Inside Storebrand: Building a professional TV studio requires professional help

Article first published on Digi.no (Norwegian)

Read the Norwegian version on our website here.

Using solid visual tools in communication is more critical than ever. More extensive use of home office and teleworking means that presentations, webinars or general meetings must be accessible and look better than before.

This was a challenge Storebrand realised they wanted to address. They decided to strengthen the environment for visual communication, which led to the construction of two professional studios on the premises in Lysaker.

Storebrand needed help to complete the project to get to where they are today.

Collaboration on the best studio solution

– The goal was to create Norway’s best environment for in-house video production in a studio setting, and it was decided to find suppliers who could help us with that. We quickly realised that we had to think differently than we had traditionally done. In that process, we established a collaboration with Mediability, says Per Kristian Helland, responsible for HR strategy and culture and was project manager for the initiative.

To develop the actual studio design and the expression they wanted to bring out, Storebrand contacted Anders Tomren. He has extensive experience as a studio designer and has, among other things, designed several studios for the most prominent TV players in Norway. He further contacted Mediability.

Mediability was given responsibility for how the studios were done with technical equipment. In close collaboration with Storebrand and the studio designer, they worked on the central question: How should Storebrand appear digitally in a studio setting? Together, they worked on sketches and 3D models, and finally, they agreed on how it should all look and feel.

The first studio was operational in early 2021, and then a team was hired to run the studios. The primary group consists of three people, all from the TV industry, and can be expanded with internal resources from Storebrand as needed. Up to seven people can be in the studio when needed.

– I came on board in September last year, when the other studio was under construction. We helped complete it, set up the studio positions, and determine what concepts we would produce. We have also had some revisions afterwards, where we, in collaboration with Mediability, set up some equipment that was not included in the “basic package”, says Morten Vee, who is technically responsible for the studios.

Now there are two studios in place. The largest of them is for complex productions. It has several positions, a round table used for discussions and panels, a green screen and several interview positions. Simply a studio where high-quality TV productions can be made.

The smaller studio is located in the auditorium, with transparent walls, mainly self-catering. It should be easy for everyone and used for webinars, presentations, internal meetings and the like.

A variation of content

The studio’s mission is to be a link between Storebrand and customers in different business areas. Now that we are fully operational, we have produced an enormous amount, especially during a pandemic.

– Productions for customers are thus mostly internal people in Storebrand who will communicate externally. We can have a broadcast where managers come into the studio and talk to their customers about the fund profile. We can make broadcasts for the retail market, which the bank speaks to its customers. We are one of the largest pension providers in Norway, so we have a lot of pension webinars. We can make market updates about ongoing crises.

– We also use the studios for many internal things—kickoffs for the various business areas or digital general meetings. We have offices in several places abroad and Norway, so it is ideal to use a studio to stream public meetings. There we have embraced the hybrid model. The technician explains that we can also make marketing films, internal training, and the like.

Only good experiences

Morten Vee emphasises that both studios complement each other. And that the whole process was made much easier thanks to the collaboration with Mediability.

– It is pretty wild to build an entire TV studio in a financial institution, but Mediability managed to make great trust with Storebrand. They created a sense of security in the initial processes to get support from the group management. All of this fits into Storebrand’s overall strategy, where they want to be at the forefront of digital and visual communication.

He points out that all deliveries have been painless; everything has been high-quality and by all industry standards.

– We have upgraded with more equipment, and there has been good dialogue and help all the way. We who come from the TV industry know what we need and how to use it, and here it has been a perfect match on the deliveries.