Amazon
Amazon
A Hundred Stories in Three Days
A Hundred Stories in Three Days
Overview
Overview
Overview
Amazon's PR team needed documentary-style content profiling fulfillment center employees across multiple U.S. cities, but COVID restrictions meant their usual LA-based crews couldn't travel. Film45, the production company running the project, needed a field producer in Florida who could handle the Miami leg on short notice. McClain got the call because years earlier, he'd spent his time wrapping cables for a gaffer named Seth Newell, and that relationship eventually made its way back to him.
Amazon's PR team needed documentary-style content profiling fulfillment center employees across multiple U.S. cities, but COVID restrictions meant their usual LA-based crews couldn't travel. Film45, the production company running the project, needed a field producer in Florida who could handle the Miami leg on short notice. McClain got the call because years earlier, he'd spent his time wrapping cables for a gaffer named Seth Newell, and that relationship eventually made its way back to him.
Client:
Client:
Amazon
Amazon
Industry:
Industry:
E-Commerce / Technology
E-Commerce / Technology
Agency
Agency
Direct To Client
Direct To Client
Production Company
Production Company
Film45
Film45
Project Type
Project Type
Documentary-Style Content Production
Documentary-Style Content Production
Timeline:
Timeline:
January 2021
January 2021
Location
Location
📍 Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL
📍 Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Deliverables
Deliverables
Photography + video profiles for Amazon News
Photography + video profiles for Amazon News
Before We Got Involved
Before We Got Involved
Before We Got Involved
Amazon runs one of the largest fulfillment networks in the world. Their PR department wanted to put faces to the operation with a content series called "Skeptics," profiling real FC employees and telling their stories outside of work.
Film45 was brought on to produce the series across multiple cities simultaneously. Miami and Minneapolis were running at the same time, with Seattle planned next. Each city needed its own field producer who could manage the ground operation independently while staying in sync with the larger production team.
Then COVID closed California. The LA crew that was supposed to handle Miami couldn't fly out. Film45 needed someone local who could step into a fast-moving production with a major client and not miss a beat.
Amazon runs one of the largest fulfillment networks in the world. Their PR department wanted to put faces to the operation with a content series called "Skeptics," profiling real FC employees and telling their stories outside of work.
Film45 was brought on to produce the series across multiple cities simultaneously. Miami and Minneapolis were running at the same time, with Seattle planned next. Each city needed its own field producer who could manage the ground operation independently while staying in sync with the larger production team.
Then COVID closed California. The LA crew that was supposed to handle Miami couldn't fly out. Film45 needed someone local who could step into a fast-moving production with a major client and not miss a beat.
Amazon runs one of the largest fulfillment networks in the world. Their PR department wanted to put faces to the operation with a content series called "Skeptics," profiling real FC employees and telling their stories outside of work.
Film45 was brought on to produce the series across multiple cities simultaneously. Miami and Minneapolis were running at the same time, with Seattle planned next. Each city needed its own field producer who could manage the ground operation independently while staying in sync with the larger production team.
Then COVID closed California. The LA crew that was supposed to handle Miami couldn't fly out. Film45 needed someone local who could step into a fast-moving production with a major client and not miss a beat.
What We Did Differently
What We Did Differently
What We Did Differently
The Call That Started It All
This is how production works when you do things right for long enough. McClain spent his early career as a PA, wrapping cables and loading trucks for crews across the Southeast. One of those crews was led by a gaffer named Seth Newell. Years later, Seth recommended McClain to Christina Terrell, a producer McClain had previously collaborated with and who had become a close friend. When Film45 needed a field producer in Florida during the COVID LA shutdowns, Christina made the call.
No pitch deck. No capabilities presentation. Just a reputation that traveled through the people who'd worked alongside him.
It's the example of when you can be trusted with a little, you can be trusted with a lot.
Casting a Hundred People in Two Days
The shoot itself was straightforward. The casting was the hard part.
The Miami team spent the first 2 days inside the Amazon fulfillment center interviewing roughly 100 employees. The goal was to find the right stories for the series. That meant sitting with each person, learning who they were, understanding what made their story worth telling, and figuring out who would translate well on camera.
At the end of each night, McClain would pitch the best stories to the larger Film45 and Amazon team. Not summaries. Full character pitches with enough detail for the client to make casting decisions on the spot.
Then came the logistics. Every person they selected needed a signed release. Every home location needed to be scouted and confirmed. Schedules had to be coordinated with employees who were still working shifts at the FC. All of it had to come together within the same week so the crew could shoot at their homes on the final days.
Tracking releases, locations, schedules, and stories for that many people at once became a systems problem as much as a production problem.
Running The Ground Operation
The Miami shoot covered locations across Fort Lauderdale, Coconut Creek, Miramar, and Pembroke Pines. The crew included a director, two camera operators, a photographer, a drone operator, and two PAs, all managed by McClain on the ground.
Each shoot day produced over 760GB of footage. Drone teams ran separately, covering aerials at residences and surrounding neighborhoods while the interview crew worked inside. At the end of each day, PAs transported media for upload while the team prepped for the next morning.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis crew was running an identical operation at the same time. The hotsheets, daily production reports sent to Amazon's team, came in from both cities simultaneously.
The Call That Started It All
This is how production works when you do things right for long enough. McClain spent his early career as a PA, wrapping cables and loading trucks for crews across the Southeast. One of those crews was led by a gaffer named Seth Newell. Years later, Seth recommended McClain to Christina Terrell, a producer McClain had previously collaborated with and who had become a close friend. When Film45 needed a field producer in Florida during the COVID LA shutdowns, Christina made the call.
No pitch deck. No capabilities presentation. Just a reputation that traveled through the people who'd worked alongside him.
It's the example of when you can be trusted with a little, you can be trusted with a lot.
Casting a Hundred People in Two Days
The shoot itself was straightforward. The casting was the hard part.
The Miami team spent the first 2 days inside the Amazon fulfillment center interviewing roughly 100 employees. The goal was to find the right stories for the series. That meant sitting with each person, learning who they were, understanding what made their story worth telling, and figuring out who would translate well on camera.
At the end of each night, McClain would pitch the best stories to the larger Film45 and Amazon team. Not summaries. Full character pitches with enough detail for the client to make casting decisions on the spot.
Then came the logistics. Every person they selected needed a signed release. Every home location needed to be scouted and confirmed. Schedules had to be coordinated with employees who were still working shifts at the FC. All of it had to come together within the same week so the crew could shoot at their homes on the final days.
Tracking releases, locations, schedules, and stories for that many people at once became a systems problem as much as a production problem.
Running The Ground Operation
The Miami shoot covered locations across Fort Lauderdale, Coconut Creek, Miramar, and Pembroke Pines. The crew included a director, two camera operators, a photographer, a drone operator, and two PAs, all managed by McClain on the ground.
Each shoot day produced over 760GB of footage. Drone teams ran separately, covering aerials at residences and surrounding neighborhoods while the interview crew worked inside. At the end of each day, PAs transported media for upload while the team prepped for the next morning.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis crew was running an identical operation at the same time. The hotsheets, daily production reports sent to Amazon's team, came in from both cities simultaneously.
The Call That Started It All
This is how production works when you do things right for long enough. McClain spent his early career as a PA, wrapping cables and loading trucks for crews across the Southeast. One of those crews was led by a gaffer named Seth Newell. Years later, Seth recommended McClain to Christina Terrell, a producer McClain had previously collaborated with and who had become a close friend. When Film45 needed a field producer in Florida during the COVID LA shutdowns, Christina made the call.
No pitch deck. No capabilities presentation. Just a reputation that traveled through the people who'd worked alongside him.
It's the example of when you can be trusted with a little, you can be trusted with a lot.
Casting a Hundred People in Two Days
The shoot itself was straightforward. The casting was the hard part.
The Miami team spent the first 2 days inside the Amazon fulfillment center interviewing roughly 100 employees. The goal was to find the right stories for the series. That meant sitting with each person, learning who they were, understanding what made their story worth telling, and figuring out who would translate well on camera.
At the end of each night, McClain would pitch the best stories to the larger Film45 and Amazon team. Not summaries. Full character pitches with enough detail for the client to make casting decisions on the spot.
Then came the logistics. Every person they selected needed a signed release. Every home location needed to be scouted and confirmed. Schedules had to be coordinated with employees who were still working shifts at the FC. All of it had to come together within the same week so the crew could shoot at their homes on the final days.
Tracking releases, locations, schedules, and stories for that many people at once became a systems problem as much as a production problem.
Running The Ground Operation
The Miami shoot covered locations across Fort Lauderdale, Coconut Creek, Miramar, and Pembroke Pines. The crew included a director, two camera operators, a photographer, a drone operator, and two PAs, all managed by McClain on the ground.
Each shoot day produced over 760GB of footage. Drone teams ran separately, covering aerials at residences and surrounding neighborhoods while the interview crew worked inside. At the end of each day, PAs transported media for upload while the team prepped for the next morning.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis crew was running an identical operation at the same time. The hotsheets, daily production reports sent to Amazon's team, came in from both cities simultaneously.
Results
Results
Results
The content ran on Amazon News as part of the "Skeptics" series. The project delivered photography and video profiles from multiple cities on schedule, despite the last-minute crew changes forced by COVID. For McClain, the bigger result was simpler. Having Amazon on the client list opened doors that are hard to open any other way. When a prospective client sees that name in your portfolio, the conversation starts differently.
The content ran on Amazon News as part of the "Skeptics" series. The project delivered photography and video profiles from multiple cities on schedule, despite the last-minute crew changes forced by COVID. For McClain, the bigger result was simpler. Having Amazon on the client list opened doors that are hard to open any other way. When a prospective client sees that name in your portfolio, the conversation starts differently.
The content ran on Amazon News as part of the "Skeptics" series. The project delivered photography and video profiles from multiple cities on schedule, despite the last-minute crew changes forced by COVID. For McClain, the bigger result was simpler. Having Amazon on the client list opened doors that are hard to open any other way. When a prospective client sees that name in your portfolio, the conversation starts differently.
What We Learned
What We Learned
What We Learned
There's a version of this story that's about COVID pivots and last-minute problem solving. But the real lesson happened years before anyone got the call. McClain got this job because he wrapped cables well. Not because he networked. Not because he had a reel that impressed someone. Because a gaffer he worked for as a PA remembered him as someone who showed up, did the work, and didn't cut corners. That gaffer told a producer. That producer called when it mattered. Production is a reputation business. The work you do when nobody's watching is the work that gets you the call when the stakes are high. When you're trusted with a little, you can be trusted with a lot.
There's a version of this story that's about COVID pivots and last-minute problem solving. But the real lesson happened years before anyone got the call. McClain got this job because he wrapped cables well. Not because he networked. Not because he had a reel that impressed someone. Because a gaffer he worked for as a PA remembered him as someone who showed up, did the work, and didn't cut corners. That gaffer told a producer. That producer called when it mattered. Production is a reputation business. The work you do when nobody's watching is the work that gets you the call when the stakes are high. When you're trusted with a little, you can be trusted with a lot.
There's a version of this story that's about COVID pivots and last-minute problem solving. But the real lesson happened years before anyone got the call. McClain got this job because he wrapped cables well. Not because he networked. Not because he had a reel that impressed someone. Because a gaffer he worked for as a PA remembered him as someone who showed up, did the work, and didn't cut corners. That gaffer told a producer. That producer called when it mattered. Production is a reputation business. The work you do when nobody's watching is the work that gets you the call when the stakes are high. When you're trusted with a little, you can be trusted with a lot.
If you need a production team that can step into a complex shoot and run the ground operation without hand-holding, we should talk.
If you need a production team that can step into a complex shoot and run the ground operation without hand-holding, we should talk.
If you need a production team that can step into a complex shoot and run the ground operation without hand-holding, we should talk.
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Start the conversation today
Let’s make something that feels good to create
— and good to share.
Do you prefer email?
hello@chalant.us
Copied
How do we connect?
We reply within 24 hours
Direct access to our team — no bots.
We ask smart questions fast.
Team leader
Start the conversation today
Let’s make something that feels good to create
— and good to share.
Do you prefer email?
hello@chalant.us
Copied
How do we connect?
We reply within 24 hours
Direct access to our team — no bots.
We ask smart questions fast.
Team leader