Benefits of Hiring an International Digital Content Agency
What is an international digital content agency?
An international digital content agency has their feet in more than one place at all times. They have teams in different places ready to go on your project at a moment’s notice. And they can be where you need to be when you can’t. For Storyboard Media Group, this means the United States and the European Union. But we don’t stop there - we’ve also filmed commercials in Asia, Canada and Greece.
What are the benefits of hiring an international agency?
Although the benefits can be a little different for large international companies and more localized brands, there are some common benefits. It’s going to depend on your brand. For example, we have clients in the fashion industry that have headquarters in the US and the EU. Sometimes they need interviews filmed in the States, and then products and talent filmed in Europe. We handle both aspects seamlessly as opposed to two separate agencies handling a project in two different place. What does all this mean?
One single point of contact - When you have filming happening in France and New York for example, having the ability to use one team provides you with a single point of contact throughout the project.
Cost-effectiveness - One large project worked on by one agency is usually more cost-effective than two different agencies working separately on the exact same project. Two separate agencies may end up producing the exact same amount of content, but at nearly double the cost.
Time savings - Let’s face it; If you work in the Los Angeles time zone, it can be difficult to communicate in a timely manner with a London or Paris team. A single point of contact can communicate with you on your time to make life a little easier.
They can be where you can’t - It’s simple. You office is in New York but you need something filmed in Lisbon. Instead of taking the time to book a flight, fly across the Atlantic, stay in a hotel and fly back to New York you can just set up normal phone meetings to follow the developments of your project. The agency can be your eyes and ears on the ground.
Cultural awareness - International agencies understand different work cultures, have unique connections and partners, where to find talent, and understand the legal situations on the ground. This covers things like getting permits, and paying talent.
Quick maneuvering - Because they’re international, these agencies are used to working intelligently and figuring out challenges before they become a problem. This saves a ton of time and headaches.
Remote check-ins and quality control - A big part of any project is giving you - the client - the ability to be as present as possible throughout the process. That means being able to pick talent, pick locations and watch as filming takes place. And all of this can be done from the comfort of your own office. Using tech we can take you on virtual location scouts, send head shots and demo reels of available talent, and let you watch remotely as filming happens on your project.
What are the steps to beginning an international project?
While the complete answer to this will depend on your specific project, here is a rough guide to what you can expect. Once you Find an agency that works in the area(s) you need to have covered:
Identify who the contacts will be for your team. For example, if you have offices in both Chicago and Madrid, and you work in Chicago, figure out who the main contact in Madrid will be for the production team.
Schedule the shoot days in all locations. Your agency can accomplish this as the connecting piece between all parties. But be ready to wake up in the middle of the night if filming needs to happen during the morning in Europe and it’s 2AM your time.
Schedule on-going check-in meetings to make sure everything stays on time and budget.
That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Of course, every project has a lot of other steps involved, but these steps listed are mostly confined to international projects.
If you’re ready to travel the world without leaving home, throw us a note. Let’s discuss how we can help you span continents for your brand seamlessly and easily.