Digital agency News

Performance Based Direct Agencies is Where the Smart Money is Flowing

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CLEARWATER, FLA. JUNE 24, 2020

In Times Like This, Smart Brands are Shifting Marketing Dollars to Performance Based Agencies.

As marketers are scrambling to get their message in front of the right eyeballs for the right dollars, smart marketers have found the key to making their money go further…they’ve turned to direct response performance agencies. “We have acted for years as if every day is a crisis…it’s our clients’ money, and if we are not fighting for value and performance every single hour of every day, then they don’t get the ROI they need” said Bluewater Media President Gina Pomponi a 30 year veteran of the DRTV industry. 

In times of uncertainty, the advertising world holds its breath and grabs its wallet and pulls its schedule. Well, that knee jerk reaction may be common, but unnecessary.  Perhaps a more lucrative pivot is turning to a more accountable agency to manage your ad budgets. With a Performance Based Agency, gone are the days of being locked in by expensive up-fronts and non-cancellable media with rigid contracts. What you need right now is to know that your money is working as efficiently as possible with the added freedom of finding the best performing media every single hour of every single day.

In a world where ad budgets are shrinking, CMO’s are challenged to move the sales needle with even fewer resources. Performance Based Agencies, like Bluewater Media, infuse accountability into the buying strategies. With Performance Based Media Buying and a direct to consumer approach, every dollar spent is designed to bring back that dollar and then some. It’s not a shotgun approach that is measured at the end of the quarter or year, but rather a targeted approach with data-backed analytics that detail actual sales attribution and media efficiency, daily.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, and right now one of our customers products has a THREE dollar Cost Per Order…and an 80 dollar average order, not sure that’s ever been done before” said Brian Fasulo managing partner of Bluewater Media…”but it makes sense, we craft a message that is geared to transact immediately, then our media algorithms capture the buyer, it’s a converged effort that has been honed for years and is razor sharp”

It’s a mindset shift toward being more flexible in your advertising approach, and making your dollars directly accountable, but done properly it stretches budgets at time when that is the number one priority for businesses everywhere.

Of course, while it seems logical and easy, the practical application, operation and the analytics is what separates a great direct to consumer agency from an average agency. Obviously great returns come from choosing a great agency. “Wrap your head around this, TV viewership is at an all-time high and Bluewater has been able to find rate cuts across the board from 20-70%. This buying discipline and constant negotiation is the way brands win in this market.” Said Robert Fallon President of Bluewater.

Many economists are predicting this behavioral shift of buying from home while avoiding large crowds could last years, and that the only thing that is certain is change.  Moving your entire ad buy or just a portion of it can be done painlessly in as quick as a week.  Pomponi wrapped it up by saying, “Put it this way, we are buying the same eyeballs, sometimes for a dime on the dollar…and the results are published every single day, no smoke, no mirrors…just performance in an open, honest, VERY hard working agency”

About Bluewater:
Bluewater is a converged advertising and marketing agency that utilizes digital and broadcast creative, media strategy and transactional e-commerce to introduce products to market and build lasting brand awareness. Bluewater was the first end-to-end, fully digital, tapeless studio in the state of Florida. Its digital division provides social media, digital production, digital advertising, and turnkey solutions to maximize product visibility and sales on consumer websites, Amazon and other marketplaces, including handling all aspects of inventory, marketing, and the sales process. Visit the company website at https://bluewater.tv or on LinkedIn @bluewater-media.

Digital agency News

Bluewater’s President of Media, Gina Pomponi, Wins Silver Stevie® Award in 2020 American Business Awards®

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CLEARWATER, FLA. (PRWEB) MAY 27, 2020

Bluewater, the converged advertising and marketing agency, is proud to announce their President of Media, Gina Pomponi as the winner of a Silver Stevie® Award in the Lifetime Achievement category of Business Service Industries in the 18th Annual American Business® Awards.

Gina Pomponi won this prestigious award by showcasing her exceptional growth over the last 30 years as an industry leader that is known for achieving exceptional results and providing her client’s unparalleled success within the direct response industry. Judges took special note of Gina’s particular hands-on style of management and the dedication to her team to invest and train these individuals into strong marketing professionals. They also referred to her extensive years of hard work as “truly inspiring”, and displaying “an impressive track record” for her achievements and exceptional results due to a strong determination.

More than 230 professionals worldwide participate in the judging process to select this year’s Stevie Award winners.

“I’m extremely honored to have received the prestigious Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Business Services. The personal recognition is humbling,” said Gina Pomponi, President of Media. “At 20 years old as a single mother, working two jobs, and one at a direct marketing agency, I didn’t know what my future held. Direct marketing became my passion. It chose me. I thrive on building organizations and designing marketing strategies to profitably grow my client’s businesses. Above all, I am committed to developing and mentoring the very talented team I have built, as they are the future of Bluewater.”

“Gina’s understanding of performance-driven marketing and advertising drives real results for the brands and clients. She has been instrumental in driving billions of dollars in business,” said Andy Latimer, Founder and CEO of Bluewater. “Her clients and partners get incredible results because not only does she know how to drive response but the right response. She deserves this lifetime achievement award more than anyone I know as she has proven time and time again her impact with her business partners and clients.”

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All private, for-profit and non-profit, large, and small.

More than 3,600 nominations of all sizes and in virtually every industry submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Startup of the Year, Executive of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Live Event of the Year, and App of the Year, among many others.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will be virtually presented to winners during a live event on Wednesday, August 5. Tickets for the virtual event are now on sale.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2020 Stevie winners are available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.    

About Bluewater:
Bluewater is a converged advertising and marketing agency that utilizes digital and broadcast creative, media strategy and transactional e-commerce to introduce products to market and build lasting brand awareness. Bluewater was the first end-to-end, fully digital, tapeless studio in the state of Florida. Its digital division provides social media, digital production, digital advertising, and turnkey solutions to maximize product visibility and sales on consumer websites, Amazon and other marketplaces, including handling all aspects of inventory, marketing, and the sales process. Visit the company website at https://bluewater.tv or on LinkedIn @bluewater-media.

About the Stevie Awards:
Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

Sponsors of The 2020 American Business Awards include John Hancock Financial Services, Melissa Sones Consulting, and SoftPro.

Digital agency News

Bluewater℠ Adds Colleen Ferrier as new Chief Marketing Officer and Shayne Ferrier as new Executive Producer

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Bluewater Media℠ is at it again!

We’ve continued to expand by adding top notch talent in the field of brand and direct-to-consumer marketing with the hiring of new Chief Marketing Officer, Colleen Ferrier, and new Executive Producer, Shayne Ferrier.

“Colleen’s and Shayne’s unparalleled expertise in the world of targeted video advertising make them excellent additions to the growth of Bluewater Media℠,” said Andy Latimer, CEO/Founder of Bluewater Media℠. “Adding the Ferrier team to ours further increases our ability to service clients in all forms of converged content in order to increase brand awareness and drive sales.”

With more than 12 years in Direct Response Television (DRTV) and 17 years in marketing, Colleen Ferrier spent almost 8 years as Chief Operating Officer of Infomercials Inc. where Pillow Pets won the Electronic Retailing Association’s Moxie Award in the People’s Choice category. Following her time at Infomercials Inc., she served as Chief Marketing Officer of SCF Direct where she won the Electronic Retailing Association’s Moxie Award in the People’s Choice category for Glow Sharks.

Colleen was an important part of producing and/or marketing such hits as Pillow Pets, Little Giant Ladder Xtreme, Stompeez and more. Her expertise as a producer of video advertising content has included such categories as lawn and garden, power tools, children’s products, crafts, and many more!

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Georgia.

Shayne Ferrier brings more than 20 years of knowledge and experience in television and radio production, commercial and corporate script writing, directing and post-production supervision. He served as Executive Producer of SCF Direct. Additionally, he was Executive Producer of the former Shotgun Media Group. Shayne has written scripts, produced and/or directed spots for such clients as Toyota, 1-800Flowers.com, iRobot, Training Mask, Keurig, Iron Mountain and countless other clients.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Missouri State University.

Shayne Ferrier

Together this dynamic duo brings nearly 50 years combined experience to Bluewater. They will help us to continue to be trail blazers and industry leaders that set the world of marketing and advertising ablaze!

Digital agency

A “Big” Splash: Welcome Mark Biglow to the Bluewater℠ Team

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On the heels of adding Michael Weinstein, former Allstar Products Group CMO, to the management team as President of Digital, we’ve added a direct response marketing legend to the staff.

Mark Biglow, or “Big” as he is known, joins us in the Sales and Marketing division, bringing 20 years of knowledge, expertise and his deep relationships with many of the best direct to consumer marketers in the world. Biglow has been a catalyst for many companies’ growth throughout his career in performance-based marketing helping to facilitate billions of dollars in sales for the clients he has represented. Biglow’s responsibilities include strategic client development and new business for Bluewater. Anyone who knows us knows that we have vast capabilities in creative, content development, marketplace management, E-commerce, media strategy and media buying and that is rooted in the understanding of consumer analytics and cross platform optimization – Big will be a big part of the funnel that brings new clients seeking these services into the fold.

Biglow was recently with STIKI, a company focused on text messaging as a means of consumer engagement rather than visiting a URL or calling a number to respond to a call to action. He was previously with Mercury Media for 10 years.

“Big is a legend in the direct response industry who knows the industry better than almost anyone I know,” said Bluewater Media℠ CEO and Founder Andy Latimer. “Having him join our converged agency gives us a resource of one of the most connected people that you can find in direct response”.

Bluewater’s President of Media, Gina Pomponi echoed Latimer’s enthusiasm, “Big and I worked together at my old agency when it transitioned into Mercury Media; we did a lot of great things together”. “He’s amazing in new business development, building and maintaining lasting relationships with his clients unlike anyone I’ve ever seen.” Pomponi continued adding that Biglow doesn’t just close deals, but he genuinely cares about the success of his clients and stays engaged maintaining relationships over years.

Biglow is a professional who is dedicated to the direct response industry and all the relationships that he’s created and cultivated over the past two decades.

News

Bluewater Media℠ CEO Andy Latimer Takes on AdSum

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The Online Sellers Summit, commonly referred to as AdSum (its original name) just wrapped up last Tuesday in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is a conference that brings together the best and brightest of the digital marketing and advertising realm from around the world, including professionals from far away places such as Thailand, Spain and Sweden to network and learn together.

“It was very enlightening to see so many diverse groups there,” said Bluewater℠ CEO Andy Latimer. “You had Amazon Marketers, affiliates, online sellers and even some successful individuals who have done $750,000 a day in transactions”.

Some of the guest speakers at the event included industry leaders such as Ezra Firestone, Perry Belcher and some of the best internet marketers in the world giving insights, tips and secrets.

The below video is a recap of last year’s AdSum conference that took place in Aspen, Colorado.

Bluewater℠ and Zahalo® were the only television marketers and the only converged agency that was capable of handling both TV and digital at the conference. This allowed for the unique opportunity to see some of the backend tools that online marketers were employing, how they were driving conversions and how their transaction processes worked. Additionally, Bluewater℠/Zahalo® had the opportunity to pitch ReadyShop which was met with resounding praise and interest from the community.

This was a phenominal opportunity for Bluewater℠ from a networking and business development standpoint.

“We made a lot of great connections there, we work with a lot of great brands, and unfortunately some of these affiliate marketers may not have access to them” said Latimer. “We want to be the conduit for these marketers and affiliates to have that access and for our brands and products reach across platforms, this is what the folks at AdSum do, this is what we can do with them”.

Latimer concluded by saying,” if you want to continue to be the best of the best, you have to hangout with the best of the best, and that’s exactly what we did”.

Digital agency News

PDMI: The New Vanguard of the Direct Response Industry

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Bluewater Media is a proud sponsor of PDMI

The Performance Driven Marketing Institute (PDMI) is the new thought leader in the world of direct response and direct to consumer marketing replacing the now defunct Electronic Retailors Association (ERA) and the Direct Response Marketing Association (DRMA). The goal of PDMI is to create positive alliances between internet, television and radio marketers as well as to bring them together with retail marketers to help move their products into the retail space.

 

Partnering with ERA Europe, last week PDMI saw over 1,000 of the world’s best marketers from far off places like Japan and China to Europe and the United States converge on the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The large international presence at the conference underscored an important point, that direct response marketers consider the global implications of their strategies. There were educational seminars involving legal advocacy and methodology as well as numerious meetings for business development as well.

 

 

Bluewater Media was a sponsor of this great event. “Events like PDMI allow for great knowledge sharing, so it puts best in class performers like Bluewater in touch with some of the best brands in the world as well as other third-party providers to make sure that we’re using best practices for all our clients and that we’re effectively marketing using innovative strategies to drive traffic and sales” said Bluewater Media CEO Andy Latimer. Latimer went on to say that from a standpoint of integration, the conference is loaded with big opportunities, and that the reach of the event and it’s impact will have a long lasting effect on Bluewater.

 

One of many townhall meetings on the weekend

Bluewater will continue to work with PDMI to help them develop strong educational and leadership sessions that will inspire not only master marketers, but also create opportunities for and develop the skills of new marketers.

PDMI brings the best performance driven marketers in the world together. It is an organization built from global thought leaders in the marketing and advertising space. Bluewater Media will continue to partner with PDMI as they continue to innovate, lead and teach.

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After the Cameras Stop Rolling. Post Production: An Interview with Mark Henning

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The talent is gone, the sets dismantled and the footage captured; now what? How does the raw footage and images captured in studio become transformed into the content that you see on TV? Mark Henning, Director of Post Production sits down to explain just that.

 

So you and your team essentially turn raw assets into gold? You make all this content useable for whatever application that it has been designated for, correct?

Well here’s kind of the progression of things and how things work from pre-production through post. In pre-production they write a script that serves as the guide for shooting the commercial, then when it’s all finished we take whatever assets they’ve gathered and use the script that was written as a road map of sorts; it’s kind of like we’re writing the script a second time. We take the puzzle pieces so to speak and assemble them in a way that creates the best picture possible.

So who makes up your team?

It runs the gamut, we have everything from assistant editors that bring footage in and get it organized and prepped to editors who make creative choices. We have guys who do 2D graphics and motion graphics, we have 3D animators that can create almost anything you can imagine, we have sound mixing and sweeting, color correcting and visual effects all going on – it’s all very involved.

What would you say is the most difficult part of the post production process?

Honestly, every project is different. A long form project has the challenge of having to tell a bunch of small stories individually for the entirety of a 30 minute infomercial and yet still make it flow and be a cohesive show. People may have the misconception that a short form is easier, but that isn’t always the case. With only 30 seconds you have to utilized every frame and each second the best you can in order to explain all the features and benefits of the product. So the real answer to your question is that each project presents unique challenges, you can’t necessarily nail down one thing as the “most challenging”.

How did you get into this line of work, what advice would you give to someone who is looking to get into this field or someone who is just starting out?

I started editing as a kid by splicing film together, I’ve loved filmmaking since I was 10 years old. My advice is two fold, firstly, learn by watching tutorials. It is an easier field to get into now than it was in the past because of the access to tools and knowledge. Back when I was starting computer editing was brand new and it could cost half a million dollars or more, but today there are so many tutorials on YouTube and other places, it helps a lot. So be willing to learn and work hard. My second piece of advice is this, you have to be passionate and make your own projects. As I said before, there isn’t a lack of resources to learning about these things, become well versed in a specific skillset and make it your expertise so that you have something you can offer to a studio or production company.

What is the one thing that you want people to take away after reading this article?

Post is where you have the ability to really craft a story. Yes there is an important technical side to it, but even more so than that is the creative side. When a post team brings these two things together, we’re able to advance the production beyond the original script and footage shot, into the best possible product.

Now you know, the process that happens after shoots is a time consuming and labor intensive one, but it is integral to producing the content that we as consumers all crave. While very technical in nature, the creative side is just as important, so when you have passionate professionals like Mark Henning leading the way in post, you’re able to have amazing, engaging content that works.

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Kitchen Influencial – How Bluewater Media is helping cook up audiences and profits for food bloggers

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In the 1980s, during the nascent days of cable television, when I first starting in the advertising business, audiences were tiny, unrated and easy to dismiss by the dominant, big-three broadcast networks. In time, combined cable ratings surpassed those three networks, and in recent years viewership for Netflix has also eclipsed audiences for those same once-dominant broadcasters. Today, the marketplace is at a similar nexus, as media usage habits shift, and bloggers and social media influencers begin to attract audiences in sizes that range from those requiring micro-measurement, to aggregated audiences that offer numbers rivaling TV’s reach.

As of September 2017, it was estimated that there are more than 440 million blogs worldwide according to mediakix, a number that has surely surpassed a half a billion by now. Food bloggers comprise one of the largest categories, with top influencers attracting audiences that number in the millions, drawn to their websites and social media hubs that include Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter. Enter Bluewater Media, a converged marketing agency based in Clearwater, Florida, that is helping influencers generate and monetize their content. In addition to having fully-integrated production capabilities in its 33,000 square foot studio and offices, Bluewater is offering bloggers a WordPress plug-in shopping solution called ReadyShop. ReadyShop, which is set to go live later this month, allows influencers to effortlessly make money when their followers buy products, a feat that can be achieved without the consumer ever leaving the site of their favorite tastemaker.

To help bloggers create engaging content, Bluewater, which is located near the white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast, is building a sandbox of a different nature. They are in the process of building a fully-functioning kitchen set they have dubbed “Country Squares.” Country Squares aims to be a kind of culinary town hall where food bloggers can come, play, collaborate and serve up live and evergreen content to help satisfy their followers’ cravings for tips and recipes, with a dash of brand integration. For influencers attending the Everything Food Conference outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, Bluewater is giving free access to the kitchen for those who sign up for their curated shopping cart solution, ReadyShop.

Bluewater has worked with some of the most prominent celebrity chefs including Gordon Ramsey, Wolfgang Puck and Paula Deen, as well as successful housewares brands such as KitchenAid, Blackstone, Philips, SodaStream and Fleischer & Wolf. Such culinary leaders are keen to capture the imagination of these influencers and their audiences. Meanwhile Bluewater’s aim is to create micro-marketplaces that will help support the bloggers economically, without having to divert their audiences to other sites or marketplaces. As Bluewater CEO Andy Latimer explains it, “Our goal is to help bloggers grow their audiences with compelling content and by cross-pollinating audiences. So, for example, you might have a blogger focused on gluten-free paired with a pastry chef. Each of them has a following that numbers in the tens of thousands, but they are not necessarily ‘competing’ in any traditional sense. Through live and taped events in our kitchen, their respective audiences get exposure to new personalities and ideas, and each of the participants then expands their viewership.” Latimer continues, “Such tastemakers often build formidable goodwill and trust. Rather than objecting to the commercialization of these sites, we find that frequently their audiences are seeking not only recommendations, but access to product. They understand that the blog cannot be a full-time pursuit without theses personalities having the opportunity to make some money to fund their efforts.” Response rates under such scenarios often exceed those of celebrity chefs, explains Latimer, proof-in-the-pudding for foodies that is both savory and sweet.

To help fuel this mission, Bluewater has full-time staff dedicated to the influencer outreach. According to John Hammond, an account executive dedicated to the effort who spends all day engaging food mavens, many of them are frustrated by efforts to monetize their sites with some of the larger marketplaces. “It’s too easy for a big player to say that a sale came from another source. With ReadyShop we’ve created a model whereby, if the bloggers don’t make money, we don’t make money. Our aim is to create a win for them, for us, and for the marketers who are offering up their product.” Amid a such a fragmented marketplace, such hand-to-hand combat – in this case armed with a fork and a knife – just might be the soufflé of the future. In the process, food bloggers will be afforded the opportunity to bake their cake… and eat it too.

Everything Food 2019 will be held on May 1-4th in Layton, Utah at the Davis Conference Center and Hilton Garden Inn Hotel (25 minutes from Salt Lake City, Utah). You can learn more at https://www.foodbloggingconference.com/

 

Rick Petry is a direct marketing veteran of over 25 years who has been involved with campaigns that have generated over $1 billion in sales. He provides creative services to both B2C and B2B marketing campaigns, recent projects have included Actegy/Revitive, Education Connection, GOLO, Joybird and OYO. The author of over 200 articles on direct marketing best practices, Petry has a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema/Television from the University of Southern California and an MBA with a Concentration in Marketing and Sales from Marylhurst University.

 

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Inside the World of Production: An Interview with Brandon Anthony

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At the heart of direct response marketing are two things, the product and the production shoot. Content really is king; no matter how good or revolutionary a product may be, the creative, putting together the content, shooting the TV spot and stills (more on this in the future) is what gives it life. Brandon Anthony, one of our senior producers and directors sat down to give a behind the scenes look at what production is really like.

 

How many projects/clients are you typically working on at one time?

That varies. The production team as a whole has anywhere up to 30 separate projects. Each producer may have 5-10 separate projects on their plate at once.

How long have you been at Bluewater?

January will mark 10 years.

How did you get into production?

It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up! Magazine. Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine.
Hangin’ pictures on my wall. Way back, when I had the red and black lumberjack with the hat to match. I’m blowin’ up like you thought I would.
Call the crib, same number, same hood. It’s all good and if you don’t know, now you know.

What’s the most important part of a shoot?

As I have always said. The most important part of production/shoot is the team. If you have a good team you can make the impossible, possible.

What goes into a shoot? Rundown of all the intricacies?

Each shoot is different even though every project is important. Some shoots have more details than others and some of our higher budget long-form creative, even though done months in advance, still take us all the way up to the project is being filmed to execute the vision.

How do you deal with unexpected situations and sudden change?

You just have to adapt and find a solution. The client doesn’t care if its raining, still need to hit the deadline.

What advice would you give to a young producer, PA, or someone looking to get into the business?

Make sure production is something you really want to do. A lot of times it’s not as glamorous as it looks. You can’t be afraid of long hours and hard work.

What is your proudest production moment?

We were in New Orleans a year ago with the team filming KitchenAid. We were scheduled to shoot a daytime scene the next day when a tropical storm was scheduled to hit the area. We turned it into an evening scene and filmed the wide shots on location outside and filmed the medium and closeup shots in a warehouse with a tropical storm overhead. The scene turned out amazing and I dare anyone to point out the difference between what was shot inside and what was shot outside.

These guys are the unsung heroes of the advertising and marketing worlds. Consumers see the finished products on TV or on the internet, they see the charismatic spokesperson, but they don’t necessarily know the grind that goes into the production that makes it all possible. As Brandon said, “if you have a good team you can make the impossible, possible”. Content is king and the producers, directors and shooters are an integral part to a smooth running direct response machine.

 

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Animation: An Interview with Creative Director Ricky Turner

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Animation was a revolutionary change in film and TV that signaled the advent of technological triumphs that previous generations couldn’t have even imagined. Animation brought us Mickey Mouse, Star Wars, Jurassic Park and others on the film side. In the world of television it enabled advertisers and show producers to create engaging and entertaining programs that connected with consumers like never before. Our Creative Director, Ricky Turner shares some insights about animation and his experience.

 

How long have you been with Bluewater Media?

I’ve been an official employee for eight years, but I’ve been working with them for 11 years.

How many clients or projects do you typically work on at one time?

I usually have five or six going at a time, but there’s always a queue of internal projects at any given time as well. Fun fact, last year I did 21 animations for HSN alone.

How did you get into this field and how long have you been doing animation?

I got into animation very purposely, it’s exactly what I went to school for, so in total I’ve been in this line of work for 20 or so years. Back in 1998 I was at Mississippi State, which is an engineering school, back then animation had to be done on quarter million dollar, giant, super computers. Because of the engineering department as well as grants from the National Science Foundation we were able to have access to this incredible technology.

Why is this kind of creative important, what role does it play in our organization?

This kind of creative just has so much heart in it, both on the part of the creators and with the consumer. The animators really put a lot of work into this kind of thing and care about the quality of their craft, and for the consumer it really gives the messaging and content that it’s paired with more meaning. Putting yourself in the position of the viewer and imagining what would excite them is a creative adventure for us, so it plays a huge role.

What’s your creative process when you take on a new client or project? 

I feel that it helps to talk about things, I’ve always been a very visual person and have a clear vision about what I see in my head, but talking it out and hearing it out loud can help you figure things out. Talking not only with clients, but with other creative people can also help a lot, sometimes when you hear an idea out loud it can actually change. The fleshing out process is very important.

What would you say makes a good animator? 

I think that what separates the good from the great in the world of animation is having an artistic eye. I’ve seen a lot of technically gifted animators who don’t have an artistic eye and as a result make very well put together garbage. On the opposite end of things, I’ve seen some animators that are just diamonds in the rough. These guys might have a long way to go or need some extra tutelage, but they have an eye for art and can make some really simple things look simply amazing. To me that sense of art is the most important thing.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in the field or is just getting into it?

Get a background in art first. My first degree was a bachelor’s in fine arts and graphic design. The computer animation was a master’s degree, so I didn’t even start any of my animation work until after I had already completed five years of art school. I think that this is just so important, because that’s where that eye gets developed and you figure out your personal aesthetic, the foundations of design and what objectively looks good.

Finding a good animator is something that can immensely help your business or campaign. They provide the kind of creative that can help a brand connect with their audience in unique and effective ways.

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Photography: An interview with Nolan Heasley

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Nolan Heasley is our Director of Photography here at Bluewater Media. He took time out of his busy schedule to talk a little bit about photography.

How long have you been with Bluewater Media?.

Since 2010, but I’ve been doing work for the company since 2006/2007.

How did you get into photography?

Honestly I always had an interest in it. I took some classes about it when I was in high school and I had a 35mm camera that I got from my dad, that’s kind of when it really started to take shape. When the time came for me to figure out what I wanted to do with my life I actually decided that I would go to film school. There’s a lot more technical stuff to learn with video that doesn’t come into play with still photography. While I was in school focusing on video, I was still learning and teaching myself still photography skills.

Talk about all the intricacies that go into a shoot and getting the perfect shot

There are a lot of different things, it varies from shoot to shoot and depends a great deal on the client. We usually sit down with the client before the shoot and try to figure out their needs and the creative vision of the director. We collaborate and try to find what will portray a certain vision in the best possible way. Technically it can be very simple or very complicated depending on what’s needed. Things like the setting, lighting, composition, camera movement – it all plays a role.

If there’s one thing that is essential in photography and getting a good shot, what would it be?

The camera, having the right tool for the given situation, they’re not all the same. Aesthetically, lighting and composition play a big part too.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to get into this field, a young photographer or someone who is just starting out?

Never stop learning. Every shoot you learn something new, the learning process is never done. When you stop learning stuff it becomes boring, there are always new challenges and new ways to find to overcome them. Every project, every shot, you need to be gleaning information from.

Someone who is just getting into it I would say that they need to learn on their own. A lot of people go to school with the mentality that, ” if I leave here with a film degree, then I’ll get a job”. It doesn’t work that way, they need to understand that technology keeps changing and advancing so there are always new things to learn.

If there is one thing that you want people to know or take away from this after reading it, what would it be?

That it’s a lot harder than it looks, it’s not just point and shoot. You have to dedicate yourself to learning and understanding how things can effect a shot, what you need to do to capture an image that looks a certain way. Additionally, understand that being prepared and giving great attention to detail can make all the difference in a photo looking just ok and it looking great. It’s not as easy as everyone may think.

A good photographer can help you generate valuable content and assets for deliverables, clients, in house projects and more. Investing in shooters that are professional and know what goes into a shoot can be a major asset to an organization.

 

News

Bluewater Media hires Sarah Andreadakis as Vice President of Client Development

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Bluewater media recently bolstered their media division by naming Sarah Andreadakis, a 20 year marketing and direct response veteran as Vice President of Client Development.

Sarah is responsible for the strategic management of clients and is heavily involved in their onboarding as well as ensuring the procedural and strategic program implementation. Ultimately she strives to help clients grow and ensures that the media division meets or exceeds the client’s goals on their path to growth.

Sarah has worked with well known brands in a variety of verticals such as Best Buy, Rosetta Stone, Bosley and others. She has overseen direct response radio campaigns that have produced millions of dollars in monthly revenue for both high profile and even small start up companies.

“Welcoming Sarah to the Bluewater team excites us! She brings 20 plus years of experience building strong client relationships and managing marketing strategy development for both TV and radio advertising. Her wealth of knowledge, her ability to exceed client expectations and her strong positive attitude make her a key addition to our executive team.”, said Bluewater Media Media Division President Gina Pomponi.

 

ABOUT BLUEWATER MEDIA: We are a brand focused converged creative agency that utilizes branded direct response, brand integration, digital marketing and traditional advertising methods to introduce products to market. Bluewater Media was the first end-to-end, fully digital, tapeless studio in the state of Florida.

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Bluewater Media Hires Mike Marte as new Strategic Inventory Manager

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Bluewater Media recently added Mike Marte to their crack team of marketers and direct response experts.

Mike will help to facilitate fulfillment and distribution for its Zahalo division that manages products on marketplaces such as Amazon FBA and Walmart.com. He has worked in the direct response world for the past five years in a wide range of roles spanning from product development to helping organizations accomplish their goals on an international scale.

Mike holds a Bachelor’s Degree in marketing and sales from DePaul University, as well as a certification in Category Management. As the Strategic Inventory Manager his role is to forecast inventory to ensure that the client maximizes their sales and can make the most out of their inventory, in both terms of distribution and maintaining an adequate influx of key assets thus ensuring consistent revenue flow.

“His experience in supply chain management is a great asset because of his success both domestically and internationally”, said Zahalo President Sandy Goldman.

Additionally, he has prior experience working for Oak Lawn Marketing, the largest direct response marketing company in Japan. He has helped to launch multiple marketing campaigns worldwide as well as possessing an impressive portfolio of freelance work. He understands industry best practices and is well versed in supply chain and inventory management.

“Through Mike’s expertise and experience, we look forward to uncovering great new products from our partners to add to Zahalo marketplaces”, said Goldman.

ABOUT BLUEWATER MEDIA: We are a brand focused converged creative agency that utilizes branded direct response, brand integration, digital marketing and traditional advertising methods to introduce products to market. Bluewater media was the first end-to-end, fully digital, tapeless studio in the state of Florida.

The ZAHALO division provides a turnkey solution for clients to maximize their visibility and sales on Amazon FBA and other Marketplaces. Zahalo handles every aspect of the inventory, marketing and sales process, allowing partners to focus their resources on what they do best.

News

Bruce Dworsky Joins Bluewater Media

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Bruce Dworsky Bluewater New Executive ProducerBluewater Media is excited to announce the addition of Bruce Dworsky as executive producer. He comes to rapidly expanding Bluewater Media with over 25 years of industry experience. Most recently, Dworsky headed his own DRTV production and consultation company, Jordan Direct, for the past 10 years. Prior to that he was the VP of Production at HSN Direct, Reliant International, Thane Direct and Banyan Productions. He’s produced hundreds of long-form and short-form DRTV projects both for U.S. domestic and International distribution, garnering over $3 Billion in sales of products worldwide.

Bluewater Media has created a multi-dimensional, converged agency that combimnes high-end production, a nimble and effective results driven media division, as well as a digital division that manages brand image, marketplace marketing and management, and online marketing strategies. This synergistic approach enables Bluewater to maximize creative, campaign tactics, digital strategy and executional performance – giving clients exactly what’s needed for today’s marketing needs – all under one roof.

Bruce adds, “With the changing landscape in direct to consumer marketing and direct to consumer engagement, it’s now more important than ever to consider a holistic approach to content marketing and advertising. Marketers must shift their thinking to what’s the most effective way to reach their intended audience, while still focusing on response and conversion, but now adding engagement, digital and re-marketing to their metrics…Bluewater delivers this and more.”

Bruce goes on to say, “What I’m particularly excited about is the environment and the people at Bluewater. The environment is incredibly creative, collaborative and extremely client centric…the people are top notch pros who know how to deliver the highest quality with the least amount of stress…all while achieving maximum results. Plus, the leadership is very forward thinking, growing the company in areas that are most important to today’s changing marketing landscape.”

“Bluewater is anchored in creative strategy but guided by analytics and optimization on all platforms. We are building a best in class team of direct to consumer marketers that can answer the changing needs of the direct response space. With Bruce’s success and experience in product and brand positioning, we add another strong leader to our senior management team that is focused on delivering results. We are all excited to have Bruce join the team and for him to have the resources that his talent deserves” said Andy Latimer, CEO.

About Bluewater Media

Bluewater Media is a brand focused creative, digital and media agency that utilizes branded direct response, brand integration and traditional advertising methods to introduce products to market. From a 33,000 square foot production studio in Clearwater, Florida they produce, develop and distribute direct response campaigns, commercials, television series and documentaries that integrate corporate branding as a methodology to inform, educate and motivate consumers to make product and services choices. In addition through their digital division Zahalo they provide digital marketing, social media management, aggregated audience marketing and e-commerce marketplace management. For more information, visit www.bluewatermedia.tv or www.zahalo.com.

Media Contact:Linda Alberts, Bluewater Media, 813-944-2926, linda@bluewatermedia.tv
News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.comhttps://www.bluewatermedia.tv/wp-admin/_wp_link_placeholder

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Creative Design and Brand Identity: An Interview with Brad Nault

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In the recent weeks, I’ve noticed recurring discussions on the web about brand identity and its effect on a company’s success. Obviously, we can all agree that brand identity is imperative to a thriving business, but why does it seem that so many fall short on its definition, only limiting themselves to logo design.

What exactly is brand identity? Brand identity extends past logo design, it includes branding, or “corporate image” which reflects the core values of the brand. Brand identity also heavily relies on design – or any kind of visual imagery – this includes marketing materials, web pages, product packaging, etc.

To get more insight into this topic, I figured I should ask Bluewater Media’s very own Brad Nault. Being one of the driving forces of the creative design team for the past couple years, Brad has first-hand experience with building a brand’s identity.

Jeremy Remot: Hello Brad, thanks again for sitting down with me.

Brad Nault: Of course, it’s no problem.

JR: So why don’t we just start off with a simple intro.

BN: Alright, my name is Brad Nault, I’ve been with Bluewater Media for about… 3 and half years now? That sounds about right.

JR: And in those 3 years, how many clients have you done creative work for?

BN: 200 or so…?

JR: That’s more than I expected, how many years of creative experience do you have in total?

BN: 20 plus

JR: Wow. Okay, so for my first question, what do you think makes a good designer so essential for businesses?

BN: I’m a bit biased but I’d say a good designer or team of designers is one of the most essential roles for any business that wishes to present itself to an outside audience. If a business is dishing out average designs, weak concepts, and sloppy work… that will show and their audience will recognize them as such.

 

“a good designer or team of designers is one of the most essential roles for any business”

 

JR: I agree, it seems like a lot of these businesses value the idea of their brand identity, but don’t devote the right amount of time and resources to it. So, what do you think is important when a company is trying to develop their brand identity?

BN: Having a clear and direct mission and vision statement is really helpful. Defining the company’s goals, target audience and overall theme gives the graphic designer a better foundation to start from. It’s the basics really…  Who are they? What are they offering? Why this brand? How will their brand change the world?  That last one may seem a tad lofty but sometimes a client can’t explain how their brand might change the world…  It’s part of our job to answer that question for them if they can’t. Having the other 3 questions answered aids the designer in doing this more convincingly.

JR: Walk us through your creative process when you take on a new project.

BN: The process begins outside of my wheel-house. The salespeople and the marketers get together with the client and work out what the overarching goals are and what it will cost.  Once a clear indication of the client’s needs is documented we can begin pushing forward.  Usually, the Creative Director will update me on what creative will be required. We have a discussion regarding the client’s brand and work out the best way to approach the work so that we remain true to the spirit of the brand and the client’s wishes. The key here is getting all of the pertinent information at the beginning so that every bit of creative done; whether it be a website, ad banners, B-roll, whatever… measures up to and carries forward the brand’s identity.  Once we work out what needs to be done I set up tasks and dole them out to my designers or myself.  After that it’s basically just barreling through it making sure we stay on brand and carve a clear path towards completion.

JR: What are some of the common mistakes you see companies make with their designs and their overall brand identity?

BN: A lot of times I’ll see inconsistencies in brand identity. A lot of clients want to constantly change their logo or branding and it can handicap their brand recognition. It’s like they’re trying to reinvent themselves but they aren’t established enough to make that move.

 

“…sometimes a client can’t explain how their brand might change the world…  It’s part of our job to answer that question for them if they can’t.”

 

JR: Before I let you go, what kind of advice can you give to companies out there looking for the right graphic designer?

BN: For the company, just be clear and concise with your creative goals. Be open to new creative ideas, constantly provide feedback and practice good communication. When you’re looking for a graphic designer, find someone who is obviously knowledgeable and suitable for the job. They should have at least the fundamentals down. Color theory, product and package design and typography are essential. And of course, someone who is a good collaborator can take criticism and fun to have around.

JR: Definitely, well thanks for letting me speak with you I really appreciate it.

BN: Cheers

As you can tell, a good graphic designer is more than a smart investment when it comes to building brand identity. They don’t just play a role at the beginning stages. As your company grows your brand identity evolves too so having a designer to help manage those changes is critical. Otherwise, not only will you find inconsistencies in your brand identity, your audience will too.

Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Drive - Bluewater Media Studios
News

Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Drive

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Drop-Off Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief and Recovery Items at Bluewater Media/Studios’ Warehouse

If you’ve watched any television or logged onto a social network in the last few days, you have undoubtedly seen the devastation our fellow Americans are experiencing in Texas due to the unprecedented rain and historic flooding from Hurricane Harvey. You might be asking yourself, how can I help?

If you live or work in the Tampa Bay area, we have a drop-off location for you! Bluewater Media Studios and their sister companies Zahalo, Castaway Music Studios, Talent Pool Agency, and ReadyShop are teaming up to give back to those in need. We will be collecting the following items starting today, Monday, August 28, 2017, and collecting through Wednesday, August 30, 2017. On Thursday, August 31, 2017, we will load everything up in our trucks and head West to Texas.

Any support you can give is much appreciated, even a social share or a mention on your news program would go a long way!

Items We are Collecting:

Batteries Wet boots
Tarps Mold Remediation Chemicals
Crowbars Bleach
Hammers Flashlights
Pry bars Rope
Generators Bungee Cords
Muck Buckets Leashes
Garbage bags Collars
Solar Chargers Dog Food
Camp stoves Cat Food
Camp Pots Eva dry
Portable Grills Push brooms
Propane Sweep brooms
Tents Shovels
Sleeping bags Diapers
Work gloves Money, Gift Cards, etc
Masks

Drop Off Location:

9 am – 6 pm Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday

Bluewater Media Studios Warehouse
4711 126th Avenue
Suite E
Clearwater, Fl 33762

Contact Information:

Chris Ingle
727. 251.5609

Uncategorized

America loves Bluewater Media, Kid Rock and the American Badass Grill. (Not necessarily in that order)

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100% American made, of course.

Bluewater Media at its finest… GoPro perspective, Rock Stars, Shotguns, Catapults, Machine Guns, Phantom High Speed and explosions…. does it get any better? After 2 years of secrecy we can finally tell you what we’ve been working on. Introducing Kid Rock’s American Badass Grill! Cheers to another epic production by the Badass Bluewater staff.

Kid Rock Primed For Summer BBQ Season With ‘American Badass Grill’

On Thursday morning (March 9) Rock announced the roll out of his “American Badass Grill,” a “100% Made in the USA” charcoal grill that he describes as “tough enough to last season after season, compact enough to take on the road, yet large enough to get the job done right.” In fact, Rock says it’s the perfect grill for the back yard, bed of your truck or “wherever you want to grill with a little attitude.”

The grill — which can hold up to a dozen burgers, or three beer can chickens — comes in a charcoal version for $99.95 (plus shipping and handling) and a gas version for $149.95 (plus S+H), both embossed with Rock’s American Badass eagle logo. “I’m not gonna lie. It is more expensive to make things in America. But it’s important to me. I love America, and I want to do all I can to create manufacturing jobs at home,” Rock says in a statement announcing the grill

And now, please enjoy pics and video of Kid Rock flinging foreign-made grills into the sky with a catapult and shooting them with shotguns:

Do you know anyone else who films infomercial footage from a GoPro attached to the end of a 12-gauge shotgun? Didn’t think so.

Looking down the barrel at some foreign made shit.

Nothing like an instant replay when you just shot up some foreign made grills

Check out the American Bad Ass Grill: http://americanbadassgrill.com

By Gil Kaufman
Published: 3/9/2017
Original Story

– See more at: http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7717902/kid-rock-american-badass-grill-charcoal-gas

The American Badass Grill made the Late Show with Stephen Colbert! And as you may know a parody is quite possibly the sincerest form of flattery.

 

The American Badass Grill videos have gone VIRAL :

More

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Bluewater Media’s new 4k Control Room brings production studios endless possibilities

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“Built by creatives, for creatives” that’s the Bluewater way, and here we grow again! Bluewater is a full service marketing agency with services spanning production, media, animation, design and development, and digital advertising and marketplace management.

Beyond growing in numbers, we’ve designed and built one of the most remarkable production studios with state-of-the-art equipment and resources, all designed to support creative. Helping us take a closer look, Bluewater Media partner and director of post production, Mark Henning, talks about how epic Bluewater’s new 4k control room really is.  

“It’s like the swiss army knife of control rooms”

Bluewater Media’s brand new 4k control room is truly any production teams dream. With the capabilities to handle the largest of projects and the simplicity for one man to run the whole show, our flight pack can do it all. Being the first, end-to-end, fully digital production studio in Florida, we are constantly looking for ways to be more than just industry leaders, but pioneers in our field. We’re known for using the most innovative cutting edge technology and equipment to fulfill any and all of our clients production and marketing  needs.

“This one piece of technology gives us the flexibility to tell our clients yes to more things. It’s really robust and powerful but incredibly flexible at the same time.”

The 4k control room is much more than just a great looking space, it gives us the ability to do live-to tape production with multi-cam shooting and that’s just the beginning. Now we have the capability of in-studio live broadcast straight from our control room, and with that we’ve shot Walmart’s Cyber Monday LIVE on walmart.com. The live broadcasting was all done under our control using 6 separate sets with 8 different hosts. Confirming the fact that our new 4k control room has the capacity to handle even the largest and most complicated of projects with ease.

“We can take the highest of high end cameras, hook up to 20 of them into the flight pack and record up to 6 different feeds at the same time with more mics than you’ll ever need, more audio recording in and out, and the capability to convert anything to anywhere. The opportunities are really endless here”

The ingenuity and portability of our flight pack furthermore allows Bluewater to handle big projects out in the field with the same capabilities as if still in the control room. Field live-to-tape production can be tricky for some but with our dual rack that can fit through any 32” doorway, we can take it almost anywhere. This portability allowed our crew to load up the flight pack and do Field Live to Tape with ease, shooting testimonials at the mall for a vacuum cleaner client.

“Quick to setup, and everything you need is built-in, you’ve got Recorders, 8 Wireless Mics, Wired/Wireless Comm, prompter, etc. all ready to go!”

The way it’s configured is rather simple. The entire unit can be hooked up with one power cord and two ethernet cables. This is important because we can now take the audio mixer, move it, and have the person who’s punching the switcher simultaneously work the audio mixer, making the typically 2 person job, easy for one person to hold down solo. This simplicity also makes it easy for one person to pack it all up in under 30 minutes and have it set up and ready to work as quickly as it takes the crew to set up cameras. This versatility makes it possible for our team to flawlessly shoot live to tape in the field with multiple cameras, while producers and directors can see multiple feeds all at once.

Beyond live to tape in the studio and on the field, our flight pack allows us to produce live-field  broadcast. With these capabilities we were able to do a live broadcast from the Mahaffy Theatre to AMC theatres across the state for the Bowden Dynasty documentary. Our flight pack allowed us to have two technical directors for both feeds which is genuinely incredible out in the field and made for a seamless live broadcast.

To get a bit more technical, Henning details the control room specs that’ll spark any inner production geeks wildest dreams. Let’s take a closer look at what’s inside the flight pack- there’s 6 different iso feeds, input up to 20 cameras, 8 built in lav mics, 64 channel audio recorder, fully digital audio mixer, 4 IFBs – in ear monitors for talent, 4 Mac mini computers, 5 Tirnex server computers, and 4k 60fps, making it “super future-proof.”

At Bluewater we are forever expanding and looking for new ways to be the most innovate production facility out there. In addition to our infinite production capabilities we differentiate from competitors with the endless possibilities in marketing and advertising that our digital division, Zahalo, brings to the table. Combining these powerhouse companies, with top talent in digital and production, top-of the line technology and equipment and creative that can take projects to a level clients never dreamt of reaching, this is the “Bluewater way”!

We  take immense pride in  our way of doing things and  the work we are able to produce as a result of this. Our 4k control room is a perfect example to this caveat. In conclusion, our new control room gives our team the confidence to take on the biggest of production projects without hesitation. With all these new endless possibilities, we’re extremely excited to see what 2017 has in store for Bluewater Media. 

Contact Us for a custom strategy and quote: info@bluewatermedia.com or 813-944-2926.

News

Bluewater Media opens doors to Clearwater Marine Aquarium for online web series

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Clearwater Aquarium_Hope and Winter
Dolphins Winter and Hope have become celebrities at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. “Rescue Clearwater,” which details the work going on at the aquarium, premieres this week at www.seewinter.com.

CLEARWATER — The forecast was jaw-dropping — an economic impact of $5 billion from the movie “Dolphin Tale,” produced locally and based on the true story of how the Clearwater Marine Aquarium rescues sick and injured sea creatures.

But aquarium CEO David Yates insists that the 2012 forecast, from a study by the College of Business at USF-St. Pete, will be largely validated this week with the release of a new, independent study commissioned by the aquarium.

Now, the aquarium will test whether productions shown on the Internet can deliver the kind of job and tourism boost credited to the Hollywood variety when it debuts a web series featuring the real-life work of Yates and his staff.

And to help the cause, the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Film Commissioner has contributed a $45,000 marketing grant toward the new “Rescue Clearwater,” film commissioner Tony Armer said.

The series premieres this week at www.seewinter.com. A new 30-minute show will be available the first of each month.

“We want St. Petersburg and Clearwater to become synonymous with online content,” Armer said. “It is a growing industry that has a lot to offer, like jobs and marketing opportunities.”

“Rescue Clearwater” is just the first of what Armer hopes are many successful online productions, such as Web series, films, music videos and tutorials nurtured by the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Film Commission.

The commission is using part of the $60,000 it budgeted for industry development to fund a partnership with Clearwater’s Bluewater Media providing free production space to creators of online programs.

On Saturday, 14 producers took part in what Armer called a “one-day YouTube boot camp” of classes at Bluewater on strategies for increasing online viewership and profits.

The producers will be the first participants in this public-private partnership granted free access throughout the year to Bluewater’s 33,000-square-foot center, including sound stages, indoor and outdoor sets, editing and recording suites, and lighting packages.

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With this help, the producers can become Internet sensations and grow their companies, Armer said. Their work can also be used as a tool to market the area to tourists who will fall in love with the scenery and the stories and to other online show creators seeking a welcoming home base.

“We want the best in that industry to move to our area to work and hire our residents,” Armer said.

He borrowed the idea for free space from YouTube, which provides the service to Web series producers through studios in Los Angeles and New York, as well as London, Berlin, Paris and Tokyo. To qualify, a producer must prove to YouTube he has least 10,000 regular subscribers.

The film commission began accepting applications for use of Bluewater in December. Nearly 40 responded, and selected finalists underwent interviews.

Subscribers were a factor in the selection, Armer said, but so was talent.

The experience level of the 14 selected ranges from Tony Ahedo, whose comedy series “Barry Baker: Aspiring Serial Killer,” about a lonely office worker with lack of purpose, has yet to premiere, to Jack Hartmann, whose YouTube channel of educational and fitness-driven children’s music videos has amassed 13 million views and 23,000 subscribers.

“I saw Tony Ahedo’s trailer for his series and immediately recognized this guy has a lot of talent, and with the right tools, his show can be huge,” Armer said. “Jack Hartmann is known nationwide for creating excellent, high quality content.”

Hartmann reached this level of success on a limited budget, said co-producer Jeremiah Johnson.

“We film it in the back of a warehouse using a green screen and a single camera,” Johnson said. “With the space and equipment now available to us, I can’t wait to see what we can do.”

The application process for the use of the Bluewater center is ongoing. More information is at www.filmspc.com.

The 14 producers initially selected all live locally, but online content creators from around the world are welcome to apply if they’re willing to relocate.

Creating a hub for online video creators has been a focus of Armer’s since he was hired as film commissioner in July 2014.

“Online content like a Web series is not new. This is not something that should be promoted as the future. This is the now.”

According to Internet analyst ComScore, 197.1 million Americans watched videos on their laptops in December 2015. That number doesn’t account for cell phone or tablet viewing that makes up for more than 40 percent of the online viewing audiences, ComScore says.

Online analyst firm Juniper Research predicts subscriptions to Web channels such as Netflix and Hulu will grow to 332.2 million by 2019, up from 92.1 million in 2014.

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Perhaps the most famous Web series creator is Freddie Wong with credits including three seasons of the YouTube show “Video Game High School” and one season of “RocketJump: The Show” on Hulu.

Now a millionaire, Wong and his production company RocketJump have opened a 21,000-square-foot studio in Burbank, California, that employs 27 people.

Then there is Michelle Phan, a former Tampa resident who has amassed a net worth Forbes estimates at $3 million with her YouTube tutorials on how to apply makeup to look like a celebrity.

“Everything is digital these days,” said Yates of the Clearwater Aquarium, who is writing, directing and producing the Web series. “There is no denying that.”

“Rescue Clearwater,” episode one, details work the aquarium has done since it opened 35 years ago.

Episode two will feature Winter the Dolphin, star and inspiration of the two “Dolphin Tale” movies.

Also appearing in the series will be Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Austin Highsmith, who portrayed Sawyer Nelson, Hazel Haskett and Phoebe in the movies.

Future plots will revolve around the aquarium’s work with marine life such as turtles and otters and will follow people from around the world — including disabled children and wounded service members — inspired by injured and sick animals overcoming the odds.

Yates said the Web series will pick up where the “Dolphin Tale” films left off in describing the aquarium’s work and the impact shared stories have had on attendance.

The study the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg conducted said nearly three of four visitors to the aquarium were drawn there by the original “Dolphin Tale” movie. The $5 billion forecast covered the period through 2016.

A report commissioned by the Motion Picture Association of America said 23 percent of leisure visitors to Florida consider viewing a movie or television series filmed in the state as very important or extremely important in their decision to come here.

“We have a social media platform of over 2 million,” Yates said. “We engage them in a variety of ways and the show will expand the number of people we reach on social media.”

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Film commissioner Armer said online content may not seem as engaging to the general public as a blockbuster Hollywood film, but those working in the industry are well aware of its potential impact.

Armer recently attended Utah’s Sundance Film Festival, one of the top independent film festivals in the world and a place where up-and-coming talent gets discovered. Among those who broke through there are Darren Aronofsky, brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, Christopher Nolan, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.

While festival-goers this year talked about who would join that list of top film directors, there was even more discussion about who would be the next big Web director, Armer said.

“This was a film festival. And they were more interested in talking about online content.”

That’s why despite also producing 35 CDs and five DVDs of educational content that sell to schools nationwide, Jack Hartmann is determined to keep growing his online presence.

“Jack is like Elvis to a lot of kids,” said co-producer Johnson. “But we feel he can still reach more kids and their parents.”

In time, Yates predicted, “Rescue Clearwater” will find a home on a traditional television network or cable station.

He is already in negotiations for a deal, he said.

Still, he hopes to keep showing it online, too.

“Kids don’t sit in front of the television anymore,” Yates said. “They sit with their iPad or phone. The mix is changing and we need to change with it.”

By Paul Guzzo | Tribune Staff
Published: January 31, 2016
Original Story

– See more at: http://www.tbo.com/events-tampa-bay/clearwater-marine-aquarium-taking-story-online-with-web-series-20160131/#sthash.9K7a8Tam.dpuf

pguzzo@tampatrib.com

(813) 259-7606

@PGuzzoTBO

News

Bluewater Studios seeks top digital talent for expansion.

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SPECIAL EVENT: Digital Talent Casting Call for the best developers, internet marketers, content creators and social media experts. Employment and partnering opportunities plus a LIVE BAND to celebrate the talent in Tampa Bay.

Bluewater Media is excited to expand our team of talent for its company Bluewater Digital. We are looking for driven entrepreneurial minded digital creatives, Internet marketers, developers, project managers, account executives, eCommerce experts, social media experts, digital producers, content writers and UI graphic artists to become part of our team recognized as an INC 500 company and the 2nd fastest growing company in Florida. If you already work in the digital world or dream of working in the digital space this is your CALL TO ACTION. Submit your resume to info@bluewatermedia.tv now and join us for our one day digital team member casting call and job fair where we will interview and entertain potential team members from experts to interns. Bluewater Studios is a national leader in direct to consumer marketing representing hundreds of brands and marketing thousands of products with innovated solutions that are tearing down the walls of consumer engagement and redefining success metrics. Bluewater Digital is part of the Bluewater Media family of companies and is housed in a 33,000 square foot content creation facility with multiple film and television studios, onsite music creation studios and we are now building the digital team that will leverage those tools to create meaningful consumer engagement for our clients and brands. If you want to get in on the ground floor with huge growth potential with a team that has already proven it’s ability to grow fast with over 1300% growth in 2014 then submit now and join us on December 11th for our OPEN CALL FOR DIGITAL TALENT. Content creators, eCommerce experts, YouTube talent, developers, social media divas, digital artists, digital marketers and even interns looking for an opportunity to break in, THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY CALLING. Call or click now to add your name to the list for our digital talent casting call. Digital Casting Call will begin at 10AM and end with live music at 5:30 from our portable concert stage. Come and meet our team and lets see if you are the right fit.. come prepared to be challenged and to have some fun.

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YouTube Star Freddie Wong Coming to Bluewater Studios

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YouTube Star Freddie Wong Coming to St. Pete / Clearwater
The St. Pete Film Commission is bringing the #1 Director on YouTube in the world to the area.

On November 7th the St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commission as a part of its growing branding and marketing campaign is bringing Top 25 YouTube star Freddie Wong to Bluewater Studios in Clearwater.

Freddie Wong is one of the pioneers in online video, bringing professional premium content to the YouTube platform with his channel, RocketJump, which currently has more than 7.6 million subscribers. Named as one of Hollywood’s brightest stars on Forbes magazine’s 2015 “30 under 30” list. Freddie is the #1 most subscribed video director on YouTube with over 1 billion views since the channel’s inception in 2010. That’s more views than the previous nine Super Bowl games combined. Video Game High School, his flagship web series, had over 110 million cumulative views over its 3-season run. In 2014, Freddie Wong entered into a partnership with Lionsgate, and was recently named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s (THR’s) Top 25 Digital Stars.

The State of Florida’s lack of a film and television incentive program recently precipitated the loss of two high profile films in the Tampa Bay area, (Ben Affleck’s Live by Night and Marc Webb’s Gifted). In the absence of the ability to attract film and TV content the St. Pete Clearwater Film Commission is placing an even bigger emphasis on digital media content creation. Film Commissioner Tony Armer stated, “If you look at the statistics there are more people watching and engaging in video online than ever before. These online views are equal to and in many cases greater than the number of people watching films in theaters or shows on TV. The industry has changed and film commissions need to change with it”.

“It’s about finding an audience,” said Bluewater Media CEO Andy Latimer. “YouTube provides the world’s content makers a place to find an audience for their stories, for their ideas and even their products. When you stop and think about the power of the handheld screen you realize it has the power to reach so many more eyeballs than the big screen ever has. Bluewater is proud to partner with the Film Commission to welcome a pioneer like Freddie Wong. We live in a time where shareable content is king, we know Freddie’s 7.6 million subscribers would agree.”

Freddie will be the subject of an Inside the Actors Studio style talkback/Q&A and reception on November 7th at 7pm. The event is open to the public and tickets are $20.  The event will take place at Bluewater Studios 14375 Myerlake Circle Clearwater, FL 33760.

About the St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commission:
The St. Pete/Clearwater Film Commission serves Pinellas County, Florida – from Tarpon Springs to Fort De Soto, Dunedin to Safety Harbor, Oldsmar to St. Pete Beach. An array of Film, Television, Digital Media, and Commercial projects film in St. Pete/Clearwater year round. St. Pete/Clearwater is part of the greater Tampa Bay production center, offering the wide resources of a metropolitan region as well as the amenities of a close community.

About Bluewater Media
Bluewater Media is a brand focused direct to consumer advertising agency that utilizes branded direct response, brand integration and digital advertising to generate measurable response and direct to consumer sales for products and services. From their 33,000 square foot production studio in Clearwater, Florida, Bluewater produces, develops and distributes direct response campaigns, commercials, television series, documentaries and films that integrate branding as a methodology to inform, educate and motivate consumers to make product choices. Bluewater also provides integrated web design, web development, ecommerce solutions, as well as broadcast and digital media strategy and placement. For more information, visit https://www.bluewatermedia.tv.

Media Inquiries:
Tony Armer
tony@filmspc.com
http://www.filmspc.com/
P: 727.464.7240

Andy Latimer
alatimer@bluewatermedia.tv
www.bluewatermedia.tv
P: 813.944.2926

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