Media Brighton Ltd: The wife and husband video team that can’t seem to stop working together
- May 15
- 5 min read
Today our guest blog comes from Media Brighton, a member of our Connected100 Business Club. In this blog, they share the story behind their husband-and-wife video production team, how they built their business, and the creative journey that has taken them from rock bands to working with major brands and luxury companies. It’s a brilliant insight into how passion, talent and teamwork can build a thriving creative business.
Whenever we tell people we run our video production agency together, they always say: ‘Wow, I couldn’t work with my other half.’ But the thing is, we’ve always worked together as our skill-set is so perfectly matched.
Meet the Team Behind Media Brighton
So Media Brighton is Ben Simon: Video Director, DOP, Camera Op, Editor, CGI Enthusiast, Audio Expert and Marketing Guru; and myself, Annelies Simon: Video Producer, Scriptwriter, Presenter and Voice Over Artist.
Between us, we can cover all or most of the video production process. When needed, we dip into our pool of talented, regular freelancers. We had an office in Brighton for a bit, we even had an employee once; but rather than put bums on seats, we’re actually very happy getting stuck in with video projects rather than managing other people. So we now work from our spacious garden office a stone’s throw from the beach in Shoreham by Sea, where we like to kitesurf from time to time.
Creativity That Knows No Bounds
We’re both madly creative and in the name of video have sent clients into space, sold software with rubber ducks and created a CGI sci-fi world for 90s poprock legends Republica. Since the birth of our business around 2009, we’ve crafted videos for big brands like BT, Zeiss and Michelin, SMEs and local businesses, even Sussex Police. We specialise in the software and luxury product markets but take on any video challenge that comes our way. We love the variety!
But we didn’t always make videos. Plan A was to become rock stars. So back in the noughties I relocated from my home in Belgium to Brighton because I had fallen in love with an Englishman (Ben) and Brighton was the place to be. We started a band called Silvermaker and gigged in every possible venue in Brighton and beyond. Ben on the drums, myself as the singer and various other members making up the rest of the lineup. In the daytime we were either writing or avidly promoting ourselves and by night we performed as an acoustic covers duo (Ben on guitar) and a 5 piece cover band. I also went out as a Madonna Tribute Artist and Ben was DJing in clubs, weddings and at private parties - all to fund our dream. We wrote, recorded and produced our own Silvermaker album, got an indie record deal in the US…. and I lost my voice.
Enter our ‘proper jobs’. Ben became a web designer and I went into online PR, honing my copywriting skills. And then one day Ben was asked to help produce some videos for Nokia through his then web design job and the rest is history. Ben pivoted from web design into video production, used his sponge-like brain to teach himself all the skills, bought some kit and I jumped on board to write scripts and organise him. Because every creative genius needs an Annelies on their team ;-)
The Birth of Media Brighton
To build up our showreel, we offered cut down rates to friends and family and even shot videos for free. One day Ben blagged himself a high viz press vest at the Brighton Marathon, evaded being captured by security and crossed the finish line while interviewing a runner in action.
But what really launched Media Brighton was our first big software client: Dotmailer. They had a job advert for an internal video producer, but we told them that with us they would get 2 for the price of one, without the hassle of employing someone - and it worked. After years of making their software demos, software adverts, talking heads videos and event videos; we had enough software video content to make targeted landing pages on our website and position ourselves as software video experts. The great thing about software companies is they need a lot of videos. What’s even better is when they allow us to flex our creative muscles by injecting comedy into an otherwise dry subject. Like using rubber ducks to sell software…
We love the variety our work provides, the places we go, the people we meet. And more recently, some of those places have been very glam indeed. Since making luxury product videos for WOLF1834 to help sell their luxury watch winders and jewellery boxes, we’ve been to stunning manors and even hired out the Brighton Pier and Bluebell Railway. These luxury adverts require casting, clothing, props, location scouting….It’s a fun challenge! But when you have up to 25 people on set in an expensive location, costs can spiral. So to maximise budget on one of WOLF’s productions, we rotated models between 3 production teams: Ben shooting the main video, our freelancer Nick shooting vertical social shorts and a photographer taking snaps. 1 day resulted in 35 pieces of high end video content featuring 5 models with 5 different products, ready for WOLF to deploy across their social channels for months.
How Video Production Has Changed
And that’s one of the main ways in which video production has changed since we started. One video is no longer enough. To engage with your audience, gain their trust and convert them into customers, you need short, concise videos on your homepage, landing pages and social platforms. All in different lengths and formats.
And if you work closely with a small team that has big ideas, the video making process is fluid and cost effective. That happens to be us. A husband and wife who just can’t stop working together, thrive on creativity and love meeting new people… Oh, and we never really stopped doing music. Ben is just putting the finishing touches on a drum and bass album and I sing regularly with my modern retro trio Hit the Silk. You may have seen us at the Connected 100 Christmas Party…
Either way, we’d love to chat all things video with you - so watch our work and get in touch at www.mediabrighton.com.
Instagram: @mediabrighton
Facebook: Media Brighton
LinkedIn: Media Brighton Ltd
Comentários