Many of us grew up with the common belief that great leaders are decisive, clever, results-oriented, and sometimes heartless individuals. It seemed that all that counted to these driven people was the bottom line; all that mattered was winning. Indeed, some leaders out there still adhere to this model. While the appropriate allocation of resources […]

Authenticity Expert Vern Oakley, a leading director of corporate videos, offers tips as content transitions to more targeted messages. With the two-year anniversary of the Covid pandemic just months away, and the long-awaited arrival of herd immunity still something of a dream, leaders from major corporations, academic institutions and organizations are continually re-examining the tone […]

Press release originally published on November 10, 2021. Chatham, New Jersey – Nov. 10, 2021 – When Vern Oakley was directing corporate videos as a freelancer back in the 1980s, he felt intuitively that something was missing. “It’s not that the people I was working with weren’t talented,” he explains. “It’s just that I felt […]

In “The Art of Business Storytelling,” Oakley reveals how CEOs can drive effective communication by sharing authenticity, candor and compassion on camera. I’ve always loved the observation that ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’… because if its employees aren’t going to support the strategy of the company, you can’t really execute it.” — Vern Oakley CHATHAM, […]

Rapidly changing technology shifts expectations of how we’re all communicated to. In a sense, we’re all millennials. I spoke with David Brancaccio of American Public Media’s Marketplace Morning Report about this concept about this concept and how it impacts everything from recruitment video ideas to what makes the most effective corporate brand videos. Do you […]

There’s so much noise. How do you cut through? How do you get your big ideas heard and then adopted? In this edition of Tribe’s Leadership in Focus Video Series, Tribe’s CEO and creative director, Vern Oakley, was interviewed by David Brancaccio of American Public Media’s Marketplace Morning Report about leading in a digital society. Politicians have […]

 Being on camera can be nerve-racking. Your ability to relax into the moment determines how well your humanity shines through. The Sacred Space acts as insulation. As film directors, we’ve learned that the one-on-one relationship with a leader is crucial, as the best CEO videos are made when an executive feels comfortable. → The Leadership in […]

 Where do you start with your communication platform? What’s the first step toward connecting? As a creative director the first crucial step in the creative brief is always recon on the tribe. → The Leadership in Focus Video Series covers multiple topics from the interviews. Be sure to view the rest of the series. Transcript […]

 In this edition of Tribe’s Leadership in Focus Video Series, I was interviewed by David Brancaccio of American Public Media’s Marketplace Morning Report about three ways to film a leader. You’ll learn a few straightforward methods that help a reluctant leader feel more comfortable and assured when the red light goes on. → The Leadership in Focus Video […]

I wonder if the teleprompter had anything to do with the outcome of the election? I know from experience that putting leaders in front of a teleprompter can sometimes help and sometimes hinder in getting the message across. It’s a difficult thing to make it appear natural, but practice makes perfect. → The Leadership in Focus […]