We recently connected with Vinnie Urdea and have shared our conversation below.
Vinnie, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?
Thank you so much for having me! I think one thing that makes our video production team at Halteres Associates different is that we don’t believe in making content for the lowest common denominator; my working philosophy is that audiences of any type can sense when they are being talked down to, and by speaking UP to our audience, by not doubting their intelligence or their power of perception, we get that audience ON our side, as equals. That is invaluable in my business of making video content explaining complex technical information, which is functionally just telling a good story as simply as possible. And when I say simple, I mean efficiently – using the most graceful shorthand possible to fully convey the story. I think a great example of this concept is children’s entertainment, and in particular one of my favorite pieces of capital-A Art of the 20th century: Looney Tunes. Looney Tunes is smart, funny, and timeless, holding up some 80+ years later. Children can understand most everything that’s going on, and the adults in the room are just as engaged – what a great example of the enduring power of good storytelling. And the same principles can be applied to any sort of video content, from television to cinema to, yes, scientific technical explainer videos: love your audience, speak UP to them, make things you would actually like to watch, and make it simple. And I don’t always see that from everyone in the storytelling industry.
Vinnie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I would love to. I am the Creative Director for Halteres Associates, a bioscience consultancy that provides strategic and tactical services in the areas of diagnostics, medical devices, and life science research to clients of all sizes, and I manage our in-house media production division, Halteres Productions, producing content for both ourselves and for our clients. We recently won nine 2023 Muse Creative Awards and nineteen 2023 Titan Health Awards for video content we produced for our clients, and our diagnostics industry podcast “Halteres Presents” also won a 2023 silver Davey Award for Best Health & Wellness Podcast; those award wins were a delightful reminder of the high quality of our team’s work, but it’s really the satisfaction of our clients that makes it all feel so worthwhile – did we tell their story well. Being in the business of consulting on life-saving or life-changing diagnostics and medical care, producing a video that makes our clients’ jobs easier to get their innovative technology funded, or succeed on the market, or what-have-you, definitely makes our team proud. My working mantra as a director is to make things “more of what they already are” – as in, it’s not necessarily my job to come in and espouse MY beliefs onto a project, or to force a square peg into a round hole by using some sort of equipment or storytelling technique that doesn’t work for the story being told just because I want to try it out. I have to, as a director, approach the project on its own terms, find out what it’s trying to say, and turn up and down the volume on certain things, or find a clearer way to communicate something, and, like a piece of music, the melody will become all the stronger by the clarity of its arrangement. It’s like how in basketball, the goal is to put the ball in the basket. There are some things we can do TO put the ball in the basket, but it must always be in service putting that ball in the basket. Simple, not complicated – that doesn’t mean it’s EASY, it can be very difficult, but it’s got to stay simple: put the ball in the hole. Make the technical information clearer and better told. That’s got to be on your mind with every step and every decision in the process.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
I am a huge Golden State Warriors fan (Go Dubs), and I think one can learn a lot about managing a creative team from championship sports teams – having a common goal; empowering every player to be in charge of their own domain; everyone touching the ball and getting involved; trusting your teammates to do their job: having humility when things are going smoothly so that your teammates will pick you up when things are crunched: and, sometimes, getting the heck out of the way and letting your best player cook!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
As a producer, I have noticed that non-creatives can often underestimate the value of and the amount of work that can go into creative work. It’s not that they are necessarily always trying to lowball a project or underpay artists, but they literally do not understand the preparation, execution, and experience that go into making a project sing – so, for instance, let’s take painting (which I know next to nothing about). Sure, any person can take some paints and splatter some colors on the back of a paper plate in a way that can be recognizable, but what a PAINTER brings to the process is the experience and taste to know how to form the composition, what paint types and colors will be the best representation of the subject, what canvas to use, what similar works have been produced on this topic, the sketches and prep work that go into preparing to paint the thing… but then the customer only ever receives the final product, and it all just looks like it was so easy! The cost is for how much easier and more polished it is to not have had to do it yourself, and then you can go about your life and spend your time elsewhere. Same goes for video content – we can all just film something on our phone and edit it and post it to YouTube, but think of how much time that cost you (hint: it’s way more than you think!), and then consider whether it’s the best representation of the story you’re trying to tell. I try to keep in mind the difference between the story one is telling versus the story one THINKS they’re telling – for instance, you may think when you step out for the evening that you look debonair, but lo and behold, the shirt you’re wearing is actually a size too tight. You THINK you’re showing one thing, but others are actually divining a different story about you. You THINK you look like Fred Astaire, but you actually look like Rodney Dangerfield. You THINK you’re being thrifty by doing that creative project yourself without paying the artist, but you’re actually showing that you either don’t have the resources or the wherewithal to do it right. That’s the story being told: penny wise, but pound foolish. So I hope everyone is paying their artists!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://halteresassociates.com/video-production-services/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/vinnieurdea
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinnie-urdea-74b14171?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Twitter: https://x.com/halteresconsult
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@halteresassociates
Image Credits
Karen Santos, Shani Hadjian