It isn’t easy to make insurance seem exciting, but once Regan Original Video set up shop at Gillette Stadium last month to assist client Cross Insurance at its day-long Construction Summit; that became the PR goal from the word go.
Our job was to interview some of the event’s primary speakers, along with others in the Cross Insurance family able to shed light on different factions of the insurance world – construction, surety, and higher education included. The intent was to give Cross a fresher identity, particularly within the worlds of social media. Instead of reading technical words on a website, we would provide a visual template for Cross to re-define its core service offerings.
My job was to serve as interviewer for all five videos. Easy enough when you’ve worked in print for years, but it’s a bit of a different story once the camera is on you.
Along with worrying how I sounded and looked with the lights beaming down on me, I had another, unforeseen dilemma – I was getting over an unexpected cold, which left me coughing in between takes. Even with copious amounts of water and throat drops, I couldn’t help but be nervous that my on-camera elocution was lackluster.
Writer Gay Talese once penned a spectacular story for Esquire entitled “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” about how a simple cold brought one of the world’s greatest entertainers to a standstill. While my situation pales in comparison, it was quite nerve-wracking to think of multiple takes and constant do-overs because of a scratchy throat and watery eyes.
Fortunately, everything went off without a hitch. Interviews were conducted flawlessly on all sides and now the Cross brand will ultimately be backed by a series of videos that introduce viewers to the people that help the company thrive in the eyes of its clients.
My final thought after literally being in the public relations spotlight for a day – PHEW!
-Ira Kantor, Account Executive
