Client
Federal Agencies (general)
Overview
A new mandate, a new urgency. A recently issued federal executive order placed direct mandates on government agencies to accelerate their adoption of quantum-safe technologies – establishing clear 90, 180 and 27- day milestone for compliance. For IBM’s federal sales team this represented a critical window of opportunity to establish IBM as the trusted partner agencies would turn to. Having worked with the sales team on previous successful video projects, they turned to my team at IBM Client Engineering to create a compelling video asset that sellers in the federal space could use to drive mindshare and capture the attention of their clients.
Tools Used
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe After Effects
Mural
CHALLENGE
Creating urgency in a complex technical space. With a federal executive order now mandating quantum safe adoption, IBM’s federal sales team needed a fast, effective way to get in front of agency decision-makers and communicate both the urgency of the moment and IBM’s readiness to help. The challenge wasn’t just explaining the technology - it was conveying IBM’s depth of credibility in the quantum space: a long track record of quantum investment, real world deployment of their own products internally, and a role in shaping the very standards that the executive order is built around. What was needed was a compelling, visually engaging video that could establish IBM as the clear leader agencies should turn to – and bring that credibility to life through demo-inspired motion graphics grounded in real product screens.
PROCESS - STEP 1
Project Kickoff
The sales team submitted a formal project request to our team, which consisted of myself as the Strategy Designer, two Solution Architects, and a Business Technology Leader. We held an introductory meeting with the sales team to align on the project scope and establish the working relationship.
PROCESS - STEP 2
Requirements Gathering
I set up a lean working session with the sales team to capture the vision and requirements for the video. Rather than a formal workshop, this was a lightweight conversation – I came in with a set of targeted questions covering audience, personas, purpose, desired video length, and key messages, and captured everything live into a mural board with my screen shared as we talked. This session surfaced a critical insight: The sales team wanted the video to convey the urgency of the executive order and spell out the specific 90/180/270- day compliance milestones for agencies.
PROCESS - STEP 3
Script Development (5 Iterations)
Using the requirements gathered, I used Copilot to develop a baseline talk track for the first iteration. This gave the team a starting point to refine and share with the sales team, kicking off an iterative feedback cycle. A key piece of feedback from the first round was the need for a section showcasing IBM Quantum product visuals. This led to the creation of an “IBM in Action” section and ultimately defined the final five-part script structure.
PROCESS - STEP 4
Visual Production (Parallel to Script v3+)
I began building out the visual elements for the sections that were already stable. This included sourcing stock footage and photography, adapting IBM brand motion graphic templates to fit our narrative, and begin custom animation work in After Effects.
PROCESS - STEP 5
Key Design Decision: Distilling the Technology
By script version 4, it became clear that raw screenshots of the IBM Quantum Technology dashboard were too visually dense for a sales video audience. Rather than display the full interface, I worked with the solution architects and the sales SME'S to identify the most critical features and widgets. Then I created purpose built animations – clean, focused, and narrative driven – in place of the screenshots.
PROCESS - STEP 6
Continuous Review & Final Delivery
Throughout production, I shared work-in-progress cuts with the sales team for real-time feedback, ensuring the video stayed aligned with their needs at every stage. Once the final cut was complete, I delivered the video to the sales team for final approval and use.
OUTCOMES
In market and already driving pipeline.
Delivered to the Federal Sales team, the video has helped a seller prospect and open a $175K opportunity. It’s part of an ongoing partnership between Client Engineering and Federal Sales, using video to make complex ideas easier to sell. Results are still being tracked, and this case study will be updated as more data comes in.
DELIVERABLES
Final Sales Video Asset – A fully produced sales video asset – strategically crafted from concept to final cut to equip IBM federal sellers and drive agency action.
Custom Animation Assets – 5 Custom motion graphics built from scratch in After Effects, created specifically for the use within the video to bring IBM’s quantum technology to life on screen.
ANIMATIONS
PORTFOLIO
Scheduling Optimization
Scheduling Optimization
Scheduling Optimization
Workshop Design
Discovery
UX
Project Alpha
Project Alpha
Project Alpha
Creative Strategy
Video Design