Five Questions about Video Production with Dane Frederiksen

Videos are one of the most popular media today. In the second quarter of 2023, online videos had a global audience reach of 92.3%. Approximately a third of all online activity is video consumption. It’s no wonder then that over 90% of businesses used video as a marketing tool in 2023.   

Dane Frederiksen, founder of Digital Accomplice, understands how powerful video can be. His firm has worked with brands such as Adobe, Coca-Cola, and Twitch to create impactful videos that convert leads into customers. He shared how he got into video production, what trends he’s seeing, what the future holds, and some best practices for video production.

How did you get into video production?

I grew up in the business—my parents had a production company. From a young age, I was an extra, and as a kid in elementary school, I got to experience the excitement of being on set. By the time I was a teenager, I was lugging sandbags, C-stands, and lighting equipment. The thrill of being part of a production was just epic. I remember the day my parents got their first computer editing system, an Avid, and it blew my mind. I knew then that I wanted to work in editing. I started out at post-production houses and eventually worked with National Geographic and Discovery Channel. After freelancing, I got into online news at USA Today.com before YouTube even existed. Later, I transitioned into entertainment journalism, the video game industry, and tech in San Francisco, where I traveled the world with crews and hosts, creating developer diaries and lifestyle packages in the style of Anthony Bourdain.

Eventually, I started my own company, Digital Accomplice. Social media began to mature, and I got involved with Twitch from the very beginning, which kept me busy for many years. Now, I’m turning the camera around on myself, building my personal brand and “building in public.” It’s a little messy, but it’s also a lot of fun.

What are trends you're seeing in video production?

Several trends are converging around video right now, making it more relevant than ever. The democratization of video tools over the past 10-15 years means that anyone can now be a video producer. Most people carry a phone in their pocket that can do amazing things, provided they know how to use it effectively. Social media has become both a platform and a way of life, creating enormous opportunities—and a lot of noise.

Trends that started in B2C, like influencer marketing and the creator economy, are now spilling over into B2B. You can see this shift in how LinkedIn has reprioritized video as a key focus. It’s similar to when websites became essential, and every company had to ask, “Do we need a website?” The same is happening with video now. And we haven’t even touched on AI yet; the tools, techniques, and possibilities are still in their infancy, yet they’re already transforming the industry.

AI has its limitations, though, especially around qualities like humanity, authenticity, originality, and emotion. Right now, there’s a lot of value in being human and coming across as human, since people buy from people and relate to stories told by people.

What do you wish people knew about the power of video?

As someone deeply immersed in video production, some things feel intuitive to me, and I often take them for granted. So, why is video such a powerful tool? Well, short of meeting someone in person, video is a fantastic way to get a sense of their personality and energy. If you’re showcasing something, video allows people to see, hear, and feel it emotionally, rather than just reading about it.

The “secret” about video is that it can include all other formats—images, audio, text, and that special emotional dimension that comes through storytelling. Video is also versatile for repurposing, especially with AI tools like Descript, which make it easy to turn video content into other formats, like podcasts, transcripts, articles, or social media posts.

The main point about video is that it tells stories in a way that no other medium can. With text, you’re relying on description and imagination; with audio, you get some emotion, like in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. But with video, seeing and hearing create a different magic. Once you make a video and share it online, its potential reach is massive. While video can be costly and time-consuming to produce, its long-term impact and scalability make it a powerful tool.

What are some future predictions about video?

If I put on my philosopher hat, I’d say 2025 will be the year of B2B video. Many strategies that have worked for B2C video on social media are now being applied to B2B on platforms like LinkedIn and websites. I predict a big push to improve remote setups, helping people look better on camera and make stronger impressions.

AI will continue to amaze and unsettle us, and the need to distinguish real from AI-generated content will remain. We’ll likely see tools developed to help identify authenticity, similar to how currency is always being chased by counterfeiters.

I also think there’ll be a future shift back to real-life experiences as people feel the need to disconnect from social media. The pendulum always swings, and I expect we’ll see a greater emphasis on real-world interactions.

What are some best practices for video production to get the most value out of it?

Best practices for video production are similar to those in any industry. You wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint; likewise, planning is essential. When you align your overall business and marketing strategies with your video production plan, you’ll get the best results.

Adopting a “pre-purposing” approach rather than just repurposing afterward can extend the value of your investment, helping you create multiple pieces of content or content that serve multiple purposes. With the need for regular video releases, it’s worthwhile to invest in high production value.

Gone are the days when you could post a single video on your website and be done. Now, social media and Google reward frequent posting. Video at scale is possible through remote video or conversational content, and having a dedicated setup can allow you to produce high-quality video on the fly, responding to news or company events in real-time.

Working with seasoned video professionals can elevate your content quality. Attempting to bring everything in-house with one person often results in burnout and subpar quality, as no one person can excel at every aspect of video production. By identifying the key needs for your project, you can find the right expertise in the market.

Check out Digital Accomplice’s work. Follow and connect with Dane on LinkedIn and YouTube.