YouFit
YouFit
From a Cold Intro to a Multi-Year Production Partnership
From a Cold Intro to a Multi-Year Production Partnership
Overview
Overview
Overview
"What you made for the budget both years is really incredible compared to every other commercial agency."
Allison Rand
,
SVP of Marketing, YouFit
"What you made for the budget both years is really incredible compared to every other commercial agency."
Allison Rand
,
SVP of Marketing, YouFit
"What you made for the budget both years is really incredible compared to every other commercial agency."
Allison Rand
,
SVP of Marketing, YouFit
A photographer we'd worked with on a college shoot introduced us to YouFit's brand manager in September 2023. That one email turned into three years of annual CTV commercials, a monthly social content retainer, and a client relationship we didn't see coming. What started as a single spot became one of our longest running engagements, and the one that taught us the most about what it actually takes to keep a client.
A photographer we'd worked with on a college shoot introduced us to YouFit's brand manager in September 2023. That one email turned into three years of annual CTV commercials, a monthly social content retainer, and a client relationship we didn't see coming. What started as a single spot became one of our longest running engagements, and the one that taught us the most about what it actually takes to keep a client.
Client:
Client:
YouFit Gyms
YouFit Gyms
Industry:
Industry:
Fitness / Health & Wellness
Fitness / Health & Wellness
Agency
Agency
Direct
Direct
Production Company
Production Company
Chalant
Chalant
Project Type
Project Type
CTV Commercials, Social Content & Casting
CTV Commercials, Social Content & Casting
Timeline:
Timeline:
September 2023 – Present
September 2023 – Present
Location
Location
Florida
Florida
Deliverables
Deliverables
3 CTV spots/year + hundreds of monthly social assets + casting
3 CTV spots/year + hundreds of monthly social assets + casting
Before We Got Involved
Before We Got Involved
Before We Got Involved
YouFit operates 50+ gym locations across the United States. They position themselves as the affordable, welcoming gym for everyday people, not the high-end boutique crowd. Their membership starts under $10 a month. That price point means their marketing has to work harder than most. Every dollar in the budget has to translate into something that actually moves people to sign up.
When we connected with their team, their CTV spots were being produced by vendors who either overspent or underdelivered. One previous commercial required the production company to fly back and reshoot footage after the initial shoot missed key shots. The marketing team, led at the time by Allison Rand and Nathalia Ferreira, needed a production partner who could consistently deliver broadcast-quality work on a budget that fit the fitness industry.
The challenge wasn't just making a good commercial. It was making a good commercial repeatedly, on a tight timeline, for a brand that doesn't have the luxury of six-figure production budgets.
YouFit operates 50+ gym locations across the United States. They position themselves as the affordable, welcoming gym for everyday people, not the high-end boutique crowd. Their membership starts under $10 a month. That price point means their marketing has to work harder than most. Every dollar in the budget has to translate into something that actually moves people to sign up.
When we connected with their team, their CTV spots were being produced by vendors who either overspent or underdelivered. One previous commercial required the production company to fly back and reshoot footage after the initial shoot missed key shots. The marketing team, led at the time by Allison Rand and Nathalia Ferreira, needed a production partner who could consistently deliver broadcast-quality work on a budget that fit the fitness industry.
The challenge wasn't just making a good commercial. It was making a good commercial repeatedly, on a tight timeline, for a brand that doesn't have the luxury of six-figure production budgets.
YouFit operates 50+ gym locations across the United States. They position themselves as the affordable, welcoming gym for everyday people, not the high-end boutique crowd. Their membership starts under $10 a month. That price point means their marketing has to work harder than most. Every dollar in the budget has to translate into something that actually moves people to sign up.
When we connected with their team, their CTV spots were being produced by vendors who either overspent or underdelivered. One previous commercial required the production company to fly back and reshoot footage after the initial shoot missed key shots. The marketing team, led at the time by Allison Rand and Nathalia Ferreira, needed a production partner who could consistently deliver broadcast-quality work on a budget that fit the fitness industry.
The challenge wasn't just making a good commercial. It was making a good commercial repeatedly, on a tight timeline, for a brand that doesn't have the luxury of six-figure production budgets.
What We Did Differently
What We Did Differently
What We Did Differently
Year One: Prove It on the First Shot
The intro came from James Woodley, a photographer we'd worked with on a Valencia College shoot. James connected us with YouFit's Senior Brand Manager in September 2023, and by November we were on set.
The first project was a CTV spot built around YouFit's "Fitness Has Evolved" campaign. The concept walked viewers through decades of fitness trends before landing on the modern YouFit experience. We shot at a location in Orlando over one day and delivered 11 assets: a :30 hero, :15 and :06 cutdowns, each with multiple end card variations for A/B testing.
When we sent the first cut, the response from the brand manager was immediate: "We LOVE the spot and think this is a FANTASTIC first cut!"
The feedback was specific and easy to execute. Two rounds of revisions and we were done. No reshoots. No budget overages.
The relationship stuck. And when their team evolved over the following months, Allison and Nathalia became our primary points of contact going forward.
Building the Monthly Engine
The CTV spot opened the door to something bigger. By mid-2024, Nathalia brought us in to produce monthly social content: paid ads, organic videos, and UGC-style assets.
We built a system for it. Our photographer and editor, Mikey, worked directly with Nathalia on concepts. YouFit's team would send mid-month data reports, which informed the next month's creative direction. Concepts were approved by the first business day, with shoots scheduled around the 5th. That rhythm meant nobody was scrambling.
"You and Mikey always have an attitude of, don't worry. We're gonna make it work," Nathalia said during a debrief. "That's what makes it pleasant to work with you."
We also started handling casting for their photo shoots. Not the photography itself, but sourcing and coordinating talent for their monthly content needs. It became another layer of the relationship, another way to make their process easier.
When things got tight on the social side, when talent dropped last minute or timelines compressed around holidays, the team's instinct was to solve, not panic. Nathalia noticed that: "On set, even when things could have been chaotic, we were always in an attitude of, okay, let me fix this. Let me get this done."
Year Three: The Documentary Pivot
By the time we sat down to plan the third annual CTV spot in October 2025, we'd earned enough trust to push the creative in a new direction.
The first two years were scripted comedy. They worked. The market responded well. But we wanted to try something that felt more like YouFit's actual identity. Less scripted, more real.
We pitched a documentary-style approach, featuring actual YouFit members sharing their fitness journeys. Nathalia's reaction to the concepts was immediate: "I absolutely love these concepts! I'm really excited about the direction we're heading in."
Nathalia found the story. Terri Hobbs, a YouFit member at the Boynton Beach location, had lost 80 pounds over the course of a year after her sister passed away. Her story was about more than weight loss. It was about finding a place where she felt comfortable enough to show up every day. That's exactly what YouFit wants to represent.
The Chalant team ran the entire production independently. Our director Brody led the creative. Our DP Yann shot it. Our producer Stephen, a veteran in the industry, managed logistics on the ground. They filmed at the Deerfield and Pembroke Pines locations over two days. The gym at Pembroke Pines even closed a section for the crew to shoot, and the GM set aside a room for overnight equipment storage.
I'm really proud of what came out of that shoot. The client loved it. It feels like what YouFit actually is, not a performance of what a gym brand is supposed to look like.
Year One: Prove It on the First Shot
The intro came from James Woodley, a photographer we'd worked with on a Valencia College shoot. James connected us with YouFit's Senior Brand Manager in September 2023, and by November we were on set.
The first project was a CTV spot built around YouFit's "Fitness Has Evolved" campaign. The concept walked viewers through decades of fitness trends before landing on the modern YouFit experience. We shot at a location in Orlando over one day and delivered 11 assets: a :30 hero, :15 and :06 cutdowns, each with multiple end card variations for A/B testing.
When we sent the first cut, the response from the brand manager was immediate: "We LOVE the spot and think this is a FANTASTIC first cut!"
The feedback was specific and easy to execute. Two rounds of revisions and we were done. No reshoots. No budget overages.
The relationship stuck. And when their team evolved over the following months, Allison and Nathalia became our primary points of contact going forward.
Building the Monthly Engine
The CTV spot opened the door to something bigger. By mid-2024, Nathalia brought us in to produce monthly social content: paid ads, organic videos, and UGC-style assets.
We built a system for it. Our photographer and editor, Mikey, worked directly with Nathalia on concepts. YouFit's team would send mid-month data reports, which informed the next month's creative direction. Concepts were approved by the first business day, with shoots scheduled around the 5th. That rhythm meant nobody was scrambling.
"You and Mikey always have an attitude of, don't worry. We're gonna make it work," Nathalia said during a debrief. "That's what makes it pleasant to work with you."
We also started handling casting for their photo shoots. Not the photography itself, but sourcing and coordinating talent for their monthly content needs. It became another layer of the relationship, another way to make their process easier.
When things got tight on the social side, when talent dropped last minute or timelines compressed around holidays, the team's instinct was to solve, not panic. Nathalia noticed that: "On set, even when things could have been chaotic, we were always in an attitude of, okay, let me fix this. Let me get this done."
Year Three: The Documentary Pivot
By the time we sat down to plan the third annual CTV spot in October 2025, we'd earned enough trust to push the creative in a new direction.
The first two years were scripted comedy. They worked. The market responded well. But we wanted to try something that felt more like YouFit's actual identity. Less scripted, more real.
We pitched a documentary-style approach, featuring actual YouFit members sharing their fitness journeys. Nathalia's reaction to the concepts was immediate: "I absolutely love these concepts! I'm really excited about the direction we're heading in."
Nathalia found the story. Terri Hobbs, a YouFit member at the Boynton Beach location, had lost 80 pounds over the course of a year after her sister passed away. Her story was about more than weight loss. It was about finding a place where she felt comfortable enough to show up every day. That's exactly what YouFit wants to represent.
The Chalant team ran the entire production independently. Our director Brody led the creative. Our DP Yann shot it. Our producer Stephen, a veteran in the industry, managed logistics on the ground. They filmed at the Deerfield and Pembroke Pines locations over two days. The gym at Pembroke Pines even closed a section for the crew to shoot, and the GM set aside a room for overnight equipment storage.
I'm really proud of what came out of that shoot. The client loved it. It feels like what YouFit actually is, not a performance of what a gym brand is supposed to look like.
Year One: Prove It on the First Shot
The intro came from James Woodley, a photographer we'd worked with on a Valencia College shoot. James connected us with YouFit's Senior Brand Manager in September 2023, and by November we were on set.
The first project was a CTV spot built around YouFit's "Fitness Has Evolved" campaign. The concept walked viewers through decades of fitness trends before landing on the modern YouFit experience. We shot at a location in Orlando over one day and delivered 11 assets: a :30 hero, :15 and :06 cutdowns, each with multiple end card variations for A/B testing.
When we sent the first cut, the response from the brand manager was immediate: "We LOVE the spot and think this is a FANTASTIC first cut!"
The feedback was specific and easy to execute. Two rounds of revisions and we were done. No reshoots. No budget overages.
The relationship stuck. And when their team evolved over the following months, Allison and Nathalia became our primary points of contact going forward.
Building the Monthly Engine
The CTV spot opened the door to something bigger. By mid-2024, Nathalia brought us in to produce monthly social content: paid ads, organic videos, and UGC-style assets.
We built a system for it. Our photographer and editor, Mikey, worked directly with Nathalia on concepts. YouFit's team would send mid-month data reports, which informed the next month's creative direction. Concepts were approved by the first business day, with shoots scheduled around the 5th. That rhythm meant nobody was scrambling.
"You and Mikey always have an attitude of, don't worry. We're gonna make it work," Nathalia said during a debrief. "That's what makes it pleasant to work with you."
We also started handling casting for their photo shoots. Not the photography itself, but sourcing and coordinating talent for their monthly content needs. It became another layer of the relationship, another way to make their process easier.
When things got tight on the social side, when talent dropped last minute or timelines compressed around holidays, the team's instinct was to solve, not panic. Nathalia noticed that: "On set, even when things could have been chaotic, we were always in an attitude of, okay, let me fix this. Let me get this done."
Year Three: The Documentary Pivot
By the time we sat down to plan the third annual CTV spot in October 2025, we'd earned enough trust to push the creative in a new direction.
The first two years were scripted comedy. They worked. The market responded well. But we wanted to try something that felt more like YouFit's actual identity. Less scripted, more real.
We pitched a documentary-style approach, featuring actual YouFit members sharing their fitness journeys. Nathalia's reaction to the concepts was immediate: "I absolutely love these concepts! I'm really excited about the direction we're heading in."
Nathalia found the story. Terri Hobbs, a YouFit member at the Boynton Beach location, had lost 80 pounds over the course of a year after her sister passed away. Her story was about more than weight loss. It was about finding a place where she felt comfortable enough to show up every day. That's exactly what YouFit wants to represent.
The Chalant team ran the entire production independently. Our director Brody led the creative. Our DP Yann shot it. Our producer Stephen, a veteran in the industry, managed logistics on the ground. They filmed at the Deerfield and Pembroke Pines locations over two days. The gym at Pembroke Pines even closed a section for the crew to shoot, and the GM set aside a room for overnight equipment storage.
I'm really proud of what came out of that shoot. The client loved it. It feels like what YouFit actually is, not a performance of what a gym brand is supposed to look like.
Results
Results
Results
We don't have access to YouFit's conversion data or CTV performance dashboards. What we can point to is scope. A single CTV spot became an annual commitment. That annual commitment expanded into a monthly social content retainer. The retainer grew to include casting support for their photo shoots. Each year, the engagement got bigger because the previous year worked. Early market feedback on the CTV spots has been positive. Social content continues to perform. And Allison told us during a debrief that we could use this work to break into the fitness industry. "It's such a small industry," she said. "You'd have to promote it and push it and have us help you." When a client volunteers to help you find more clients, that tells you more than a conversion rate would.
We don't have access to YouFit's conversion data or CTV performance dashboards. What we can point to is scope. A single CTV spot became an annual commitment. That annual commitment expanded into a monthly social content retainer. The retainer grew to include casting support for their photo shoots. Each year, the engagement got bigger because the previous year worked. Early market feedback on the CTV spots has been positive. Social content continues to perform. And Allison told us during a debrief that we could use this work to break into the fitness industry. "It's such a small industry," she said. "You'd have to promote it and push it and have us help you." When a client volunteers to help you find more clients, that tells you more than a conversion rate would.
We don't have access to YouFit's conversion data or CTV performance dashboards. What we can point to is scope. A single CTV spot became an annual commitment. That annual commitment expanded into a monthly social content retainer. The retainer grew to include casting support for their photo shoots. Each year, the engagement got bigger because the previous year worked. Early market feedback on the CTV spots has been positive. Social content continues to perform. And Allison told us during a debrief that we could use this work to break into the fitness industry. "It's such a small industry," she said. "You'd have to promote it and push it and have us help you." When a client volunteers to help you find more clients, that tells you more than a conversion rate would.
What We Learned
What We Learned
What We Learned
The biggest thing YouFit taught us is that retention comes from the work nobody sees. The CTV spots are the portfolio pieces. But the relationship lives in the monthly social assets, the last-minute casting requests, the small things that don't make a reel but absolutely make or break whether a client calls you back next year. Three years in, the creative keeps getting more ambitious. We went from scripted comedy to documentary. That kind of growth only happens when a client gives you room to try things, and you give them reasons to keep doing it.
The biggest thing YouFit taught us is that retention comes from the work nobody sees. The CTV spots are the portfolio pieces. But the relationship lives in the monthly social assets, the last-minute casting requests, the small things that don't make a reel but absolutely make or break whether a client calls you back next year. Three years in, the creative keeps getting more ambitious. We went from scripted comedy to documentary. That kind of growth only happens when a client gives you room to try things, and you give them reasons to keep doing it.
The biggest thing YouFit taught us is that retention comes from the work nobody sees. The CTV spots are the portfolio pieces. But the relationship lives in the monthly social assets, the last-minute casting requests, the small things that don't make a reel but absolutely make or break whether a client calls you back next year. Three years in, the creative keeps getting more ambitious. We went from scripted comedy to documentary. That kind of growth only happens when a client gives you room to try things, and you give them reasons to keep doing it.
Client feedback
Client feedback
"I knew you were holding the burden on your shoulder so I didn't have to."
Allison Rand
,
SVP of Marketing, YouFit
"I knew you were holding the burden on your shoulder so I didn't have to."
Allison Rand
,
SVP of Marketing, YouFit
"I knew you were holding the burden on your shoulder so I didn't have to."
Allison Rand
,
SVP of Marketing, YouFit
"Every time Allison spoke to me, she was always like, 'but McClain is on it. But McClain is on it.'"
Nathalia Ferreira
,
Senior Social Media Producer, YouFit
"Every time Allison spoke to me, she was always like, 'but McClain is on it. But McClain is on it.'"
Nathalia Ferreira
,
Senior Social Media Producer, YouFit
"Every time Allison spoke to me, she was always like, 'but McClain is on it. But McClain is on it.'"
Nathalia Ferreira
,
Senior Social Media Producer, YouFit
If you're a fitness brand looking for a production team that sticks around after the first shoot, we should talk.
If you're a fitness brand looking for a production team that sticks around after the first shoot, we should talk.
If you're a fitness brand looking for a production team that sticks around after the first shoot, we should talk.
More Projects:
More Projects:
More Projects:
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
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