Today we’d like to introduce you to Marc Strong.
Hi Marc, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Wow, where to start?! Since we’re talking business, I guess the best place to begin is with the moment I finally took the leap to work for myself.
Back in the mid-2000s, I was working as an intelligence analyst for the government. It was a fascinating and rewarding job—exactly what I’d gone to grad school for—and on paper, I was set for a long, stable career in public service. The work was intellectually stimulating, and I got to work with some truly amazing people.
But—and this is a big but—life in Washington, DC wasn’t exactly what you’d call family-friendly. I had a growing family and a shrinking sense of how I was going to provide the kind of life I wanted for them. Plus, I found myself craving more creativity. Sure, there were elements of creativity in my job, but it was mostly analytical—a very left-brained kind of role. I wanted something that let me use both sides of my brain.
One moment in particular really stuck with me. We were visiting Charlottesville, Virginia with some friends, and the kids were playing in the backyard of the house we’d rented. After running around for a while, my oldest, who was almost three years old at the time, came up to me and asked, “Dad, when I get bigger and bigger, do you think we can have a backyard too?”
At the time, we lived in a 1940s-era condo on the third floor. The closest thing we had to a yard was the patch of grass in the shared courtyard. His question hit me like a ton of bricks. The reality was, on a government salary in DC, a backyard wasn’t exactly in the cards.
Not long after that trip, we made a bold decision and in 2007 we moved to Austin—without a job lined up. That move kicked off a series of big risks that completely changed our lives. I eventually landed a job working in the private sector before finding a role working back in the intelligence community. It was during that time that I stumbled across explainer videos. I saw how companies like Google and Dropbox were using whiteboard animation to tell their stories. I wanted to bring the same thing to the government.
My first attempts making explainer videos in 2009 and 2010 were hilariously low-budget with stick figures as characters. I borrowed my kids’ tiny whiteboard, filmed with a Canon Powershot camera perched precariously on a piano bench, and knelt on the floor for hours until my legs went numb. It wasn’t glamorous—but the videos worked. My bosses liked them. And they asked for more.
Around this time, I started making fun little videos on the side too and setting up a public online business presence. In 2011, I had my first big break. I shared one of my early videos with Guy Kawasaki—yes, that Guy Kawasaki, the former chief evangelist of Apple and SXSW regular—and to my shock, he posted it to his site literally 15 minutes after I sent it to him. With a nice note! I’ll never forget that. It gave the company a huge early boost. It’s a good reminder of how small acts can sometimes have a big impact on others without us ever realizing it.
Eventually, though, I hit a crossroads. My government employer wanted me back in DC. Going would have meant giving up the dream of running a creative business—and going back to townhouse life with no backyard. It was one of the scariest decisions I’ve ever made, especially with a family to support, but I chose to take the leap and head out on my own.
And I’m so glad I did. It changed everything. I built a company I’m proud of, and a life I genuinely love.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I always say: don’t start a business unless it’s something you genuinely love. Because when the hard times hit—and trust me, they will—you’ll need more than a clever idea or a dream of working for yourself to keep going. Passion for what you’re doing is what helps you push through when all you want to do is quit.
There were a few key things that helped me make the leap and have success. First, I started on the side. That was one of the best pieces of advice I got early on. Before I quit my day job, I set up a basic online presence and started testing the waters—sharing videos, setting up social media accounts, and just seeing if anyone out there cared about what I was offering. This was back in 2010, when explainer videos were still kind of a new thing. I also took some filmmaking and animation classes to build up my skills. The beauty of doing this while still employed was that there was zero pressure. I could grow at my own pace without freaking out over whether I could pay my mortgage.
And believe it or not, I found my very first client through Twitter (back when we still called it that!). She saw one of our videos, reached out, and asked if we could make something similar for her company. That turned into more clients, which eventually gave me the proof of concept–and enough income–to eventually take the leap into full-time work.
Another big lesson I learned is to surround yourself with people who are better than you. When I first launched Wienot Films, I was a true one-man band—writing scripts, drawing storyboards, filming whiteboard videos, recording voiceovers, fine tuning every frame of animation, adding the music and sound effects–all of it! And honestly, doing it all was a great learning experience. It gave me a solid understanding of every step in the process. But eventually, I realized that if I wanted to grow—and make the kind of high-quality work I envisioned—I needed to bring in specialists. Today, our team includes illustrators, animators, writers, voiceover artists, sound designers, and composers. And the common thread? They’re not just talented—they care. I look for people who are passionate about the details, not just punching a clock. That makes all the difference.
A third lesson I’ve learned is to stay nimble. I’ve always believed in staying lean and flexible. For us, that’s meant having a dispersed team. No big office. No crazy overhead. Just talented people doing what they love from the places they love. While some companies are pushing for a return to in-person, we’ve found that hiring passionate people and giving them the freedom to work where they thrive is a winning strategy.
Of course, I don’t have all the answers—I’m still figuring things out as I go. But so far, this mix of starting small, surrounding myself with passionate people, and building a flexible company has gotten us to where we are today and been a winning formula, even during the challenging times.
As you know, we’re big fans of Wienot Films. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I’m the founder of an animation and video production company called Wienot Films. It’s spelled W-I-E-N-O-T, even though we pronounce it “Why not.” We just wanted to be a little different!
The name actually came from my mom. One Christmas, I was telling her how much I loved video editing and production. I was thinking about making a big career pivot, and instead of telling me I was nuts (which, let’s be honest, maybe I was!), she just said, “Why not?” That simple question stuck with me.
So when it came time to name the company, we went with Wienot—as a reminder to follow your passions and take the leap. Instead of asking, “Why?” we like to say, “Wienot!”
Of course, with a last name like Strong, the obvious choice would’ve been something like Strong Films. But that felt a little too self-absorbed for my taste. I wanted the name to feel more personal and encouraging—something that invited curiosity and inspired action. Wienot just felt right.
We’re a boutique animation studio that specializes in explainer videos. In a world drowning in information, we help companies, educators, and nonprofits cut through the noise and communicate clearly. If you’ve ever landed on a homepage and watched a short, animated video that explains what a company does or how a product works—that’s an explainer video. They usually live in that sweet spot between education and marketing. They’re typically short, engaging, and designed to inform, while also connecting with the audience emotionally.
Our commercial clients often come to us with complex services or technologies, and they want help making them clear, concise, and engaging. We’ve worked with household names like Gatorade, BlackRock, and even Sesame Street, as well as new startups who are just trying to get their story out into the world. Whether it’s a cutting-edge product or a new initiative, we aim to make it feel human, relatable, and easy to understand.
We’ve also worked with leading universities like Stanford, MIT, and the University of Texas to help them teach big ideas in fresh, digestible ways. From research concepts to instruction and training materials, we love helping educators break through with content that’s smart, fun, and impactful.
As creatives, it’s especially fun for us when our clients want to think outside the box and stand out. In recent years, we’ve created videos inspired by Indiana Jones and Ted Lasso, and even turned a data privacy training video into a rap—with character inspiration from The Office and Saturday Night Live. That one ended up winning several Telly Awards!
We’re also super passionate about supporting nonprofits and organizations doing good in the world. We’ve created animated videos for nonprofits helping mothers in Africa, supporting addiction recovery in the United States, and promoting nonpartisan democracy initiatives. In fact, we also won some Telly Awards for one of our recent videos educating about how our adversaries use disinformation to divide us—and what we can do to fight it. It felt like one of the more important topics we’ve covered over the years. We offer nonprofits discounted rates because we believe good communication shouldn’t be out of reach for causes that matter.
At the end of the day, we treat every project like it’s our own. We’re a small team, and we put our hearts into the work—whether it’s for a Fortune 500 company or a grassroots nonprofit. One of the best parts of this job is the variety—we’re constantly learning about new topics and distilling them into bite-sized nuggets that people can actually understand. Sometimes I step back and think: I can’t believe I get to do this for a living!
https://youtu.be/8BikpyHgXCA?si=aEMtLjN6KlvDVY0y
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Wow—that’s a question we don’t talk about enough in business.
As much as I love my job, I’ve found that true happiness comes from something else entirely. Beyond the joy I get from spending time with family and friends—which I also think is critical—what really fills my cup is giving back in some way.
That desire to give back is part of what led us to offer special discounts for nonprofits. But even beyond work, I’ve found that any time I can offer my time or energy to someone else, it brings a deep sense of joy.
A few years ago, I realized I wasn’t getting enough opportunities to serve others in my day-to-day routine. So I signed up to volunteer with Meals on Wheels. Once a week, I deliver meals to seniors in need. And I’ll be honest—there are definitely weeks where I feel too busy and wonder if I can really spare the time. But without fail, I always come back grateful that I did.
One of the people I visit is an 87-year-old woman who lives alone in a trailer park. She loves to invite me in, and we almost always end up chatting—sometimes for an hour or more. Over the years, she’s become like an adopted grandmother, and I’ve become something of an adopted grandson. I know she feels like I’m helping her—but the truth is, she’s helped me far more than she realizes. Every week, we give each other a big hug, and I leave her home with my heart just a little more full.
I like to remind myself that even if what we’re doing isn’t changing the whole world, it’s changing the world for that one person—and that’s what really matters. And as we each do our small part, together we can help change the world in bigger ways.
I hope that doesn’t sound self-serving. I’m flawed and have plenty of selfish tendencies too. But the older I get, the more I’ve come to appreciate a strange and beautiful paradox: the more we forget ourselves and focus on others, the more we end up finding the kind of happiness that truly lasts.
In the end, it’s not how much money we make that matters—it’s the lives we touch along the way.
Is there any pricing information that you wish our readers to know?
Our pricing really depends on the scope of the project, but a typical explainer video starts around $5,000 and goes up from there. I think sometimes people see our videos and assume that because they’re short or look simple, they must be quick and inexpensive to make. But there’s a lot going on behind the scenes.
I’m reminded of that famous quote: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” Making something clear and concise isn’t easy—it takes a lot of thought, skill, and care to distill complex ideas into something engaging and easy to understand. That’s a big part of the value we offer.
Our clients come to us because they don’t want to overwhelm their audience in a sea of information. They want clarity. They want focus. And they want to tell their story in a way that actually sticks. That’s what we specialize in—and we think that’s worth investing in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wienotfilms.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/wienotfilms
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/wienotfilms
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/wienot-films
- Twitter: https://x.com/wienotfilms
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/wienotfilms
- Other: https://pinterest.com/wienotfilms
Image Credits
Wienot Films
