Video Announcements

We often are asked about the origins of Squid and Beard. The most frequent question being, “Who is the squid and who is the beard?” This is a question that one day we may actually have to answer for you. But, to make matters even more confusing, the fact is that we began with three founding partners: JJ Cohoon, Rob Douglas and Eric Johnson. Perhaps, the question should instead be, “Who is the and?”

Some mysteries may never be solved.

But we do know that whichever part of the name he was, Eric Johnson was sorely missed around the office when he took an opportunity to head back to New York City. He remains a much loved friend of the company and his ideas continually encourage us as we move forward in new works. Currently, Eric is a writer and director of online comedic shorts that many of you may have seen through Funny or Die. He has a completely unique brand of humor and an incredible taste in film (how many folks to you know that have an aspiration to create a homage film to La Jetée?). And just last week, Eric got engaged to an amazing lady. We could not be happier to celebrate this news here in our office.

If you have not gathered this by now, we love helping people share their stories. So we thought we should repost one of the exciting ways we were able to do that with our friends, Maggie and Blair, as they celebrated a monumental step in their lives together. In light of one of our founding partners’ similar news, it just seems fitting.

Big (and even sometimes small) events merit announcements. People want to have the opportunity to celebrate with you and to know what is happening in your life. What is wonderful about using video is how it allows for sharing such news and announcements in an engaging, fun and environmentally sustainable way. And while we love printing and fine paper (an art that is greatly valued by Squid and Beard members), we also think that the opportunities of paperless media are a great and healthy alternative (environmentally, financially and creatively).

When Maggie and Blair came to us with an idea for a fresh approach, we jumped at the opportunity. And we got some amazing responses (featured online by Glamour, Brides and eHarmony–to name a few). And more importantly, the couple loved it.

Keep thinking outside the box and considering fun ways to share news about yourself, your company or organization. And let us know if you think there are ways we can help (yeah, we’re talking to you, Eric Johnson).