From golden coastlines to wastewater treatment facilities, our LEO Events media team hit the road to capture the kind of work everyone depends on, but most people never see. Over several weeks, they traveled across North America – from the rugged expanse of the Permian Basin in West Texas to the humid job sites of Tampa, up to the industrial backbone of Red Deer, Alberta, across the iconic skyline of San Francisco, and into the shipbuilding corridors of Suffolk, Virginia. Each stop took them to a jobsite where they captured content for a custom video series on behalf of a client, a global leader in high-performance protective finishes. Every location revealed new challenges, new applications, and new stories behind protective coatings engineered for the toughest environments on earth.
This LEO client, a leader in protective and marine coatings, partnered with us to create Gritty Jobs, a six-part video series showcasing real jobsite applications of their industrial-grade products. From refineries and bridges to stadiums, manufacturing plants, and marine vessels, these coatings are designed to defend steel and concrete against corrosion, chemicals, abrasion, UV exposure, and extreme weather. Their remarkable use cases and the crews who put these coatings to use became the inspiration and driving force for this collection of videos.
Authentic Conversations in the Field
The overarching goal was two fold: to highlight how our client’s industrial coatings show up in real world applications – defending infrastructure, extending asset life, and supporting the skilled professionals who keep critical industries and economies moving forward – and to connect the client’s sales teams and store leaders to these captivating field stories. We sought to create a deeper connection to the products they sell and the teams who use them everyday. Interestingly, what our media team found on the road went well beyond stories surrounding coating systems and job specs. They found grit, craft, and pride behind products that perform in the toughest environments imaginable.
“As director of this video series, the coolest thing for me was uncovering these stories and the incredible depth of each,” Director of Studio & Editorial at LEO, Brett Clark, said. “We began with high level scripts, but the storyline for each video evolved naturally through authentic conversations with field professionals at each jobsite. We saw firsthand how this important work fuels economies and keeps industries moving.”
Adventures on the Road
Unlike a studio shoot, this series required early call times, steel-toed boots, hard hats, and cameras rolling alongside crews applying high-performance protective finishes in some of the toughest possible conditions. It was fun. It was grueling. And the days were long, but boots on the ground was the best way, really the only way, to accurately capture the heart of these stories.
One project took our team to one of the world’s most iconic structures – the Golden Gate Bridge – where crews were blasting and repainting in an environment so corrosive even stainless steel can rust. On what Clark described as a truly epic day, the team saw our client’s products in an extraordinary application while also reveling in the excitement of shooting at such a legendary location.
LEO’s Senior Video Editor, Josh Ickes, remarked on the gravity of the experience. “It was thrilling to go places only a handful of people ever get to,” he said. “Seeing the upkeep, the effort, and the logistical elements that have to come together to keep this bridge project going was really fascinating. Even the people who work on it every day seemed to recognize what an epically cool job they’re doing.”
Custom Video, Dynamic Storytelling
Bringing those stories to the screen was special for our teams, and is proof of our client’s commitment to representing their people and products and fostering real connections. “When these videos play back to a room or arena full of people, it can turn a business meeting into a communal event,” Ickes said. “No other method was going to accurately show the important people, the boots on the ground, the thinkers, the workers out there getting things done.”
After all the planning and logistics, travel, shooting, and editing, the Gritty Jobs series was incorporated into a lively general session presentation for our client, punctuated by a panel discussion in which regional sales directors teed up and bookended each video through dialog on stage.
“The work our media team did inarguably elevated the storytelling we wove throughout this session,” Scott Quade, the LEO Producer who oversaw this session, said. “The Gritty Jobs concept served as the perfect throughline and creative wrapper, tying the presentation back into the event’s overall theme. The client said this was their best national sales meeting yet, so I think it was a big win.”
An Adept Media Partner
We know this strategic, on-location video work elevates attendee experiences at events through expert storytelling that connects them to the brand, and LEO is perfectly positioned to offer these services to clients. “Our team has the capability to handle these projects 100% in house from concept to delivery – from creative ideas to production schedules to actual shoots to post to deliverables,” Clark said. “And we’re eager to do more work like this for current and prospective clients.”
Custom videography delivered real value for this client, enhancing the live event experience they provided for their teams while creating versatile assets for use in ongoing marketing efforts. If you’re looking for an events or media production partner (or both), let’s talk.