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Brandon Hardy

We make videos people actually want to watch. Oak + Rumble is a creative video marketing agency. We’re on a mission to turn video into a powerhouse for brands and their marketing/communication teams. The goal? Lead generation, turbocharging sales, cranking up click-through rates, building subscriber lists, sparking brand recognition, and the list goes on… We handle every stage of the video production process, from implementing marketing strategies and developing the creative to filming, editing, and delivering results.

Tell us about yourself?

As a kid, I was fascinated with video and storytelling. I spent hours and hours with the family analog camcorder making “movies”, capturing our family trips, and editing all that footage together.

During high school, my vision was set on getting accepted to one of the best film schools in the country. The acceptance letter never arrived. I was bummed, but I promised myself I’d stick to my passion and find a different way into the video world.

That’s when I met my buddy, Dave. Fresh out of college, we decided to start a video production agency. Oak + Rumble was born. We were broke, owned no gear, and had zero clients. We hustled by reaching out to friends and family connections, sending tons of cold emails to local businesses and marketing agencies, and even taking out a loan to buy the equipment we needed.

A decade of bootstrapping later, Oak + Rumble has collaborated with hundreds of remarkable businesses, produced thousands of videos, and won numerous awards at international marketing and video competitions.

If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

Lean into developing your personal brand. It doesn’t matter if you’re self-employed, an employee, or between roles – your personal brand will set you apart and lead you to your next opportunity.

Oak + Rumble

What problem does your business solve?

Communication is the core problem we solve. If done right, video has a potent message and can reach a lot of people in a short time frame. Its ability to create an emotional connection and response from the audience it targets is what sets it apart from any other type of media.

In most organizations, communication departments are under a lot of pressure to demonstrate that their efforts aren’t an expense but a revenue driver. They’re stressed, worried about new trends in their industry, and frankly, a little burned out. On top of that, they’re facing a crowded video landscape with budgets that demand their content efforts work harder and go further for them. It’s a lot.

As a video marketing agency, we take some of that pressure off by managing the video strategy and execution. We bring creative ideas, a decade of production experience, and a streamlined process to the table. By complimenting and augmenting the capabilities of the teams we work with, we make sure that we deliver bang for every buck.

What is the inspiration behind your business?

At the heart of it, we’re creative communicators and storytellers who use that skill to help businesses grow. We believe video is the most effective tool a company can use to amplify their voice, increase their revenue, and solve many of the problems that communication departments face.

Oak + Rumble

What is your magic sauce?

We often hear stories about agencies failing to understand their clients, lacking transparency, and overpromising while underdelivering. But that’s not how we roll, and here’s where our secret sauce comes into play.

We’ve honed our skills by crafting thousands of videos for tech startups and industry giants alike. Because of that, embracing an agile mindset is second nature to us – but we never compromise quality for efficiency. We’re all about blending our massive capabilities with a personalized, client-centric approach.

In a nutshell, our magic sauce boils down to deeper expertise, a proven track record, and a relentless commitment to making the experience top-notch. While the quality of the end product is a top priority, enjoying the journey to get there is what makes us the go-to agency. We’re not just about delivering a video product; we’re about delivering an exceptional experience.

What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?

Like every agency, our goal is to expand our client base and help more businesses thrive with video. Ultimately, our vision is to establish ourselves as the go-to video agency for crafting Super Bowl ads for industry giants on a global scale.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?

Well, besides the obvious curveball – COVID-19 – the most significant challenge we’ve encountered is the wild rollercoaster of changes in the video world. Over the past decade, video and its applications have evolved at breakneck speeds, with platforms transitioning into video-first spaces.

Staying at the forefront of these trends and predicting future trends is like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. Our ability to adapt and innovate in this environment has been crucial to our success.

How can people get involved?

Looking to get started with video or make your video content even better? Let’s chat! Schedule a free consultation with me by following this link: www.calendly.com/hardy-brandon/30min or visiting www.oakandrumble.com. You can also find me chatting about video production and video marketing on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/hardybrandon and Instagram www.instagram.com/oakandrumble.