Cates Collaborative, LLC

About Cates Collaborative, LLC

But you don’t need to keep reading about it, click play and let our cast of characters tell you themselves!

I’m John. I’m the “Cates” in Cates Collaborative.

I like humor, I like moving pictures, and I like their business applications

After leaving the commercial sign industry to pursue a career that combined my business experience with my personal passion of entertainment and comedy, I wound up as a live event and video producer for the B2B arm of The Second City Theater From there I built a business around my favorite elements of art and commerce Primarily humor based video campaigns that solve a multitude of communications challenges

I am a big believer that humor has a necessary place in all forms of communication Even in business Especially in business Whether used in ads, B2B messaging, or even internal initiatives like training and policy support, humor is authentic, relatable, and builds credibility with your audience

There are different tones for different applications, and my team and I excel in knowing that difference Humor doesn’t always mean “funny ” It doesn’t always mean “jokes ” A sense of humor is a sense of self-awareness It shows that you can be serious without taking yourself too seriously People really respond to that That’s why I really work to get to know the personality and culture of the brands and companies I work with There’s always an appropriate tone, and finding it is one of my favorite parts of the process

My teams are built from a vast network of my favorite creative professionals All funny, all experienced in corporate and commercial creative development I bring the right demographic of writers, directors, designers, and actors to a specific project, so that it speaks to a specific audience

We work with clients of all shapes and sizes to find their sense of humor and show it to the world Or at least the segment of the world that matters most to them

THE PROCESS CAN BE DIFFERENT FOR ALL CLIENTS, BUT IT BASICALLY BOILS DOWN TO THIS:

World Domination (if applicable)

BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT CASE STUDIES

Video & Social Media Advertising Case Study

Public Service Announcement Case Study

OTHER COMPANIES, AGENCIES, & BRANDS WE’VE WORKED WITH

DROP US A LINE

We’re easy and fun to work with

or at least that’s what our clients say

Truly masters of their craft…from initial concept through final cut and everything in between, Rockit Projects and Cates Collaborative exceeded our expectations
BRIAN W
, CEO, ARNOLD WESLEY DEVELOPMENT

Truly masters of their craft…from initial concept through final cut and everything in between, Rockit Projects and Cates Collaborative exceeded our expectations.

Our new video campaign results are off the charts! JOHN M
, VP OF MARKETING, CD ONE PRICE CLEANERS

Our new video campaign results are off the charts!

Thank you all so very much for creating, organizing, directing and producing such a fantastic day of filming! We were amazed at all of the working pieces that need to fit together to create our perfect video
TERI CAMPBELL RN, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, ILLINOIS HEART RESCUE

Thank you all so very much for creating, organizing, directing and producing such a fantastic day of filming! We were amazed at all of the working pieces that need to fit together to create our perfect video.

Cates is a great partner and did a fantastic job on this campaign
WILLIE WILKOV, CMO, TOMY INTERNATIONAL, INC

Cates is a great partner and did a fantastic job on this campaign.

I highly recommend the creative services of Cates Collaborative for companies that want to build brand equity through video marketing
SPIRO G
, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, ARNOLD WESLEY DEVELOPMENT