Leff Communications forms strategic partnership with Highway M, adds motion picture production

There was a time in the not-too-distant past that video was seen as a luxury reserved for only the most important concepts or high-value events. But today, video is a mandatory component of content marketing. Given the time constraints executives face, they are now just as likely—if not more so—to watch a video on a smartphone as read a white paper. The video screen has become a gateway, explaining complex concepts in a narrative way and giving the viewer a hint of the value that might lie within a vision piece or white paper.

And thanks to the democratizing effect of technology, video is now ubiquitous. What the Flip camera (may it rest in peace) began, smartphones have extended. Anyone can now make a video. But making a video and telling a story are two entirely different things—and that’s where technology can’t quite square the circle.

Skilled video producers are expert storytellers who understand how to use the tools at their disposal—lighting, sound, music, motion graphics, voiceover—to convey ideas in a way that elicits a reaction in an audience. If you believe, as Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan posited, that “the medium is the message,” it would be foolish to set your message adrift in a rudderless video.

For all of these reasons, I’m very pleased to announce that Leff Communications has formed a strategic partnership with Mike Russell of Highway M to collaborate on video production for clients. Mike is a phenomenally creative storyteller who has lent his talents to Fortune 500 B2B and B2C companies and start-ups alike. The consistent thread in his work is an ability to breathe life into words on a page, marry ideas with imagery, and create something memorable.

Mike and I have worked on a number of projects over the past several years (see samples here, here, and here). We make a good team because we take a similar approach to working with clients to ensure their vision translates to the screen. And by speaking the language of business and understanding the C-suite, we help clients distill what’s distinctive about their organization and tell their story in a way that resonates. Through this strategic partnership, we’ll be able combine our extended network of content experts and production veterans to cover more ground and deliver top-quality video.