Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking - "ANOTHER 'Best of' list to commemorate the new year?! Your timing is not even right - isn't it supposed to be unveiled at the end of the old year or at the very beginning of the new year?!" I understand you're probably experiencing "Best of 2011" list fatigue and that we're already halfway through January (Happy Friday the 13th!!!), but I swear, I was very busy getting engaged at the end of 2011, so please forgive me that my list is a week later than it should be.

Okay, onto the videos...

1. The Grubstake - San Francisco, CA: Last year was my very first time being in charge of sales for Jippidy. At first, it was very nerve-wracking! As someone who dreaded being on the phone even with friends, I knew I had a lot to learn. Thanks to all the reading I did at S. Anthony Iannarino's aptly-named "The Sales Blog," I was able to to step my salesman game up ASAP. Not that I'm an expert, but at least my heart no longer stops every time my phone rings. The Grubstake video is not only a favorite because I drive by this diner ALL the time and never knew what they served until watching the video, but also because this was my very first video sale ever! Double bonus because the food is awesome AND they stay open until 4AM, a rarity in SF!
2. Natural Balance Massage & Wellness Center - Brooklyn, NY: Where's Brooklyn at, where's Brooklyn at?! Our first video in the NYC area took some time to prep. The client originally was interested in making a video in early 2011, but as is always the case, life happens, priorities were revised, and next thing you know, the video gets pushed back indefinitely. I understand, it happens, it's all part of the game, but when this is your business, you think what could be more important than getting your video done (hehe)! But once the dust settled, the client was ready to make a move before year end. Double bonus: it just so happened that I was in NYC the week this was filmed - the weather was perfect for a shoot! Anyways, I love the result - the video has a more cinematic feel to it, it tells a story more so than it "advertises" a business, which is more effective in my mind as a marketing tool. 
3. Dog Beach - San Diego, CA: It's San Diego, baby - what more do I need to say?! This video is still one of my favorite. Obviously, this video has an inherent advantage in that its main subject, dogs, are naturally more cuddly and cute on camera than people. What is it they say - if you want a viral video, film dogs, cats and babies, guaranteed views! BANG! Double bonus - I love to visit the beaches of San Diego, so I knew exactly where the client was talking about when we were discussing the logistics of her video. Plus the video just came out so sharp from a technical viewpoint, it's hard not to like it!
4. Sushila's Beauty Care - Jacksonville, FL: Another video that was many months in the making! I had all but given up on this video because I hadn't heard from the client in about 8 months, but I figured I'd give one more hail mary attempt to connect with them. And lo and behold, I just so happened to catch them at the time they were finally ready to proceed! It works like that and I have to keep reminding myself - just because a client says no to a video, doesn't mean they are saying no to me or to my company; they are really saying not right now. it's all about the timing. Double bonus on this video because it included our scriptwriters AND our voiceover talent working remotely with our Jackonsville videographer to produce what I think is an excellent video!
5. PeopleShare - King of Prussia, PA (video below): It's videos like this that make doing what we do so exciting. I received the call from their marketing director literally a few hours before I was headed to the airport to hop a flight to Vegas. An RFP had to be submitted before I left, it seemed like a long-shot, but it's not like I could just ignore the request, it would have bothered me too much while I playing craps. Wrote up the proposal, sent it from my hotel room at the Palms, and when I returned from Vegas, we had our first video shoot in the Philly area scheduled! Double bonus because this particular video (1 of 5) wasn't even planned - the creative juices just flowed between the PeopleShare team and our videographer, and they decided that this would make for a cool, more casual video.

I could go on and on and on about why I love (almost) every single video that we've made, but as the title of this article indicates, I capped myself at 5, so I'm sticking to it (a New Year's Resolution of mine - sticking to my word. Which is why I'm writing this article on a Friday afternoon even though I haven't eaten lunch yet and I'm tempted to go outside and sit in the sun).

Anyways, Happy New Year to you, I wish you a Prosperous 2012! Be on the lookout for MANY more videos to come from my Jippidy video production crew and I! And next year, I promise I'll get my "Best of" list done on time, that's my word (see resolution, new year)!!

Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About The Author

Julian Martinez

Julian Martinez is in charge of managing Jippidy's extensive network of professional videographers. As someone always looking to discover the new restaurant or bar in the culinary mecca known as San Francisco, Julian was intrigued by the opportunity Jippidy presented him to combine three of his passions - food, liquor & film - and joined Jippidy as its second full-time employee. In addition to overseeing their team of fantastic videographers, Julian also manages Jippidy's social media campaigns, including its Facebook Fan Page, as well as two of its twitter accounts - @Jippidy and @Julian_jippidy.

Julian holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Stanford University.