’s media and marketing needs. They specialize in video production, graphic design, photography, and branding. Lopez assures his clients: “Everybody is different and I like telling everybody’s story in a different way.”

12: Landon Rhodes: GRINDSTONE

Landon Rhodes began following his parent’s footsteps into farming. Through making facebook videos to help sell grain to farmers he discovered he had a passion and talent for video production. Rhodes is no stranger to sacrificing to pursue his goals. He lived off 12K a year in a horrible 500/a month apartment, and struggled to make ends meet through video production.

Now, GRINDSTONE has a team of twelve people and makes over one million a year in revenue. Rhodes plans on taking GRINDSTONE into the course production world, helping thought leaders and coaches create courses and expand their learning base. 

13: ZANE: ZANE Productions

ZANE got into video production purely on accident. He was in Los Angeles attending a seminar for a project with the State Department, when a friend reached out to him asking for help on a music video. Despite not knowing what he was doing, soon more and more people began reaching out to him for music videos.

It took ZANE Productions 40 videos before he made any revenue, and while the scale of the business has changed, the way he treats his clients has not: “I try to keep it very personable. [I’m] not fake with my clients” he says. ZANE Productions works predominantly with independent artists and local businesses in Los Angeles, but he has made videos for stars as big as The Isley Brothers ft. Snoop Dogg and David Guetta. 

14: Jackie Hoegger: Hoegger Communications

For Jackie Hoegger, storytelling is in her blood. And while she still teaches at her local university, she also runs a company with a team of 18 people. Hoegger Communications entered the American Advertising Awards (Addys) in 2018 with seven videos, and took home seven awards.

This year they won over 30 additional national and international awards including Addys to add to their extensive trophy shelf. Not only do they thrive at helping companies tell their stories, but they have also worked in local and state-wide elections to create content for winning candidates. Hoegger holds her employees to the highest possible standards, and that passion for video and attention to detail has proved foundational to the company’s success. 

15: David DeLauder: CAPTIS Visuals 

Based in San Diego, David DeLauder became a wedding photographer straight out of high school. As the landscape changed with instagram and video marketing, he did too, working as an in-house videographer for a number of companies before starting his own. As was the case for many other video production companies, the Covid-19 Pandemic allowed DeLauder to expand and connect with clients in new ways.

CAPTIS Visuals allowed companies to explain how they too were adapting and making the workplace safe for their employees. In 2021 DeLauder hopes to continue to build his network of clients and develop a stronger presence in the marketing world. 

16: Kenneth Boyd: Idee Productions

Kenneth Boyd’s Idee Productions values people over profit. Mainly working with non-profit organizations with limited budgets, they care about presenting a message that aligns with their own values. Boyd especially loves working with organizations that center around kids, particularly in athletics, church, and education.

A self proclaimed mama’s boy, Boyd got into video production because his mom loved TV and he wanted to go into a field that would connect him with that love. He has stayed true to that mission, stating on the Idee Productions website “Service that makes your grandma smile”. Don’t let this down-home attitude fool you into thinking they are small potatoes, Idee Productions has worked with the NFL, the NBA and the United States Olympic Committee. 

17: Daniel Hirsch: Daniel Hirsch Videography, Editing & Transfer Services

Daniel Hirsch found his love for video production in an extra-credit history assignment where he mock-interviewed people alive during the Crusades. Although his subject matter has changed, the passion he dedicates towards his projects has not. He has worked in TV and film since 2005, and founded Production Video Atlanta, a short and narrative film-focused video production facility in Sandy Springs, Georgia. 

His most notable work includes the documentary “You’re Rejected,” by Parthiban Shanmugam, “Apocalypse and the Beauty Queen” by Thomas Smugala, and “The HusBand” by Wade Ballance. In 2021, he has a YouTube show that will be airing as well as a two-season contract for a TV show in the Carribean.

18: Jacob Tanur: Click Play Films

Jacob Tanur got his start in an unlikely location: selling ad space on the tops of taxi cabs. When he got into documentary filmmaking and began learning the technical aspects of the field, he realized they could be directly applied to advertising. Click Play Films has worked with clients as prolific as Netflix, Linkedin, Sony, and Facebook.

The Covid-19 pandemic allowed them to expand their reach to live-stream events, hosting as many as half-a-million attendees. In 2021 they plan to continue that growth: hiring new talent and opening new offices.

19: Summer Asturi: Summer Productions

It has always been Summer Asturi’s goal to support other creatives. She learned about video production working as a model, and quickly realized that she wanted to be the person in the room who employed everyone else. She worked as a production assistant before starting her own one-woman company which operated out of a basement.

Now she has a team of five and has worked with clients such as ESPN, Chocolove and Gentleman Jack. Summer Production distinguishes itself by also doing the casting for a bulk of their advertisements. 

20: Scott Mauldin: Vulcan Media 

It is Scott Mauldin’s background in journalism that has allowed his company Vulcan Media to stand out in the industry. Their journalistic approach to filmmaking keeps them tightly focused on the video production element, and allows them to think strategically about what business and organizations need.

Based in Birmingham, Alabama, Vulcan Media specializes in just about every kind of video a company would need, including aerial drone and convention booth loop video. Vulcan Media is ranked among the best video production companies in Birmingham and has worked with clients such as Dish, Express Oil Change, and Exelon. 

21: Joel Andersen: STL Sports Productions

Joel Anderson’s business grew out of simple family outings to sporting events. As most parents do, he would film his kids in their athletic events only to find other parents asking for that footage. STL stands for Showcasing Tomorrow’s Legends and has gone on to film showcases, college ID camps, pro style workouts and skill sessions and has produced thousands of game, highlight and recruiting videos.

They have worked with dozens of university athletic teams, while still maintaining the small family-run business feeling STL began with.