As soon as local businesses realized that digital-first marketing plans—creative video series and livestreamed events—were the “new normal” during the pandemic, guys like Frankie Cavone quickly became a red hot commodity.
Cavone, who owns a pair of Albany small businesses, F.Cavone Productions and Mirth Films, has been offering his video production, photography and digital marketing services to a growing number of satisfied local clients. And he has big plans for 2021.
Born and raised in Lake George, Cavone graduated from the State University of New York in Plattsburgh with a double major in TV production and digital media. He first worked for Spectrum News, later getting into concert photography and shooting hundreds of nationally renowned artists such as Metallica, Phish, Weezer and Beck. At the time,
he was also working as a video producer. This past December, he expertly navigated Saratoga Living and Capital Region Living’s fundraising event Capital Region Gives Back, acting as both videographer and “pilot” of the program, which volleyballed back and forth between pre-recorded material and live shots beaming in from all around the Capital Region. In other words, he’s a highly versatile multimedia producer who’s able to tackle any task thrown his way.
Saratoga Living caught up with Cavone to talk about the many services his companies offer.
Tell us about F.Cavone Productions and Mirth Films. What types of services do you offer? Who are some of your clients?
F.Cavone Productions is my freelance videography, digital marketing and photography company that offers private services to clients across New York State. We work with everybody from financial advisors and real estate companies to boat-makers on Lake George and even the City of Albany. With the impact of COVID, livestreaming became something that everybody needed as part of their marketing plan, and we were able to produce events for a number of companies. Mirth Films, on the other hand, started out as a passion project and has become a live music and entertainment media outlet, specializing in everything from livestreamed musical performances and original video content to documentaries.
We hear you also offer wedding services, too.
We do multi-cam productions of the full wedding ceremony, the speeches and all the big highlights of the day. We’ll have four or five cameras set up, so when you and your significant other are watching the video of your ceremony later on, you’ll feel like you’re watching something cinematic. Your wedding is obviously the most important day of your life, and we want to make sure that the production we’re giving you represents that. We even livestreamed a wedding last summer, too.
What was one of your favorite moments from 2020?
While a lot of small businesses suffered, 2020 was a really busy year for us. Justin Miller, who owns Lark Hall in Albany, wanted to do a livestreaming event every Friday, so we would go there and do a three-hour livestream of a musical act. The Palace Theatre caught on, and we eventually started doing the Palace Sessions, which is a monthly online fundraiser to help keep the doors open there. We got to work with great bands such as Eastbound Jesus, Wild Adriatic and one of my personal favorites, moe. We’re devising a plan to grow this year and keep our line on the graph going up.
What sets your companies apart from the local competition?
We do this because we love it. Not only do we want to provide our clients with the highest quality content, but we also make sure they get it on time. In a world where everything is “now,” my biggest concern is getting something done right away. It’s really all about customer service: As long as my clients are happy, I’m happy. That’s the only thing that matters to me.