About Us
“I’m going to destroy Sunpop…”
My words hang in the air, loaded. Waiting for my business partner to respond.
We’d spent a decade growing the studio. Both of us, finally reaping the rewards. Comfortable lifestyles. Impressive client list. Even a little notoriety.
Now, in a packed mexican food restaurant, I’m sharing my plan to burn down our business.
… Poker face. He takes a bite. I continue.
“Most of our clients are flying to Austin to work with us. I want to give them their own video studio. Turn-key. Simple to use.”
The ramifications are obvious. If clients had their own video gear, they wouldn’t need ours. Convenient for them. Suicide for us.
“Why?” he replies through a mouthful of fajita.
“This industry is being turned on it’s head, yah? A video camera in every pocket, and editing software on every laptop.”
“MmHmm…”
“Every video pro you know is defending their rates to people who’ve never produced a video in their life.”
“Yah.”
“Businesses are waking up. They need video content and they know it. But they don’t have the first clue about how to make GOOD videos.”
“MmHmm…”
“What if we stopped being the gatekeepers for video quality, and empowered people with tools and support? Like that old philosophy thing about giving a fish vs teaching how to fish.”
A sip of iced tea and he answers, “Brother, you always do this. You’re messing with a good thing. It’s why we’ve had 12 different logos in 10 years. Things are already good, clients are happy.”
He’s right. But my rant already has momentum, “Look, I couldn’t sleep last night. Kept trying to imagine what the industry game-changer will look like. The product / service / whatever, that’ll make us all obsolete. The thing that I’ll want to hide from our clients. The thing that’ll send piss down my leg and throw us into bankruptcy.”
“OK…”
“The thing that drops a big-”
“-Yah, I get it.”
“Jake… WE gotta make that thing. I know a good patent attorney. We can do this.”
“So what’s your magic thing?”
“Things, plural.
1) It’s a turn-key video recording studio that just works. Super convenient. We ship it in a single box. Pro quality video shoots without a crew.
2) It’s professional, on-demand video editing. Clients use the internet to send us their video clips. Just drag and drop the video files in a web browser. Flat menu prices. No hourly.
3) It’s an experienced video marketer in 1 on 1 skype video chats. Regular consultations and analytics reports. It’s the total package.
We can still be their video team – everything is just more scalable. People could actually make good videos on a regular basis. Not just once a year.”
The poker face melts into concern, “That’s not Sunpop. You want to start all over. Again.”
“Not start over. Expand. We have the experience and the connections; designers, editors, marketing consultants. Our systems are already online. We know the technology.”
Silence.
I take the phone out of my pocket and lay it on the table, “I’ve been experimenting with smartphone video recording for months. With the right gear and a few tricks, I can make this bastard sing like a freakin’ angel.”
“You’re exhausting.”
“I didn’t hear you say, “no.” Think about it. This is exactly what people need. It’s just not easy for us to give.”
He stares out the window. Follows a long sigh with a smile, “…… Where do we start?”
The Founders
Rex Williams | President
“I’m a tall, educated, 30 something male living in North America with every possible advantage. No boss. Somewhat attractive. Professionally respected. I can even pretend to be funny in short bursts. Whatever happens between now and the grave, one thing is certain. I have no excuses.”
~ Rex
Rex Williams has captained Sunpop for 13+ years, specializing in online video even during the dial-up era. A goofy jerk who insists on enjoying his job(s). Video Producer. Director. Editor. Inventor. Geek Extraordinaire. He’s produced thousands of videos with organizations of every shape and size. Artists and Fortune 500 companies. Celebrities and plumbers. Authors and Olympians. His unique techniques and patent pending tools support a single mission. To help non video professionals make better videos.
Don’t have your video department contact Rex for help. It’s always awkward. They should know better.
Jake Williams | Production Manager
“Hi, thank you for calling Sunpop Studios, this is Jake, how can I help you? What? No this isn’t a voice recording… Yeah, sorry I can get a little overzealous when I answer the phone and then I sound like that movie previews voice. I’m trying to compensate for the relaxed attitude around here. Did you know Rex usually works in his socks?”
~ Jake
Behind every great man there’s a great woman, or in this case a brother. Rex is the lightning that strikes a boring video and turns it into a fire from which you cannot look away. And Jake is the lightning tamer — Benjamin Franklin with the key and the kite.
With a lifetime straddling the line between creatives and the rest of us, Jake is perfectly prepared to wrangle Rex and his team of editors so they efficiently produce work that gets results.
The Talent
When demand exceeds supply, either prices can go up or supply can go up, and we’ve chosen to increase supply. Rex can’t personally edit every video that clients send, so he’s gotten help, but he’s done it in a way that clients love.
Rather than just hire a bunch of local editors like most studios, we have a smarter approach. Pay the best people to work remotely from across the country, and get better rates than anybody else. To put it simply, even the most talented video professionals have times when they’re overbooked and times when they’re twiddling their thumbs, waiting on the next project. We’ve developed relationships so that when they’re not busy, they work on our productions from the comfort of their own workstation.
With the online workflow & structures we’ve developed, and extra capacity always on standby, our contractors win by getting projects when they want it most, and you win by getting experienced professionals working on your production at a fraction of their typical costs. And we take care of all the management headaches for you.
It’s so beautiful it hurts.