Tell us a bit about your organization and what your specialty is in the film and video space.
Director-led studio crafting original films, music videos, and commercials—idea-first, cinematic, and built for speed.
What is your organization’s ethos and how does it set you apart from industry competitors?
We Do Ideas. We’re an idea-first, director-led studio that takes projects from napkin sketch to final master. Our ethos blends sharp strategy, cinematic craft, and nimble execution so brands and artists get work that actually moves people—not just fills feeds.
How can people join or learn more about what you do?
Tell us about your Telly Award winning piece. What’s the story behind it?
Salt N Pepa is Substantial’s wink to a golden era—an ode to aging gracefully with style, humor, and community. From our first conversation, Stan and I aligned on a simple truth: the song feels like that perfect room where generations share the same groove. We pitched a jazz-club world—warm and alive—then invited his fans to help us bring it to life. Their energy became the heartbeat of the piece.
What are you most proud of about this piece? What was your biggest challenge during production and how did you solve it?
I’m proud of the energy, performances, and community vibe all land on screen. Challenge: we had to learn the venue’s concert lightboard on the fly.
Do you have any advice to other filmmakers based on your career or your team’s approach to work?
Put in the work and be patient.
Can you share a behind the scenes story or fun fact about the making of your piece?
When we filmed Stan at the barbershop, he wasn’t faking it—he sat for a real cut. The clippers, the banter, the mirror reveal… all genuine, which is why that sequence feels so easy and alive.
Tell us about the most memorable response you got from this work.
We had a lot of great feedback but Stan’s (substantial) was the most meaningful. It was his best music video yet bar none and was is so proud of it – it really meant a lot coming from the artist
Complete this sentence: ‘Great video storytelling is…’
… entertaining. Because in the end that’s why we don it.. so you can have as much fun with us watching it as it was to come up with it. It’s a simple answer.
