The Films We Create +
How We Work Together
We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all storytelling. Every film has a purpose. Every partnership has a shape.
This page outlines what we offer and how clients choose to engage with us, so you can find the right fit for your goals, timeline, and season.
The Films We Create
At Once, we create cinematic films and campaigns designed to clarify your mission, move people emotionally, and drive real action—whether that action is giving, buying, attending, or believing.
Our work generally falls into three core categories:
Identity, Action, and Engagement Films.
Identity Films
Your story deserves to be seen, felt, and understood.
A cinematic brand or mission film that reveals the heart of who you are and why your work matters.
Every organization has a deeper story behind the work: the why, the impact, the culture, the things only you can claim. An Identity Film captures that essence and brings it to life on screen.
These 3–4 minute cinematic films become the clearest, richest way to introduce yourself to the world—whether you're inspiring a donor, welcoming a new customer, launching a campaign, or elevating your brand.
We guide your team from strategy through storytelling, transforming your message into a film that clarifies your purpose and moves people toward you.
Action Films
Action Films are built for these moments. We create compelling campaign films, gala pieces, commercials, and fundraising stories that guide your audience toward one clear outcome: taking action.
You bring the mission, the product, or the vision. We build the storytelling that helps your audience move.
When you need action, your story leads the way.
Fundraising films, campaign content, and commercials crafted to inspire immediate support.
Some moments call for clarity, urgency, and emotional lift. When you need your audience to take a step—donate, enroll, buy, attend, support—your story becomes the most powerful tool you have.
WHO IT’S FOR:
Organizations and brands ready to spark movement—financial, cultural, or community-driven.
COMMON USES:
Gala films
Capital + major gift campaigns
Annual appeals
Commercials
Product launches
Marketing campaigns
Board + major donor presentations
Engagement Films
Show up consistently with content that feels effortless, aligned, and beautifully made.
Your audience wants to hear from you more than once a year. They want to be invited into your world to see what you’re building, why it matters, and who’s behind it.
We create one-off social campaigns or monthly content packages designed to keep your audience connected and engaged.
We partner with your team to create social campaigns, monthly video stories, and short-form content that feels natural and on-brand. Whether we’re filming on location or welcoming you into our studio, the process is simple, collaborative, and shaped around your goals.
This is content that keeps your presence alive, your message clear, and your audience feeling connected without the stress of planning, filming, or editing.
TinySuperheroes - Identity Film
WHO IT’S FOR:
Organizations who need to answer one fundamental question with clarity and emotion:
“Who are we—and why does what we do matter?
COMMON USES:
Homepage centerpiece
Development meetings
Recruitment
Investor onboarding
Brand launches
Email introductions
Major donor cultivation
WHO IT’S FOR:
Brands and nonprofits who want consistent visibility, storytelling, and audience engagement—without hiring an in-house team.
COMMON USES:
Monthly content packages
Campaigns and one-off initiatives
Social video series
Event recaps
Micro-documentaries
Brand storytelling for social
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra:
Music For All, Capital Campaign
Fundraising Social Cut -
Saint Louis Science Center
How We Work Together
Growth doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens when your story and your strategy move together.
We help you choose the level of storytelling support that gets you there:
Single Project Storytelling
One clear goal. One powerful story.
Perfect if you have a specific need. One film or campaign that needs to be done right.
The Single Project Model is built for organizations with one clear, immediate story to tell. Whether launching a campaign, highlighting a specific program, or crafting a compelling brand film, this model delivers powerful storytelling with intention and beauty, on a project-by-project basis.
It’s perfect for clients looking to make a singular, strategic impact with world-class film.
This model gives you the full Once experience: beautifully crafted storytelling with strategy baked in. You bring the moment. We’ll bring it to life.
Story Partner Quarterly Retainer
The Story Partner Quarterly Retainer is built for organizations who are ready to go beyond one-off projects and use film & storytelling to grow their business, but aren’t quite ready for the Once Films monthly retainer model.
It’s ideal for clients looking to plan ahead, stay consistent with visual storytelling, and build a library of powerful, evergreen content without the overwhelm.
Build a quarterly plan that fits your goals and budget. Combine services like a brand film, social content, and quarterly photography into one powerful, year-long content strategy with a service discount and flexible payments to match.
Benefits for your team:
Predictable, Budget-Friendly Pricing
Quarterly billing keeps things manageable while locking in savings on bundled services.
Built-In Strategic Support
We begin with a kick-off strategy call to align on goals, platforms, and priorities—and we stay in touch with quarterly check-ins to recalibrate.
Year-Round Content Flow
No more scrambling for content. We build a reliable cadence of video and photography that supports fundraising, outreach, recruiting, and more.
Scalable Content Library
Each shoot builds your internal asset library, making future storytelling more cost-effective and nimble.
Growth-Oriented Model
Perfect for growing organizations who want to uplevel their brand while working toward becoming a full Once retainer client.
Momentum, planned in seasons.
If you have ongoing goals but want flexibility, this model lets us plan your storytelling strategy over 90-day arcs.
If you have ongoing goals but want flexibility, this model lets us plan your storytelling over 90-day arcs.
Story Partner Monthly Retainer
We join your team. On call and ready to execute at a moment’s notice.
This is for organizations that want consistency, speed, and deep alignment without hiring a video team in-house.
“The day after we kicked into our retainer model, the client called with an emergency/same-day production ask. Since we were now officially on their team, we were able to mobilize and get it done - no estimates, no meeting overload, just action.”
-Whitney Gable, Once Films Production Coordinator
The Story Partner Monthly Retainer is built for organizations ready to fully integrate storytelling into their strategy, operations, and outreach. We become your ongoing creative partner—crafting brand films, campaign assets, photography, and short-form content as needed throughout the year.
This model offers the deepest collaboration, clearest planning, and most significant long-term return on your storytelling investment.
We become your embedded story team providing films, photography, social assets, campaign strategy, and more throughout the year. It’s the deepest level of collaboration, with the greatest long-term impact.
Ideal for:
Organizations planning 5+ video projects per year
Teams leading multiple initiatives throughout the year, not just one moment
Nonprofits committed to building trust and donor relationships over time
Brands that want a trusted storytelling partner, not a one-off vendor
