You’re an arts marketer, which means you’ve got your head wrapped around at least three seasons worth of video at any given time. Right now, your video list probably includes your 2025-2026 season announcement, a 2025 evergreen brand video and vertical cuts of everything for TikTok, Reels, and Performance Max (PMax). Oh, and all of these videos need to capture audience attention in the first three seconds or they’re useless. Did we get it right?
Great video isn’t an easy ask, but it is worth the effort and budget: according to Wyzowl, 87% of video marketers report that video directly increased sales, Forrester found that one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words, and Meta and Google consistently report that creative determines the majority of a campaign’s success. If you’ve ever wished you could read the minds of the industry’s best video experts, this is your opportunity.
With 25 years of experience specializing in dance and arts documentation, Nel Shelby of Nel Shelby Productions (NSP) knows how to tell a story that not only resonates but inspires viewers to support an organization’s mission. In addition to filming the Boot Camp 2024 livestream (if you missed it, you can get access here) Nel recently turned the camera onto her own crew, creating a promo video that not only showcases her team’s dedication to preserving and promoting the arts, but can—and should—be considered a case study in excellent evergreen brand video:
Nel sat down with CI to pull back the digital curtain and share her most essential video insights to help you engage audiences, drive sales, and encourage brand loyalty through video.
CI in Conversation with Nel Shelby
Let’s start with your story, Nel. How did you begin your journey in video production, and what led you to specialize in documenting and promoting dance?
My journey actually begins with really bad video…I have a performance background myself—musical theater and dance—and I studied dance and broadcast journalism in college. When I graduated, I wanted to audition to perform for a cruise line. The audition process required video samples of performance, and when I started gathering my footage, I realized all my college dance footage was fuzzy, far away and completely unusable. There was clearly a need for better quality dance video, and since I had broadcast experience in addition to dance training, it felt like a new mission was born in that moment. I received an internship in video documentation at Jacob’s Pillow back in 2001 and after that I was hooked on preserving dance. I moved to NYC after my internship and bought a camera and the rest is history!!
You have 25 years of experience with video. What have been some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned about storytelling in the arts?
Listening! Listening is key when you are a storyteller. I have found that the deeper my connections grow with each of my clients, the better stories we tell. It is about honing in on what the organization or company wants to zero in on about what they are up to. A huge lesson of mine has been that we can make something from nothing when everyone in the room comes from a place of trust and creativity.