One Shoot, Five Cuts: A Homebuyer Testimonial for Treadstone Funding

Customer testimonial videos are the closest thing to a referral you can scale. In a relationship-driven market like West Michigan, prospects don’t want another ad—they want proof that someone like them worked with you and walked away happy.

We’ve partnered with local businesses and sales professionals across industries—mortgage lenders, Realtors, insurance brokers, attorneys, contractors, and more—to produce authentic customer story videos for websites, YouTube pre-roll, broadcast TV, and social platforms like Instagram Reels, Facebook, and TikTok.

Starting at $250/hr of on-site filming, our team affordably creates content for your channels.

 

The Story: “I’m 20 Years Old and I Just Bought This House”

Treadstone Funding came to us with a client worth putting on camera.

Ian Star is 20 years old. He works construction—general contracting, mostly residential—and waits tables on the side. He also owns a duplex in Michigan, and his monthly payment is $300, because he rents out one of the units and two of the bedrooms.

The duplex was never part of the plan. His dad ran the numbers and called him. “He said, the math works out. This is a very real thing that you could do today, this week, this month.”

That’s the whole video. No script, no talking-head loan officer, no stock footage of a family walking through a doorway. Just a 20-year-old standing in a house he owns, explaining how he got there:

I was able to make this happen financially because I was working hard, but not crazily hard. I’m not burning my life away. And that’s how I was able to buy this house.

And the line that made the spot work as an ad:

You can buy a house. That’s a very real thing you can do. I’m not really anything special. I’m 20, and if I can do it, I believe anyone can do it.

How We Produced It

This was a short production—and that’s the point.

Treadstone sent our team out to film a client who was genuinely excited to talk. We showed up, ran the interview, captured b-roll of the house and Ian’s day-to-day, and left. No crew of eight, no full production day, no reshoots.

Project Details:

• Client: Treadstone Funding
• Location: West Michigan
• Production: Single short on-site shoot
• Turnaround: Two weeks from filming to final delivery of every version
• Deliverables: 90-second spot, plus 30s, 15s, and 5s cutdowns and a vertical social cut
• Distribution Intent: YouTube pre-roll, broadcast TV, and organic social

Why it worked:

• The client was enthusiastic. Ian wanted to tell this story. That’s not something you can light or edit your way into—it’s the single biggest variable in whether a testimonial lands.
• We interviewed instead of scripting. Everything in the finished spot came out of a conversation. Scripted testimonials sound scripted, and viewers tune out the second something feels rehearsed.
• We shot on location. The house is the proof. Filming in a conference room would have thrown away the strongest visual argument in the piece.
• We shot for the edit. Knowing up front that this needed to work at 90 seconds and at 15, we captured the coverage to support both.

One Shoot, Five Deliverables

A single interview should never produce a single video. We cut this one five ways so Treadstone could run it across every placement they’d bought.

90-second spot — the full story. Website, YouTube, email, and organic social.

30-second cut — broadcast TV and YouTube pre-roll.

15-second cut — skippable and non-skippable pre-roll, paid social.

5-second bumper — non-skippable top-of-funnel reach and retargeting.

Vertical social cut — Instagram Reels, TikTok, and Facebook.

View this post on Instagram

Same footage. Same shoot. Five assets that each do a different job.

Built for Paid Media, Not Just the Feed

Most testimonial videos get posted once and forgotten. This one was built from the start to be bought—which changes how you shoot and how you cut.

This video production was design to run as:

• YouTube pre-roll, targeted to finance and home-buying audiences in Michigan
• Broadcast TV on local West Michigan stations

That means every version had to survive without sound-on attention, hit its hook in the first three seconds, and land a clear message before the skip button. The 15- and 30-second cuts open on the strongest possible line—a 20-year-old saying he owns the house behind him—because in pre-roll you don’t get a second act.

If you’re paying for media, the creative has to earn the placement. Producing the spot and the cutdowns together is how you make one shoot cover an entire campaign.

How Much Does a Testimonial Video Cost in Grand Rapids?

Grand Rapids Marketing Co. has a few different methods of pricing your video projects, but our most popular is this:

• $250/hr of on-site production, and free standard editing.
  • This includes drone & aerial coverage
• 20% Rush Fee if delivered <24hrs

Standard Editing includes:

• Pick one: Horizontal or Vertical delivery
• Subtitles
• Text on screen
• Basic logos or transitions
• Realistic color grade

Videos cost extra for things like:

• Pre-written scripts, interview questions, and content ideas
• <24hr delivery
• Horizontal & vertical versions
• Additional cutdowns from the same footage
• Animated or advanced graphics
• Caption writing
• Social Media Management

You decide how we use the hours of filming time. Interview one customer, or line up three back-to-back.

For campaign work like the Treadstone spot—multiple cutdowns, broadcast-ready delivery, paid media specs—get a custom quote:

What Makes a Testimonial Video Actually Work

Most testimonial videos fail for the same reason: they’re scripted, stiff, and about the company instead of the customer. Here’s what we look for instead.

Lead with the customer’s problem. The strongest testimonials open on a real obstacle—”I thought I was going to be 30 or 40 when I bought my first house.” That’s the moment the viewer recognizes themselves.

Get specific. “They were great to work with” is worthless. “$300 is my monthly payment, because I’m renting out one of the units” is a sales asset. We steer interviews toward numbers, timelines, and concrete moments.

Cast well. The best production in the world can’t fix a reluctant subject. Pick the client who’s already telling this story at parties.

Let the brand come last. Treadstone is mentioned once, in the final line, by the customer. That’s more persuasive than sixty seconds of logo.

Who Testimonial Videos Work Best For

Testimonial and customer story videos are especially effective where trust is the deciding factor and the purchase is infrequent or high-stakes:

• Mortgage lenders and loan officers — homebuyer stories, first-time buyer journeys, refinance wins
• Real estate agents — client closings, relocation stories, seller experiences
• Attorneys and financial advisors — case outcomes and long-term client relationships
• Contractors, remodelers, and home services — before-and-after project stories
• Healthcare and wellness practices — patient outcome stories
• B2B and manufacturing — customer case studies your sales team can actually send

We Do Commercial Photography, Too

Video may be the attention-grabber—but strong photography is still the foundation of a credible brand.

Before someone watches your customer story, they’re scrolling your website, your Google Business Profile, and your social feeds. Clean, bright, professionally composed images are what get them to click in the first place.

That’s why we offer professional commercial and brand photography in Grand Rapids, Michigan alongside our video services. We can capture stills during the same production day—no second shoot, no second travel charge.

Ready to Put Your Customers on Camera?

One enthusiastic client, one short shoot, two weeks of post—and Treadstone came away with a broadcast spot, four digital cutdowns, and a story no ad agency could have written.

We produce testimonial and customer story videos for businesses throughout Grand Rapids and West Michigan, starting at $250/hr of on-site production.