Blog Posts About: network

We're so excited to have two new members of our Explainer Network of custom video producers. 

Lilipip is a Seattle-based company that has been making videos for years. They're seeing new opportunities in the world of animated video explanations and we think they'll be a great fit for the Network.  From their listing:

We make animated videos about your product, service, or concept. We’re an “Open-Source Creative” team with transparent pricing and processes – featuring global artists with a wide range of styles. Follow Lilipip on Twitter.

Here is one of Lilipip's most recent videos:

Animated Explanations is based in Brussels, Belgium and focuses on the European (and global) market for explanatory videos. They have extensive experience in making complex ideas easy to understand in video form and we're happy to have them in the Network. We're especially excited to have European representation in the Network. Follow them on Twitter @instruxion. From their listing:

Animated movies, interactive tutorials and instructional videos in attractive formats and any language.

Here's a sample:

How to find a new job using LinkedIn? - Animated Explanations

The Common Craft Explainer Network is a group of video producers that specialize in making custom explanatory videos. The Network currently has six members that represent a number of skills, styles and formats.  If that chunk of text on your home page just isn't doing the trick anymore, contact an Explainer Network member.

We're excited to announce a new member of the Common Craft Explainer Network, 1/29 Explainers. Executive producer Nick Seuser and the 1/29 team have ton of experience in the film and video world.

Our introduction to 1/29 was through the "Behind the Logic" series of videos they did for Pandora. You can watch them on the 1/29 Explainers home page. We were impressed with the entertaining creative way they explain the logic that connects the music that plays via Pandora.  Here's an example:

1/29 Explainers, like all members of the Explainer Network, are available for creating custom explanatory videos for your product or service. We created the Network to help organizations in need of videos find talented video producers. Other members include: Switch Video, Lilipip. Epipheo Studios and 'Splainers.

I recently wrote about a project called the Common Craft Explainer Network.  The big idea is to help connect prospects looking for custom explanatory videos with talented producers.

I'm excited to report that we now have 4 members of the Explainer Network. Our newest member is Splainers - a small company from Issaquah, WA just around the corner from Seattle that specializes in simple presentations that use 3D modeling.  Splainers joins great group of talented producers who not only make awesome videos, but work together to create visibility and demand for explanation as skill and craft.

You can find listings for Splainers and all members on the Explainer Network.

If there is one prediction I have for 2009, it will be that our world will become more complex.  We will all be confronted with new products, services, ideas and concepts that will confuse the majority of us.  And this adds to what confused us in 2008 and years before.

We're convinced that the rise of all this complexity is creating new demand for new kinds of services. Individuals and organizations will find business models in helping people deal with the complexity. The biggest opportunity we see is for people who are good at explaining - at taking an idea and packaging it so a maximum number of people can understand and act on it.  Below are some companies and individuals who we think will be making a real contribution in 2009.

Explainer Network Members - Video producers listed on the Common Craft Explainer Network page.

Claytorials - Claytorials is a new-ish project from the folks at Invoke Media. Their videos use colorful clay and stop motion animation to explain all kinds of products and services.  Recent projects include videos for Tagga.com and More2Girls.com. See Claytorials.com for more.

Say It Visually - Say It Visually is a collaboration between Matt Dunn and Jordan Schaffel.  One of the first videos I saw of theirs was the ambitious "US Financial Crisis for Kids".  Since then, they've done custom videos for clients like VOIS and Survey Sampling International.  See their portfolio for more. 

Switch Web Video - Switch Web Video dove head first into the explanatory video world and it's great to see them grow. Andrew Angus runs the show at Switch and has big plans for his business.  Check out their latest work for Neurogizers and Car Heaven on their Our Work page.

Video Producers:

Joshua Gunn - Josh runs Nutintuit Studios and creates explanatory videos "In a Nutshell".  He used to live in Seattle and we met over a year ago when he was just getting started. Since then, he's moved to Boston been hired by clients like Brooks Running Shoes and Netgear.  Josh also did a great explanation of the Robert Frost poem "The Road Not Taken. "

Michael Pick - I first met Michael through his explanatory video "DataPortability - Connect, Control, Share, Remix." He runs Smashcut.tv and is currently employed by Automattic, making sense of Wordpress in video form.  We had the pleasure of spending an evening with Michael and his wife Takako in Sapporo, Japan about a year ago.

Xplane - Xplane has been in the explanation business for over 15 years.  Dave Gray founded the company and has really made explanation a skill and science over the years.  While the company has traditionally worked in the print world, they are making moves in the video world too.

Blogs and Podcasts:

Planet Money - One of the best explanations of 2008 was "The Giant Pool of Money" on This American Life. It taught millions (including us) about the source of the housing crisis. Now many of the same producers are hosting a podcast called Planet Money which has become a favorite of ours.

Explainist - Explainist is a blog that I discovered recently.  It focuses on explanations of all type, written by Dave Coustan and Tom Harris, formerly of HowStuffWorks.com.  Since they've been back in action, I've been a consistent reader.

Cliff Mass Weather Blog - As a burgeoning weather geek I was so happy to find Cliff Mass' blog.  He's a weather expert and author based in here in Seattle.  Some of the content is pretty technical, but he also takes the time to explain some of the basics of weather in an understandable way.  Recently he posted an entry called Inversion 101.

Do you know companies, websites or individuals who are good explainers? Tell us about them.  

Marshall at ReadWriteWeb, posted a story today about Common Craft that was actually published a few months back, but has been reposted at a "redux."  It's one of my favorite bits of press and called "How Common Craft Stopped Doing Client Work, in Plain English."  I don't know of any other blog post that tells our story better.

Since the original story was posted in September, we've created a resource that helps organizations in need of custom videos find producers who can help.  It's called the Common Craft Explainer Network.  I wrote about it here. 

While we've significantly limited our client work to focus on our educational videos, we see an opportunity to play a role in the growing niche around explanatory videos of all types.  We want to help talented producers find great projects and create a community around explanatory videos. 

NOTE: The Explainer Network is now closed. Learn more about Common Craft's custom video services. 

A few weeks ago, we posted "Seeking Producers of Video Explanations" and wrote:

We see an opportunity for a win-win.  Every day, we receive multiple emails from organizations that are looking for custom explanatory videos... The opportunity we see is to create a way, through our website, to help organizations find video producers who can be hired to produce custom videos.

Since that time, we've been working on a project to bring this idea to life.  It's called the Common Craft Explainer Network and as of today, it is live.  The basic idea is anyone looking for custom video producers will be pointed to our Explainer Network members.  These members pay a fee to be listed in the Network.

We're hoping that this is actually a win-win-win. Organizations find talented producers for custom videos, producers find solid projects and build their businesses, and we earn a bit of income for providing the service.  We have a handful of initial members and we expect the Network to grow modestly over time.

We've said for over a year that there is a market for explanations. Our hope is that the Network will become a reliable source for finding a great group of producers that can serve the growing demand we see for explanatory videos.

You can always find Explainer Network members at: www.commoncraft.com/network.