We’re not just a video production company; we’re your creative partner.
Proudly Houston-born and Houston-based, Cut to Create delivers high-quality video content that resonates globally, all while maintaining a fun, personal, and collaborative approach.
We know engaging stories are out there—you just need curiosity and empathy to uncover them. And that’s what we do best.
Manufacturing
Human Interest
Crowd Funding, Product, Tech Start Up
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Cut to Create has been a thing since 2011 when Zach was all by his lonesome offering post-production services from home. As his clients’ needs grew and he realized it was more fun goofing off on set than hiding in an edit cave (no offense, Kara!), Zach expanded his network to include other local creatives who helped turn Cut to Create into a full-service production company.
Life goes on, we have babies and spouses get new jobs in far off places, but we all love working together so much that we just keep doing it. As of today our team spans across the country, but we still call Houston home.
We bring the right sized crew for the right job. Most often, our shoots are done with a core group of 3-5 production staff members on set. Behind the scenes you may have a couple of different Cut to Create representatives handling the pre-production phase, and another 2 or more magicians who put everything together in post-production. We keep it simple for you though, giving you a single point of contact for each phase of the process.
Absolutely, we’re insured! At Cut To Create, we carry a robust Video Production Policy through Great American Insurance, and we can whip up additional Certificates of Insurance faster than you can say “Lights, Camera, Action!”—just ask, and we’ll have it to you the same day. While we’re confident in our coverage, we don’t claim it’s a perfect fit for every project, so it’s always a good idea to double-check that everything is up to snuff for your specific needs.
Absolutely, we can add subtitles! Whether you need them in English, Elvish, or any language in between, we’ve got you covered. We can bake them right into the video like a secret ingredient, or add them as a sidecar so you can toggle them on and off like a pro. Just let us know what you need, and we’ll make sure your content speaks every language fluently!
Sure thing, you can absolutely get the raw footage! We can send it your way via an online transfer for instant gratification, or if you’re feeling nostalgic, we can ship it on a good ol’ hard drive—just like the classic days of VHS, but way more high-tech. Just let us know your preference, and we’ll get those files to you faster than you can say “director’s cut!”
You do. You own everything we create on your behalf, including raw footage if you so desire. We will also hold onto a copy for 3 reasons: 1. Our own marketing purposes (on our website, social media, in pitch meetings, etc.) but we always clear this with you as we understand some projects are not public facing. 2. Redundancy, in case your dog eats your copy. 3. Because you never know when you’re going to need to call us up and say, “Quick! We just had a big organizational shakeup and we need to rework our lower thirds and sound bites to reflect new titles!” And then we say, “I got your project pulled up before you even finished that sentence.”
Ah, the age-old question of video length! With attention spans shrinking faster than a wool sweater in hot water, shorter videos often get more eyes and shares. But hey, if your topic needs more time to shine, we’re not stuck on any set runtime. The key is to work backward from where your audience will be watching—whether it’s on their phone during a commute or on a big screen at an event. From there, we can use our trusty analytical data to find that sweet spot. Think of us as your video length matchmakers, making sure your content is just right for the occasion!
We’re not like those regular video production companies. We’re a cool video production company. Lol but srsly no cap – we bring the professionalism that’s required and in equal measure we bring the fun that’s needed. Our creative team is spread out across the country, but we all love repping our local Houston hometown. We genuinely like working with each other and protect that by working with clients we genuinely like as well. Come vibe with us!
Email us! We’ll set up a call, find a good filming date, and get ‘er done. It’s not really any more complicated than that.
Our terms are 50% upon contract signing at Net 30 and then the other 50% upon delivery at Net 30. These terms will be spelled out clearly in the Service Agreement portion of the proposal we provide. This is open for negotiation so if these terms don’t work for you let us know and we’ll adjust.
We wouldn’t have it any other way! We’ve actually got some pretty nifty tools that allow you (and anyone in your organization) to review video drafts, provide detailed feedback, and share other assets with our editing team, in real time and on your own time. The notes come directly into our editing software and it eliminates the need for groups to get together to provide feedback at the same time, reduces unnecessary games of telephone-tag, and allows our network to efficiently collaborate with you to make sure your needs and requests are met and exceeded in a timely manner.
Of course this depends on when you need it and how complex the project is, but if we’re talking generalities, pre-production often takes about 2-4 weeks, filming happens for however many days necessary (typically 1-2 days), and then post-production takes about 4-8 weeks.
Preparation is big for us, because detailed preparation allows us to cultivate the most relaxed, comfortable on-set experience for our clients. As soon as we have a signed contract, we begin pre-production where we craft a clear plan of what we want to accomplish, how we’re going to accomplish it, and what our options are should any curveballs be thrown our way. Depending on the complexity of the project, this can take two days, or it could take two months. When it becomes time to film, we have already scheduled every minute of the day to maximize our ability to build a high-quality library of footage that you can use for the current project and any additional foreseeable needs. Filming days can be long and exhausting, but they are also fun and extremely productive. After that, your project moves into post-production where our team of editors take the reins to usher the project to completion. Our clients typically receive about three drafts of the project to review at various stages: a “radio edit”, where some visuals may be missing but the focus is on finalizing the script/audio, plus a couple more rounds of revisions adding graphics, animation, music, and color grading. We use an online task management system to privately share review links and feedback that can include as many decision makers as necessary. Delivery time depends on each clients’ needs, but most projects without a specific deadline spend less than a month in post-production. After we deliver your files in your desired format, we continue to follow up with you to get your feedback on our process, ensure the project meets your goals, and discuss any updates or other needs you may need. We also archive the project to better facilitate working with you in the future.
Send us a message through our contact form or info@cuttocreate.com to set up an initial discovery call. Someone will get back to you within a business day or so (please be understanding we are often on set and not able to respond immediately) to schedule that call and from that we will build an itemized budget proposal outlining our understanding of your needs, a detailed breakdown of the budget we anticipate needing to meet those needs, plus additional work examples and references for you to share with any and all decision-makers.
Yes! Our primary production crew is a well-traveled gang who know all the ins and outs of filming across the country and around the world. We can travel with our crew and equipment quite efficiently, and when needed, we can source crew members in far-off locales to help us virtually produce projects we cannot physically be present for.
Many (but not all) of our projects fall into the following categories:
Corporate Videos and Testimonials, Commercials, Documentaries, Fundraising Videos, Animation, Tradeshow Loops, Property/Facility Tours, Event Capture and Recaps, Long Term Time Lapses, and Internal Communications.
We can do it all, from concept to completion, with a focus on creating emotionally engaging and visually captivating media content. This includes (but is not limited to) project strategy, design, scripting, casting, asset creation, pre-interviews and research, location coordination, scheduling, filming, audio recording, photography, drone photography, time lapse photography, slow-motion photography, lighting packages, studio rental, voice over, transcoding, editing, animation, motion graphics, 2D graphics, 3D graphics, original and licensed music, color grading, sound mixing and sound balancing, finishing, file delivery, archiving, and project follow-up.
For most shoots we will have up to (4) 4K cameras, a full lighting package, dollies, sliders, drones, carrots, wireless preview monitors, and all sorts of other fun toys. Don’t you worry, it all looks super legit.
Our pal Scott Ross is a prankster, a jokester, and an all-around Dennis the Menace. When he’s not busy looking like the coolest sound guy on a hoverboard ever, he’s coming up with random ways to surprise and delight us with his antics. I know I haven’t given you a complete answer, but I’ve told you enough to know that the carrot jokes are all Scott’s fault. Direct any further questions (or pranks) toward him.
Share some details about your project with us and we’ll be in touch.
