Lower Prices, More Products, and Better Quality!

We've had such a busy summer full of changes here at The Media Zoo that I haven't had a chance to post an update for a while!

First, I want to share some exciting news with you...We are now shooting in HD! The Media Zoo recently purchased a new Sony PMW-EX1 HD camera! For us, it makes keying so easy! What this means for our clients though is a better quality video with a much cleaner key! Yippee!

In addition to the new camera, we've also been busy updating our actors. Some have moved away but others are taking their place so be sure to check the actor page frequently to see all the fresh new faces! Book one of these fabulous new actors today!

Speaking of new faces...We've hired a new Zoo Crew member. Ben was originally one of our resellers in Jacksonville and he and his girlfriend recently decided to move to
Fort Lauderdale. Ben has become a huge asset to the company and is bringing a wealth of knowledge in the web design world! He's already been busy doing some amazing things! But don't take my word for it. Check them out yourself!

Ben's been very busy making some adjustments to our website by adding more products, and lower prices so check it out and see if you can spot all the changes! Then, give us a call to schedule a shoot for your website video! He's also been busy getting our NEW site ready to launch. Here's a sneak peek....

You can see more at http://www.zoospokesperson.com/. Check it out and let me know what you think of our new look!

That's it for now!

Joyce and The Media Zoo Crew

May

May was a busy month here at The Media Zoo. We added quite a few fresh faces to our actor page. You might want to hop over there and check out all the new talent!

That's not all we've been doing though! In between shooting videos for new actors we've also been shooting videos for clients.

Now that summer is here and it's travel season, don't make your friends and family get up early to take you to the airport. Before you call on friends that you'll likely owe favors to for driving you to the airport...you may want to check out the Fort Lauderdale Airport Shuttle website and watch the video we just completed for them!

Are you feeling a bit wrinkled? Well, if you've been thinking about sprucing up your look this summer, check out the informative video on The Best Program's website.

Maybe you're just thinking it's time to spruce up your image and save gas with a new, more economical car. Wait! Don't jump the gun! Before you trade that old car in, check out Mobile Car Buyer. They'll pay you cash for your car and even pick it up from your location! How cool is that?

Janeane and I had a great time shooting the video for Nodoro. Dale, the actor they chose, pulled it off without a hitch and left Janeane and I in tears. Now, I'm not going to tell you why or what it's all about...just go here to see it for yourself!

That should give you lots to see for now! Make sure you check the blog often...I'll be updating again very soon!

U.S Department of State Website Winner!

We recently received word that Pier 2 Pier, one of the websites we produced a video for, won the U.S. Department of State's 2008 Doors to Diplomacy Award! We are excited for Jamie Aquino and the kids of Pier 2 Pier for their accomplishments. The Media Zoo Team would like to extend our congratulations! We are very proud to be part of an amazing website created by Weblady Bug.

Why Advertise With a Website Video During a Recession?

It seems that one of the first things companies cut from their budget in times of recession is their advertising dollars. This may seem like a logical place to cut expenses however, the opposite is in fact true.

According to Greg Mazurkiewicz, author of Advertising Throughout a Recession, "companies that stop advertising, or sharply cut back their advertising, during a recession are being shortsighted. While they may save money in the short run, they are shooting themselves in the foot for the long run."

Joy Gendusa, author of Does the Economic Slump Mean Small Business Disaster?, says "There is a consequential effect that marketing has on your business 1, 2, 3 years and more down the line if you don't market during a recession. And while the cost of living increases along with inflation and other factors, you will be losing sales and income down the road when you will really need it if you cut back on marketing during times of recession."

The American Association of Advertising Agencies, or AAAA (4A), reports the following findings in a commissioned study, Advertising in a Recession by Bernard Ryan, Jr:

• "In 1947, Buchen Advertising tracked advertising dollars vs. sales trends before, during and after the recessions of 1949, 1954, 1958, and 1961. Not only did it find that sales and profits dropped off at companies that cut back on advertising. It also found that after the recession had ended, these same companies continued to lag behind those that had maintained their ad budgets."

Ok, so what does all this mean about advertising in general? Well, in a nutshell, in an article titled Marketing in a Recession, Renee Fellows states: "what research and history have proven is that businesses who are keen to strategic marketing can experience tremendous growth both in brand awareness and profitability during a recession."

Companies can spend thousands of dollars for a 30 second broadcast commercial that runs for a limited time or, for a very reasonable price, they can get a 30 second website video from The Media Zoo. A website video adds impact to your website, making it more personal, and includes your call to action. With a website video, you can have a 24 hour salesperson deliver your message correctly, each and every time. To try a website video on your site for free or just to learn more, visit The Media Zoo.

Media Zoo Actors

We have updated the look of our actors page. It still needs a little tweaking but overall we are very happy with the new design. In our opinion, it will make a huge difference when trying to choose an actor and view their video! Take a look at our actor page and leave us a comment to let us know what you think!

BCC visits The Media Zoo

Last Monday, The Media Zoo was proud to have an informative r&d session with six staff members from Broward Community College. They came to get a tour of The Media Zoo studios and find out how we can help them integrate video into their website. Rumor has it that BCC will be completely redesigning their site. As a past and present student, I'm excited to see the new look and The Media Zoo is excited to potentially be a part of it.

Excititng News

In case you don't know...The State of Florida recently held a contest for a new state song. Jan Hinton, a teacher from Pine Crest School won the contest with her song: "Florida, Where The Sawgrass Meets The Sky." Jan hired The Media Zoo to shoot, produce, and edit a video to go along with the song. Watch the video here and also check out the featured article in the Sun-Sentinel.

Brainstorming

We've been busy brainstorming here at The Media Zoo this week. We're forming partnerships with multiple companies in the area and around the country. On Wednesday, we met with Bob from Sign-A-Rama and we'll be shooting a video for him today. Yesterday, Vince and I met with Gary from D2F, a multi-channel marketing service. We had a great meeting and are looking forward to forming a fantastic relationship with them.

Biz Expo 2008

Last night, The Media Zoo participated in the Biz Expo 2008 held at McFatter Technical Institute. We had a huge booth thanks to Yvonne and Vicki the coordinators of the event. We met so many wonderful people from four different Chambers of Commerce including: The Dania Beach Chamber of Commerce, The Davie-Cooper City Chamber, The Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and The Hallandale Beach Chamber of Commerce. The Media Zoo doesn't monkey around at these types of events...we had a gorilla going around posing for pictures with guests and vendors! The pictures will be posted on our site next week so stop by again and take a look!

New Blog Feature

We're adding a new feature to our blog. Every so often, I'll post a survey question. Make sure you check back often and post your answer to our question.

Todays survey question: Do you think most people prefer Internet or TV?

We've had a busy couple weeks here at The Media Zoo. Another one of WebLadybug's clients came in to do a shoot. 3ZTelecom, a calling card company, picked Jodi to be their spokesmodel. She came in one morning along with the guys from 3Z Telecom. They even brought some kind of antennae for cellular towers into the studio!

We've also been very busy working on videos for Icon Website Design and Preferred Print. Those videos aren't up and running yet but they will be very soon!

In addition to those projects, we recently had an opportunity to meet with Zach Hoffman of SEO.cc. Zach is the CEO of a search engine optimization company. We learned a great deal about optimizing our website from him. He has a wealth of information!

I'll have updates about more projects coming soon so stay tuned!

Vince

Today, I'm going to introduce you to Vince Stott. Let me give you a bit of background. Vince and Paul (also a member of the team) have been running a very successful wedding video business (http://www.abroadwayvideo.com/) for 20 years now. A couple years ago, they started thinking about expanding the business to include more corporate type videos with a concentration on website videos. That dream led them to open The Media Zoo. So, as you may have figured out by now, Vince is one of the owners of The Media Zoo. He is extremely creative and has so many great ideas both for The Media Zoo and A Broadway Video. He is always reading up on the latest business techniques, practices, and strategies.


On a more personal note....Vince is a HUGE Gator fan. One of his cats is even named after the University of Florida's quarterback! This past November, he and Crystal, another vital member of the team finally tied the knot. Crystal surprised Vince at the wedding and brought the University of Florida drum line in at the end of the ceremony. It was quite exciting!

Introduction

Hi! Joyce here, thanks for reading our blog. Right here is where I'm going to keep you updated on what's going on here at The Media Zoo as well as what's happening in all our lives. My goal is that you will get to know all of us as real people and not just a voice on the other end of the phone or a random person writing a blog.

Ok, so now you know who's writing the blog, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm a single mom of three kids. I had been attending BCC part time for quite a while seeking a degree in multimedia. I kept telling my program director to keep an eye out for video jobs. Well, one day, I walked into her office and she said “Joyce, I have the perfect job for you.” That job was with Vince as a video editor. I was able to work from home and still be available for my kids. My professor was right. The job was perfect! Since that day, we have grown by leaps and bounds with the result being The Media Zoo. I no longer work from home but in an office with the rest of the team and am loving every minute of it.

Speaking of the office, we've all been very busy getting ready for our first web designers meeting. We are planning to hold these networking type gatherings once a month. So, if you happen to be a web designer and you didn't make it to the first seminar, give us a call so we can put you on the invite list for the next one! You'll be able to meet the rest of the team as well as enjoy some good food and get some great information.

Stay tuned because in my next blog entry, I'll introduce you to another member of the team.