When Security on Screen required a studio to enhance video output, essential criteria had to be met. The Kent-based digital start-up wanted a technical partner that understood their needs and would allow the business to develop. In MSP, influencer Peter Mawson is confident Security on Screen has found a relationship that ticks all the boxes.
What did Security on Screen require?
“We launched a business during the Covid-19 pandemic that was centred around digital and video output. We needed to find a studio host that understood delivery and that could also meet our budget as a start-up. It had to be something we could grow with. That has really been my experience with MSP. They were the company that ticked all the boxes.”
How did you know MSP were the right people to deliver your project?
“I asked our AV experts to do an assessment of studio’s we could consider within our budget and to advise on the best offer. We looked at things such as quality of cameras, logistics, how easy they are going to be to work with etc. We didn’t want to get into a situation where we were doing one month in one studio then the next month in another studio. We wanted a long-term relationship and that’s what MSP offers us.
“MSP made it clear they weren’t just pivoting during the pandemic. The business is based on a hybrid studio, and the last thing I wanted was to build a relationship with a company that perhaps later would turn around and say that given the return to ‘normal’ working we are the only business using the studio, so we’re going to take it down – unless we want to spend £20k a month! We wanted to future proof our relationship for that reason as well.”
How did the solution meet your needs?
“From the point of booking it was straightforward. The facilities at MSP are of a standard that fits with the output of Security on Screen. As a video company we like to think we know about video production. We’re underpinned by a company that provides services into the AV sector. If we don’t know AV and video, we ought to stop bothering! What we needed was a company that could match that expertise and take it further from a technical perspective. MSP have delivered that. In fact, they’ve upgraded their equipment to better suit the requirement of Security on Screen. That was an investment MSP chose to make in line with our relationship.”
What guidance did MSP provide into and during the project?
“The team understands how to communicate with the client. Because we have already got technical expertise, I’ve got guys who can say ‘I want this camera set that way and that other camera set this way.’ MSP will no doubt work with other clients who say ‘well, we’re in your hands, we don’t know what to do and will do everything we’re told.’ We’re not like that, and that can sometimes be an edgy experience in a studio because you’ve typically got the studio manager who knows everything about the studio and now, they’ve got a paying customer telling them how they want things to work in the studio.
“There is a balance. There is clear communication and a trust to be able to talk about it. I’m pretty sure that if my producer said, ‘I want this camera set up’ but then MSP genuinely didn’t like it, they would say ‘can we talk to you about that camera set up.’ They wouldn’t just go away and deliver it if they had a professional concern. They’re not that kind of company and that makes a big difference. It means we’re getting the best out of these sessions. They’re active thinkers.”
How have you found working in the MSP studios?
“MSP take the anxiety away. It’s very personable in the studio and not as frightening as I thought it was going to be. The first session I did with MSP was only the third time I’ve been on camera. I was out of my comfort zone and it was all a bit different. They’re good at spotting when you need time out and will say ‘let’s take a break here for five minutes. Let’s have a coffee.’
“It’s the environment they create, and how I feel when I get there. I walk in and they’ve changed the chair because I was a bit uncomfortable last time. There’s no billing, it’s just MSP saying why don’t we make Security on Screen a little bit happier. For that, I don’t mind getting in my car and traveling two hours up the motorway to give them the business because they deserve it.”
Did MSP do anything above and beyond what was required?
“MSP do the pre-production very well. I learned very quickly that if you get that right, then the sessions normally flow well. Although you can expect these things as a client, you don’t always get them when you’re in a commercial relationship. With MSP, the attention to detail never wanes. Every session feels like I’m a first-time client that they’re going to wow.
“We take the post production on ourselves and MSP make that easy too, providing the raw files to take away. That’s great for us as it means we have all the content and can start editing the following day. The fact we’ve got to know each other doesn’t impede the relationship. We don’t proceed until it’s right. They manage to maintain that feeling that you really count and they value your business.”
Why would you recommend MSP to other businesses?
“The word partner is over-used in a business context. I live in a world where people say they have partnerships, but they don’t always really understand what a partnership is. For me, it’s a two-way malleable street and MSP prove they get that, developing their systems and technology to support the session type work we do.
“From the very start to completion of a project, it’s a straightforward and simple to follow process. Supported by the MSP team, I feel totally confident every time I’m on camera in the studio. They are fully committed to what they do.”
*For more information on live, virtual and hybrid events contact MSP Global – events@msp-av.co.uk / 0344 811 0901
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