Tell us a bit about your organization and what your specialty is in the film and video space.

Storyfi is a video production agency that specializes in crafting authentic, narrative-driven stories for purpose-driven organizations.

Our journey began in 2012 as an internal video production unit for a financial services organization, where we spent over a decade honing our craft by serving community-focused financial institutions. This deep experience taught us how to tell compelling, human-centric stories that build trust and foster connection.

In 2023, we spun out as a standalone organization and rebranded as Storyfi to better reflect our core mission: to help organizations tell their unique stories. While our primary focus and deepest expertise remain within the community credit union and banking space, we have broadened our scope to partner with other purpose-driven organizations like non-profits, FinTechs, healthcare groups, and educational institutions.

Our specialty is not just producing high-quality video; it’s uncovering the “why” behind an organization and translating its mission into a powerful narrative that resonates with its audience, inspires action, and showcases its community impact.

What is your organization’s ethos and how does it set you apart from industry competitors?

Our ethos is a direct reflection of our mission: we are purpose-driven storytellers. We believe that video isn’t just about capturing attention, but about creating connection and driving meaningful impact for the communities our partners serve.

This ethos comes to life through our three core values:

• Collaboration: Unlike a typical production vendor, we operate as strategic partners. We work with you, not just for you, embedding ourselves in your mission to ensure the final story is a true and powerful reflection of your organization.
• Creativity: Our creativity is always solution-driven. We blend artistry with strategy to find the most compelling way to tell your story, ensuring it not only resonates emotionally but also achieves your specific goals.
• Craftsmanship: We are meticulous about every detail. This commitment to quality ensures that the power of your story is matched by the excellence of its execution.

How This Sets Us Apart:

Many competitors sell video production as a service. We deliver storytelling as a strategy.

While others may be generalists focused on technical specs, we are specialists deeply invested in our clients’ purpose. Our background serving credit unions has taught us the language of community impact. Our collaborative process, creative strategy, and meticulous craftsmanship mean our partners get more than a beautiful video; they get a dedicated storytelling partner committed to amplifying their voice and helping them achieve their vision.

How can people join or learn more about what you do?

Visit us at www.storyfi.com, reach out to us at hello@storyfi.com or give us a call at 1.313.718.1020.

Tell us about your Telly Award winning piece. What’s the story behind it?

We were incredibly honored to be recognized with three Telly Awards this year for our work with two of our community-based financial institution partners. It’s a milestone that brings our agency’s total to thirteen, and we couldn’t be prouder.

The piece you’re asking about, which won in two separate categories, is a project that perfectly embodies our collaborative approach. The story behind it began with our credit union client, based in Traverse City, MI, who came to us with a fantastic challenge. In a competitive market, they wanted to create a piece that was not only edgy enough to cut through the marketing noise but also possessed the high level of artistry and quality worthy of award consideration.

This was a true partnership from the start. Our process began by working closely with their team to define what “edgy” meant for their brand and their community. Our creative team then embraced the challenge, developing a concept that was innovative while remaining authentic to the credit union’s mission.

From there, our commitment to craftsmanship took over. Every stage of production was handled with meticulous attention to detail. The result was a piece that not only achieved the client’s strategic goals but also resonated with judges on a national level. For us, the two Telly Awards for that single project are a testament to what’s possible when a brave client and a passionate creative partner trust each other to tell a powerful story.

What are you most proud of about this piece? What was your biggest challenge during production and how did you solve it?

What we’re most proud of is how this piece represents a true creative partnership. Our client came to us with a brave and ambitious goal: to create something bold that would stand out and be worthy of awards. We’re incredibly proud that we could translate their vision into a tangible piece of art that not only won two Tellys but, more importantly, helped them achieve their strategic objectives. It’s the perfect example of our mission in action.

As for the biggest challenge, that’s an easy one and it’s a story we love to tell. Our biggest challenge was, without a doubt, the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels. We were filming during the Traverse City Cherry Festival, which meant the jets were performing their spectacular, and incredibly loud, airshow all day right over our location.

At first, the constant thundering noise interrupting every take was genuinely frustrating. The way we solved it was by leaning into our team’s sense of humor, which is something we always enjoy doing. You can’t exactly ask fighter pilots to hold for sound, so instead of fighting it, we embraced the absurdity. It became a running joke on set, with crew members giving mock signals to the jets. This allowed us to keep morale high and turned a major obstacle into a team-building moment. That humor and positive attitude enabled us to stay focused and work with incredible efficiency in the brief windows of silence we had. It was a powerful reminder that the best solutions on set are often about attitude, not just technical adjustments.

Do you have any advice to other filmmakers based on your career or your team’s approach to work?

If I could give one piece of advice to other filmmakers and production companies, it would be this: Find your niche, and then go deeper than you think you need to.

The market is saturated with talented generalists who can create beautiful images. True differentiation and long-term success come from becoming a specialist. When you’re starting out, it feels like you’re supposed to define your niche by a single thing, but it’s really about layering three distinct areas of focus:

• Your Industry Vertical (The “Who”): First, who do you want to serve? For us, that began with an intense focus on community financial institutions. Instead of being just another video company, we aimed to become the video storytelling partner for the credit union space. This allowed us to understand their unique challenges, speak their language, and evolve from being a vendor into a true strategic partner.
• Your Genre & Tone (The “How”): Second, what is your voice? What kind of stories are you uniquely built to tell? Our niche is authentic, human-centric storytelling. Whether a piece leans into humor or pulls at the heartstrings, it’s always grounded in a real, purpose-driven narrative. Don’t chase trends; find the emotional territory you can genuinely own.
• Your Style & Format (The “What”): Finally, what is your craft? Are you the master of the slick, 30-second commercial, or the thoughtful, long-form brand documentary? We found our sweet spot in crafting narrative-driven pieces like brand anthems and community impact stories because they allow for the deeper storytelling our partners need.

By combining these three layers—a specific industry, a distinct voice, and a mastered format—you stop being a commodity. You become an indispensable specialist. My advice is to resist the urge to be everything to everyone. Find the intersection of who you serve, how you speak, and what you create, and become the absolute best at it. Your voice will be clearer, your work will be stronger, and your career will be far more rewarding.

Can you share a behind the scenes story or fun fact about the making of your piece?

Absolutely. Every project has its own unique stories, but the making of this piece was particularly memorable.

We were filming in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan, during their iconic National Cherry Festival, which is the biggest event in the region. We knew it was the perfect time for scheduling and weather, but we didn’t fully appreciate what it meant to be filming on the same weekend as the Blue Angels’ annual airshow over the bay.

So there we were, trying to film these carefully crafted scenes, and every few minutes a squadron of F/A-18s would come thundering overhead. We’d have to yell “cut!”, wait for the jets to pass, reset the scene, and try to get a clean take before the next flyby.

Honestly, for the first couple of hours, it was incredibly frustrating for the team. But after a while, you just have to laugh. We developed a sort of sixth sense for their flight path and got incredibly efficient at stopping and starting. It became a running joke on set and a real lesson in patience and adaptability. It’s a great reminder that in production, you have to be ready for anything—even a surprise airshow!

Tell us about the most memorable response you got from this work.

For us, the most memorable responses aren’t always verbal feedback; they’re the visceral, emotional reactions you can see and feel in a room.

The most memorable moment for this particular piece was when we premiered the final cut for the entire client team at their headquarters. There’s always a bit of nervous energy in that moment. We had collaborated closely with them throughout the process, but this was the first time everyone would see how it all came together.

As the piece played, you could feel the shift in the room. It started exactly how we love to see it: a few people cracked a grin. That quickly turned into audible smiles and chuckles, and then, at the key moment, the entire room just erupted in genuine, heartfelt laughter.

That was it. That was the moment. It was so memorable because in that instant, they weren’t our clients critiquing a video; they were an audience completely captivated by the story. They weren’t thinking about the quality of the lighting, the pacing of the edit, or the sound design—they were simply having an authentic human reaction to the narrative we had all built together. That’s our ultimate goal: to make a connection so strong that the craft becomes invisible, and only the story remains.

Complete this sentence: ‘Great video storytelling is…’

… making the craft so seamless that the audience forgets they’re watching a production and simply feels the story.