Todd Gallant Leaves CTV Calgary – Joins BizBOXTV
Todd Gallant Leaves CTV Calgary – Joins BizBOXTV
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : TODD GALLANT
June 2013
TRACKING A MASSIVE SHIFT FROM TRADITIONAL MEDIA, LONG TIME CALGARY TV WEATHERMAN, TODD GALLANT MAKES THE JUMP TO DIGITAL.
“With the media landscape well into it’s online evolution, I continue to witness the rush of viewers and advertisers, to online media” – Todd Gallant, BizBOXTV
After more than a decade forecasting fronts, Calgary’s Todd Gallant is prognosticating his last day on conventional Television. Todd has been a recognizable face in Alberta for nearly a decade, with Weather Anchor roles at both Global Television and most recently CTV Calgary. As of July 1st, he is stepping away from the CTV Calgary weather wall to take a lead roll at BizBOXTV, an Online Video/TV Advertising Agency, headquartered in Calgary.
“I have been blessed with a wonderful career in conventional, but the time has come to help pioneer a ‘relative’ newcomer to the industry.” Todd will step into the role of CFO & President of Digital Advancement at BizBOXTV, working alongside BizBOXTV CEO, Lisa Ostrikoff. “It’s a thrilling time for BizBOXTV, and the perfect time to move forward with the minds initially involved in it’s conception. The future is bright for BizBOXTV and it’s clients, and I am excited to have Todd working alongside me during this high growth phase.” says Ostrikoff.
“BizBOXTV has, since it’s launch, experienced a steady growth of businesses ready to take the leap into online video. We’re still in the early days of where all of this is going, and I am thrilled to be part of a team that’s pushing the envelope and offering business owners something not seen in this market before” – Todd Gallant
Stay connected to BizBOXTV ~ as it gets set to launch a new and even more innovative phase of it’s business with Todd Gallant.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/BizBOXTV
YouTube: www.youtube.com/BizBOXTV
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bizboxtv
BizBOXTV BACKGROUND
BizBOXTV is a Video Advertising company with clients across Canada. Lisa Ostrikoff and Todd Gallant launched BizBOXTV in 2009, but shortly after, Gallant had to resign his shareholder position due to competition concerns aired by his then employer. Since then, Ostrikoff has grown the digital media company across Alberta and into other markets in British Columbia and Ontario, along with a dedicated team of talented Video & Brand Journalists. BizBOXTV CEO, Lisa Ostrikoff is also a Business Columnist for The Globe and Mail & Huffington Post. Her Television Media background spans BC & Alberta and includes nearly a decade in various roles including TV News Reporter, Anchor, Video Journalist & Producer.
BizBOXTV
Todd Gallant
403.239.1382
www.twitter.com/toddgallant @ToddGallant
BizBOXTV
Lisa Ostrikoff
403.239.1382
www.twitter.com/LisaOstrikoff @LisaOstrikoff
- Published in BizBOXTV News
Your business is still ignoring online advertising? Step up.
As the owner of a new-media startup, the language I speak is common and easily understood by my colleagues and contacts in related fields. What’s happening around us online and to media in general seems obvious. I have lived and breathed it for years, and I am immersed in it daily.
But what’s happening in the digital space is still very new to many brands and consumers. It’s evident in the blank stares I often get in casual conversations when I share content I read recently, or I bring up the future direction of my business. While I ponder the logistics and inner-workings of online advertising, many others are only aware of what’s put in front of them, and they don’t concern themselves with change until they absolutely have to.
As this digital divide continues to widen and the evolution of media picks up speed, the differences are increasing between business owners who are ready to leap into new online advertising lands, and those who are not. Either they are too scared to try something new or they don’t see the potential, or a combination of both. One of the most common sentiments from truthful business owners who haven’t fully evolved online is this: “When you’ve been doing the same thing for decades, it’s easier to stay the same than to try something new.”
Some forward-thinking clients of mine started allocating good chunks of their marketing and advertising budgets online, and over the past few years digital has become an integral part of their strategy. Others advertise in more traditional mediums, but they are slowly starting to warm up to a small step into the new frontier.
“If people don’t understand this, don’t waste your time,” a client said a few years ago, “people eventually will be forced to get it.” We have arrived at that “eventual” point.
Way back in 2007 – perhaps even earlier – it was predicted that “the Internet is rapidly moving from a ‘text web’ to a ‘video web.’” The stats I would pull to show to potential clients, it turns out, accurately predicted where video would be in 2009, and again to where we are in 2013. It’s actually bigger, better and more diverse than initially thought.
If you want to dip a baby toe into the digital space before taking the plunge, that’s fine, but do it sooner than later. It’s better to start small now than to get left behind forever.
via Your business is still ignoring digital? Step up – The Globe and Mail
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency.
- Published in Lisa Ostrikoff - The Globe And Mail, Video Advertising
Calgary Video Production – Why Your Business Needs Video Testimonials
Calgary Video Production – Why Your Business Needs Video Testimonials
Whether your company is selling a product or service, professional video testimonials have the power to swing purchasing decisions in your favour in a big way. Here’s why:
Consumers have a voracious appetite for video.
Video consumption is increasing year after year: 92 per cent of Canadians now tune in at home or work, according to comScore, with more consumers scouring the second-largest search engine, YouTube, for business, service and product information.
Furthermore, video seems to offer a higher degree of authenticity as it allows viewers to see and hear from a client delivering the testimonial.
Real recommendations rock
You may think your products and services are great, but do your customers feel the same way? The reason platforms such as TripAdvisor and Yelp are so popular is that they present real stories about customer experiences and feedback, which carry a lot more weight than what a company has to say about itself.
Establish trust with the brand
Giving your clients the opportunity to offer their opinions adds a powerful layer of transparency to your brand. Viewers can watch real people provide genuine feedback, and the topics they cover will often address their main concerns about your business.
Content is king
When working with a company to produce your business’s video testimonials, it’s important to be clear on your messaging. Vague testimonials won’t spark the same response as topic-specific testimonials.
For example, if you have a car dealership, you may want to focus on questions such as: What was the experience like working with your sales team? How much money did your customers save? How did they find the process of buying a car through your dealership? What exactly do you love about your car? Why would they recommend others work with your clients?
Any unique features you would promote about your business tend to be great areas around which to produce testimonial videos.
An effective selling tool
If positioned properly, professional-looking videos are some of the most powerful tools a business can have in its marketing toolbox. The top places to promote your testimonial videos are: on your website, on relevant social media platforms, in e-mail signature, in-store displays, presentations, trade shows, client quotes and proposals.
Loyal clients will be happy to help
Video is such a powerful vehicle to communicate experience, and using it strategically will work wonders for any business. Leverage your loyal customers by asking them to provide testimonials about your business. If the video testimonials come across as honest and trustworthy, more and more potential customers will respond, translating into great results for your bottom line.
Special to The Globe and Mail
Lisa Ostrikoff is a TV journalist and anchor-turned-creator of BizBOXTV, a Canadian online video production, advertising and social media marketing agency. BizBOXTV launched as a Calgary Video Production company in 2009 and has been broadcasting hundreds of brands since then. Is your business next?
- Published in BizBOXTV News
Want to ‘wow’ customers? Stop asking them to buy stuff.
My last column on brand journalism sparked some great discussion and more questions from my network on exactly how businesses can implement a brand journalism strategy.
Just to recap: Brand journalism is a useful way for brands, big and small, to use the approach of professional journalists to create, curate and share expert content in the form of blogs, articles and video. Businesses are essentially becoming their own media houses too, whether hiring internally or contracting out to people with journalism backgrounds.
Home Depot, Cisco and Boeing are just some of the more commonly talked about larger brand journalism examples, producing relevant media for their audiences in the forms of how-to content, demonstration videos as well as pages upon pages of industry-relevant information. You’ll never see any of the content pieces screaming ‘buy now.’ Rather – the aim is to educate, inform and even entertain its consumers.
RedBull, for example, constantly strives to ‘wow’ its fans through its brand journalism efforts.
The Austrian energy drink company has essentially created its own media network that pushes its content strategy via Red Bull Media House. Dubbing it as “Fascinating people, inspiring stories,” it’s content marketing library boasts thousands of professional videos on it’s YouTube channel. With 1.6-million subscribers and 550-million video views – its strategy is something to take a second look at.
RedBull’s content focuses on sports and events and, of course, athletes. It’s exciting and captivating content distributed via a variety of digital platforms including web video and social media. But YouTube is where it re ally rules. In fact, RedBull is one of the top five YouTube sports content producers in the world, and has launched more than a dozen web TV shows featuring its sponsored athletes.
The brand placement itself is minimal, if non existent, as the emphasis is instead on simulating and exciting content. RedBull’s magic brand journalism formula: create content people want to watch and share, while ensuring whatever it is in alignment with their image and message.
The idea central to brand journalism is that a brand needs to offer value in order to get something valuable back. Consumers are smarter than ever before and demand more respect. If a company can tell those stories in an authentic and non-intrusive way, it’ll start building a loyal community that wants to live, breathe and share this brand.
Businesses, marketers and advertisers can all learn a thing or two from Red Bull’s brand journalism approach. Next time you’re thinking about launching a ‘push’ commercial, bend your mind a bit. Instead, become the show.
via Want to ‘wow’ customers? Stop asking them to buy stuff – Lisa Ostrikoff, The Globe and Mail.
- Published in Brand Journalism™, Lisa Ostrikoff - The Globe And Mail, Video Marketing