NextLight Production Pipeline

Concept to Campaign

Every concept follows this path from idea to in-market creative. The pipeline is designed for speed: test cheap, scale winners, compound the library.

1. Strategy

Concept Selection

Score via Scorecard, pick 3-4 for first wave

Corey + Audri

Creative Brief

One-pager per concept: track, themes, audience, copy direction, format

Catapult

Production Routing

Decide: toolkit-only, VP shoot, live-action, or hybrid

Corey + Tend

2. Low-Cost Test

Static Ads

Graphical brand system + copy variants. In-retainer production.

Catapult

Simple Motion

Animate statics using Tend toolkit elements (Lotties, GIFs)

Catapult

Stock-Assisted Video

Stock footage + motion graphics to test video concepts cheaply

Catapult + Tend

3. Measure

Bi-Weekly Check-in

Review performance data. Identify winners, underperformers, untapped potential.

Corey + Audri

Kill / Iterate / Scale

Kill losers fast. Iterate copy/format on mid-performers. Brief winners for hero treatment.

Catapult

4. Scale Winners

Hero Video Production

30s hero with 15s and 6s cascade. Live-action + motion graphics hybrid.

Tend Studio

VP Wall Shoots

Local Longmont backgrounds. Place talent/product in-studio for rapid iteration.

Tend Studio

B-Roll Library

Shoot days for downtown, Button Rock Dam, seasonal exteriors, business interiors.

Tend Studio

5. Multiply

Format Adaptation

Portrait (social), landscape (CTV/pre-roll), square, static crops from video

Catapult

Copy Variants

Same visual, different messaging theme. Test all 4 themes per concept.

Catapult

LiveOps Remixing

Hot-swap copy, colors, headlines, CTAs. Fight fatigue with toolkit modularity.

Catapult

Library Compounds

Nothing resets quarterly. Assets compound. New concepts enter, old ones evolve.

Shared

Tend Studio vs. Catapult — Who Does What

Clear lane ownership keeps production moving without bottlenecks. Tend does what they're best at (hero content, VP, toolkit building); Catapult handles volume and iteration within retainer.

Tend Studio

Production Partner — Scoped per project

Hero Video Production

3-4 hero videos per 6-month pilot. 30s spine with 15s and 6s cascade. Live-action + motion graphics hybrid style.

Motion Toolkit

Animated underlines, circles, flourishes, branded Lotties/GIFs. Handed to Catapult for plug-and-play assembly. Front-loaded before July 1.

VP Wall / B-Roll Shoots

Local Longmont backgrounds (downtown, Button Rock Dam, seasonal). In-focus and out-of-focus versions. Half or full day shoots to seed the library.

Illustration Animation

Animate existing static brand illustrations to add stopping power to proven winners.

High-Concept Shoots

Wild Card concepts that can't be assembled from the toolkit — infomercial, product shoots, custom live-action scenarios.

Catapult Creative

Strategy + Volume Production — In retainer

Creative Strategy & Briefing

Concept selection, creative briefs, production routing decisions. Strategic direction for all creative output.

Static Ad Design & Iteration

Graphical brand system ads. Copy variant testing across all 4 messaging themes. High-volume production.

Simple Motion / Animation

Using Tend's motion toolkit (Lotties, GIFs, animated elements) to add movement to static winners. No custom scoping needed.

Format Adaptation

Portrait (social), landscape (CTV/pre-roll), square, static crops from video. Platform-native formatting.

Performance Analysis & LiveOps

Bi-weekly optimization. Kill/iterate/scale decisions. Hot-swap copy, colors, headlines, CTAs to fight fatigue.

Brief Development for Tend

When winners need hero treatment, Catapult writes the production brief and coordinates with Tend.