CASE STUDY:

On November 13th, thousands of people tuned in live to watch beehiiv’s Winter Release Event. As the intro video played, the comments started rolling in. 

The main presentation began. More comments.

Within an hour, there were articles in Variety, Tech Crunch, Hollywood Reporter, and more featuring the presentation.

The process of crafting this video actually started months earlier. Here’s how we prepared the content for beehiiv’s viral release event.

CONCEPTUALIZATION

On September 17th, beehiiv CEO Tyler Denk tweeted that he was looking for a video team in NYC. We got on a call the next day to discuss a few references and video goals. They’d be announcing 10 new features to the world, and needed an epic 30 minute launch announcement.

We would have less than 2 months to execute the project from start to finish. That’s an incredibly tight turnaround for an ambitious half-hour launch with hundreds of animation assets and live production. 

But the video had to happen on time and at a high level: the event was already getting marketed to their community.

Within 12 hours of our initial meeting, we shared a proposal outlining how we’d elevate their reference material to feel even more dramatic, interactive, and bold, all on beehiiv’s fast timeline and completely on brand. 

The next day, we got the email from Tyler: “We're in”.

PRE-PRODUCTION

With our shoot date less than a month away (October 10th), we needed to work fast.

Our first challenge? The look. Our original studio selection had pre-rigged overhead LEDs, but after our location scout, we realized it couldn’t deliver the dramatic, pitch-black environment the concept needed. We pivoted to a larger space we could fully black out and rig with a custom 6x6 overhead LED panel. 

This would be a more involved setup for us to build, but gave us far more control. 

At the same time, we developed two scripts. We wrote the first draft of the opening video while beehiiv wrote the first draft of the main launch presentation. We collaborated on revisions to sharpen the beats, clarify messaging, and make sure the delivery would feel clean and confident on camera.

For most of the beehiiv team, this would be their first time doing a scripted presentation, so we brought in an expert teleprompter operator. We also had talent rehearse ahead of time so production day could run as smoothly as possible.

On the technical side, we locked in our 12-person crew, selected our gear, and designed lighting and camera builds around the animation plan. Our animator was involved in pre-production conversations to ensure framing, timing, and screen composition were built for motion design rather than trying to retrofit hundreds of animations after the fact.

We had one day to capture everything we needed.

All of the preparation was about to be put to the test: the shoot date. 

PRODUCTION

We rented the studio for ten hours, which meant the entire setup, three speakers, multiple camera builds, and all lighting adjustments had to work together seamlessly. The first 3 hours were dedicated entirely to rigging. 

Our grip and electric team hung three 20x20 curtains and built the custom overhead 6x6 LED fixture by pulley to achieve the style we were looking for.

We used a three camera set-up, which allowed us to transition between speakers and stitch takes together. This also provided occasional movement on the slider and jib arm.

Multiple members of the beehiiv team came to watch, so we set up a “video village” with monitors displaying  the camera angles, as well as wireless audio feeds that allowed them to hear the same output as our sound mixer.

We coached each speaker through pacing and tone, and by the end of the day, we had captured everything we needed. It was time for post-production.

POST-PRODUCTION

The live stream was scheduled for one month out, and the race was on. 

For the first cut, our assistant editor cut up the multicam footage and selected the best takes. 

Simultaneously, our animator began building assets. The beehiiv team also prepped flows for animation, and we had multiple lines of comms open to ensure seamless communication.

In the end, we had 140 different animated clips overlaid on the video, ranging from a few seconds to a minute and a half each. 

We added these animations onto the live production, along with transitions and music. We went through 3 rounds of revisions with the beehiiv team, addressing hundreds of comments to ensure everything was aligned and representative of their products/brand.

Once the edit was locked, our post-sound mixer leveled out audio, removed extraneous breaths and noises, and our team color graded the final video.

It was go time.

DISTRIBUTION

The beehiiv team executed a FLAWLESS campaign, which you can read more about in Tyler’s newsletter here. 

From activating employee-led distribution on LinkedIn to influencer marketing to community engagement, the beehiiv team made sure the internet was prepared for what was coming.

OVERVIEW

This was an ambitious scope from the start: a half-hour product launch, two parallel scripts, custom studio build, multicam production, and 140 animation overlays, all delivered in under two months. 

These are the kinds of constraints we thrive on, and we’re incredibly proud of how it all came together.