When you’ve got a project that needs video the first thing you tend to do is go out and look right and left for the very best showreel. Many of the very best videos actually come from a company right in your own region though. Local video production companies will know your streets, know your audience and know the regulations. That familiarity just quietly takes a lot of the potential problems off the table before they ever get to be a problem.

This is not an argument that a bigger or more distant team can’t deliver. It’s an argument that you should treat proximity as an equal and make the right choice of team for the job rather than the one that is the most vocal. For a lot of Kenyan businesses and for international brands shooting in Kenya, a local video production company will provide the combination of speed, cultural understanding and value that is simply difficult to achieve from overseas.

In this guide we look at what it means to be a properly local team, the pros and cons of hiring locally, the cost involved and how you go about assessing your options. At Insignia Productions Global we’re a Kenyan based team working with both local and international clients so we see both sides of the coin on a weekly basis.

What Makes a Production Company Truly Local

Having a postal address in town isn’t the be all and end all. You earn the word ‘local’ through where your people live, where your relationships are and how well you actually understand the place you’re filming.

Look for crew who are based in the region rather than flown in for each job. Look for existing relationships with venue managers, county offices, equipment suppliers and talent agencies. Look for people who are fluent in the languages your audience speak (and by that I mean the actual mix of English, Swahili and Sheng that people in Nairobi speak every day).

Some companies will market themselves as local whilst in reality they are just outsourcing the work. Ask who will be on set and where they are based. The very best local video production companies will be more than happy to introduce you to the people that will be working on your project.

The Real Advantages of Hiring Local Video Production Companies

The benefits are in the small practical things which collectively make the project run smoother.

Speed is the first thing. A local crew can go in for a recce on a moment’s notice, attend an in person briefing and then react to any changes without having to wait for flights or time zones. If you need to do a reshoot it’s a morning job rather than a logistical exercise.

Cost is second. You eliminate the costs of international travel, accommodation and excess baggage fees and you pay local rates for crew, transport and catering. The savings can then be put back into the music, into better talent or into post production.

Cultural fit is the third. Local video production companies will have an instinct for which jokes work, which images have resonance and which topics are best avoided. That instinct is what protects the brand from the kind of misstep that can go viral on social media.

Permits, Access and Relationships That Save Weeks

Filming rarely takes place on a blank canvas. You have public spaces, parks, markets, schools and private venues all of which have their own set of rules and if you get those wrong you can find yourself with a shoot that’s simply stopped on the day.

A team that works in your area on a weekly basis will know which office issues which permit, how long the actual approval process takes and who to contact if it’s going to hang up. They’ll also know the unspoken rules of the game, e.g. how to approach a community leader and what time of day is the best time to film at a particularly busy junction.

Those relationships take years to build and you can’t just go out and buy them. They are one of the principal reasons why you’d want to go with a local video production company for any project that involves public space or community involvement.

Supporting the Local Creative Economy

Hiring locally keeps the money circulating in your own market. The fees you pay to your crew, presenters, voice over artists, caterers, transport providers and equipment suppliers all stay in the community and that goodwill is worth something to a brand.

Local video production companies also train and employ the next generation of talent (camera assistants, editors etc) which in turn strengthens the industry that your future projects will be drawn from. For a brand that’s keen to talk about community impact it’s a very tangible and credible example of that. It gives you a story to tell about the production itself rather than just the film.

Where Local Teams Can Fall Short

A fair assessment would be that there are of course limitations. A smaller local company will have far fewer cameras, lenses and lighting packages than a large international house. Very specialist work (complex VFX, large scale aerial work, feature film level cinematography etc) will require specialist skills.

Capacity can be another constraint. A small boutique team may simply not be able to take on several big projects at the same time which is going to be important if you’re working to a tight timeline.

These gaps are generally easily bridged. A good local video production company will have the equipment on hand to do the job (they’ll rent it if necessary), will have a network of trusted freelancers they can call on and will be able to work with other studios if the job requires it. Ask them how they deal with work outside of their normal scope and you should get a clear answer rather than a general one.

What Local Video Production Companies Charge

Quotes will vary depending on the scope. The primary drivers are obviously shoot days, crew size, locations, equipment, talent, music licensing, graphics, editing time and the number of finished versions.

A one day interview shoot with a small crew is a fraction of the cost of a multi-location commercial with actors, drones and custom animation. Always compare quotes line by line and make sure each company is quoting on the same brief.

Be wary of extremely low quotes as they frequently omit revisions, licensing and insurance which will then come as additional charges. A high price is in no way an indicator of quality. You should look for an itemised quote, clear terms and a range of options at different price points so that you can decide where to spend your money.

How to Evaluate Local Video Production Companies

Start with the work. Watch full videos, not just highlight reels, and check that the style, scale and sector resemble what you need. You can see the range of projects we have delivered on our recent projects page, which is the kind of evidence worth requesting from anyone you shortlist.

Next is to talk to people. Get two or three references and call them. Find out what went well, what went wrong and how the company responded. Every production is going to have its problems and the response to those problems is the thing that will tell you more than the success stories.

Finally, test the process. A good team will ask you about your audience, your objectives and your constraints before they give you a quote. They will explain in writing what revisions are included, what ownership of the footage is, what the usage rights are and what the delivery times are. If you’re meeting the team in person, pay attention to how they listen. Chemistry is important when you’re going to be spending days together.

Local Support for International Productions

Local video production companies are not just for local clients. International brands, broadcasters and agencies who are filming in Kenya will often go through a local company to make the shoot happen.

That support can cover location scouting, permits, casting, translation, transport, security planning and crew hire. A good fixer will also be able to advise the visiting team on cultural etiquette and community relations which in turn protects both the project and the people on the ground. Our fixer services exist for exactly this purpose, helping visiting crews work smoothly from day one.

If your brand is overseas then hiring locally also gives your content that much needed authenticity which remote production just can’t quite achieve.

Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Locally

A few errors are repeated across projects. Choosing purely on price is by far the most common and invariably ends up costing more in the long term. Skipping references, having very vague contracts and rushing through pre-production are all fairly common as well.

Assuming that ‘local’ automatically means ‘better’ is another trap. Proximity is only an advantage if it’s coupled with relevant experience. Assess every candidate on their skill, their process and their fit and then use location as a tie breaker rather than the deciding factor. A local studio with a thin CV is going to be hard pressed to beat a slightly further away studio that has a track record of doing good work in your particular area.

Choosing From Local Video Production Companies With Confidence

The right partner makes the whole thing easier, the outcome better and the stakeholders much happier. You need to define what you’re looking for, shortlist some local video production companies with relevant experience, check out their work and references and then compare itemised quotes.

At Insignia Productions Global we operate as a strategic creative partner to organisations, helping them to plan, shoot and deliver video that achieves its purpose. If you are weighing up local video production companies for your next project, get in touch with our team and we will talk through what is possible.