Posted by
Dan Passante on
May 18, 2023
500 Creative Days in Studio A: Videos, Animation, Designs & Friends
Is 500 days a long time? It depends on what you’re trying to do.
If you’re working on becoming a nationally recognized creative agency while setting up your new production studio, it’s doable, trust us. On May 14th we passed the 500 day mark, and since then we’ve done more than just move into our office space, we’ve become comfortable within it. Oh yeah- we also made creative content for great clients… a lot of content…
To celebrate this Studio A milestone, we looked back on some highlights we’ve had since moving in and created a timeline to recap the transition.
Build Out & Move-in (Dec. ’21)
We took the keys on December 30th, 2021 at Suite 101 on 110 Wolf Road. When this day rolled around, it was time to put our plans into action with moving in and making our space feel like home.
Studio A was in its infancy, but it was already well on its way to being what we had envisioned, not just since signing the lease with The Anderson Group, but since Rich had a dream of owning his own studio years before this moment.
Creative Decor, Special Visitors & More (Jan. ’22)
Once we got handed the keys it was time to put the “Creative” in Akullian Creative’s new space. No professional video studio is complete without artificial grass on the wall, everyone knows that. Studio A is where the magic happens, and we have a sign to prove it.
Personalizing our space was something that we planned for without really planning for, it all felt natural. Our candles, drinks in the fridge, even the drawings on the chalkboard needed to be there before everything felt like it was in the right place.
After we got enough of the studio set up, it was finally time for friends & family to start stopping by. Rich’s Mom gave a thorough (and funny) inspection of our new space.
We also got a special visit from Len DiCostanzo from MSP Toolkit. He worked with our team to expand his MSP Partner Program services in the beginning of 2022.
First Client Video Shoot & Workplace Wednesday Feature (Feb. ’22)
Cooney & Tyner Orthodontics don’t only just offer patient care that is second-to-none, they were also the first client we had the chance to film with in our studio. The shoot was the first of many, and we got a chance to use our new camera, a Sony FX3.
This was a special moment for us, as Dr. Cooney was a part of the first independent video created by Akullian Creative in 2015 when we only had a small borrowed camera kit & a dream.
We also released an updated reel for our agency, “The 30 Second Pitch” which was nominated for 2 ADDY awards.
New creative friends showed up and featured our creative studio on their original web series “Workplace Wednesday”. The team at SunChaser Media (Andy & Tyme) have been great friends of ours ever since.
CDT 50th Anniversary Shoot at Studio A (Mar. ’22)
In March, we continued putting our studio to work for a shoot with the Center for Donation and Transplant to highlight 50 years. Our creative partnership with this life-saving organization has been in place since we lost an original Akullian Creative team member, Thomas Murray. This PSA was also nominated for a CRAF ADDY award this year.
International Company Kickoff Videos & Dad’s Advice (April ’22)
We love any project that makes the most out of our video, animation and design skills, but to also have the chance to be a part of another company’s culture is perfect for us.
Ideagen reached out to us looking for a kickoff video that captured their company culture, a task that we were thrilled to be a part of.
We also interviewed Rich’s dad on his 75th birthday who shared an inspirational story.
Saying Farewell to an Ace (May ’22)
In May, we said goodbye to Sydney Wright who was with us from our early days on Great Oaks Boulevard as an intern, account manager, and producer.
Summer in Saratoga County w/ SPAC & Friends (Jun. ’22)
Work with national & int’l clients is great, but we really love highlighting the Capital Region’s great stories in creative video projects as well.
In June, we supported the Market NY program to build a video library. For us, this meant filling our calendars with the best events that Saratoga County had to offer. This was not only a fun way for us to be spending our time during the summer months, but it is great to have a local partnership as well.
We took a few trips up the Northway to SPAC, including for Friehofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival and captured some incredible footage of the artists at the event. Check out one of the shots we captured at this very cool event that we were thrilled to be a part of. We captured video at UPH, Yaddo, High Rock Park Farmers Market, Caffe Lena, Saratoga Arts and all over downtown Saratoga as well.
Kickoff Video for Acoustic & New Aces (Jul. ’22)
Over the summer of 2022, we added three new Aces to our team within the span of a few weeks; Noah Miller as a Marketing and Accounts Manager, Sophia Eifler as the Social Media Coordinator and Manager and Dan Passante as our Storyteller and Writer.
Our new Aces wasted no time before being involved in a creative project for a leader in digital marketing experiences, Acoustic that helped kickoff their year. This creative culture project allowed us to support the bond between their global team with the use of quality storytelling. We even created a custom “Top Gun” themed pilot helmet for their sales team to compete over throughout the year which ended up being sent all the way from New York to Australia.
Craig “The Leg” Films for Documentary (Aug. ’22)
Do you know the story of Craig Peterson? Craig the Leg is one of the most inspirational stories in sports, but don’t believe us, check out the trailer and follow Craig the Leg film on Instagram for updates on the release.
We shot the final interview of the film in Studio A over the summer, a project that is now in post-production. See the photos from the event above, and head to craigtheleg.com for more.
Producing a Parade Highlight for PEF (Sept. ’22)
We couldn’t have gotten a more perfect Fall day in Upstate New York for a parade when we joined the Public Employees Federation for the Capital District Labor Parade. We’ve been proud to partner with PEF to tell their story for years now, and this video was also nominated for an ADDY award.
Julia Norelli (Audio Engineer) also helped us identify the best sounding spot in our Albany studio.
A Beautiful Brand Video for Milady (Oct. ’22)
When Milady was going through a rebrand, they needed a video to help launch their new look. We helped the global brand in beauty school education tell a story that connected with their audience of beauty industry professionals. We worked with the beauty professionals from Jean Paul Spa and Salon to participate in our shoot and they were naturals on the bright backgrounds. We had a lot of fun, and we have some photos to back it up:
Infinidat Brand Gets Refreshed (Nov. ’22)
To help “The Standard in Enterprise Storage” live up to their name, we took a trip to Massachusetts to gather fresh content for Infinidat. We partnered with their internal creative team to build up content that aligned with their updated brand guide.
Rich was also invited by the Capital Area Technology Association to speak alongside Albany County Film Commissioner, Debby Goedeke (Film Albany).
World Cup (Fake) Tattoo Bet (Dec. ’22)
In between the video, animation and design projects, the World Cup was on in the studio regularly. With Rich and Sophia’s soccer backgrounds, soccer in general is on from time to time in Studio A. This massive global sporting event came with some extra fun from within the Akullian team, specifically, a bet that should redefine how we talk about workplace wagers.
Read how a World Cup game bet ended up with Noah putting a random design on his arm in this fake tattoo story
ADDY Hype Video Shoot (Jan. ’23)
CRAF‘s 2023 ADDY’s had a lot going for it, and we were happy to help hype up the biggest event in Capital Region Advertising each year. Even Bigfoot decided to show up for to add energy for the event.
Unmasking Creativity Party (Feb. ’23)
The preparation for the ADDYs were far from over after making the promo. Studio A hosted a mask-making party to prepare for the masquerade-themed award show at the G.E. theater in Proctors.
Judge’s Picks & Field Trips (March ’23)
When the actual night of the ADDYs arrived, the Aces’ wardrobe was thoroughly prepared for photos, as you can see reflected in exhibit A above.
The big news of the night, however, was the history that Akullian Creative made. In the first ever year of the “Guerrilla Marketing” category, the Aces won a silver ADDY and not one, but two Judges’ Picks for their submission on the campaign that got our good friend Johnny 2 Phones’ song played in Yankee Stadium. Our campaign would go on to win at the district and national level, the first at each level in our history.
Later in March, our friends from Saint Gregory’s School brought their eighth graders into Studio A for a field trip to learn about brand marketing and video production. Our guests took their turn at our Money Putt, our version of a tradition unlike any other.
A Night at the New York State Museum – SGS Gala (Apr. ’23)
The Saint Gregory’s School hosted their annual Gala in the New York State Museum, and we were proud to join them as working guests.
The Akullian Creative team was there to capture the event, and looked good while doing it, too.
The Artsakh Blockade Exhibit (May ’23)
Following April’s Armenian History Month, the Aces filmed a project they had been working on to raise awareness for the current humanitarian crisis in Artsakh.
As a company that specializes in stories, we developed one that shows the urgency needed to save the people affected by this ongoing blockade with hopes that we can bring attention in a unique way.
You know what they say: time flies when you’re making great content. We are thankful to have so many incredible opportunities to show our talents and work with great clients. Here’s to the next 500…
Follow Akullian Creative on Instagram and Facebook for the latest on the creative projects in Studio A. Chat with us about your upcoming video, animation and design project!