Project Description
For this installment of TOPDON's "My TOPDON Story" series, we partnered with wildlife photographer Gavin McCue to show TOPDON's thermal cameras in a new light. TOPDON's thermal imaging line is built and marketed almost entirely around mechanical and automotive use. For this project, we took it into the field instead, using it to spot wildlife, one of the first times the product has been positioned as an outdoor tool.
Hero Asset
Project Services
Pre-production was a collaborative effort with TOPDON, covering narrative development, a subject pre-interview, and location scouting. From there, we handled full-service field production: on-location direction and cinematography, and creative direction that balanced documentary authenticity with brand messaging throughout. TOPDON's in-house team handled post-production and the final edit.
Viewership & Engagement
How did our ‘My TOPDON Story’ video stack up against the rest in just its first two-weeks?
In its first two weeks on Instagram, our ‘My TOPDON Story’ production has...
244% more views than the average ‘My TOPDON Story’ video, and has 9% more views than the previous highest performing video.
10 times the likes of the average, and is outperforming the previous maximum by 184%.
77 comments where no previous post had more than a single comment.
been reposted 18 times more than the average and 7 times more than the previous maximum.
exceeded average shares by 300%.
In its first two weeks on Facebook, our ‘My TOPDON Story’ production has...
been the first ‘My TOPDON Story’ video to reach one million views.
282% more views than average, and 28% more than the previous highest performing video.
6 times the likes of the average video and 90% more than the old maximum.
2 times the average shares.
been saved 85% more than average.
Why did our ‘My TOPDON Story’ out perform the rest?
The performance of our production over the others can be broken down to a few key factors: an interesting subject that comes with an audience, quality work, good storytelling, and the perfect project rollout by TOPDON.
The Subject: A Built-In Audience
We were paired with Gavin McCue, a wildlife photographer and micro-influencer who had built an organic following of thirty thousand engaged followers by the time we started filming. Gavin's audience wasn't passive, his posts and reels routinely generated strong engagement, driven by the quality of his photography and his sense of humor on camera.
Working with a subject who already has an audience gives a project a head start. An audience alone doesn't guarantee performance, it has to be matched with a story worth telling.
Finding the Story
We didn't show up with cameras and start filming. Good storytelling started well before production.
We began with a three-way conversation between TOPDON, Gavin, and our team to figure out what the story actually was, what felt true to who Gavin is, and what would genuinely resonate with TOPDON's audience rather than feeling like a scripted ad. From there, we ran a pre-interview with Gavin to shape the narrative direction before ever picking up a camera.
We ascouted multiple locations, evaluating each one not just for visual appeal but for how much it would add to the story we were telling. That groundwork meant that by the time we were on set, we hit the ground running.
Quality Work:
The Rollout
Great content still needs a plan behind it. TOPDON handled distribution for the piece, rolling it out through Meta Business Suite using the same ad spend allocation applied across the rest of the series. That consistency mattered, it meant the difference in performance came down to the content itself, not an uneven marketing push.
The Takeaway
None of these factors alone would have been enough. A great subject without a strong narrative feels hollow. Great storytelling without qualityfalls flat. And even the best video underperforms without the right distribution behind it. Our episode worked because all four pieces were in place, and that's the model we bring to every project.
Testimonials
“Working with Rooster Rooster on the “My TOPDON Story” project was a wonderful experience. The communication was smooth, efficient, and professional throughout the entire process. They brought great creativity and expertise to the production, and the quality of the footage was outstanding.”
Emma Guo — Social Media Specialist, TOPDON
“Working with Rooster Rooster was very satisfying! They portray excellent professionalism and skill at their craft. Working with Austin's team went very smoothly and was executed perfectly. Rooster Rooster Creative Company delivered high quality and impressive results with the final product, and I would be more than happy to work with them again in the future!”