As we reflect on the last 12 months, 2011 brought many exciting changes to our Boston-based video production company. When McElroy Films outgrew it’s office, increased staff, won 3 more Davey Awards, and expanded services all within a calendar year, it’s safe to call 2011 a success, but that success is something we’ve come to expect in our office.

Yet again, we were awarded three more Davey Awards for non-profit videos produced for Fenway Health, the South Shore Habitat for Humanity, and the New England Pediatric Center. The latest awards came in addition to the Telly Award given in early 2011 for yet another Fenway Health video.

The winning ways extended into our wedding division as McElroy Weddings won the highly coveted Bride’s Choice Award from the Wedding Wire and the Best of 2012 from The Knot. Both awards are based solely on positive client reviews and are only awarded to the top 5% of the many hundreds of thousands of members on each website.

2011 saw dozens of exciting new videos produced for new and established clients.

Acclaimed singer, Brian Evans, originally of Haverhill, MA, enlisted us to promote his hit single At Fenway in a 30-second spot featuring Hall-of-Famer Jim Rice. The spot not only fueled the song’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but also aired during the Super Bowl in several regions across the United States.

We also produced a hip-hop music video for local artist, G-Star, which accrued hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube in mere weeks.

At about the same time, McElroy Films delved into the New Hampshire Republican primary, becoming former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s personal videographers at a time when the race was still hotly contested. Videographers Ben and Brittney found themselves traveling to every corner of the Granite State, following Newt as he campaigned from senior centers to college campuses. After the New Hampshire primary, McElroy Films produced web spots and commercials for the South Carolina primary.

New videos for non-profit Fenway Health were featured at two of the largest gala events for the LGBT community in the country in both 2011 and early 2012: The Men’s Event and the Women’s Diner Party. Another non-profit giant, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), had a video produced for their premiere fundraising event as well as videos detailing the CCFA’s major fundraising programs such as the Take Steps and Team Challenge campaigns. All the videos went a long way in detailing the missions of Fenway Health and the CCFA for potential donors.

The past year also included training videos for Triple-S and the Boston Fire Department as well as educational videos for Fenn School, Holy Name High School, and the Pakachoag Music School.

With all the success and a host of new projects on the horizon, McElroy Films seems ripe for even greater success in 2012 and beyond. We would like to thank our clients for trusting us with their video, web hosting, and distribution needs, as, without them, our success wouldn’t be possible.

Photo by: Marilyn Humphries

South Shore Habitat for Humanity has partnered with Ben and Bonnie at McElroy Films for the past two years. They have been incredibly creative and a pleasure to work with throughout the entire process. Ben and Bonnie both have the ability to take our vision and make it into reality. They have created a very high end quality video that truly exemplified our mission. The video has been on the front page of our website and makes a tremendous impact. McElroy Films has gone above and beyond just filming. They’re staff has participated in our events because they wanted to, not because they had to with a vested interest in the community. I highly recommend McElroy Films work and I certainly look forward to working with them for a third time.

Rajani Mitchell, Development Manager, South Shore Habitat for Humanity

Click here to watch the video

Working with Ben and Co. enabled us to spice up the topics at hand, without being irreverent or insincere in our presentation.  When shooting a video designed to promote a health maintenance website, a critical social issue became a major national news story: gay bullying and suicides among LGBT youth.  With the help of Ben, we were able to piggyback a second video shoot onto our scheduled one.  The subsequent video: “Fenway Health Presents: It Will Get Better” ended up being much more significant for us than the original short.  Ben and his colleagues were amazingly accommodating and flexible.  They also infused an easy flowing flair into both of the projects we made together.  McElroy Films meets the client where they are at—for us, we had a fairly high amount of creative input into one project.  The crew took what we wanted to do and made it a reality.  Conversely, when faced with making up something from scratch in a single day, Ben and co. took the reigns and directed us towards a fantastic final product.  Ben also made the secondary things—titles, music, and especially editing look easy.

McElroy Films are truly creative and truly facilitative.  I strongly endorse them and intend to work with them again soon.

Jon Vincent, Program Director for Prevention, Education and Screening, Fenway Health

Click here to watch Fenway Health Presents: It Will Get Better

McElroy Films LLC Expands to New Location: Maintains Quality and Affordability

Burlington, MA – In today’s climate, it is more important than ever for businesses, organizations, and individuals to set themselves apart from their competitors. A video, whether for broadcast, social networking, presentations, or other means, can be the catalyst that allows a business to reach the next level or the non-profit to successfully fundraise.  Since its inception, McElroy Films (http://mcelroyfilms.com) has provided quality, affordable high definition video production with those needs firmly in mind.  McElroy Films has created content for everything from advertising and public service announcements for corporate, non-profit, and educational use to memorable wedding videography, special events, music videos, and independent film.

“I went into business for myself, first, because I have a passion for filmmaking and, second, because of an overwhelming need for inexpensive, but quality video in a region where video production costs continue to rise,” said Ben McElroy, owner of McElroy films.

After becoming a mainstay in central Massachusetts, McElroy Films was ready to bring its affordable high definition video production and commitment to customer service to the heart of a broader business community; Burlington Massachusetts was the natural fit.

“I wanted to be both more accessible to our clients as well as increase our presence in the Boston Area,” extolled McElroy. “Now clients can visit our easily accessible location and see our production processes first hand. It’s exciting to see video production come together and our clients can share in that excitement.”

McElroy’s mission is to render high definition easily accessible to everyone without sacrificing quality. He achieves this by customizing every project to each of his client’s specific needs. In addition to using his expansive knowledge and experience, Ben McElroy has a network of professionals in the field with which he can confer to create the best possible product. That being said, Ben makes sure that the client is there every step of the way and has full understanding of every element of the production process.

McElroy Films uses all professional quality equipment at every level of production. Cameras, such as the stunningly sharp Canon 7D, record HD video to cards rather than tape to streamline the editing process and get the content onto DVD’s, Blu-rays, and the internet faster and with greater precision. Sound is taken care of by wired and wireless ‘on-subject’ microphones; the same devices used for television and cinema. Once reserved only for high budget productions, McElroy also uses equipment such as dollies, GlideCams, sliders, and professional grade lighting to get that cinematic ‘look’ for any production. With the use of green screen technology, clients can even be interviewed at the new Burlington location and be digitally placed against any background right in the studio.

“Video is no longer limited to distribution by television or DVD,” explains McElroy. “The Internet has evolved into a communal environment where a company’s message can be spread to millions over social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, but that message has to be easily found on search engines such as Yahoo, Bing, and Google to be truly effective. In addition, companies have to find a way to keep users on their site long enough to hear out what they have to say. What better way do grab someone’s attention and get your message across than with embedded videos on home pages and blogs?”

To learn more about McElroy Films LLC, visit their website at http://mcelroyfilms.com, call (888) 303-2744 x703, or visit their new office at 101 Cambridge Street, Suite 300, Burlington, MA 01803.

About Ben McElroy

Ben started his career in high school as a documentarian, filming abroad in Turkey, Israel, Greece, and India for Open Air Campaigners, His Land Israel Tours, and The People’s Baptist College and Seminary. His college experience included the New York Film Academy, Full Sail University in Orlando, FL, and UMass Lowell. Ben won the National Press Photographers Award for outstanding photography during his time with the Lowell Sun and also spent time with the Associated Press, Manchester Union Leader, and Time Warner. His recent corporate videography includes pieces for Fenn School in Concord, MA, the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America, etc.

About McElroy Films

McElroy Films LLC is a professional producer of high definition video for corporate, educational, non-profit, wedding, music video, and independent film use. Serving the Massachusetts and New England area, McElroy Films’ mission is to keep high definition video affordable without sacrificing quality. Ben McElroy and his staff take pride in their client-first approach and personalized attention to every project.