SAM VEATCH | VIDEO DIRECTOR
My best days at work always involve interviewing or collaborating with a client or partner to help get their story out of their head and into a tangible piece of media. And through the last 8 years in this industry I’ve been able to learn, grow, and travel the country to help people do just that.
I treasure the opportunity to get a crash course in a new industry and learn things I’d never dream of researching on my own. I want to be just dangerous enough to dig in with these passionate individuals to ask questions that help the rest of the world understand their story.
This portfolio serves as a high-level view into the projects that have helped shape my career, and a sample of the skills that I have honed in my time working in such a vibrant industry. I’m seeking an opportunity to continue putting this skillset to work with new clients, new agencies, and new partners.
To view a standard resumé, please click here.
2019 Director Reel
SAMPLES OF WORK
The following is a small selection of work that represents my core capabilities.
ASU LOCAL: ELLIOT
Director, Editor
Arizona State University approached us to help create a video piece to explain their new venture: a hybrid, online and in-person extension of ASU located in the heart of Los Angeles, called ASU Local. They needed a video to help cue up presentations as they pitch state school systems and corporate sponsors to bring these satellite campuses to more cities.
We frame up this piece by following an ASU Local student through a typical school day, and have him describe the school and his experience using his own words. The result is a video that helps give context to this new ASU venture without feeling overly-institutional.
STARBUCKS: INVENTORY
DIRECTOR, CO-DP, EDITOR
Our partners at Starbucks came to us with an interesting dilemma: they needed to figure out how best to present an issue in their inventory and delivery systems to other stakeholders in the business. They were preparing to invest millions of dollars to overhaul the system, top to bottom. It was important to make sure that the key executives watching this piece understood empathetically why this investment needed to happen.
Throughout the overnight shifts with truck drivers and 4 AM call-times with baristas, I absolutely fell in love with our clients and the problem that they were obviously passionate about solving. It was my goal to let that passion for creating a better work experience for their partners (employees) come through in the video.
NOT THIS TIME
Director, remote recordist, editor
“Not This Time” is a grassroots movement that was formed by Seattle activist Andre’ Taylor following the shooting death of his brother, Che, by Seattle police. We partnered with them to create an “introduction” to Not This Time that helps explain the work they’ve done in advancing police accountability in Washington State, and the support that they provide for other families impacted by police violence. I had the opportunity to interview leadership from the organization, as well as families who have suffered loss at the hands of police in Washington.
This video, produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, was filmed entirely remotely using iOS devices and a capture software called OpenReel. While some cinematic elements are lost when filming within this medium, I believe we were still able to tell their story in a way that hadn’t yet been achieved.
This video is not yet released - the video link provided is unlisted and is for private audiences only.
STARBUCKS COLLEGE ACHIEVEMENT PLAN - WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
DIRECTOR, Editor
In 2014, Starbucks rolled out its plan to provide a path to an online college degree for benefits-eligible employees. As they approached the 5th anniversary of the program launch, our clients asked us to partner with them to create a series of vignettes and features about college plan graduates. We formed two crews and hit the road over the course summer 2019 to capture the graduates’ stories all across the country.
All-in-all, we produced over 10 vignettes for Starbucks’ multiple social media channels (including Instagram stories, Twitter videos, and Facebook paid advertisements). We also created 3 long-form features that weave all 10 of the grads’ stories together, carefully balancing folks that are still with the company, and those who have used their degree to move their career in a new direction.
The long-form pieces are live on the Starbucks Stories website.
LES SCHWAB - 65 YEAR ANNIVERSARY VIDEO
DIRECTOR, Editor, Motion designer
Password: tires
This client is a great example of an industry I didn’t expect to love as much as I do now. As Touch prepared to produce Les Schwab’s annual Managers Meeting a few years ago, they wanted a video to help celebrate their 65th Anniversary. We were tasked with finding a way to celebrate the history, legacy and values of the company, while also looking toward the future.
The production included several days of interviews, shooting in stores and tire bays, and sorting through hours of archival footage. The cornerstone of thie piece are the archival interviews with the late founder, Les Schwab, who was able to speak company values almost directly to Managers who had never seen that footage.
This video resonated deeply with the audience at that year’s Managers meeting, and helped establish a long-running storytelling relationship with this client.
STARBUCKS COFFEE ACADEMY
Photographer
Starbucks launched a new education and training program for baristas working in all North American stores. The first phase of this project was the production of printed books that were sent to stores.
Our team worked with Starbucks to take their training materials and turn it into a coffee textbook. I was in charge of creating new photo imagery for the books, which included several studio setups, location shoots for in-store situations, and more to help employees learn about their company. Our designers were able to marry all of these new assets and publish a beautiful set of education materials.
GENERAL MOJO’S: ALL OF THE GREATS (MUSIC VIDEO)
DIRECTOR, EDITOR
This project was an incredible opportunity to partner with my Seattle-based band General Mojo’s to write and direct a music video for our 2018 release, “All of the Greats”.
The result was a fun, lighthearted, Spaceman-Spiff-inspired montage in which three young scientists end up building (and launching) a rocket ship, with the help of our amazing VFX artist Dave Stewart. Working with these three young actors was a a brand-new challenge, but an absolute blast.