Ondo Media | Documentary Production & Media Consulting |

IT’S OK TO BE A CONTROL FREAK

john — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:31:08 +0000

Time is money. A professional knows how to get something done right and quick. Why? Let me give you an insider’s secret. I only get paid when the job I’ve been hired for has been completed. If I want to eat, I need to complete your project right the first time so that I can send you the invoice. We can't afford to waste time, and neither can you. Many business owners choose a first time video producer or a first time web designer, often fresh from college or high school, to build their company’s media. Maybe these media virgins are very talented, but they often have a 9-5 job and their creative work is just a side business. What happens then is that the video that you needed for the holiday shopping season starting in September isn't ready until December. It's too late. Experience is critical. I was with some civic leaders to watch a presentation of a new promotional video for an upcoming national event. The video was comprised of action shots cut to music with a few animations thrown in. It was way too long. The best length for any video of that category should have been between sixty to ninety seconds, however it went on for three to four minutes. It didn’t tell a story or give me a reason to attend the event. This is a common mistake made by most inexperienced producer/editors which we often term as “preditors”. Good editing does not make a good video. Consider using a professional producer to consult you on your video production even if you use an amateur to edit it to save money. The saying “What you sow is what you’ll reap” also applies to your company's media. Take control of your media, even if you know nothing about it. Find a "Media Czar" to give you back your media control. To help you find you media czar, pick up my book "How To Avoid A Media Meltdown", available on Kindle and paperback at AMAZON.COM.

John Ondo is an Emmy Nominated TV Producer, Filmmaker, Media Consultant & Author. His company, Ondo Media,specializes in helping emerging businesses and non-profits develop and produce a media strategy. Based in Columbus, Ohio. John Ondo, can be followed on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and our Ondo Media Vimeo site. You can also get his book "How To Avoid A Media Meltdown" at Amazon.Com or at the Ondo Media Bookstore.

ONDO MEDIA & 610WTVN SELECTED AS A WINNER IN THE 33rd TELLY AWARDS

john — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:58:06 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bob Conner's Final Show on 610WTVN

Contact: John Ondo

john@ondomedia.com

COLUMBUS, OHIO May 7, 2012

The Telly Awards has named John Ondo of Ondo Media as a Bronze winner in the 33^rd Annual Telly Awards for the online documentary “The Morning Monarch” produced for 610WTVN.COM. With nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, this is truly an honor.

“The Morning Monarch” is a documentary produced for WTVN Radio celebrating the career of morning show host Bob Conners upon his retirement in November of 2011 after 32 years hosting the morning show.

The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

A prestigious judging panel of over 500 accomplished industry professionals, each a past winner of a Silver Telly and a member of The Silver Telly Council, judged the competition, upholding the historical standard of excellence that Telly represents. Approximately 25% of entries are chosen as Winners of the Bronze Telly.

“The Telly Awards has a mission to honor the very best in film and video,” said Linda Day, Executive Director of the Telly Awards. Ondo Media’s accomplishment illustrates their creativity, skill, and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great film and video production.”

“We are honored to have been selected for two Telly Awards in 2012 for our documentaries” said John Ondo producer of the documentary. “ The story of Bob’s career at WTVN was a privilege to work on, and we appreciate all the support from WTVN and Clear Channel in choosing us to do this special project. “

To find out more about the Telly Awards visit our website at www.tellyawards.com.

About Ondo Media

Ondo Media specializes in documentary production and media consulting. Based in Columbus, Ohio they work with emerging businesses to develop a successful media strategy. John Ondo is also author of the book “How to Avoid a Media Meltdown”. www.ondomedia.com

About “The Morning Monarch” video

You can watch the video at https://vimeo.com/32803908

Please contact John Ondo for inquiries: john@ondomedia.com

Ondo Media selected as a winner in the 33rd Annual Telly Awards

john — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:04:38 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Ondo john@ondomedia.com

ONDO MEDIA SELECTED AS A WINNER IN THE 33^rd ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

COLUMBUS, OHIO April 20, 2012

The Telly Awards has named John Ondo of Ondo Media as a Bronze winner in the 33^rd Annual Telly Awards for the documentary “Reflections of Elida”. With nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, this is truly an honor.

“Reflections of Elida” documented a historic school building near Lima, Ohio which was replaced by a new building in 2011. The unique sixty minute program was produced over three years and has served as both as a fundraiser for the school as well as a way for alumni to remember the old school building and the educators who made the building a very special school.

“We are honored to have been selected now two years in a row for the Telly Award" said John Ondo, producer of Reflections of Elida. It was an amazing film and we are now just underway with production of another documentary of another school near Elida”

To find out more about the Telly Awards visit our website at www.tellyawards.com.

About Ondo Media

About Reflections of Elida

The project’s official site is www.elidamemories.com

Please contact John Ondo for inquiries: john@ondomedia.com

Transforming Lives in West Ohio

john — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:53:38 +0000

On June 13 2012, WTLW-TV in Lima Ohio will celebrate 30 years of award winning broadcasting in Western Ohio. The station is focused on reaching the viewers other the 10 county area with a message of hope through Jesus Christ. This year Station Manager, Kevin Bowers announced an aggressive $750,000 fundraising campaign to overhaul the stations aging Master Control Center this summer. WTLW TV not only airs programming on its full power 44.1 digital channel but also broadcasts the nations only fulltime local sports station on 44.2 which is called WOSN. Both channels will convert to HD, again in a move few stations in the country have accomplished. Communicating this challenge to their supporters was critical. WTLW brought in Ondo Media from Columbus, Ohio to produce a video to covey the need for this historic change in the station. “It is so critical when presenting a major capital campaign that you communicate both the need and present what your ministry is doing to change lives” said John Ondo who produced and edited the video.

The video was presented to an audience of over 700 who came to hear former Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden for the Transforming Lives Banquet on February 9. “Its an honor to have worked on this project, this station has not only changed thousands of lives in West Ohio but my own, it an honor to tell their story” said Ondo. The goal is to raise $750,000 by June and currently they have raised over half of the amount.

Ondo Media partners with March of Dimes

john — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:04:05 +0000

: Isabella's Story

You can feel so helpless when your newborn child is in the NICU and every breath is a gift. John Ondo, filmmaker and media consultant knows this first hand as a father of a preemie. The March of Dimes has been known for decades as a leader in research and education to allow for every baby born to be a healthy baby. Ondo Media is proud to be a partner with Central Ohio March of Dimes with their upcoming March for Babies on April 29 at the Easton Town Center in Columbus. Ondo Media produced a video story on the 2012 Ambassador Family, Elizabeth & Steve Showalter of Columbus. Their daughter Isabella was born at 23 weeks and faced respiratory difficulties at birth however because of the research from the March of Dimes Isabella is now a healthy 16 month old. The video will be featured on the March of Dimes website as well in many upcoming events. " I'm proud that we can play a role in helping the March of Dimes and what they do for preemies in the Columbus area" said John Ondo who produced the video. Ondo Media is also serving as a promotional partner with the March for Babies event. You can view the story by clicking on Isabella's Story.

Special thanks to OSU Medical Center for their assistance on this project.

For more infomation on the March for Babies you can go to the Central Ohio March for Dimes website here.

John Ondo is an Emmy Nominated Filmmaker, Media Consultant & Author. His company, Ondo Media,specializes in helping emerging businesses and non-profits develop and produce a media strategy. Based in Columbus, Ohio. John Ondo, can be followed on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and our Ondo Media Vimeo site

2012 Super Bowl Ad Winner is….

john — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:40:51 +0000

Cars, Bikinis and Cars. I think thats all ad agencies think will make money on Super Bowl commercials. As I look over my tweets and notes I made during the game, I find overall there was a lack of creativity in many of the commericals in Super Bowl XCVI. The common denominator or sex, women and sex seems to continue to be the driving force for many who want to get the instant attention of the audience, yet the long term connection to the product is lost. The real winner of the 2012 ad war in my opinion, based on strong creativity and keeping your product still at the center, was the following:

1st place; Doritos "Dead Cat Bribe"

My criteria for winning is you can't tell a friend about the spot without saying; "The Dog had a bag of Doritos". That makes that spot a big winner. Doritos had a second spot later in the game, also low budget and cute, and again its chips were dead center in the spot.

2nd Place: The Chevy Silverado "Armageddon"

It had it all, Barry Manilow, Twinkies, Armageddon and raining frogs. With a final jab at Ford. The positioning statement at the end says it all; "From the beginning of your work day until the end of the world". And thanks to Ford being in the news with a lawsuit to pull the spot, I also was looking forward to seeing it because of the buzz. So Ford helped Chevy out quite a bit with the extra pub.

I Wish We Could Forget Awards:

G.E.

I don't understand the parent company of NBC, GE and their obsession with institutional spots. Most people used to think of G.E. as refrigeators and toasters, now they want to be jet engines and medical scanners? GE is the classic branding nightmare of a corporation that should go under based on their bad branding but since they are huge they can waste as much money as they want and just tickle their stockholders wallets.

GoDaddy.com

The webservice also continues its well know sex driven ads. I don't know why any company wants to be positioned as the "Hooters" of web hosting. I think its bad business, and so do most of the women and men I know.

Honorable Mentions

Honda CRV & The return of Ferris Bulluer was a nice trip to the past. However the two spots that I think were the most heartwarming was the touching Ronald McDonald House spot featuring a child holding pictures of his recovery. And the Bud Light "Here We Go" commerical featuring a nice tag for a Dog Rescue organization. Again well done, and that warm feeling is a brand being built.

In just a few hours I have already forgotten most of the ads. I know Jerry Senfeld was in one for Acura, but it did nothing for me. I know Toyota had a flashy spot with cars and bikinis but so did two or three other car ads. However I can still hear Barry Manilow and see a man with his dog (with seat belt fastened) driving through the ruins of civilization, and a dog bribing his owner with a bag of Doritos. That made for a good 90 seconds of television.

Which commercial will tell the best story during Super Bowl XLVI?

john — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:38:18 +0000

It's a great day to be an American as we will celebrate what has become a national holiday; The Super Bowl. And whether you have a dog in this race tonight or not, the commercials will take center stage. Volkswagen, Honda and Budweiser all will make a big splash as always. A :30 second slot is upwards of 2.6 million dollars and in many cases the production budget can be in the same price range. What will you remember? It all comes down to two things in my opinion, 1) Who tells the best story. 2) Then connects that story to the brand so that you remember it. Do you go to work tomorrow saying "Did you see that funny commercial with the whale in the back of a pickup truck?" or "Did you see the Bridgestone commercial". Sometimes the best commercials do nothing for the sponsors. I will be like most of you, tweeting my thoughts on Twitter at @john_ondo which also follow through to my Facebook @John.P.Ondo . I will also have a few thoughts tomorrow morning summing up my pick for the most effective spot of the Superbowl right here at OndoMedia.com. Remember as I always say to my clients, your story is the most important thing!

Has your company been orphaned by a website designer?

john — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:43:15 +0000

Last week was record breaker. I met two business owners who were orphaned. They were not orphaned like children in the traditional sense, but were left out in the cold by a "Buddy" who was helping them design their company's website and bailed. I hear these stories all too often. One of the business owners told me that they got the site produced by a professional, but at a steep discount. They realized that after being online for a few weeks that the contact form wasn't working and that they had lost untold potential business because of that. You'd trust a professional with your $80,000 car, why wouldn't you with your $500,000 business?

Now they are at the back of the line waiting to get the code fix. Then a few days later, I had a meeting with client who hired a part time web designer to build their community website. They paid in advanced. The result; the web designer built the webpage in Dreamweaver (for those not into web design this is the equivalent to learning Chinese as your primarily language) so the only person who could update it was the designer. That designer got a new full time job and the website is now live and hanging out there with half the pages saying; "More Coming Soon!". We've heard of the "Housing Crisis", and the "Banking Crisis", I now believe that we are also in a "Media Decision Crisis".

Many small businesses call it quits every day because of lack of sales due to a bad media strategy. They chose to cut corners relying on a "Buddy" to build their website or produce a video for YouTube.

Here's a few things to consider before you hand your media over to friend or even someone who claims to be a pro at media. This from my brand new free Ebook that I'm proud to be releasing in a few days here at ONDOMEDIA.COM.

To correct the issue may cost more than building it right the first time
You can't put a price on the lost business due to a bad first impression
Your competition is watching you.

Don't get orphaned and left out in the cold with your media. You'd trust a professional with your $80,000 car, why wouldn't you with your $500,000 business?

- John Ondo is an Emmy Nominated Filmmaker, Media Consultant & Author. His company, Ondo Media,specializes in helping emerging businesses and non-profits develop and produce a media strategy. Based in Columbus, Ohio. John Ondo, can be followed on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and our Ondo Media Vimeo site

The end of a historic courthouse is Ondo Media’s next documentary

john — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 07:39:37 +0000

Read the entire article by Toledo Blade reporter Jennifer Feehan

3 Tips To Help You Connect To Your Audience

john — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:16:24 +0000

Recently I had an opportunity to sit down with a friend and veteran radio broadcaster just a few days before his retirement. Bob has had the number one morning show for over 30 years here in Columbus and I've never worked anyone who knew how to lock an audience in better than him. I asked Bob what lessons he's learned in building a relationship with listeners? He said "John you need to be careful not to talk down to your audience or to talk up to them, either way it makes them feel uncomfortable and they turn you off. If you share information that is important to them you will grab a lot of people."

I considered Bob's thoughts later and wondered, as I've spend most of my career in Christian broadcasting and helping churches and non profits connect with their target audiences, if we've learned the lesson Bob shared with me. Often as Christians we tend to do exactly what Bob advised us not to do. We approach people apologizing for our faith in this politically correct world. We say things like "I'm a Christian, but I'm not like that guy on TV or that other guy in the office." Or we address people from "on-high" that we are the wise ones who have found the answers for those poor sad people. This recently happened to me as I was greeted at the front door at my apartment complex by a little newspaper. It appeared to be a little community paper however it became suspect as I turned page after page which contained articles like "Holiday Depression, Financial Difficulties and Dealing with Lonliness". I figured out that it was a well disguised church advertisement to get me to attend a holiday musical. I worked for a church once that often targeted "apartment people" because they were stereotyped as poor, unemployed and in need of God. If you own a house apparently Jesus loves you more, I'm guessing was the thought. I became angry because I know others who live in houses nearby who didn't get these papers. I felt I had been talked down to by a church and I didn't like it. How much more effective would that campaign been if it had articles about the positives this Christmas, providing tips on traditions, coupons or how I can make my Christmas even better by being part of their celebration? Everyone is looking for a way to upgrade their lives. I don't want the Accord, I want the Accord LX. I don't want the 16gig iPhone I want the 32gig. The lesson? Talk to your audience and help them upgrade their lives but not from talking down or talking up, but talking with them.

Here's some ideas on how to do that;

1) Find out what your audience cares about.

2) Discover what they spend the most their time on. (Odds are they need help on how it could be done better or quicker)

3) What problems do they have can you help them solve. (Note: their problems.. not the ones you think they have)

Resist the urge to make yourself feel good by being some kind of hero because then your talking down. Jesus was the master communicator. He never talked down or up. He was all about knowing His audience and cutting to the things they cared about. I challenge you to make your communications to your clients, family and co-workers your priority in 2012 as I plan on making it mine. Have a Merry Christmas from my family and from Ondo Media.

-John Ondo is President & Creative Director of Ondo Media. We specialize in documentary production and media consulting. Based on Columbus, Ohio. John Ondo, can be followed on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and our Ondo Media Vimeo site