Films for Brands and Nonprofits
Your job is the why.
Ours is everything after.
Tell us what the video has to accomplish.
We work out the story, show up with the crew, ask the questions, and craft the narrative.
start with a conversation ▸
Films for Brands and Nonprofits
Your job is the why.
Ours is everything after.
Tell us what the video has to accomplish.
We work out the story, show up with the crew, ask the questions, and craft the narrative.
START WITH A CONVERSATION ▸
VIDEO STORYTELLING FOR BRANDS and NONPROFITS
Most of our 700+ projects have started the same way. With your goals and our discovery. Our Emmy® Award-winning team finds the story before we film, travels to wherever it happens, and puts nervous people at ease on camera. Thirteen years of practice, in 23 states.
more about us ▸
trusted by:
The expensive video is the one nobody believes.
Somebody hands the people on camera a script, and the audience loses trust by the first sentence.
You end up with a video the board watches once, and a budget you have to explain. Your organization already has stories that don't need a script, from people nobody has asked the right questions of yet. That's where we start.
Here's how that happens.
When told well, great stories can move people to action.
Let’s win your audience’s attention (and dollar) with a film they trust.
When told well, great stories can move people to action.
Let’s win your audience’s attention (and dollar) with a film they believe.
Everything after, spelled out:
Our Discovery
We help find the story, write the questions, and plan the day. The video never becomes your second job.
Our Crew
Six full-time people who've done this 700+ times together, wherever the story happens. We become an extension of your team.
Our Interviews
Conversations, led with tact and sensitivity, so people who've never been on camera sound like themselves.
FROM OUR CLIENTS:
"In less than ten minutes, our guests donated more than $300,000.
"Nothing ever felt forced or rehearsed, and I think that's exactly why the video resonates so deeply.
Elizabeth Payne
Director of Marketing, The National Children's Cancer Society
"At our gala the year prior, our Fund-A-Need portion of the night raised about $80,000 and did not include a video of this caliber.
"They took the time to build a relationship with Amelia's family, making everyone feel comfortable enough to simply be themselves."
👉 Read the case study.
by the numbers
15
Regional Emmy® Awards and nominations earned by our team
29
Telly Awards earned by our team
74
Combined years of experience on our team of six.
6
Degrees in film, journalism, communication, and cinematography.
Your brand isn’t actually about you.
It’s about the individuals and communities you serve. We’ll demonstrate your brand’s importance by detailing its impact.
you may already know this, but ...
01
Find the story before we film.
Everyone has a story. Not everyone knows which part of it matters, and that's the research. We ask the questions in pre-production, listen for the meaning behind what people tell us, and find the angle that puts real faces and real results on the work you do.
Some clients arrive knowing the story they want to tell. Some want us to help uncover it. Either is fine, and you don't have to figure it out before you call. No video production experience required.
The Three Steps
What every film we make has to do
02
Help them tell it in their own words.
Humans have been pursuing shared meaning through storytelling since somebody carved an aurochs on a cave wall. The tools changed. The job didn't.
Our Emmy® Award-winning crew goes into the field, sits your people down for interviews that don't feel like interviews, and gathers the footage around them. Then we bring it back and craft a video where nobody performs and the audience believes every word.
03
Point it at the goal.
All of it is wasted if people walk away unchanged. That's just entertainment. Every film we make is pointed at the goal you gave us on the first call, whether that's new clients, more donations, more applicants, or something we'll help you name.
The 5 Questions below exist so the goal gets decided before the production does, and if you're not sure yet what the video should accomplish, we'll coach you through that,too.
FROM OUR CLIENTS:
"Organically, it generated thousands of views and we repurposed the content for paid advertising which generated over 300K views.
Roger Price
Marketing Manager, Dometic
"Video content is a key element to our marketing initiatives. Working with an agency that I can collaborate with and trust to help guide my vision is really important for us at Dometic Marine."
👉 Read the case study.
"Authenticity is the only thing that matters in Marketing. Guiding the story without destroying the opportunity for authentic responses is what Storyteller excels at.
Eli Ommen filming for Dometic Marine off the coast of Key West, Florida.
How the stories get made
Planning
It starts with a conversation with our production manager and a producer, and we put what we heard in writing before anyone talks price. Once you say "go," you get a Project Guidebook, a shared document built around the 5 Questions. You fill in the goal, the audience, the message, the people who belong on camera. We fill in the rest, find the story with you, and write the questions.
Filming
Next, we enter your space (or your customer or client’s space) with respect, gathering B-roll and interviews. We ask questions with sensitivity, making interviews feel like conversations.
Editing
The footage comes back to Springfield, where the same team that filmed it edits it. You see a full draft, we take your notes, and you approve the final. Then you get the film, plus edits sized for social and ads, ready to share.
we're storyteller studios
documentary-style film for brands & causes
We started in 2013 in Springfield, Illinois (hence the Lincoln films), making documentary-style films for people who had a goal and not much idea how a video gets made. Thirteen years and 700+ projects later, that's still the arrangement.
Six full-time people, no freelancers, and a crew that travels. We've filmed in 23 states and keep returning to Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Des Moines. Wherever your story happens, we'd be honored to show up.
Where to next?
Meet the Storytellers
We've got the heart of a romantic, the nose of a journalist, and the brain of a marketer. Six full-time people, no freelancers, and the same crew from the first call to the final cut.
How We Roll
Our method works, which is rarer in this business than it should be. We lead with integrity, we respect every person and space we work with, and we believe in partnerships over dictatorships. If that's what you're looking for, let's do this.
Let's Connect
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Storyteller Studios different?
You don't have to know how to make the video. You bring the goal. We do the research. Our full-time team of six helps find the story in pre-production and asks the questions on camera, so the people in your film tell it in their own words instead of reading someone else's. Emmy® Award-winning team, 700+ projects across 23 states.
Who do you work with?
Brands, nonprofits, foundations, healthcare organizations, universities, and institutions that have decided their story is worth telling well. Some have made dozens of videos. Some have never made one. Either is fine.
Where are you based and where do you work?
Springfield, Illinois is home for us, and being in the middle of the country means our crew can reach most of the U.S. within a day, and clients in 23 states have hired us to produce video where they are. Our rates hold up even with travel, competitive with what you'd pay closer to home. Regular stops include Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Des Moines, and Louisville.
How do we get started?
Start with a conversation. You don't need a script or a plan, just a sense of who the message is for and what you want them to do. We'll ask the rest, then put what we heard in writing before we price a thing.
Do we need a script or a plan before we reach out?
No. A goal and a few people in mind is plenty. We help find the story in pre-production, write the questions, and put your people at ease on camera. If you already have a script, bring it. It tells us what you care about.