Platinum Peek Productions: How Documentary Video Content Builds Personal Brands

You’re a business owner trying to sell your product. Only you’re having a difficult time because you’re realizing that people don’t buy from businesses anymore. They buy from people they trust.

Think about Elon Musk. The man can literally sell anything because people trust the name. They trust the person behind the business.

So how can you build trust with your audience?

Eriksen and Soren Dickens, co-owners of Platinum Peek Productions, will tell you that one way is using documentary-style video content.

“You show your audience who you are,” Eriksen says. “What drives you? What are your goals? What trials have you overcome? If people see you as more relatable, they are more likely to trust you and become loyal to you.”

It makes sense. Documentaries have become increasingly popular the last couple years, with 55% of people watching more documentaries than they were 3 years ago.

“This is because documentaries are an easily digestible, engaging way to learn new information,” Soren Dickens says. “Reading text is boring. Commercials that just promote a product is boring. Documentaries tell a story and stories have stood the test of time.”

The Dickens brothers have produced documentary-style content for clients since their inception in 2016. Clients came to them wanting a way to promote their brand through video. Documentary storytelling was their answer.

“What you do is create a documentary that gives backstory and humanzies the person,” Eriksen says. “Include obstacles the person has gone through and the defining moments of their life. Then introduce their product, the problem they’re trying to solve, and how their purpose aligns with the best interest of the customer.”

Researchers at Ohio State conducted several experiments on cognitive processes that occur when we become immersed in a story. They call that feeling transportation. They discovered that when we’re transported by a narrative — whether it’s true or imagined — we tend to view the protagonist more favorably and embrace the beliefs and worldviews the story presents.
“Short documentaries are great to use as social media deliverables and a great piece of content to put on your website,” Soren claims. “If it’s a long form documentary, it’s great for your Youtube channel, and it can also be chopped up into smaller deliverables.”

One documentary the brothers produced was The Power of Passion: The Lucy Robson Story. The documentary helped Lucy become the world famous sports influencer she is today.

Another documentary done by Platinum Peek was about world class swimmer, magician, and entrepreneur, Chuck Katis. The film, called Magic in the Lane, has helped establish Katis as an authority figure in the artificial intelligence industry. It also helped him launch his patented product, the Bodbox.

Katis states, “The Platinum Peek team captured our vision, expanded upon it, and were able to convey it through well-planned and beautiful imagery.”

Though not related to building personal brands, the Dickens brothers just recently had a documentary of their own featured in 8 international film festivals, winning 3 awards. The film is called Two Magic Drops and is about Rotary International’s efforts to provide polio vaccination to children in India.

Whether you’re a business owner, influencer, athlete, musician, or whatever it may be, it appears a documentary about you might go a long way in developing a relationship with your audience.

Follow the journey at @platinumpeek, @sorendickens, @eriksendickens
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