FierceOnlineVideo Leaders - David Mason, CEO StudioNow

FierceOnlineVideo got a chance recently to catch up with David Mason, CEO of StudioNow, which creates custom video platforms and streamlines video creation by leveraging a network of video professionals, to discuss his company's progress in 2009 and his thoughts on the state of the online video industry.

FierceOV: David, what have been some highlights for StudioNow this year as we approach the end of the first half of 2009?

David Mason: We've seen revenue growth of about four times in the past six months, and June is on track to be the company's best month to date. We've been involved in producing a wide range of content, from 30 second clips to full episodes, and think we can handle any type of video project for our clients. We manage the production side of video products for our clients with a custom web-based production platform to manage the process more effectively. Our system helps our clients get a 50 to 60 percent cost savings over alternatives. 

FierceOV: Are there any specific business verticals that have shown more interest in your services so far? 

Mason: We're seeing good overall growth across verticals, but I would say we've especially been strong in companies that weren't traditionally media companies but have evolved to have a media presence, for instance, Ford Models. They had never been in the content business, but now I believe Ford Models TV is one of the top 10 channels on YouTube, and they need to be connected with video professionals to produce that content. We've also seen a lot of interest from publishers who want to put video content of authors around their books, and the local small business space as well through our relationship with CitySearch.

FierceOV: Dave, you were one of the principals of SpeedServe, an early book e-tailer that eventually became Buy.com. How does the experience you gained with Buy.com influence your work with StudioNow?

Mason: I saw a similar trend beginning in online video to what I noticed in Internet retailing when I started the first company. Buy.com came out of finding a business model to capitalize on the disruptive ability to source directly from wholesalers and offer discounts to customers because prices came down dramatically.

The old model for video production was difficult and tedious, but the companies producing video had money that enabled high-cost productions. Now, with the spread of Internet video, it's clear that something has to be done to bring the cost of production down. We want to reduce the cost infrastructure by connecting with video professionals, aggregating them and treating them as partners. We've got partners ranging from highest-end people who shoot music videos to kids just finishing up film school, so we feel we can find the right person to connect to for every video project. 

FierceOV: How do you select the right videographer, sound person, etc. for your client videos, and how do you manage client feedback? 

Mason: Our account management department collects data both from the video professionals and clients about their experience to better serve future orders. We have 15 different things we're rating that go into our recommendations for future projects. We also collect feedback from the customer about their ratings for different parts of the experience. This helps us put the best person for each job in contact with the right client, because say Sue is really good at shooting food and restaurant promo videos, but she's not quite as good as Joe at shooting business training videos. We discover that sort of information over time and we get better and better about matching the right video professionals with the right client.