This time we hear from guest blogger Kiara Juniel – a student of KD College, Dallas. She’s a marketer and a film maker – and understood immediately the connection between entertainment and training. We invited her along to the Dallas shoot for Season II of Restricted Intelligence. This is her experience. Longer than usual – but unabridged. Go on – make yourself a hot drink and take a break…
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When most people stumble into work in the morning, coffee in hand, sitting at their desk as they punch the stop watch of their workday, they rarely expect to turn to the left… only to see a film crew setting up in their break room…but then again..it’s not everyday that businesses get the opportunity to work with Jim Shields or “The Twist & Shout guys” as the receptionist referred to them as..now is it?
As a corporate worker turned film student, when I first learned of the type of work Jim did, I have to say that the idea intrigued me. It’s this beautiful collision of two separate worlds that aren’t technically supposed to work…but just do! It’s almost like how I love dipping French fries in ice cream, the two work pretty well separately, but you put them together and BAM!! It’s a harmony of sweet and salty perfection….mmm…but back to the task at hand.
When Jim invited me on set for the shooting of his latest B2B series, I jumped at the opportunity…NO like I mean really jumped up and down when I read his email. I was finally going to be able to witness how he and his crew make this French-fry-and-ice-cream combination work! I arrived on set just in time for the last shot of the day. The scene unfolding before my very eyes was one that could have very well happened in the company’s own reality, there wasn’t anything far-fetched, and the script was entertaining as it was informative. The actors were remarkable. The writing was outstanding. The video and audio work was wonderful. The entire production was spot on. Amazing work. Truly.
As a marketing professional, I’ve learned that the best way to earn someone’s attention is to make your product relatable and entertaining to the point the audience doesn’t even realize they’re learning something. Taking an internal business-training tool and transforming it into a short in which employees see themselves, their peers, and their company,takes a single company rule and makes it personable and important to that employee. The fact that the short is absolutely hilarious is not only the cherry on top, but the sprinkles, pralines, and whipped cream as well.
Corporate training doesn’t have to translate to stuffy, it doesn’t have to mean monotone voices and power points, what it SHOULD mean is a tool that captivates its audiences with a direct storyline that informs and entertains at the same time. The sheer concept of taking the extravagance of a film set and placing it in your everyday work place blows my mind…I seriously could give you about 3 more paragraphs on how cool it was to witness how much the employees get into it, but I am already well over my word limit. :/
Jim Shields and his crew are truly ahead of their time with this concept. Corporate America get ready…This. Is. Our. Future.