News and Events

Take One Produces US Air Force Video

Booz Allen Hamilton called on Take One Digital Media to produce this informational video for the US Air Force. The piece focuses on the Air Force’s commitment to energy management and how it will transform the Air Force into a more sustainable force by ensuring operational readiness both at home and abroad. The Air Force Vision: “Make Energy a Consideration in Everything We Do” highlights energy’s central role in Air Force operational readiness. Take One Digital Media created this three-minute motion graphics program to illustrate this vital message. The project was designed and animated in After Effects by Take One Interactive Director Dan Dingus. The production is being used by the Air Force at various events.

Click here to view the video.

Take One Digital Media offers video, film, and multimedia production, Web and print design, and commercial Web hosting.

Take One wins Three Telly Awards!

Take One Digital Media is the proud winner of three 2010 Telly Awards. The accolades are in recognition for our work with client American Geological Institute. Take One has partnered with American Geological Institute on various productions over the years. This year, our work on “Visions of Earth”, “Why Earth Science?”, and “Earth and You” garnered two silver and one bronze awards in the Educational (academic use) category.

The videos were written and produced by Colin Mably of Educational Visions for American Geological Institute from footage and animation produced for the Discovery's Science Channel series "Faces of Earth". "Visions of Earth" is a 4 part DVD series covering key aspects of the Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere and Biosphere. "Visions of Earth" is published by Delmar-Cengage Learning and marketed to high schools. “Visions of Earth” has been adopted by several states for their high school curriculums. "Earth and You" is geared towards the elementary school market and is published by Lab-Aids, Inc. A consolidated version of the videos received high accolades at the recent International Union of Geological Sciences conference in Paris in March. The videos were edited by Take One editors Neda Juraydini and Dan Powell.

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 31st Annual Telly Awards received over 15,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents.

Click here to view the video.

Take One Digital Media offers video, film, and multimedia production, Web and print design, and commercial Web hosting.

Take One wins a Telly Award!

Take One Digital Media is the proud winner of a 2010 Telly Award. The award is in recognition of our work with client New Ground Publishing on the production of the video “Kayla’s Voice – empowering people with autism”. The heartwarming piece tells the story of a teenage girl from California who is non-verbal and on the autism spectrum. We follow Kayla Takeuchi through her journey with facilitated communication and ultimately to “finding her voice” as she learns to type to talk. You can view the trailer for “Kayla’s Voice” at: http://newgroundpublishing.com/products-kayla.php “Kayla’s Voice” won the Telly in the Social Issues and Education categories.

New Ground Publishing is about to release its second video “We’re All In This Together – understanding the humanity of autism”. This video was also produced by Take One Digital Media. New Ground Publishing director, Stephen Hartman, LCSW-C, is a provider of home and community based support services to children and teenagers on the Autism Spectrum who need intensive support. Hartman came to Take One in 2009 with a goal to produce awareness media to support those individuals and families dealing with autism on a daily basis.

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 31st Annual Telly Awards received over 15,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents.

Take One Digital Media offers video, film, and multimedia production, Web and print design, and commercial Web hosting.

Tech Awards 2010

Take One Digital Media helped bring the Chesapeake Regional Tech Awards 2010 to life on March 25th as the producers of a tongue-in-cheek opening video slating each of the three previous Chesapeake Regional Tech Council presidents of the as tri-athletes in the tri-tech triangle. The spoof highlighted Mark Powell, Michael Ryan, and Kevin Lancaster all in the “Race to Renewal”. The piece is a good testament to how green screen video technology can be used to make a point, market a product, or just to get a laugh in a crowd! Check out the video on our Facebook and while you’re there…become a fan of Take One on Facebook!

Get Your Plunge On!

Take One Digital Media joined forces with Special Olympics Maryland for the 3rd year to produce zany viral media to pump up the volume on the 2010 Polar Bear Plunge. Link to the laughs at The Plunge News Network 2010 (think the Daily Show and the Onion with .00005% of the budget).

Thanks to these videos, the site is clearly seeing a huge spike in traffic, viewers and buzz at www.plungemd.com and in all social media and despite a down economy, donations are up! The jewel of the series is athlete Jimmy Myrick showing off his acting skills as American Idol’s “Jimmy Randy” and a med-tech on the hit show “House”. Contrary to the “tugging heart-string” approach used by many charities, plunge co-founder Tom Schniedwind is devoted to celebrating these athletes. As Tom says, “On a weekend before the Superbowl there’s a huge party at Sandy Point State Park. Whether you plunge or not, I just want people to come out for FREE entertainment, have fun, and if it happens to benefit the 15,000 athletes, all the better.” Hope to see you there!

New Hire at Take One Digital Media

Annapolis, MD – May 5, 2009– Take One Digital Media is proud to announce the addition of a new Interactive Director/Graphic Designer to our team. Dan Dingus built his career with various interactive and ad agencies in Baltimore, becoming a nationally awarded Web designer for his work with Black & Decker, National Aquarium in Baltimore, PGA Tour, and McGraw-Hill.

Dan is a designer who can happily accommodate client suggestions while continuing to dazzle with a fresh approach that turns out to be just what the client was looking for. He combines extensive knowledge of Motion Graphics, DVD authoring, HTML, CSS, Flash, and JavaScript with a contemporary design aesthetic that will perpetuate Take One’s tradition of keeping our clients at the forefront of their respective industries.

Dan came on board during the first quarter this year and has already pleased many Take One clients old and new. Middleton Gardiner Group’s website was his maiden voyage here in the web design and programming category. The site redesign is also programmed with a simple content management solution for the client to maintain regular updates. James E. Brennan, CFP Director of Financial Planning with the Middleton Gardiner Group in Severna Park, speaks volumes when he says, “Take One has taken the professional look of our business to a fantastic new level. The design team listened to what we needed and then created a design that perfectly captured the image we wanted to portray to our clients and prospects. We highly recommend their services.” View the site at: www.mggadvisors.com

Take One is currently advising the group on custom designing its email template to be consistent with its new professional look and feel.

Take One is the proud winner of a 2008 W³ Award

Take One Digital Media is the proud winner of a 2008 W³ Award honoring outstanding websites, web advertising, and web video. The honor was awarded in the Branded Content /Non-for-Profit category for “The Polar Bear Diaries” video series on the web, 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. In fact, we’re deep into production for another round of fun viral Plunge videos right now for the 2009 MSP Polar Bear Plunge. You can view an edited version of the entire 2008 series on the Take One website at: The Polar Bear Diaries

The W³ Awards honors creative excellence on the web, and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award winning sites, videos and marketing programs. The W³ is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms.

Take One Wins Two Telly Awards!

Take One Digital Media is the proud winner of two 2008 Telly Awards. The highest level of recognition, a silver Telly, was awarded in the Charitable/Not-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!

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

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!

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!

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!

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

Blumenthal Law Office

Economy Pest Control

Broadneck Area Youth Sports

Take One Future Proofs with HD

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

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

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

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

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

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.”