All in a Day’s Work: Cory Johnson

Turning the “How” into “Wow”

Chances are, if you’ve worked with us, you’ve worked with Cory Johnson—graphic designer, video production specialist, licensed drone pilot, Harley enthusiast, Disney+ aficionado, artist, and collaborator extraordinaire.

‘Graphic designer’ can mean anything. For Cory, it means everything. He does it all.

He does digital—display ads, social media graphics, websites.
He does traditional—newspaper ads, billboards, and sales collateral.
His diverse design experience spans many industries—healthcare, manufacturing, destination tourism, government agencies—and many different media—web, TV, social, you name it.
And he’s our resident video expert.

A precise narrative that aligns with your brand and business goals.

Strategic, intelligently designed video production starts with collaboration between our creative director, Aaron, and the client to flesh out the messaging. Then, Aaron provides creative direction to Cory for storyboarding—mapping out the shots to capture during filming, and accounting for angles, subjects, settings, and b-roll (secondary footage).

Filming can take anywhere from half a day to multiple days, with Aaron and Cory working with the client’s schedule to capture hours of raw footage that will be edited to sixty seconds to a few minutes. To find the best pieces of video to bridge together for the final product, Aaron reviews the clips and finds the sequences and angles that hit the heart and soul of the messaging, then Cory takes that master plan and edits it to life.

“The editing process controls the entire narrative, and it’s very nuanced,” Cory explained. “There are very subtle edits that not many people think about. Everything from selecting the right music and editing cuts onto the beats to removing people’s natural ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ in interviews. The right pacing is really important to create a smooth flow.”

Endless video possibilities.

It’s Cory’s talent combined with our agency resources (i.e., state-of-the art video equipment and software, cameras, experienced creative direction, and professional copywriters) that creates Strateligent’s film-quality, goosebump-raising, emotion-evoking productions. And now, as he is an FAA commercially licensed drone pilot, the sky is—was—the limit for video opportunities.

Cory’s track record of proven success includes:

• Awe-inspiring aerial shots of forests, cities, towns, and buildings
• Digital ads for the social media trifecta: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn (Snapchat, too)
• Healthcare patient testimonials and provider interviews
• Documentary-style recruitment videos
• Movie theater pre-roll ads
• Digital display GIFs
• YouTube ads
• Television commercials

“Video creates an emotional reaction you can’t get with print,” Cory said. “For example, look at patient testimonials. Listening to an actual person share their story, in their own voice, and seeing their emotions means a lot more than seeing a photo and reading a quote.”

A wealth of experience + continued professional development.

As a professional designer for nearly a decade, Cory relies heavily on his experience—or what he calls, ‘design muscle memory’—inherently knowing what works or doesn’t work. But he’s always purposefully looking for ways to improve his craft. To keep up with what’s happening in the film industry, and to uncover new and changing camera movement and editing techniques, Cory follows professional filmmaker vlogs and watches movies and TV for creative inspiration. Staying up-to-date with industry best practices and new advances means our clients always receive the latest and greatest.

“One of our values is ‘Adaptable’ and that’s Cory,” said Aaron Hautala, Strateligent creative director. “If I want to do something with video, Cory will make it happen. He has the experience and willingness to take every project to the next level every time.”

In the end, Cory hopes his work helps people improve themselves and their businesses, no matter which media they employ.

“One of the aspects I enjoy most about design is helping someone turn their ideas into polished, effective visuals,” said Cory. “You might not be able to draw, or illustrate, or produce a video, but you do know what you want to say and how you want to make someone feel—and that’s where I can help.”

Check out some of Cory’s video work below:

BRD Connects
Cuyuna North Mahnomen Unit
Sourcewell City of Cuyuna PD Story