Creative Deviants

Serves Vista, CA

35244

Hired 12 times

1 employee

15 years in business

Not yet available

4.7

Ask this pro about their preferred payment method.

Next Service

Hours

Sun 9:00 am - 11:59 pm

Mon 9:00 am - 11:59 pm

Tues 9:00 am - 11:59 pm

Wed 9:00 am - 11:59 pm

Thurs 9:00 am - 11:59 pm

Fri 9:00 am - 11:59 pm

Sat 9:00 am - 11:59 pm

Credentials

Background Check

Joseph Courtney
Completed on 3/10/2022

Introduction

Creative Deviants is unique in a few different ways. First, we are a hybrid boutique ad agency and production company. This means we can do all the “creative”— that is concept, idea, development, writing— in-house in addition to every aspect of physical production. So if you need a commercial for your new product, you don't have to go hire an ad agency and a production company, you get both with Creative Deviants. Second, our quotes are all inclusive. We quote with the intention that a client may come in without any concepts but he or she will leave with a polished, finished video. Personally, we at Creative Deviants stand out simply because we ask a lot of questions. In order for us to clearly communicate on your behalf, we have to become experts ourselves. We often have to completely immerse ourselves in your world, whether that world is personal aviation, life coaching, or Augmented Reality headsets. We ask a lot of questions. Sometimes those questions are difficult ones that a client might not always know the answer to. But that’s ok, because if we didn’t ask it, someone else would later on, and we work with clients to help answer any questions that may come up. Our philosophy is based on creating a compelling narrative is essential to people watching your video. We believe the "story" is the most integral part of any marketing campaign and we will dig as deep as we need to in order to find what that story might be. For some projects none of this is necessary, but we’ve learned that quite often it can make the difference between getting 80,000 views and having people say “i don’t get it”. We create content of all kinds. Intriguing Facebook posts, powerful Instagram photo campaigns, compelling YouTube videos, or even brand videos to feature on your website. We absolutely love what we do and we believe that passion comes through in our work. We love working collaboratively with clients to help them see their products, idea, and hard work come to life on screen. We love that moment when a client watches all the elements of the creative process merge into a final piece that goes beyond what they thought was possible. We love sharing our passion for or video work; it’s contagious and we enjoy getting to know new clients because, more often than not, we end up working with them on multiple projects.

Q&A

What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?

No. Because every project is different, standard pricing doesn’t really work. We do our best to give a rough estimate based on what a client posts but a brief conversation can help us give a much more accurate quote. Also, we have found that clients really enjoy getting more than one quote from us. Rather than X will cost $7,500, we often will submit in our proposal a quote within a clients’ budge but will also include what can be done if that budget can be stretched, even slightly. For example, our proposal might include that a budget of $11,000 will allow for a full-day rental of a drone and with the higher budget, we can also have that “hero shot” of someone wearing your product in a luxury jet you really were dreaming of.

What is your typical process for working with a new customer?

Because the needs of our clients vary from project to project, it’s difficult to give an exact answer for our process. Typically we listen to each clients needs and vision - if they have any, which is totally fine and happens more often than not. From there we work on any combination of pre-production, which includes: concept, story development, script writing, location scouting, agreeing on style and tone, and/or casting. From there we go into production where we shoot the written scripts. After that we enter post-production, which include editing, color correction, any animation or graphics, and music. We typically send the client a rough cut in which they give their notes and we make the appropriate adjustments until we have a final cut. This entire process can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months, depending on the scope of project. It’s worth noting that not all clients require all aspects of what we do. Our services are a la carte and we always are happy to deliver as much, or as little, as each client wants. For example, filming a conference doesn’t require as much, or any, story development, where creating a Facebook ad doesn’t require as much post-production as creating an animated explainer video.

What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?

Combined, our employees have multiple degrees and forms of training. With that said, we have found that cumulative hands-on experience has been far more helpful than any formal education in film or tv. The Creative Deviants team has over 30 years experience in the industry and as one of our writers put it “Though learning about narrative structure was helpful, nothing makes you learn to get the right shot quite like filming in Alaska with sub-zero weather and only 2 hours of good sunlight per day.”

How did you get started doing this type of work?

Each member of the Creative Deviants team has been on their own unique journey. From being a camera man on an Alaskan travel show to a published writer and stand-up comedian to a former television producer. We have all worn many hats and have occupied every imaginable role of media production. Our varying experience and unique paths enrich our clients’ project and make for some great stories. Ask us about the 2 hour argument we had with Jon Voigt about Egyptian history— at a deli in LA after wrapping a long day of filming.

What types of customers have you worked with?

We have worked with a wide range of customer and clients. Seriously, we’re not kidding. Everything from textbook publishers of advanced statistics courses to aircraft companies to fashion designers, salons, weddings, bar-mitzvahs, shampoo companies and pharmaceuticals. We love learning about new products, industries, and services and getting to work in an area we haven’t is a privilege we don’t take lightly but it’s something we love to do. We are inherently and naturally curious consumers ourselves immersing ourselves in varying industries has lead to some wonderful long-term partnerships.

Describe a recent project you are fond of. How long did it take?

We recently filmed a documentary called "From the Ground Up” that we filmed on location in Africa. It was an amazing experience to go beyond our comfort zone and deal with complex topics and issues that are somewhat overlooked. We filmed for 3 weeks in Rwanda and Uganda and edited a beautiful and interesting 30 minute doc to promote the non-profit the film is about.

What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

I realize that this sounds a bit like my cranky father-in-law but it still holds true, and that is “you get what you pay for”. For our purposes, his has less to do with the amount of money spent and more about the expectations of what your budget will get you. A good example of this is a consultation a few years ago I had with a business owner right after the Super Bowl. His budget was around $3,500 for a :90 second spot for his tech start-up company (I’m being intentionally vague). Now please don’t misunderstand, we can create an amazing :90 second commercial for $3,500 - and we have! But this particular client was adamant in wanting something just like one of the Super Bowl commercial he’d just seen. It was beautifully and meticulously written by a team of copywriters but he planned to have his unpaid intern write the script. The luxury jet that was seen in the Super Bowl commercial? We could find one, he knew it. How? The internet. His solution to most of our concerns involved either the internet or us “calling in favors”. Needless to say, we didn’t end up working with that client, but it wasn’t because he had a small budget. It was because his expectations for what that budget could get him weren’t realistic. The point is this: No matter how big or small your budget is, we can create an amazing, professional video. Just keep in mind that with smaller budgets you might not get what you want, but you will always get what you love.

What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?

The biggest thing customers should ask themselves is “Can I describe my product simply and clearly, in 3 sentences or less?” We’ve found that if it takes 20 minutes and a PowerPoint presentation for someone to understand what your product is all about, the road ahead is going to be very bumpy. Charlie Chaplain once said, “Simplicity is a difficult thing to achieve” and it never ceases to amaze us how true this statement is. Another good thing to know is what you want people to do after they watch your video. In other words, your video has just given an audience information about you, your business, service, or product. You need to know what you want people to do with that information. Do you want them to sign up for your email list? Go online and buy your new amazing product? Click on the link to sign up for classes? Again, simplicity is key and being able to communicate in such terms really helps make a project successful.