A cleft lip may not seem to be the most dire of conditions to cure – what with AIDS and other terrible diseases still running rampant – but this condition can literally mean life or death for a person born in the wrong circumstances. Babies with cleft lips/palate are frequently left to die in the Third World,  because the resources used to feed and care for the infants can’t be recouped as the child grows. Children with cleft lips and palates can accidentally inhale their food, leading to more complications; they can’t marry or work a regular job; they are usually taunted or forced to stay home in shame.

Enter the good people at Alliance for Smiles, which raises money each year to give a new – smiling – future to hundreds of kids and adults.

Anita Stangl, the organization’s director, asked thecommich to help create a brief PSA that could air during the holiday season and encourage people to donate. As with most non-profits, budget was scarce – so scheduling a shoot was not a realistic option. However, the story needed to be told visually to get people to appreciate the huge difference a cleft lip and palate surgery can make.

In the end, we opted to use a simple slide show format using the before and after photos that doctors usually took pre- and post-operation. We also concentrated on images of the youngest patients of the program (the man pictured here, Bernie, actually counts as one of the oldest… but his transformation is so wonderful I had to share it. You can read more about his story here.

After writing and recording the script (using the trusty – and free – voice memo app on my iPhone), we had a soundtrack to edit with. We also dubbed the voice over in Cantonese and Mandarin as the majority of cleft lip and palate sufferers are Asian. The result is simple, yet effective:

A smile is a great thank-you for any gift, but being able to give other people a smile is a wonderful way to start the new year.

Thecommich is stoked! A great opportunity has just landed on my lap to not only help the brightest kids from the poorest communities in the Philippines, but also capture on video an amazing story  that spans the globe.

Ampliphi Media has partnered with Schoolbags for Kids in a unique and exciting venture – we’re calling it the 1000 Schoolbags Challenge. For  every school bag sold at full price, Schoolbags for Kids will donate another bag filled with school supplies to a child in need in the Philippines. The bags themselves are created by Luis Garcia, a former packaging designer for Ralph Lauren.

The company has already staged successful events in schools and orphanages in Thailand, India and Belize (and has gotten some stellar press in the Huffington Post, Martha Stewart Living and Parade Magazine to boot). Next stop –  the Philippines in May of 2012! We were brought on board by CEO Kalon Gutierrez  to facilitate marketing, logistical support, and of course video production.

Vicky Garchitorena, one of the Philippines’ shining lights in the non-government sector, gave us a wonderful opportunity to deliver the bags to the kids at the Centers for Excellence in Public Education (CENTEX). The kids chosen for Centex schools are not only educated by the best possible teachers throughout their childhood, their families are supported too – parents get a monthly stipend to offset the income their children might have made working instead of studying.

The partnership(s) were announced on Adobo Nation last December 18. Check it below:

Since then, some fabulous friends have lent their support – Ruby Veridiano from Litworld and Meeting of the Minds will be facilitating social media from Universities in Manila and PR pro extraordinaire Celine Gabriel Lim will be fundraising for school supplies. We expect to announce more sponsorships and support as the project nears completion.

Now the real work begins! 1,000 bags in 5 months is no small feat, but thecommich is certain she will get by with a little help from her followers and friends. Are you ready to help??

Here’s a couple of things you can do to get 1000 school bags to deserving kids in the Philippines:

1) Buy your own bag! 

Want to teach your school age kid/niece/nephew more about other kids in other cultures? When you buy a Schoolbags for Kids bag on their website, you can find the school and country of the kid who received their matching bag and learn more about what a typical school day is like for them. To ensure your bag goes to the Philippines, use the coupon code 1000BAGS

2) Share this on Facebook!

You can “Like” the Schoolbags for Kids page on FB and share links to your mommy/daddy friends to get the ball rolling.  The more people are aware of the challenge, the better.

3) Tell Thecommich if you know someone who knows someone!

We’re building a global network of influencers, doers, movers and shakers to get this project going. If you know someone who is in PR (here or in Manila), someone whose company would benefit from sponsoring a portion of the project – through travel, hotel stays, school supplies, or media exposure, I’d love to connect with them.

Thank you in advance for your support. A project like this comes once in a blue moon, and I’m determined to make it work – not just to amplify the effects of an already compelling story, but to help better the lives of a thousand kids.

Thecommich found a great resource for video production businesses recently: meet Scott Gilbert, founder of Mesa Verde Solutions – a business development company that works specifically in online video. We love this incredible focus at a time where sales training in any industry is an absolute must.

As the primary business development person for Ampliphi Media, I know the long hard work that goes into demonstrating to C-level execs why video is the way to go for online marketing. Sometimes the message sticks, sometimes objections get in the way. Scott is the man to turn to if you’d like those objections bulldozed (very nicely) to the side.

A veteran sales trainer who’s worked with some heavy hitters, Scott is also a great connector with an enviable Rolodex of online video resources. We decided to share the wealth and let you into Scott’s thoughts on video in the online space – and why surrounding yourself with top talent is so important.

THECOMMICH: Tell us about Mesa Verde Solutions. How did the company come about?

SCOTT: After working for PeoplePC, EarthLink, and Clikthrough and other start-ups over the years, I decided to start my own business.  This business leverages my 13 years of work experience. Online video has come of age and is the essential business tool of the future.

THECOMMICH: Why is it important to train salespeople on how to talk about video as a marketing tool?

SCOTT:  [We help] CEOs and CMOs understand how video fits into their overall marketing and communications strategy.  The details involved with deploying online video and advertising solutions are complex.  The more CEO’s and CMO’s understand, the better they can grasp the tremendous advantages video brings.  Sales teams must communicate these two things to make it completely understandable.

THECOMMICH: What are the most common questions you get from clients that are exploring video as a marketing solution?

SCOTT: Invariably the first question is:  “How effective is online video as a marketing tool?”  They want to understand the impact that video has had for other companies around the world.  I would call it a “bang for the buck” question.  When they realize the impact, the next question is how exactly they can deploy video in their particular companies and businesses.  This is where creativity begins since the uses of online video are limitless  – both as an internal company tool as well as a marketing tool.

THECOMMICH: In your website, you mention your expertise in dealing with “premier clients.” What do these clients look like and how are they different from  non-premier clients?

SCOTT: I consider “Premier Clients” to be those who are leaders in the marketing field.  A good list I monitor is ClickZ’s list of top 100 most valuable global brands.  If you are in the online video space, you should be shooting to do business and partner with companies on this list.  During my time at Clikthrough we were able to land quite a few companies that have been on this list, such as Calvin Klein, ELLE Magazine, Gucci and Sony.

The boost in profile that brands like these can net your company are huge for start-ups.   As in golf or tennis, if you surround yourself with the hardest workers, and play with the best players, you become their equal or better.  You remain the same unless you challenge yourself.

THECOMMICH: What are the biggest mistakes video companies make when pitching video services to potential clients?

SCOTT: Potential clients pass on the opportunity or choose other companies, usually from an inability to offer the customer what they want and need. The industry is changing so fast that it requires a dedicated and diligent product manager as a part of the team. This requires a commitment to product management that is forward looking and guiding the team to stay ahead of competitors.

Thecommich loves to share the wealth – especially in the form of great tips and tricks. Below is a video from serial entrepreneur Scott Gerber (am I the only person who thinks he looks like Harry Potter’s older brother?) with some really good, solid, basic tips on making a great impression with your promotional video.

So what are the “little things” Scott stressed? Professional sound, good lighting, a script that makes sense and cuts right to the heart of your offering. These are exactly the elements that are missing from low priced video productions (has anyone ever approached your business with a “free video” offer? Yeahhhh…. No). If you plan on interviewing for a top notch job at a multi million dollar company, would you borrow a second hand suit from your brother who is 100 lbs and 6 inches taller than you? Or would you go and buy yourself a good suit? Similarly – if you are planning to create and grow a brand for the long term, would you invest $0 – $150 for a crappy video, or find a provider who will match the quality of your brand with a quality product?  Just like the stitching and fit of a good suit is what makes it a good investment, the quality of “little” things in a video production will tell your audience, consciously or not, that you are serious about offering a quality business.

I hope you’ll get some great insights from these tips and use them to guide future decisions with marketing – after all, good lighting in your company or product photos are important too, just like good copywriting for your website. Remember that the little things add up.

Movie Poster for A Mother's Story

OFW’s (Overseas Filipino Workers) have been a  part of  the Filipino working population since the early 1900′s, and now play a huge role in Philippine economy – bringing millions of dollars each year to their family members in the Philippines and enabling their children to go to school and receive birthday presents. But what of the workers themselves – how do they feel about leaving their own families to take care of other people’s children and parents? What happens to families that receive their sustenance from an invisible “guardian angel” who can never come home to them?

These questions and more have been tackled by The Filipino Channel’s first feature film, A Mother’s Story. It’s the typical tale of a Filipino woman (in this case a makeup artist portrayed by Filipino comedienne Pokwang) who becomes an illegal worker in the US in order to earn enough money to treat her daughter’s chronic illness. She is hired by an American family who uses her illegal status as an excuse for all kinds of abuse, knowing that reporting their behavior will get her sent home. I won’t spoil the ending, but if you’re planning to watch the movie, bring copious amounts of tissue.

Pokwang’s first dramatic acting gig was a very personal experience for her – as an OFW in the mid-90′s, she was in Japan and unable to come home to Manila even when her eldest son died of a brain tumor at the age of 6. ”It took time for me to get over it. I had this guilty feeling for a long time.” Channeling all that grief and guilt was a gift for both her and the viewers of this movie, who have to be made of glacial ice not to be moved by her performance.

A Mother’s Story premiered in the US on Nov.6 and has fast become a hit among the Filipino community. Thecommich is proud to say she played a small role in the movie (a fun cameo as the bitchy singer who invites Pokwang on her world tour, thus giving her an unwitting opportunity to stay in the US). Here’s a peek at A Mother’s Story full length trailer.

In other OFW news, thecommich also had a great opportunity to write an article for this month’s issue of Meg Magazine Philippines. Superstar TV host Bianca Gonzalez invited me to write an article about keeping in touch with my family in Manila. Like Pokwang, I decided to make it a very honest and emotional piece, explaining the dynamic of calling home to my lola (grandmother) – and maybe trying to explain why I don’t do it as much as I should. It was a fun and thought provoking experience for me and I hope it resonates with everyone out there who left their family for greener (but probably lonelier) pastures abroad.

Do you have family abroad? If so, how do you reach out to them? And what do you think about media’s portrayal of families separated by the need to find work? Weigh in below!!

Yup, that’s right! Thecommich has landed on the Intuit Small Business blog.  I wish I could take credit for  being so incredibly popular/accomplished that Intuit couldn’t help but take notice… but really, this feature was the result of valuable networking opportunities that came my way (thecommich says: networking works. Get your business cards made! Get out there! Shake hands and talk to people!)

Being blogged about was both a validating experience and an educational one for me.Talking to features writer Gil Zeimer was a great exercise in explaining the value of my company in a succint, easy to understand way. Thanks, Gil, for helping me make straight lines out of my knotted, tangled threads of thought. It took some doing, but communicating the value proposition for Ampliphi and really committing to price ranges for services was such a worthwhile endeavor.  I highly suggest going through the process of “interviewing” (i.e. getting an outside person to interview you) if you are having a hard time figuring out what your small business is really all about.

Enough said. Time to read the feature! http://blog.intuit.com/marketing/adobo-nations-michelle-valeriano-on-adding-video-to-your-online-marketing-mix/

Consider the uber-successful e-zine Rue Mag. For the fashion editorial section of their recent anniversary issue, Rue Mag’s production team explored the neighborhoods of SF – seen below in one of the greener-tinged areas of the city.

Here’s the kicker: not only did they bring the usual gaggle of stylists, makeup artists, photographers and models – they let Oskari Polho (one of Ampliphi Media’s favorite videographers) come along for the ride. As a result,  they not only got great fashion shots for their editorial pages, but also a fun and interactive video that chronicles the models’ adventures around the city – and actually shows off the clothing in motion. Which, for an internet-based readership, is just the thing to provide extra value that simply can’t be replicated by traditional magazines.

Credit roll from the Vimeo post of Oskar’s video

Who else benefits from this kind of collaboration? The band that gets credit for the video’s musical background – and even the photography company that took care of the fashion shots. Even thecommich was lured into the cross pollination party in an effort to big up Oskar!

From fulfilling a bare necessity (“we need a fashion shoot for this issue”) to a slam dunk social marketing campaign that benefits everyone who participates in it – at the cost of one videographer and a few hours of editing. Is that a budget spend that makes sense to you? Sure does to us.

Comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions? Weigh in below!

BizTechDay touts itself as “the most insightful voice of news, events & research for Small Business, Mobile and China Technology.” Recently, Founder Edith Yeung had an idea to add compelling content on these industries as a part of their regular blog feed. The result is a series of interesting and informative interviews with some of the hottest names in App creation, movers and shakers in the Small Business world, and experts in the burgeoning China-US tech relationship. 

Thecommich with Rebecca Fannin

Thecommich’s personal favorites from the series include a high-level interview with Rebecca Fannin, author of Silicon Dragon, on China’s rise from tech copycat to tech innovator; thoughts on user-generated content from Squidoo founder Megan Casey, and the special relationship between Shanghai and sister city San Francisco from China SF’s Ginny Fang. 


This is a great example of how a video for your company need not be a cheesy 3-minute explanation of why people should hire you. If you give valuable content that people want to see, the sales process takes care of itself. Check out more at www.biztechday.com.


Comments? Feedback? Love to hear it. Weigh in below!

The first one, which looks like it’s captured by a home video camera, shows the rider executing some pretty amazing stunts along the streets of London. Notice how the light changes from one scene to the next – the editor doesn’t care about time of day, only about the quality of the trick being shown. Also, notice how every scene employs the same camera angle: perpendicular to the subject with the obstacle in the foreground and the biker on the upper third. In cases where the obstacle is a roof, a fisheye lens is used. OK, not bad. I’m sure this video inspired a legion of floppy haired teens to try and break their legs in new and novel ways.

Now check out this gem of a film featuring pro rider Danny Macaskill:

In fairness, this was professionally filmed and edited by a television station. But notice how much more production value was put into this piece. First off – a narrative. A lone rider comes into an abandoned ironworks building, with music in the background that speaks of “falling from high places” and being fed up with the status quo. As the song lyrics describe the highs and lows of life, camera angles come in extremes as well: shooting from directly below the rider; from above his head, through a set of stairs; following his movement as he jumps from the top of a roof to the ground below. Although the film may have taken days to shoot in the outdoors, the light quality is kept uniform (NOT an easy thing to do when working on location inside multiple structures). Every effort was made to scout the location and find creative angles to attack the stunt. It even has the rider “creating” the jumps – cutaways of tamping down soil for a ramp, clearing out debris from a roof, or practicing on a (literal) high wire (Most likely a small army of builders and production assistants standing on the other side of the camera did the actual work).

In summary: Not all video is alike. The production with thought, budget, and time put into it wins all the time. The challenge is in finding the right mix of the three to suit your needs and limitations.

What other videos have you watched recently that contain great production value? Weigh in below!