Agility Recovery SKO Video Strategy
Overview
At the January 11–13, 2025 Sales Kickoff (SKO) in Phoenix, Agility Recovery's Gus Donelson will capture video content for the SOAR onboarding course program. The event brings together the full sales team (~25 people) and executive leadership at a resort venue. A marketing team member will be on-site to handle recording.
Three videos were scoped; two are moving forward and one is on hold.
Video Inventory
✅ Welcome Video
- Purpose: Executive leadership welcoming new hires to Agility Recovery
- Approach: Unscripted, "drive-by" recording — Gus provides a high-level goal and lets leaders speak freely
- Rationale: Past experience shows executives rarely follow scripts; free-flowing delivery is more authentic and practical given the packed event schedule
✅ Graduation Video
- Purpose: Congratulating learners who complete the SOAR course
- Approach: Same unscripted, drive-by method as the Welcome video
- Tone: Celebratory; convey "congratulations, you've made it"
⏸ Day in the Life Video
- Status: On hold
- Reason: The hybrid audience (some attendees in-person, others virtual) makes a unified, coherent recording difficult to produce. May be revisited for a future cohort or fully virtual recording session.
Production Approach: Unscripted Executive Recordings
The decision to go unscripted is deliberate and informed by experience:
"I've learned — don't give executive scripts, because they don't do it anyway. You do all that work and then they don't follow it."
— Gus Donelson
Practical guidance for this approach:
- Brief executives with a single clear goal (e.g., "These are new hires — welcome them, get excited")
- Let them free-flow the content
- Plan for editing to shape the raw footage into a coherent final video
- Keep recording sessions short (5 minutes or less) given the full event schedule
B-Roll Strategy
Gus requested that the Asymmetric team brainstorm B-roll shot ideas for the marketing person to capture at the SKO. The goal is to gather footage beyond standard event photography that can enrich the Welcome, Graduation, and any future videos.
Context for shot planning:
- ~25 attendees at a resort/casino venue in Phoenix
- Event includes presentations, award ceremonies (president's club winners), breakout sessions, and social time
- Marketing person will be present throughout and can take direction
Shot categories to consider:
- Candid team interactions (hallway conversations, small group discussions)
- Presentation moments (speaker at podium, audience reactions)
- Award/recognition moments
- Environmental/venue shots (resort setting, signage)
- Hands-on work moments (someone at a laptop, reviewing materials)
- Leadership candids (informal moments with executives)
Action item: Isalia Ramirez to compile a B-roll shot list and send to Gus before the SKO.
Roles & Responsibilities
| Role | Person | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Content Director | Gus Donelson | Brief executives, coordinate on-site recording logistics |
| On-Site Recorder | Agility Marketing Person | Capture video and B-roll per shot list |
| Post-Production | Asymmetric (editor TBD) | Edit raw footage into final course videos |
| Shot List / Pre-Production | Isalia Ramirez | Deliver B-roll ideas and review existing scripts |
Related Notes
- Scripts for Welcome and Graduation were drafted via Copilot prior to this meeting; Isalia to review for any useful framing, though the unscripted approach reduces their importance
- This video work feeds directly into the [1] SOAR onboarding course program
- See also: [2] for the broader course context
Broader Insight
Unscripted executive video is often the right call. When executives are asked to record for internal training, scripted approaches frequently fail — the executive either ignores the script or delivers it woodenly. Providing a clear goal and emotional tone ("welcome these new hires, get excited") and letting them speak naturally produces more authentic content and saves significant pre-production time. Budget for editing flexibility to compensate.