News and Events
Take One Wins Two Telly Awards!
Annapolis, MD – May 14, 2008
Take One Digital Media is the proud winner of a two 2008 Telly Awards. The highest level of recognition, a silver Telly, was awarded in the Charitable/Non-for-Profit category for “The Polar Bear Diaries” video series, part of a viral marketing campaign to promote the Special Olympics Maryland’s annual MSP Polar Bear Plunge. The event raised $3.8 Million in one day. The project was a huge success, with many other Special Olympic organizations looking to Take One to increase their revenues through innovative, non-traditional marketing. We are already in brainstorming discussions about what we can create for Special Olympics Maryland’s 2009 Plunge! You can view an edited version of the entire series here.
A bronze Telly was also awarded to Take One for its work on the American Geological Institute’s “Visions of Earth” production in the Internet/Online Programs, Segments, Education category. Take One produced the short overview piece in cooperation with Delmar Publishing to stress the importance of Earth science knowledge and careers to the school audience and general public.
The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web. The 29th Annual Telly Awards received over 15,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents.
We’re Wired
Annapolis, MD – March 10, 2008
If you build it, they will come”...at least that’s what we wished for a year ago when Take One adopted high-definition acquisition and editorial capabilities. At the time we had very few requests for HDTV. As soon as our clients saw the stunning quality of broadcast level HD footage, we had a field full of players, and an audience…we had built it and they had come. USi called on Take One to shoot a video news release package in HD after AT&T’s acquisition in late 2006. In the months that followed Computer Training.Com, Special Olympics Maryland, Riverhill Nursery Center, eTelemetry, Booz Allen Hamilton, Fado’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, Government Printing Office and Chaney Enterprises took corporate messaging to the next level by employing the crisp, clean image of HDTV….even when distributed on the Web. Moreover, our aggressive HDTV production rates are not much higher than SDTV production rates, so shooting in HD future proofs our client’s valuable image assets.
In response to the strong market demand for HD Take One added another AVID Adrenaline DNxHD and a Final Cut Pro Studio 2 in January 2008, bringing 6 editing systems at Take One, 3 HD suites and 3 SD suites. Extensive engineering took place to install all the flavors of up-rezing and down-conversions. HD-Component, HD/SDI, Beta-Component, Firewire from and to DVCPROHD/50/25, P2, HDV, DVCAM, Digital Betacam, BetaSP and MiniDV… lots of real time horse power under one roof. And with the upgrade, Blu-ray and HD-DVD authoring are now available.
Financing was provided by Bank of America, Digital Video Group of Ashland, VA provided systems integration and engineering and installation was led by Jonathan Einarsen of Contract Video Specialist.
Take One and Special Olympics Maryland Take The Plunge!
Annapolis, MD – January 2, 2008
Take One Digital Media helped Special Olympics Maryland move into new territory by marketing its MSP Polar Bear Plunge 2008 with online video. Tom Schniedwind, Special Olympics Maryland Executive Vice President of Marketing, hired Annapolis based Take One Digital Media to produce a series of seven video vignettes designed to draw attention to the MSP Polar Bear Plunge, scheduled for January 26, 2008 at Sandy Point State Park. Take One’s production crew of Dan Powell and Liz Thibodeau trekked to Churchill, Manitoba to produce the series. “The Polar Bear Diaries”, chronicles Schniedwind, Special Olympic athlete Jimmy Myrick, former Ravens defensive end Michael McCrary, and actor Frank Lama as they try to convince Polar Bear Capitol of the world to stage its own plunge in the Hudson Bay, complete with real bears! The videos are being underwritten by Aerotek, a Hanover based technical and professional staffing agency and will premiere weekly on the newly designed MSP Plunge Web site www.plungemd.com. Take One also designed the new site and integrated it into its pre-existing fundraising interface.
The Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge began in 1997 with 350 Plungers raising $75,000 in order to support and raise awareness for the 10,000 athletes who train and compete throughout the year in Special Olympics Maryland’s sports programs. In 2007, the event set yet another record, raising an incredible $2.2 million thanks to the efforts of 7,400 Plungers – nearly double the number from the year before. Take One hopes the videos help the group reach its $3 Million fundraising goal for 2008.
Take One is a Good Chip!
Annapolis, MD – October 25, 2007
Take One Digital Media, Annapolis-based media design firm, is a nominee for the Good Chip Award by the Anne Arundel Tech Council. The award focuses on area companies who have a history of giving back to the community through their work. Take One is proud to be a company that regularly provides either pro-bono or reduced rate video and multi-media work for area non-profits. The award ceremony is scheduled for November 6 at the Loews Annapolis Hotel. Read more about the Good Chip Award and all its nominees at: www.aatechcouncil.org/TechAwards07GoodChip.html
It’s been a busy summer at Take One!
Annapolis, MD – September 15, 2007
An extensive Department of Homeland Security site was launched for the “National Nurse Emergency Preparedness Initiative” (NNEPI). As a sub-contractor to George Washington University, Take One wrapped up two-years of usability, design, programming and a successful hosting solution at the 11th hour when another LMS hosting vendor failed to deliver on their promise. Take One is providing managed co-lo hosting for the Learning Management System which will train 50,000+ nurses as first responders, should a bio-terrorism or nuclear attack occur.
Mu-del Electronics
We’re seeing Web 2.0 first hand, as many of our new clients came to us with redesign in mind as their older sites were becoming outdated and lacked the luster of new design style. Mu-Del Electronics, Inc. of Manassas, VA recently launched its new and improved site. The company specializes in manufacturing state-of-the-art RF and Microwave products for intelligence collection, detection and analysis, as well as telecommunication, satellite communication and radar signal processing systems. The site includes details on four categories of products available for customization. Visit the site at: www.mu-del.com to see the seamless integration of product data and design.
Blumenthal Law Office
Web design firms who serve niche markets, such as law firms, will negate one-time design fees, but their recurring fees are often very high. After years of paying high monthly fees for their initial “free” design and associated hosting, the offices of Paul Blumenthal Law, selected the option of cutting recurring costs and creating a better web presence. Paul came to Take One for a complete redesign and fresh contemporary feel. Their design investment was approximately $8,000.00 but their monthly hosting and service fees dropped from nearly $1,000 a month to $19.95 a month. Instead of the usual stock photo route, Blumenthal makes use of Take One custom photography which captures the essence of this staff and their personalities. Designer Devin Lyttle also garnered design praise as this site won a “Before and After Contest” for the magazine Dynamic Graphics. The article will publish in the December/January edition. View the site at: www.blumenthallawoffice.com.
Economy Pest Control
Economy Pest Control has been in business in Maryland for 34 years but their Web site needed to look much younger than that! The Take One design team took this outdated site and breathed some new life into it. The site now also includes a free estimating form, newsletter, and coupons. Check it out at: www.economypestcontrol.biz.
Broadneck Area Youth Sports
Another local client, Broadneck Area Youth Sports took our design and programming skills to a new level with the launch of its completely dynamic youth sports registration site. The new site allows athletes to register and pay for their recreational sports activities seamlessly on the site. The site’s extensive backend allows administrators complete control of all data for easy integration into evaluations, uniform sizing, family communications, trophy ordering and more. Take a look at the site at: www.broadneckyouthsports.com.
Take One Future Proofs with HD
Annapolis, MD – April 24, 2007
Take One Digital Media, Annapolis-based media design firm, has completed a 3 month installation of the latest in high definition television (HDTV) acquisition and editing equipment. The company acquired a Panasonic HDX-900 camera and an AVID Adrenaline DNxHD non-linear editor. The AVID features the ability to work in 720p or 1081i in NTSC or PAL. The system also supports the 24p "film-look", which is now widely used for episodic television. The new formats Take One supports are DVCPRO100 and HDV tape formats and P2 cards. According to Take One's account manager, Liz Thibodeau, "The client side demand for HDTV will grow with the FCC mandated HDTV cut over expected in February 2009. We're now “future proofing” client projects by shooting in HDTV, and down converting to standard definition. Once Blue-Ray and HD-DVD's become more pervasive the need for clients to create HDTV content will become more common."
Take One's first projects include shooting USi's data center for AT&T, a tradeshow piece for Booz, Allen, Hamilton and a curriculum project for American Geological Institute. There are only a few HDTV capable production facilities in Maryland. The $150,000 upgrade was made possible with funding from Bank of America. Engineering and installation was provided by Contract Video, of Jessup, MD. Sales and training was provided by Digital Video Group of Ashland, Virginia.
Take One Launches Two New Web Sites
Annapolis, MD – November 8, 2006
Take One Digital Media, Annapolis-based media design firm, has recently launched two new Web sites for area companies. American Radiology Solutions hired Take One to design and program a site for this new division of American Radiology Services and affiliate of Johns Hopkins Medicine. The Baltimore based company specializes in providing overnight and off- hours teleradiology services to medical practices. The sleek new site launched the division of the parent company this fall.
Annapolis based Dean’s Yacht Services hired Take One to redesign its existing Web site to introduce a new level of concierge service from the company. Dean’s specializes in boat detailing and now concierge services for Annapolis and surrounding areas. The new site integrates a high level of design with a fully functioning menu and service area.
According to Take One account manager, Liz Thibodeau, many Web clients are focusing on the Internet for their marketing. Sites such as Dean’s Yacht Services and American Radiology Solutions are examples of how the Web can be used to introduce new service and new direction, quickly and affordably. More and more companies are reaching out to Web design firms to streamline their messaging and fully integrate multimedia in their product launches and branding.
Take One Partners with Anne Arundel Tech Council on Award Ceremony
Annapolis, MD – November 1, 2006
Take One Digital Media, Annapolis-based media design firm, recently partnered with the Anne Arundel Tech Council to produce a high impact award ceremony package for the council’s TechAwards 06 Program. The ceremony was held at the Loews Annapolis Hotel on November 1, 2006 and highlighted several county technology companies for their innovations in how technology effects the quality of life and business. The program was displayed on two, twenty-foot screens supplied by Presentation Media of Laurel, Maryland.
Award nominees included Lockheed Martin, US Internetworking, eTelemetry, Force 3, and TeleCommunications Systems. The event was sponsored by ARINC and other leading Anne Arundel County technology firms.
According to account manager, Liz Thibodeau, Take One worked with Laura Willoughby, Executive Director of the council in producing and editing the opening video segment featuring all the nominees for the award categories as well as several shorter introductions at the start of each award. The exciting segments appropriately brought high tech to life during the evening.
Take One Digital Media offers video, film, and multimedia production, Web and print design, and commercial Web hosting.
Take One Launches Two New Web Sites
Annapolis, MD – April 5, 2006
Take One Digital Media, Annapolis-based media design firm, has recently launched two new Web sites for area companies. AirWave Networks, Inc. hired Take One to redesign its existing Web site and logo. The company specializes in providing high-speed Internet access, TV programming, and phone services for the multi-dwelling marketplace. The new site updates AirWave’s image and enhances their visibility, while reinforcing their ability to compete on a national level.
Take One also launched a newly redesigned site for PBI, Inc.. PBI offers quality office furniture and design services to meet the needs of state, federal, and commercial clients throughout the Maryland/Virginia/D.C. region. The sleek, new design showcases PBI, Inc. as a premiere, one-stop office furniture company with workable solutions.
According to Take One account manager, Liz Thibodeau, more and more clients are reaching out for custom, high-end Web design to compliment their suite of media collateral. “Many new clients are working with us on a variety of media products to enhance their marketing efforts”, says Thibodeau.
Agencies Heat Up Take One’s Winter Quarter
Annapolis, MD – February 3, 2006
Take One Digital Media, Annapolis-based media design firm, has seen its year off to a sizzling start with a production schedule dominated by local ad firms. The Cyphers Agency partnered with Take One to create a tradeshow video for Cyphers client Visionary Product Solutions, Inc., a world leader in innovative solutions for the construction industry. Cyphers’ creative director Darren Easton oversaw the project, a looping DVD for in-booth display. Starting with archival black-and-white film footage of inventors, Take One composited the clips with contemporary video animation, resulting in a clever draw for conventioneers.
Crosby Marketing Communications of Annapolis selected Take One to produce a “year in review” DVD for client Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Originally slated for the hospital’s annual board meeting, the video was so well received that Shady Grove is distributing the piece for public display in its various facilities.
The in-house agency of car dealer Jim Koons Automotive kept Take One busy with three TV ad campaigns. One featured a diverse cast of actors in a spoof of on-line dating services intended to drive prospective car buyers to Koons’ Web site. The footage was shot on Take One’s “green screen” soundstage with the company’s film-look video equipment, then transferred to the MiniDV format to enable Koon’s in-house team to edit the spots. Domingo Campozano, Koon’s creative director, says, “I couldn’t be happier with the results. Our Web site went from 200 unique visitors a day to over 1,400!”
Johns Hopkins Hospital’s Office of Corporate Communications called on Take One to create a DVD to showcase the hospital’s recent appearances in press clippings and TV news segments. Take One produces a fresh edition of the DVD each quarter.
Annapolis-based Herrmann Advertising collaborated with Take One on a television spot for the Maryland State Teachers Association promoting MSTA’s position on pension reform. The ad features MSTA President Pat Foerster, seamlessly placed via ChromaKey in front of the Maryland State Capitol and intercut with footage of North Forestville Elementary School. (According to MSTA, while Maryland is the third wealthiest state in the country, it has a teacher pension system rated dead last.)
New “Take One” Accounts Confirm Trends
Annapolis, MD – January 13, 2006
Take One Digital Media, the local media design firm, recently welcomed two new clients, confirming, according to Take One president Dan Powell, two ongoing trends. “Web sites are comprising an ever larger share of our clients’ marketing dollars. At the same time, our clients need effective branding they can use not just in one medium, but across all types of media, including the Web, video, multimedia, and print. And that’s something we specialize in.”
AirWave Networks, Inc., Annapolis-based provider of high-speed Internet solutions for multi-dwelling facilities, approached Take One for a complete campaign centered around a new logo and Web site. Our mission, says Powell, is to “update AirWave’s image and enhance their visibility, while reinforcing their ability to compete on a national level. And the Internet is definitely a smart way to do that.”
Baltimore-based Swan Secure Products, Inc., manufacturer of a full line of fasteners for international distribution,, came to Take One with a new Web site requiring extensive e-commerce programming — to include a 3200-item shopping cart and three client Extranets — plus hosting. According to Bart Swan, of Swan Secure, “The new Web site will better help us differentiate ourselves from the competition and further define our company as the leading provider of corrosion resistant fasteners.”
Take One’s hosting plan for Swan Secure will ensure seamless interoperability between the site’s shopping cart and multiple back end databases. Take One will also provide comprehensive search engine submissions to ensure the highest possible rankings in Internet search results. “Submitting our clients’ sites to the hundreds of Internet search engines,” states Powell, “is a skill we’ve striven hard to master over the past couple of years, and with great success. Search engines frequently change their methodologies, so we have to be constantly on our toes to keep our hosting clients ahead of their competition in search engine visibility.”
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