Who is Travis Johansen?

I originally got started in the world of photography – working for clients primarily out of the Twin Cities with my first studio located around the Ridgedale Mall  area of MInnetonka Minnesota.

Now back then I LOVED how Spielberg could craft a universe that FEALT real.

Unfortunately, to achieve that 35mm high-definition video would have required cameras costing the price of a house.

Back in 2006, the thing about photography was that it created a photo-realistic capture of reality that video didn’t.  Perhaps you don’t remember it, but back then – when you said “video quality” that meant blurry, pixelated, not high definition. “Photo quality” was crisp, clear, it was something you would have made at a photo lab.

Ushering in the world of High Definition – 1080p video with large sensors….

Blurry backgrounds…

Low light…

The whole world of cinema changed with the Canon 5d Mark ii was released.

What seemed like overnight, even some TV shows were transitioning to this new world with a camera that you could purchase down the road at National Camera Exchange in Golden Valley MN.

Recent college grad – and at this point a few years of photography experience paying my way through college – I knew I wanted to focus on storytelling and video production as powerful drivers for brand perception, marketing effectiveness, and revenue growth.

I began working with the Yellow Pages / DEX to create video content for their advertisers.

Week after week, I’d create MULTIPLE videos.

High volume, good production value was their game.

Learn fast, learn on your feet, and keep moving.

What I learned:

It’s not enough to just make something look cool if it doesn’t make a positive impact on your business.

See, YP was focused on just “adding video” which worked for some, but not all.

It worked well for high ticket businesses.

It worked well for businesses that customers have high levels of research and planning.

It worked for businesses that used in specific ways.

What do I mean specific ways?

I mean that when a business wanted to make A VIDEO (1 video) and have it accomplish multiple things, it is like having a single screwdriver and trying to repair an entire car. 

Yes, video is a great tool, but it’s just a type of tool like a philips screwdriver is a great tool. 

Instead, what I found really helped businesses was to create content tailored to the specific goals.

Like having a toolkit rather than a single tool is so much more effective, the same thing happened for video.

What types of videos work best?

We (clients and I) would create a Brand Story video, then we’d create testimonials videos, then we’d create sales page videos, then we’d create product training videos, etc.

How much do these videos cost?

The video production industry is all about creating collaboratively – intelligently.

We focused on the goal of the video and then scaled production to achieve that goal.

 Beyond his professional pursuits, Travis values quality time with his family, embarking on adventures in their custom Skoolie.

In his backyard, he cultivates multiple gardens with fruits, vegetables, and cut flowers, finding joy in nature and sustainability. 

Making smores around a crackling campfire, or mastering the art of grilling with his wood pellet smoker, holding a home brewed hard cider – or some fancy coffee brewing – all in a day’s work.