The Wistia Video Studio Makeover Tour

We’ve been doing some serious spring cleaning over here at Wistia HQ, and one of the spaces in the office we just could not ignore was the studio. Over time, our once-beloved home for all things video had slowly become … well, embarrassing.

Luckily, with the help of some professional organizers (and, of course, The Container Store), we were able to revamp our entire space, turning it from drab to fab. Here’s a look at the makeover from start to finish!

From cluttered to clean

First, we started off by taking everything out of the studio and doing a good old-fashioned purge. With a better idea of what we were actually working with, we then organized all of our gear by category, differentiating between what we needed on a daily basis and what could go outside the studio in “deep storage.” In this case, deep storage just means outside the confines of the studio itself.

Next, the organizers (shout out to The Little Details for their help with this!) sized everything up and created CAD drawings for where things would go. The whole transition from a cluttered mess to clean and clear took about 20 hours, and although parts of it were pretty daunting, it was totally worth it.

Still itching to see how this actually went down? Check out this whirlwind of a timelapse video for a glimpse into our sordid past!

A place for everything, and everything in its place

Our motivation to clean and organize the studio was not just for our own personal gain on the video team. We wanted to set up the studio to make it super easy for any Wistian to borrow a piece of video gear. The way we did this was to give everything a home and make crystal clear labels.

As we mentioned before, we broke the studio into two parts. The essential video gear we use practically every single day like lenses and SD cards, and the other items we rarely use like fog machines and my Arri kit from 2002. But wherever we placed items, we made sure to create a label.

Sure, as a video producer, I may have known exactly where that fresh stack of SD cards was hanging out, but someone else at Wistia would have no idea where to look first. Now that we have a more democratized studio space, everyone will be able to find exactly what they need with minimal stress. It will hopefully empower folks to use it confidently and with more intention.

And so far I have to say … it’s been working! Shoot set up times have decreased because we spend less time searching for gear and more time setting up. And breaking down afterward has actually become quite, dare I say, therapeutic. With a place for everything and everything in its place, we’re able to operate on cruise control and shut off our brains as we wrap XLR cables and return light stands to their perfect little home.

So, there you have it! The Wistia studio is now running like a well-oiled machine, accessible to all and devoid of the menacing pile. Thanks again to the organizers at The Little Details and our favorite store to purchase containers. We couldn’t have done it without you.