Global Connections
(Photo by Michael Sheehan of Sheepdog Photography)
October sure got here quickly! Our summer at OMG has been full of adventure including a trip to the Philippines, multiple client shoots, and lot’s of growth. One thing is for sure, we love creating and collaborating and that has been the biggest highlight of our summer.
In June, I had the honor and pleasure of going to the Philippines for my YSEALI reciprocal exchange. Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Fellows Program (YSEALI PFP) “is a fully funded exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.” (https://www.ysealipfp.org/) Through this program, young leaders from Southeast Asian countries are provided with the opportunity to spend time with professionals in the United States.
Last fall, I hosted our friend Aella for four weeks here in Boise and we had a wonderful time learning from each other and sharing knowledge together. Fast forward to June, and I got to spend time with her in the Philippines! We worked together on a project called Likhang BAYInihan: Capacitating women and LGBTQIA+ artists and creative workers in Tayabas City, Quezon on feminist storytelling. It was a life changing experience for me and I have every plan to return both to Tayabas for further growth and connection and the island of Leyte where my family is from to explore more of my family roots and culture.
Although I am not a professional YESEALI host this year, I am still participating in the program, which brings me to sharing an opportunity with all of you! And it’s free to participate!
Next Tuesday, October 8th from 5pm-8:30pm, at OMG Studios Boise, the Stann Collective (which I co-founded with my dear friend, LeAnn Naillon of Access Telos) is hosting our first community event: Bridging Cultures, Growing Together - A Storytelling Journey. This free community event reflects our commitment to fostering growth and connection in Boise and will feature:
- Complimentary professional headshots
- Networking opportunities
- An inspirational story from Phon, LeAnn’s YSEALI fellow
- A full storytelling studio experience led by Story Story Night
We only have 15 spots available and registration is required. Learn more and sign up at Eventbrite.
Workshop group in Tayabas, Philippines
Proud Sponsors of Boise Pride Festival
OMG Media Outlet, along with #OMGFemaleFilmmakers and OMG Studios Boise (of course), were proud small business champion sponsors of Boise’s Pride Festival. Not only were we sponsors, we also shot video content of the entire festival! Thank you to Shep for stepping in that weekend and representing OMG. This yearly festival brings together members of the LGBTQIA+ community and we are thrilled to have played such a special role in the festival this year.
I Let my Gen Z CMO Write an Article
By Annabelle Garcia
I know everyone is tired of hearing this but I promise I'll only do it once: have you heard of the new trend that's emerged on TikTok and migrated to Instagram and Facebook? It’s made by Gen Z workers for Gen Z workers. It’s a simple format in which text appears on screen; usually “I let my Gen Z intern (or other position) film/edit our video”. The rest of these videos involve hard jump cuts leading to out of context clips or outtakes, slang, pop culture references and an ungodly amount of sound effects. A great example of this is a video from the official Browns football team. This video has amassed 134,000 views and comments praising the intern responsible for the video. This seems like a great way to get views using low production value, but marketing yourself this way definitely isn’t for every audience.
If you’re trying to reach younger consumers, hopping on trends may be the way to go but I don’t recommend solely relying on trendy videos. As a Gen Z consumer, I get tired of seeing companies do these trends constantly. It ends up coming across as an old man in a backwards hat saying “how do you do, fellow kids?”. A classic example of this is pretty much any post from Wendy’s. Their posts went viral a few years ago as they went against the grain for traditional fast-food posts and began uploading nonsensical or cringey content. It was funny at first but now this content has shifted to annoying and overdone and makes consumers feel disconnected from the company. This disconnect creates the connotation that corporations just want to capitalize off what would be for fun otherwise.
The key to not giving younger consumers the “ick” is by offering variety in posts and hopping on trends early before they become oversaturated and seen as a cash grab. This rule of thumb also helps if you're targeting multiple age ranges; not everyone is going to understand or like all of your posts but it's best to cast a wide net and cover all your bases. If TikTok scares you though and the thought of even trying to post on there has you shaking in your boots, there's plenty of other ways to market towards Gen Z audiences; but we'll cover that some other time!
Upcoming Events & Classes
Already mentioned above, but let’s share it in this space too! Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 5pm - 8:30pm at OMG Studios Boise: Bridging Cultures, Growing Together - A Storytelling Journey. Register for your spot of only 15 today!
Tuesday, November 5, 2024, 12pm-1pm at The Riverside Hotel: Futures Begin Here Giraffe Laugh Luncheon. Steph is volunteering as a table captain and has 9 seats to fill. This event is free too! Come ready to learn about Giraffe Laugh and their commitment to our young community members and families and to donate to their nonprofit. You can register for the event here and be sure to list Steph as your table captain so we can enjoy lunch together!