What Video Teams Can Learn from Donnie Strompf About Stakeholder Alignment
Donnie Strompf is the founder and CEO of Good At Marketing, a Google Partner agency he started in 2017 after more than a decade in SEO. His approach is built around transparency, direct execution, and giving clients clear information about what they are paying for and how the work is performing.
In his Authority Magazine interview, Strompf outlined five strategies for keeping stakeholders aligned: work from the same numbers, deliver bad news early and in writing, adapt the level of detail without changing the message, keep clients close to the people doing the work, and pay attention to what stakeholders change, not only what they say.
Below, Beverly Boy applies those strategies to video production. The examples involving clients, producers, executives, legal teams, and creative contributors are our interpretations rather than examples from Strompf’s interview.
Start With Shared Facts
Strompf’s first strategy is to put the same numbers in front of everyone. He says conflict often starts when people are working from different information. Shared facts make disagreements more productive because the debate shifts from competing data to how that data should be interpreted.
For video teams, the equivalent is a shared video production brief, supported by a current schedule, budget status, and approval record. Stakeholders should not be reviewing different versions of the script or working from separate assumptions about scope.
A central source of truth helps keep feedback focused on the work instead of forcing teams to first resolve which information is current.
Deliver Difficult News Early
Strompf recommends communicating poor performance early and in writing, before the client discovers it in a monthly report. His approach is to explain what happened, what is changing, and when the next meaningful update will arrive.
He gives a similar example from a national SEO project where leadership expected a faster recovery than was realistic. Rather than support that expectation, he documented a longer timeline with milestones and showed progress against it.
In video production, the same principle applies when a schedule slips, footage creates an unexpected limitation, or a requested change affects budget or delivery. When changes affect the video production timeline, early communication gives stakeholders time to assess options and make decisions. Silence leaves them reacting after the problem has already grown.
Match the Detail, Not the Truth
Strompf says, “The message never changes. The altitude does.” Owners may want costs and returns, the people doing the work need practical next steps, and outside partners need clear boundaries. His rule is to keep the core message consistent while adjusting the amount of detail for each audience.
That is useful for complex video projects. An executive may need a short update on schedule, risk, and final deliverables. An editor needs specific notes, file locations, and deadlines. Legal may only need to review claims, releases, or usage issues.
The information can change in depth without changing the underlying truth. That keeps different stakeholder groups aligned without overwhelming everyone with the same level of detail.
Keep Stakeholders Close to the Work
Strompf’s fourth strategy is to let people see the person doing the work. At his agency, the person who sells the plan also executes it, which removes layers between the strategy and the client.
A video team does not need to copy that structure exactly, but the principle is useful. Important creative or technical decisions should not travel through so many layers that context gets lost.
When appropriate, the producer, editor, director, or other contributor responsible for a decision should be able to explain the reasoning behind it. When working with a video production company, direct communication with the people responsible for key decisions can reduce misunderstandings and preserve the context behind feedback.
Read the Edits as Feedback
Strompf pays attention to what clients change, even when they do not explicitly explain the reason. If a client repeatedly removes or rewrites the same kind of content, he treats that behavior as feedback.
His fifth formal strategy makes the point directly: “Read the edits, not just the replies.” He says his agency tracks client edits until they approach zero, treating fewer rewrites as a measure of alignment.
Video teams can do the same with review notes. If stakeholders repeatedly request shorter openings, fewer claims, a different tone, or changes to the same type of shot, that pattern deserves attention.
The goal is not simply to finish each revision round. It is to understand what the revisions reveal about expectations.
Keep Communication Predictable
Strompf also recommends saying what you know, what you do not know, and when you expect to know more. During fast-moving situations, he prefers a short scheduled update over silence while waiting for perfect information.
He also favors fewer communication channels and one clear place where important decisions are recorded.
For video production, this can mean keeping approvals and final decisions in one project system rather than scattering them across email, chat, meetings, and text messages. For Beverly Boy, the practical application is to agree on an update schedule so stakeholders know when to expect more information.
Team Beverly Boy’s Takeaway
The strongest idea in Strompf’s interview is consistency. Different stakeholders may need different levels of detail, but they should not receive different versions of the truth.
For video teams, that means working from shared information, documenting decisions, communicating problems early, and watching how stakeholders actually respond to the work. Alignment is easier when everyone can see the same project clearly.
Conclusion
Donnie Strompf’s communication approach offers a practical framework for video production: establish shared facts, surface problems early, tailor the detail without changing the message, keep key contributors connected to stakeholders, and treat revisions as useful information.
Those habits can help complex video projects stay aligned without adding unnecessary communication.
This article is based on an interview originally published by Authority Magazine. Read the full interview here.
