30,000 minutes of Transcription

Trever Fong has been a client of Take 1’s for almost a decade.  In that time, he’s worked his way up from post-production supervisor to director of post-production at companies like Magical Elves, Revelations, Mythical Entertainment and Lightbox Entertainment and commissioned Take 1 to produce an estimated 30 000 minutes of transcription, translation and as-broadcast scripts.  The content we’ve worked on together includes titles like National Geographic’s “Story of God” starring Morgan Freeman, HBO Documentary Films’ “Diagnosis” and “You Kiddin’ Me” for Facebook Watch.  As one of our most loyal and longstanding clients, we asked Trever to answer some questions about his experience of working with Take 1. 

You’ve been a loyal Take 1 client since around 2012 – how did you first come across Take 1 and what made you decide to use them initially? 

Yes!  The show was “Around the World in 80 Plates” and I was tasked to find a company that could translate the various languages from the many countries we visited during production.  I was a bit lost as I’ve never worked on such a show and my post producer sent me a link to the Take 1 website.

 What Take 1 products and services have you used over the years?  

Translations, Transcriptions, and Broadcast Scripts.  To add, Take 1’s options for turnaround are always accurate.

You’ve continued to use Take 1 over many years and in roles at various companies – what made you so loyal to Take 1?

Since my first experience it was very clear that Take 1 was not only capable of delivering accurate and speedy turnarounds, but their customer support is unmatched.  We work with various networks with a wide range of formats and Take 1 was always willing and able to adapt. 

How hard was it to convince your new colleagues at each of these companies to use Take 1?  

It’s never easy to convince a company to change their ways, but if something isn’t working and you can offer a premium solution that works with the budget, it’s harder to deny quality work at a good price.

Have the productions you’ve worked on with Take 1 been similar in nature or very diverse?  

I’ve worked with a variety of formats in my career – Take 1 is still my go to because of their ability to adapt.

What’s more important – convenience, quality or security – and why? 

All three are important.  Security – one of the worst things that can happen in this industry is leaking content, it compromises trust and can be a huge legal mess.  Quality – clients are looking for a solution, not another problem – it costs time if something needs to be redone, and time is typically a challenge in this industry.  Convenience – make it easy for your customers to give you money!  When things become too complicated is usually when they’ll start looking for better options.

How does the current transcription marketplace in the US compare with when you first started working with Take 1?  

There has been a steady increase in the demand for content with the rising streaming networks over the years, and, honestly, I haven’t had a reason to explore competing options for something that’s always worked for me.

How well do you think Take 1 has responded to the changes in the industry?  

Very well.  I think Take 1 always had its sights on the horizon.  I remember my chats with Dom in the early days – he would always want to know how Take 1 could improve.  There were times where I was completely satisfied with the service as is, and he would ask questions like, “what happens to the transcripts after we deliver them?” That was interesting to me because he wasn’t just checking “did we deliver, ok..” it was more, “how do we get them in the hands of the people that need them the most” (the producers.)

 Get in touch with Take 1 to find out more about our translation, transcription and as-broadcast script services.