Capturing 50 Years of CommScope: Executive Interviews, Employee Stories and a Milestone Celebration
Fifty years of company history is a lot to capture in one day.
There are the people who were there at the beginning. The leaders carrying the company forward today. Employees who have spent decades building their careers there. And all the smaller stories, memories, and relationships that rarely make it into a company timeline.
Trade Street Media recently had the opportunity to help capture all of that while working alongside August 2 Productions at CommScope’s manufacturing facility in Catawba, North Carolina, for the company’s 50th anniversary celebration.
The day began with a four-camera executive conversation featuring Frank Drendel, Co-Founder of CommScope; Koen ter Linde, SVP & President of CommScope; and R. Adam Norwitt, Chairman and CEO of Amphenol Corporation.
Later, we moved outside to document the anniversary celebration with employees and capture personal testimonials from people who had helped build the company over the years.
Some had been at CommScope for nearly the company’s entire history.
One employee we interviewed had been there for 47 years.
It turned into exactly the kind of corporate production we enjoy: thoughtful interviews, technical problem-solving, fast-moving event coverage, and real stories from the people behind the company.
A Conversation Spanning CommScope’s Past, Present and Future
The executive interview brought together a unique mix of perspectives.
Frank Drendel could speak to the origins and culture that helped shape CommScope over the past 50 years.
Koen ter Linde represented the company’s leadership today.
R. Adam Norwitt brought the perspective of Amphenol Corporation as CommScope entered a new chapter as part of Amphenol.
Hearing all three perspectives in the same conversation gave the interview real depth.
It was not simply a retrospective on the company’s history. It connected where CommScope started, where it is today, and where it is heading next.
Our job was to create an environment where that conversation could happen naturally while giving the production plenty of visual flexibility in the edit.
Four Sony FX3 Cameras for a Three-Person Executive Interview
For the executive conversation, we deployed four Sony FX3 cinema cameras.
One FX3 captured a wide shot of all three executives together.
The other three cameras were dedicated tight angles, giving Frank, Koen, and Adam an individual camera throughout the conversation.
That type of multi-camera interview coverage gives the editor tremendous flexibility.
When one executive is speaking, there is a clean single angle available.
When another person reacts, that reaction is covered too.
When the conversation becomes more interactive, the wide angle brings everyone back together.
Most importantly, the executives can simply have a conversation.
There is no need to stop and reposition cameras or repeat answers because an angle was missed.
For multi-person executive interviews, that can make a major difference in how natural the finished video feels.
Clean Audio Without Distracting From the Interview
Each executive was individually mic’d with a concealed lavalier microphone.
For a production like this, audio is just as important as the cameras.
A beautifully lit four-camera interview quickly loses value if the dialogue sounds distant, inconsistent, or overly reflective.
Giving each executive a dedicated microphone allowed us to capture clear, isolated dialogue while keeping the microphones visually unobtrusive.
The goal with both the cameras and the audio was simple.
The production should feel polished without the equipment becoming part of what the viewer notices.
The Interview Room Was Our Biggest Challenge
The hardest part of the executive interview was not the cameras.
It was the room.
We started with a fairly ordinary white-walled conference room.
It worked perfectly well as a conference room.
It did not immediately look like the place where we wanted to film a conversation about 50 years of company history.
So we started building.
Rather than treating the room as a limitation, we approached it like a blank studio.
Transforming a Plain Conference Room With Light
Our primary light for the executives was a professional LED fixture pushed through a large China ball-style diffusion setup from a C-stand.
That gave us a large, soft source that wrapped naturally around the three executives.
Then we started shaping the room behind them.
We used another LED with a gobo projection modifier to create texture across one of the white walls.
A separate LED introduced warm light into another section of the background.
Several RGB LED wands added blue accents that complemented CommScope’s branding.
Suddenly, the walls were no longer just white.
We had warm and cool contrast, texture, depth, and separation behind the executives while maintaining soft, flattering light on their faces.
This is one of the parts of corporate interview production we enjoy most.
You do not always get to choose the room.
You can choose what you do with it.
Six Fiber Spools Finished the Set
The lighting transformed the space, but the room still needed something that made the interview feel unmistakably connected to CommScope.
Fortunately, we were standing inside a manufacturing facility.
We brought six spools of fiber optic cable from the plant into the conference room and incorporated them directly into the set.
That detail really completed the look.
Instead of decorating the background with generic office props, we used something connected to the actual work happening inside the Catawba facility.
The fiber spools gave the background visual interest, but they also helped tell the story.
They connected the people discussing the company’s history with the products and manufacturing work happening around them.
The finished interview space looked very different from the plain conference room we had walked into earlier that morning.
That transformation is part of the fun of on-location corporate video production.
From Controlled Interviews to a Fast-Moving Corporate Event
Once the executive conversation wrapped, the production completely changed gears.
The celebration moved outside, where CommScope employees gathered for company remarks, catering, conversation, and time together to celebrate the milestone.
This part of the day called for mobility rather than a controlled four-camera setup.
Osiris and I each operated a Sony FX3 on a DJI Ronin gimbal.
That allowed us to move throughout the event and react quickly to what was happening.
We captured leadership remarks, employees mingling, people eating together, reactions, details, and the smaller moments happening between the scheduled activities.
Those moments matter.
A corporate event film should not feel like a checklist of speeches and wide shots.
The laughter between coworkers, conversations happening away from the stage, reactions from the crowd, and people simply enjoying the event can tell you just as much about a company as the formal program does.
Capturing Employee Testimonials Without Slowing Down the Celebration
While the event continued, we were also capturing employee testimonials.
That required another production approach.
We wanted professional interviews, but we did not want employees spending several minutes getting fitted with a hidden lavalier microphone while an anniversary celebration was happening around them.
So we created a dedicated testimonial station.
We used another Sony FX3 on a tripod, an XLR boom microphone mounted on a C-stand, and a V-mount powered LED light for additional fill.
The boom microphone was an intentional choice.
Employees could step into position, get comfortable, share their story, and return to the event quickly.
We gained speed without sacrificing professional audio.
That distinction matters.
Fast production does not have to mean careless production.
When an Employee Has Been There for 47 of the Company’s 50 Years
The employee testimonials became one of our favorite parts of the day.
Some of the people we interviewed had spent decades at CommScope.
One employee had been there for 47 years.
At a company’s 50th anniversary, that kind of perspective is incredibly valuable.
Company history can be summarized with dates, acquisitions, products, and milestones.
Employees can tell you what it actually felt like to live through that history.
They remember the people.
They remember how the facility changed.
They remember the culture.
They remember why they stayed.
Those stories provided an important counterpart to the executive interviews.
Inside, we heard the story through leadership.
Outside, we heard it through people who had spent years showing up and doing the work.
Put those perspectives together and the anniversary becomes much more human.
Why a Company Anniversary Is Such a Valuable Time to Create Video
A corporate anniversary can easily become a simple event recap.
Film the speeches.
Capture some catering.
Show people shaking hands.
Add music.
Deliver the highlight.
There is certainly value in that.
But a 25th, 50th, 75th, or 100th company anniversary creates an opportunity to do much more.
People who understand the company’s history are gathered together.
Leadership is available.
Long-tenured employees are in one place.
Facilities are active.
Products and processes can be captured.
Stories that may rarely be discussed are suddenly part of the conversation.
For CommScope, we had the co-founder, the company’s current president, the Chairman and CEO of its parent company, employees with decades of experience, the manufacturing environment, and the anniversary celebration all available on the same day.
That is an enormous amount of storytelling opportunity.
A thoughtful corporate anniversary video production can capture those pieces while they are available rather than simply documenting what happened at the party.
One Production Day, Three Very Different Camera Systems
One thing this project illustrates well is that there is not a single production setup that works for every part of a corporate story.
Inside, we wanted control.
Four Sony FX3 cameras.
Three concealed lavalier microphones.
Large diffused LED lighting.
Gobo projection.
Warm accent lighting.
RGB brand lighting.
A purpose-built interview environment.
Outside, we needed mobility.
Two Sony FX3 cameras on DJI Ronin gimbals gave us the freedom to move through the celebration and follow the action.
For employee testimonials, we needed speed and consistency.
A dedicated FX3 on a tripod, XLR boom microphone, C-stand, and battery-powered LED created a repeatable interview setup that could move employees through efficiently.
The best production setup is not necessarily the biggest setup.
It is the one that lets you capture a particular part of the story well.
Corporate Video Production Inside a Manufacturing Facility
Manufacturing facilities create their own production challenges.
You are not walking into a purpose-built soundstage.
Rooms have real business purposes.
Schedules keep moving.
Employees have jobs to get back to.
Outdoor lighting changes.
Events happen once.
Production teams need to be able to look at those constraints and quickly determine what needs to be controlled and what needs to remain flexible.
At CommScope, we turned a plain conference room into a controlled executive interview environment during one part of the day, then transitioned into lightweight corporate event production and rapid employee testimonials outside.
That adaptability is a major part of successful manufacturing video production and corporate event coverage.
Helping August 2 Productions Capture the Story
Trade Street Media works directly with companies on many projects, but we also regularly support agencies and other production companies that need experienced crew, cameras, lighting, audio, and production support on location.
For this project, we were there to help August 2 Productions capture an important milestone for their client.
It was an awesome production to be part of.
We got to transform an ordinary conference room into a visually interesting executive interview set, operate a four-camera conversation, move through a live corporate event with gimbals, and hear stories from employees who had spent decades with the company.
More importantly, we got to help preserve a small piece of CommScope’s 50-year history.
That is the part that lasts after all the cameras are packed away.
Corporate Video Should Capture More Than What Happened
One of the things we think about on every production is what the footage will mean after the event is over.
A company anniversary is a good example.
The celebration itself may last a few hours.
The interviews and stories captured during it can remain useful for years.
They can become part of an anniversary film, recruiting content, internal communications, social media, company archives, future documentaries, leadership stories, and other marketing materials.
That is why our approach to corporate video production is not simply to arrive with cameras and record what is in front of us.
We look for the story.
Then we build the production around it.
For CommScope’s 50th anniversary in Catawba, North Carolina, that story was about much more than a celebration.
It was about where the company came from, the people who helped build it, and what comes next.
Frequently Asked Questions About Corporate Anniversary Video Production
What should a corporate anniversary video include?
A strong corporate anniversary video can combine executive interviews, longtime employee testimonials, historical stories, facility footage, products or manufacturing processes, event coverage, and cinematic b-roll. The exact mix depends on the company, but the goal should be to capture the people and stories behind the milestone, not simply the celebration itself.
Can Trade Street Media film multi-person executive interviews?
Yes. For CommScope’s 50th anniversary, we used four Sony FX3 cinema cameras for a three-person executive conversation. One camera captured the group while three additional cameras provided individual angles on each executive.
Can you turn an ordinary conference room into a professional interview location?
Yes. On-location corporate interviews often happen in spaces that were never designed for video production. For CommScope, we transformed a white conference room using soft LED lighting, gobo projection, warm accent lighting, branded RGB illumination, and fiber optic spools from the plant as set pieces.
Can you capture employee testimonials during a company event?
Yes. We can design a testimonial setup that allows employees to participate quickly while maintaining professional image and audio quality. At CommScope, we used a Sony FX3, XLR boom microphone, C-stand, and battery-powered LED light so employees did not need to be individually wired with microphones.
Does Trade Street Media provide manufacturing video production?
Yes. Trade Street Media provides corporate and manufacturing video production including executive interviews, employee testimonials, facility footage, product and process b-roll, company events, leadership stories, and other branded content.
Can Trade Street Media support another production company or agency?
Yes. In addition to working directly with companies, Trade Street Media supports production companies, agencies, and creative teams that need experienced camera operators, cinema cameras, lighting, audio, gimbal operation, interview production, and other crew support.
Planning a Company Anniversary or Corporate Story?
A major company milestone only happens once.
A 50th anniversary is an opportunity to capture much more than a party.
It is an opportunity to preserve the voices of founders, executives, longtime employees, and the people responsible for building the company into what it is today.
Trade Street Media provides corporate video production, executive interview production, employee testimonial videos, manufacturing video production, and corporate event coverage throughout Charlotte and North Carolina, with productions nationwide.
If your company has an anniversary, leadership story, manufacturing milestone, employee event, acquisition, or another important chapter approaching, we can help build a production plan around the story you want to preserve.
Contact Trade Street Media to start planning your corporate video production.
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