As JK Design continues to grow as a full-service agency, we have been spending more time and dedicating resources to expanding our capabilities so that we can better serve our clients.

Recently, this expansion has included adding several talented individuals to our team. In this installment of our ongoing series, we’re featuring Katherine Armstrong, our VP of Video Production since 2011. Katherine took a few minutes to talk about how she’s taking our video department to the next level.

Omar Joseph (OJ): You were hired last year in 2011, but we worked with you on a number of projects before you got here. Tell me about how your relationship with JK Design began.

Katherine Armstrong (KA): The VP of New Business Development, Andrea Wolkofsky, called me to work as a freelance producer and director for a project she had coming up. We got along really well and the video was such a success that she went back to the team and pitched me for the full-time job.

After doing some wonderful work with JK Design’s president, Jerry Kaulius, we sealed the deal.

OJ: I’ve read your bio and noticed that you have an intriguing work history. Can you talk a bit about your career path?

KA: I began my career in the entertainment business, moving to Los Angeles from Detroit while not quite out of my teens. My first love and passion was acting, and I enjoyed success in the television and film industry, but always had a hand in producing theater. I was involved in friends’ projects as everything from production assistant to casting director to production management to – finally – field directing and producing.

When I decided to jump into producing full time, I was blessed with great connections and mentored by really amazing people. I left LA after my daughter was born and continued as a freelance production coordinator, manager, producer, and director in New York and New Jersey.

OJ: We’ve been doing some wonderful work since you arrived. You’ve started to build your team and our video department is growing fast. Can you tell me about your vision for the department?

KA: Video is such an incredible way for clients to get their message across. When I came on board I really wanted my creative passion for the medium to shine through in every area. I absolutely love what I do and I wanted to build a sense of excitement for everyone.

My goal has been to merge an out-of-the-box creative vision with the structure of the corporate world. It has also been amazing to be surrounded by a team of artists working hard to support our clients’ desires and bottom lines while giving them a new vision of what’s possible in video.

OJ: Can you tell me about how the creative process has changed?

KA: One of the shifts I’ve seen is in the area of collaboration with our graphic designers on ‘hybrid’ videos. These are video productions combining live action and motion graphics.

We collaborate on each script with the writer, brainstorm all the possibilities for the video, and storyboard it out as usual – but now we are all involved in generating creative ideas for all modes of video, from After Effects animations to live action to combinations of both.

Recently, we’ve rented green screen sound stages and combined on-screen talent with the virtual worlds we’ve created. It’s got everyone really inspired.

OJ: You recently traveled with your team to Paris for a few video shoots. Tell me about that experience.

KA: Oui! We did. It was amazing. We are thrilled to have a wide variety of global clientele that we collaborate with. To be asked to travel to Paris to produce and direct is really a testament to the relationships that our sales representatives and account managers have created.

OJ: I’ve noticed that our clients are starting to dedicate more resources to video projects. Have you noticed this trend? What do you attribute that shift to?

KA: I’m hopeful that the energy and excitement our department feels for the work we do has supported the promotion of video to our team internally as well as to the client.

But to answer your question more specifically, I think we live in a ‘YouTube world.’ People are spending more time on sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo, and because of that our clients are looking for new ways to connect with them using messaging that is unique, entertaining, and visually stimulating.

Video is the perfect way to meet all of their needs and stay up to date with social networking trends. I see us doing more and more video for everything from standard websites to iPad apps and QR code-enabled videos accessible on the back of a client’s business card. The possibilities are endless! It’s exciting to see that our clients are serious about taking advantage of these opportunities.

OJ: You’re still in the early stages of building your team. How do you balance creating quality work with tight timeframes and resources?

KA: It really is exciting to see things growing so quickly. The department has been thriving for a long time, but now it feels like we’re in the middle of a serious renaissance.

I’ve got a group of talent around me that steps up when things really start to ramp up. It takes a lot of choreography to keep it all moving. It comes down to scheduling, more scheduling, and re-scheduling. I just keep the plates spinning.

Maybe that’s how I taught yoga for so many years – did I mention that I teach yoga?  I enjoy learning, practicing, and maintaining balance.

OJ: What do you enjoy most about your job?

KA: I’m so proud of the work everyone in this company does. I’m so impressed by the work ethic, the level of quality, and the people I see standing for the excellence they believe in. I see it in the developers, designers, writers, artists, and the sales and executive teams, and it is really a reflection of the kind of environment that Jerry has created. It’s the people, passion, and projects that keep flying in that make this an incredible place to be. And I’m incredibly lucky to be a part of it.

Things are pretty busy around here at JK Design (to put it mildly). Every day, our team of 40+ staffers is creating new proposals for clients; designing and creating print, Web and video projects; and putting the finishing touches on brochures, websites, videos, iPhone apps and just about every other kind of marketing tool you can think of.

Needless to say, I’m not involved in all of these projects – after all, I am only one person. That means that when I see something great that we’ve created for a client, I often have no idea exactly how we did it beginning to end.

And so I wonder… where did the original concept come from? What was the process? How long did it take? And – most importantly – how did we make it so gosh-darn cool?

These questions all came to mind when I saw one of our coolest recent projects, a video we created for Avaya to promote their innovative new communications software product. Out of all the imaginative videos we create on a regular basis, this one really stood out for me. To satisfy my curiosity about the creative process behind it, I cornered the lead designer for the project, Joe Jordan, for a “behind the scenes” look at the making of this video.

Omar Joseph (OJ): I recently saw this video you put together for Avaya, and I’m really loving it. I generally think your work is excellent, but there was something different about this video that made it stand out. Can you talk about how it came about and how you were inspired to create it?

Joe Jordan (JJ): Well, Andrea Wolkofsky (the account manager) came to me and said we had three weeks to put together something cool for Avaya’s new software, Avaya ACE. Their vision was to create a video that was easy for their customers to understand and would really grab their attention in a unique way. Because they were rolling out this new software package for the first time, it was very important that their audience immediately grasp why and how it would work for them. After thinking about it for a while, we came up with a concept where the background design of the video would mimic a traditional blackboard. This is a tool used in seminars and other learning environments, so it would be familiar to viewers and give the video an educational tone. It also would require us to keep the animations simple.

OJ: After you picked that concept, what happened next?

JJ: In my mind this video just wouldn’t work unless we brought together our resources quickly. First, we pulled in Chris Milan, our in-house copywriter. We knew that we had to create a strong script that was descriptive, yet succinct – and this was right up her alley. Once she pulled together a script and it was approved by the client, we started to produce the video. As the process continued, the client had the great idea of using two voice actors instead of a single narrator. The addition of an extra voice gave us the feel of a conversation as opposed to a lecture, and this really gave the video a better flow.

OJ: How did you come up with the look and feel of the video?

JJ: During the process of making the video I had a change of heart about the direction of the color scheme. In the end, I decided on a predominately black and white look. I think that helped to support the blackboard concept, achieve our goal of keeping the message simple and easy to understand, and make sure the content was “king.” However, I ended up adding a few touches of color to give the video a unique style.

OJ: Tell me a little about the finer details of the video. I noticed some cool things that I haven’t seen from you before. Can you give us some insight on that?

JJ: I generally spend my free time tracking new trends in animation and video and working on new concepts. The “handwriting” look that you see in the video is something new for us. I used it here because it helped add a bit of human element to the video and that was important to me. I wanted the viewers to feel a connection with the video and I think this helped achieve that.

But the piece that really pulled this video together for me was the music. I love that track! It has the perfect feel for the video. The flow is amazing. And even though that music track sounds great, it also blends with and supports the graphics and voiceover instead of dominating them. People often don’t realize how important the music is to a video, but it often makes or breaks the piece. I’m glad we were able to find this amazing instrumental track.

OJ: Thanks for the insight, Joe. The information you provided is great. Is there anything else you want to share before I let you get back to creating more incredible animations?

JJ: Yes! I want to thank the entire team that worked on the project: Andrea W., Chris M. and Lance M.