INNOVATIVE is a full-service production company based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Many moons ago (more than 10 years now), I was a fresh little intern, scurrying through the halls of INNOVATIVE (then called "Innovative Edit"), trying not to cause any trouble.
Today, INNOVATIVE has blossomed into a company that can both outperform and outclass the competition. With a penchant for pushing what's possible and a rarely-seen commitment to customer satisfaction, these folks are the industry's best kept secret.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Conrad Piccirillo, the President of INNOVATIVE (he likes to be called the Chief Disorganizer) and ask him some pointed questions.
I thought you all might benefit from some of his candid (albeit concise) insight. So with no further ado, I present to you...
Conrad Piccirillo
PRESIDENT (CHIEF DISORGANIZER)
INNOVATIVE
LUKE: Please describe INNOVATIVE for our readers (in a nutshell).
CONRAD: We are an entertainment and technology company that helps people communicate across all forms of media.
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LUKE: After looking at your portfolio, you continue to have an impressive global reach, working with major clients in countries all over the world. How does a once-small, Midwestern company go from servicing the local market to impacting the world?
CONRAD: Respect each other. Respect our clients. Service. Be nice. Help people communicate in the way their audience is used to receiving their information, or better, but no less.
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LUKE: What core values does INNOVATIVE cherish that you would credit for your company's success?
CONRAD: Respect I've said. Always move forward with the desire to be welcomed back. Live your life in that thin margin between what's correct and what's right.
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LUKE: In the marketplace, INNOVATIVE commands a great deal of respect and stays very busy. That said, your company consistently chooses to stand beside carefully selected charitable causes. Why do you think it is important to stay actively involved in charitable projects, despite the money not being so good?
CONRAD: We get involved with selected charitable causes because we believe in them. All of our charities involve children, except one, Heartland Truly Moving Pictures. Never do work for a charitable cause if you're in it to get 'something'. Be active because you want to give and not get. Our charitable work repays us immediately with that desire to give. I will tell you, every time we help someone, we are repaid for our efforts.
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LUKE: Why did you choose to support the work of The Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies and HANDS Across Haiti?
CONRAD: The Institute helps people communicate. I believe that your ability to write and communicate any story, any thought, any idea is directly related to your ability to succeed and make your dreams come true. Young people today communicate with motion pictures. They are the Creation Generation. The Caribbean Institute helps people without advantages tell those stories and reach the world.
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LUKE: In charitable causes, how important is it to generate quality promotional materials?
CONRAD: In a world where budgets are tight you have to make me laugh, make me cry, make me wet my pants, you must make me feel something so that I can care and differentiate you from other charities. You can't do that without a concise, well told story. It doesn't have to be slick. It has to be true.
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LUKE: What advice would you give to charitable organizations who are considering hiring a professional company like yours?
CONRAD: Know your audience. Come ready to tell your story. Come ready to make us care. Come prepared to have your story changed in a way that will help you reach your audience.
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LUKE: Any closing thoughts for our readers?
CONRAD: Be Brief, Be Brilliant, Be gone. That is how you'll get attention.
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I want to personally thank Conrad for both his willingness to come alongside The Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies and HANDS Across Haiti and his time in granting me this interview.
INNOVATIVE lives up to its name at every possible turn. Not only do they continue to blur the line between the impossible and the possible, they are genuinely good people in the midst of their greatest successes.
If you're in the need for a production company, look no further. INNOVATIVE has everything you could possibly want.
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