New Woodbury Business Uses Film to Tell Stories, Build Communities

When New Jersey native and current Woodbury resident Jeff Brandt launched Storyboard Films last September, for the first time in his life, he knew he'd found his calling. 

Jeff and his wife Jennifer moved back to Minnesota in 2009 after a 10-year stint in Chicago—where Jeff served as creative director at a top Chicago law firm—coaching attorneys on finding compelling angles in their cases.

But when the Brandt's returned to Minnesota, Jeff was looking for a new angle for himself.

"I took a big leap when I left the (Chicago) job so I began looking for similar jobs in Minneapolis," Jeff said. "But I started to realize more and more that I was looking for jobs I didn't want."

As the job hunt progressed, the longtime film hobbyist found himself focusing less on potential jobs and more on freelance projects—including a music video for local band The Last Ride and a promotional video for Lifetime Fitness. 

"Things kept happening without me really trying that hard," Jeff said. "I’m 42 and I feel like I finally found what I’m supposed to do."

Shortly after launch, Storyboard Films was commissioned to create promotional videos for Valley Crossing Community School and St. Croix Montessori and, according to the Brandts, the response has been overwhelming.

"The principal of Valley Crossing was super psyched," Jeff told Patch. "I think she was going to send the video to the Ellen DeGeneres Show."

A trained life coach, one of Jeff's most valuable talents is his ability to draw out people's stories.

"One of the things the principal said was 'You're good with video but you also got us to say things we weren’t even thinking about,'" Jeff said.

Jeff's storytelling abilities served him particularly well in his latest project—a critical piece on the state of special education in Minnesota, specifically in District 833—which was shown to Minnesota lawmakers at the end of February. 

"What’s happening is that there is a law that guarantees special education for kids (who need it), but there is no such law guaranteeing mental health. … So the resources for mental health support have dwindled dramatically," Jeff explained.

While Jennifer admits Jeff's talents lie within the creative sphere of Storyboard Films, her background managing small businesses gives her the requisite "logistical" experience to focus on making the company profitable. 

"When Storyboard began I was going to be the 'corporate earner' and filmmaking was going to be Jeff's thing, but that didn't really work out," Jennifer said. "I was always telling him to try this or remember to do that. Eventually we just decided it would be easier if we worked together."  

It is ultimately Jennifer's business prowess that forces her to keep client sourcing at the forefront of her priorities.  

"The market (for video-based marketing) is huge," Jennifer said. "I drive around looking at small businesses and I realize everyone could use a video. I think YouTube is the second-biggest search engine on the Internet." 

While profitability is always a priority for new businesses, Jennifer is satisfied with what she considers a bigger win.

"We started our lives over. To be able to do something meaningful is really important to us," she said. 

The vision of Storyboard Films is based on an assumption on which Jeff and Jennifer fully agree: There is a story in every organization.

Storyboard Films specializes in finding that story, drawing it out and communicating it through the medium of video.