What we do
Built for businesses that are serious about how they show up.
Not a production company you hire for a shoot. A content partner you retain, running strategy, production and distribution as one programme.
One director, start to finish
The person who writes the strategy directs the shoot and runs the ads.
Retained, not booked
A monthly programme that compounds, not a one-off video that goes quiet.
Content and ads together
Production and Meta ads managed by the same team on the Performance tier.
Auckland based
Working with clients across New Zealand. Travel is scoped up front.
Direction
Strategy before the camera.
Most video fails before the camera rolls. Direction is the strategy, scripting and creative planning that makes production worth doing.
Every retainer starts with a content audit and a 90 day plan, written before we shoot a frame. That plan is what stops a programme becoming a pile of unrelated videos.
Production
Run by a director, not a camera operator.
One half-day shoot per month, batched so a single session produces 8 to 12 short-form videos.
Talking heads, behind the scenes, product, testimonials, whatever the plan calls for. You are directed throughout, which is the difference between looking like yourself and looking like someone being filmed.
Momentum
The videos get made. Then what?
Momentum covers posting, Meta ads setup and management, and a monthly report showing what is working and what is not.
This is the part most video never gets, and it is why most video does nothing. Ad spend is not included and is paid by you directly to the platform.
What we make
Four kinds of work, one programme.
Categories of work, not separate products. One retainer usually draws on more than one.
Events
Conferences, awards nights, roadshows, and open days. Filmed to produce both a highlight piece and a month of short-form content.
Social
Short-form vertical content, batched monthly and built around repeatable formats rather than one-off ideas.
Creative
Ad campaigns and launch work. Written and directed to land an idea fast, then recut for every placement it needs to run in.
Corporate
Case study films, customer stories, and internal communications for organisations that need to sound like themselves.
The offer
Two retainers, and a door for anything else.
The two tiers run as monthly retainers. Performance adds the distribution layer that puts the content in front of people who are not already following you.
Presence
Production and strategy, for businesses building a content presence.
- Content audit and 90 day plan
- 1x directed half-day shoot per month
- 8 to 12 short-form videos
- Content strategy and scripting
- Delivery on a fixed monthly schedule
Performance
Everything in Presence, plus the ads and posting layer.
- Everything in Presence
- Meta ads setup and management
- Posting and scheduling handled for you
- Audience and creative testing
- Monthly performance report
Something else
Plenty of good businesses do not fit a monthly retainer. If your need sits outside the two tiers, say so on a call and we will scope it properly.
- One-off brand films and launch campaigns
- Event and conference coverage
- Scopes that sit between the two tiers
All prices in NZD, plus GST. Retainers start with a 3 month entry term, then continue on 6 or 12 month terms. Ad spend is not included and is paid by you directly to the platform, so your business keeps ownership of the ad account and the audience data. Your first month is refundable if the work is not what you expected.
Who this is for
This works best when there is someone worth putting on camera.
We are based in Auckland and work with businesses across New Zealand. Location matters far less than fit, and fit is fairly specific.
A good fit
- Someone in the business has real expertise and is not on camera yet. An owner, a founder, an operator. The thing you know is the thing worth filming.
- You sell something considered. People choose you for judgement, craft or track record, not because you were cheapest.
- You want someone to decide what gets made, not wait for a brief.
- You can commit to a term. Content compounds, and three months is the shortest window where that is visible.
Not a good fit
- There is nobody to put on camera and no appetite to find someone. The model does not work without a face.
- You are comparing day rates. This is a retained programme, not a booking, and it will look expensive next to a shoot.
- You want to direct the edit. You are paying for judgement, and that only works if it gets used.
- You need one video for one launch. That is a real job, just not this one, and we will say so.
The guarantee
Two ways you cannot lose.
A retainer asks you to commit before you have seen the work. These exist so that commitment costs you nothing if we get it wrong.
First month, or your money back
If the first month of content is not what you expected, we refund that month and part ways. No argument, and nothing owed on the rest of the term.
Delivered, or the next month is free
Your retainer states how many finished videos you get each month. If we miss that number for any reason of ours, the following month costs you nothing.
Questions
Asked before every engagement.
If something here is not answered, ask on the first call. It costs nothing.
What does a retainer actually include?
Every retainer includes Direction, Production, and Momentum. Direction is the content plan, the scripting, and the creative decisions. Production is one directed half-day shoot a month, batched so a single session covers a month of posting. Momentum is delivery, scheduling, and reporting. On the Performance tier it also covers Meta ads management and posting. You work with the director throughout. There are no account managers between you and the person doing the work.
What is the difference between Presence and Performance?
Presence is production and strategy. You get the plan, the shoot, and the edited content, ready to publish. Performance is everything in Presence plus the distribution layer: we manage your Meta ads, handle the posting, test creative and audiences, and report monthly on what is working. Choose Presence if you have someone who already runs your channels. Choose Performance if you want the content and the ads decided by the same person, which is the point at which the creative starts improving because of what the ad account is telling us.
How long does delivery take?
A cycle runs on a month. The content plan is agreed first, the shoot follows, then edited content is delivered and starts publishing. Rush work outside the normal cycle is possible and is quoted separately.
Is ad spend included in the retainer?
No. Ad spend is separate and is always paid by you, directly to the platform, on your own billing. The Performance retainer covers managing that spend: setup, targeting, creative testing, optimisation, and reporting. Keeping the spend in your account means you own the ad account, the pixel, and the audience data, and you keep all of it if we ever stop working together.
What happens if the work is not what we expected?
Two things protect you. First, the first month is refundable: if the content is not what you expected, we refund that month and part ways, with nothing owed on the rest of the term. Second, your retainer states how many finished videos you get each month, and if we miss that number for any reason of ours, the following month costs you nothing. Neither has conditions attached beyond those sentences.
Is there a minimum contract length?
Yes. Retainers start with a 3 month entry term. Three months is the shortest window in which a content programme can be judged fairly, because the first month is largely setup. After that, retainers continue on a 6 or 12 month term. Longer terms make planning easier and let the creative build on itself rather than restarting.
What happens on the first shoot?
By the time we get to a shoot day, the plan, the scripts, and the shot list are already agreed, so there are no decisions left to make on the floor. Expect a half day. We work through the shot list in order, and you are directed throughout, which matters most if you are not comfortable on camera. Most people are not, and that is normal. You do not need to prepare anything to camera or learn lines. Nothing else is required from you afterwards. Post-production runs without you.
We are not in Auckland. Does that matter?
No. Strategy, planning, and reviews all run remotely. Shoot days are batched so travel stays efficient, and any travel cost is scoped into your quote up front rather than appearing later.
Who owns the footage?
You do. Everything produced for your programme belongs to your business and stays yours if we part ways.
How we start
Start with a conversation, not a contract.
A small number of businesses are accepted onto a Current Studio retainer each quarter. The first call costs nothing and commits you to nothing. If the fit is not there, we will say so.
Book a strategy call