Anderson: The video case study featuring SHEImagazine was prompted from Ross Business School’s MO 315 class, Managing Human Capital. My group and I wanted to explore the HR practices of a more “out of the box” organization-one that focused heavily or creativity, communication and collaboration rather than a traditional firm.

I am good friends with Fashion Editor Will Defebaugh. Both my friendship with him and my one “SHEIfest” attendance inspired me to look further into the magazine.

SHEI: You had a unique look at 3 different aspects of SHEI – Editorial, Fashion, and the models – did anything surprise you about how those groups work together?

Anderson: SHEI’s unique collaboration and team effort practices revealed themselves as the biggest surprise. Although the pallet of talent was diverse, it was clear that everyone adhered to the same organizational values. Two things were clear. The first is that everyone is to be treated with integrity. The second was that clear and frequent communication is a necessary practice to achieve the creative synergy which makes up the magazine. Everyone feels at home and excited to be a part of the process.

SHEI: Could you go into a bit more detail about the filming process? Was it tricky to capture the magic of print…on film?

Anderson: When transferring and exploring one creative medium with another, it was a priority for us to capture the “essence” or “feel” of SHEI. However, we only had about 9 days to create this film. We knew what information we wanted to communicate from the interviews, but cinematographic choices had to be made for the final product. We employed a specific editing style while in post production to achieve an edgy, fast-paced feel. We also featured various pictures and footage of the magazine and meetings.

SHEI: We have to ask – how was the reception of the video?

Anderson: They loved it. It was clear that we took the most “artistic style” of others in the management class. The high marks were nice, but my group walked away with a sense of achievement on a job well done, all constraints considered. People are now that much more interested in SHEImagazine.