It's been an amazing decade of video adventures. Ten years of scripts, storyboards, shoots, animations, and more.
When we (Jarin and I) first started Handshake a decade ago, we did it because we felt like the video agency game was extremely stressful, opaque, and unnecessarily complicated for everyone involved.
We started Handshake not just to make excellent work, but to make the process of creating it fun. But while we embodied that in our interactions with our clients (mostly in the form of gifs and dumb puns 🤪), we didn’t realize how powerful fun actually was until… well… now.
Reflecting on the last ten years, we realized that the best work we created almost always came when everyone involved was having the most fun.
And that got us thinking…
What if we go ‘all in’ on fun?
Okay, we should probably define ‘fun.’
By fun we don't mean goofy or unprofessional. We don't mean turning every meeting into a comedy show — although some meetings...… 🤭
When we say fun, we mean delightful and enjoyable.
From the client’s perspective, it means feeling less like managing another vendor and more like effortless collaboration with friends.
Side note: one of our clients recently told us, “I actually call you ‘friendors’ now, cuz vendor just doesn’t cut it.”
Sure there are laughs, maybe an occasional gif or joke here or there (knock knock, hehe) to lighten the mood, but all in service of getting the job done well. That's the kind of fun we're talking about.
“Now hold up,” you’re thinking, “does fun… actually work?” 🧐
Believe it or not… yes. The great irony is that taking fun seriously often leads to more serious results: better strategy, stronger concepts, more memorable campaigns, more conversations, more shares, and more impact. Here’s how.
How fun works.
It’s no secret that when you’re having fun, it changes how you behave.
But in a business context, we’ve seen again and again that when people are having fun in the process, they lean in. They invest more, care more. And when they’re at ease, they volunteer ideas they might otherwise keep to themselves. They become brave enough to suggest something ridiculous...
...which is often what leads to that blockbuster idea.
Suppose the most ‘professional’ way to say it is:
- Play creates permission.
- Permission creates exploration.
- Exploration creates originality.
- And originality is what people remember.
And who doesn’t want a breakout video that gets real results (while enjoying themselves immensely in the process)? 🤷🏻♂️
So we’re going back to (fun)damentals.
Over the next year, we're going to be asking one question about every part of our business:
How do we make this more fun? (For everyone.)
For example:
- How do we make onboarding more fun?
- How do we make estimates more fun?
- How do we make giving feedback more fun?
- How do we make project updates more fun?
- How do we eliminate the parts of video production everyone secretly dreads?
- How do we create an environment where the best ideas have room to appear?
Those questions (and the ones that follow) are going to shape the next ten years of Handshake.
But we also hope that what we learn along the way helps you harness the power of fun in your context too. And that’s why…
We’re building in public.
This post is the first in a series.
As we rethink every part of our company through the lens of Serious(ly Fun) Video, we're going to share what we're learning along the way in the hopes that it helps you put fun to work in your own context. After all, why should we have all the fun? 😜
Disclaimer: some ideas will work. Some won't. And some will completely change the way we do business for the better.
But if the next decade of Handshake is defined by anything, we hope it's this:
Creating exceptional videos should never feel like heavy lifting. It should feel like possibility.
And if we do our job well, you'll leave with more than an excellent video. You'll wonder why making video ever felt difficult in the first place.
Here’s to the next 10 and to making your video production process… serious(ly fun).
— The Handshake Team (aka, your ‘friendors’)
P.S. Stay tuned for our next post about our new website and how we applied our philosophy throughout.
P.P.S. For more on our philosophy, check out our philosophy page!
P.P.P.S. You’re still reading? You deserve a funny video.