Just wrapped our first major branded video project – 2 months and $15K investment. Thought I’d share the process, budget breakdown, and key lessons for anyone considering something similar – including the storytelling framework we used to make it powerful powerful.
Key Lessons (Quick & Dirty)
Here are the biggest takeaways upfront. I’ll get into the details and process below if you want to dig deeper.
- Work backwards from your ending. Know the transformation you want to show, then the opening writes itself. This applies to any storytelling – emails, sales pages, presentations.
- Music and voiceover timing matter more than I expected. This single element transformed the video from forgettable to compelling.
- Local team made logistics easier. Mission Ranch being in Bozeman simplified coordination significantly. Their portfolio was impressive, and they understood the vision quickly.
- Build for multiple formats. We cut 60s, 30s, and 15s versions. Different platforms need different lengths based on attention spans.
- The “fun factor” matters. Occasionally doing projects because they excite you prevents burnout and keeps you passionate about the business.
Why We Did This
We’ve done event trailer videos before. They run $5-10K, give you a decent sizzle reel of the conference, but they’re forgettable and dated within 2 years. Nobody really connects with them emotionally.
I wanted something different. Something that captures what ECF actually stands for – not just business tactics but building ambitious companies that enrich your life instead of consuming it. Something that makes people feel something, because
emotion drives decisions more than logic.
Also? It just sounded fun. Sometimes you should do projects in your business because you’re excited about them and want to see them exist in the world.
Budget: $15K Total
This felt like a lot initially, but when I broke it down:
- Previous event trailers: $5-10K for something that lasts 2 years max
- This piece: Built to last, captures our core mission, usable for years
- Only slightly more expensive than trailers we were already doing
The budget covered:
- Video production team (Mission Ranch, local to Bozeman)
- 10 hours of filming at ECF Live
- 3 rounds of revisions/editing
- Multiple cuts (60-second, 30-second, and 15-second versions)
The Process: 2 Months Start to Finish
Month 1: Concept and Scripting
Started by brainstorming scenarios and outlines. Used Claude (my AI copywriter trained on our brand) to draft the initial script.
The biggest storytelling lesson I applied: Start with your ending first, then reverse engineer the beginning.
I knew I wanted to end with a connected, peaceful entrepreneur who had his priorities straight. Once I had that ending, the opening became obvious – show the opposite state. Stressed, isolated, consumed by work.
This framework works because great stories are fundamentally about transformation. When you know where someone ends up, the beginning has to show them in the opposite state. That contrast creates the narrative tension that keeps people engaged.
Spent a few hours with Claude iterating on the script, then met with Mission Ranch to refine it further through multiple rounds of edits and shot lists.
Month 2: Production and Editing
Filmed during ECF Live, with 10 hours of filming total.
Then came 3 rounds of revisions. Here’s where things got interesting.
The Music Made or Broke Everything
The initial cut had voiceover and music that made the whole thing feel flat. Weak. I was worried we’d wasted $15K.
We switched the music and I re-did the voiceover myself. The difference was dramatic. Night and day.
The timing of words syncing with the visuals became critical. We spent significant time getting that right – when certain phrases hit, how they matched with what was on-screen.
This was easily the most important post-production element. Don’t underestimate music selection and timing.
Why Not AI?
I know AI video is getting interesting, but for something like this that needs real emotional resonance and production quality,
I don’t think we’re there yet. We didn’t even consider going the AI route for this project.
Shout-Out to Our Star and Volunteers
Huge thank you to Bryan Walthall for being our protagonist. Bryan is an OG charter member who presented at the very first ECF Live a decade ago!
Also want to extend a big thanks to everyone in our community who volunteered to be part of it. Really appreciate you all.
How We’re Planning to Use This
We’ll be using the video across several channels:
- Website branding – Homepage and key landing pages to communicate our mission
- Social media – Organic posts on Twitter, LinkedIn to build brand awareness
- Light paid advertising – We don’t do much paid advertising for ECF, but we may experiment with some light retargeting or top-of-funnel brand awareness for people who’ve already consumed our content (newsletters, podcast, blog)
I’ll report back in 6 months on how it performs from an ROI perspective and what we learn about using it in different contexts.
If you’re interested in more video production, storytelling, and video marketing techniques, join me and a thousand other seven and eight-figure store owners in the forums where we geek out about stuff like this regularly.
