In my line of work (Commercial Video Production), having a solid crew is absolutely key.

Between the locations, talents, gear and crew, video production is an expansive endeavor where everything is “custom-made” to the needs of a particular project.

On a typical shoot day, not being able to finish capturing the shot list on time can have huge creative and financial implications numbering in the 10s of thousands of dollars. On set, everyone need to know precisely what’s happening at any given time, how it fits with the work of their crew members, and how it fits within the film produced. At the same time, everyone need to be flexible enough to adapt when things change, say if the weather is not what you expected or a talent/creative suggest a slightly different direction.

So when building a crew, it’s important to not only have people that are extremely skilled at what they do, well prepared and flexible, it’s also key that they get along with one another, can work efficiently together, and more importantly keep a positive attitude under stress and rush.

From a producer’s perspective, this is something you typically can’t determine well by just looking at a resume, past work or sometime even talking to that person. You kind of have to work with them.

So that’s why a lot of hiring in video production comes from referral and word of mouth. If other producers or crew members I know and trust tell me that a person is great, then most likely they will be.

I’m very fortunate that we have a lot of crew member who fit all of these criterias and more where I’m based in San Diego. Maybe it’s just the great weather all year long, the proximity to the ocean and mountains, the lack of crazy traffic, or just the fact that it’s a smaller market where everyone in the industry knows each other, but people I’ve hired here are not only skilled, they’re fun to be around, and just good people.

That makes all the difference.

My name is Thierry Denis. I’m a Business owner, Producer, and Creative Director. I grew up in Paris, France, where I went to school for video production, and moved to San Diego, CA a little bit over 10 years ago.

I own and manage two commercial video production companies: Helium Films USA & Ockham, which I recently started with my partner Trevor Elliott, an amazing cinematographer.

We specialize in high-end commercial video production, creating video ads for brands like AutoZone, Tophatter, Universal Yums & Qualcomm to name a few.

Ockham’s razor – so named after the principle that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily – is what we strive toward: producing badass campaigns without over-complicating things. Put differently, we are not about reinventing the wheel, but rather slapping those wheels on a Ferrari and attaching a rocket engine to it.

We also strongly believe great people is what makes great productions. People who challenge the status quo and deliver results. People who push their boundaries and let their work speak for themselves. People that are creative, honest and talented but don’t take themselves too seriously.

If you run an agency or a brand and needs an effective video campaign produced, give us a call!