Employer Branding & Recruiting in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

We've been attracting skilled professionals through multimedia since 2008.

Successful employer branding doesn’t fail because of the strategy, but because of a lack of tangible experience for job seekers. Pathfinder Studios is one of Germany’s most experienced agencies specializing in strategic video solutions for German SMEs, B2B, and industry. We bring your employer brand and team atmosphere to life through videos, images, and text for multimedia use.

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Miele ist Kunde der Pathfinder Studios Filmproduktion

Why Your Recruitment Efforts Need to Be Visual

Authentic Corporate Culture

Text and job postings convey information, while photos and videos convey a feeling. Through visual storytelling, we authentically showcase corporate culture and team spirit.

Preventing a Shortage of Skilled Workers

Top talent isn't just drawn by salary and benefits—they're also drawn by their colleagues and a sense of purpose. Our audiovisual content inspires professionals even before they apply.

Finding the Right Candidates

Your recruiting efforts need the right professionals. Our photo and video concepts are tailored specifically to your talent marketing and to help you find the right professionals for your organization.

Strengthen the employer brand

Your employer brand is our foundation. Our multimedia recruiting formats give your employer brand a face, authentic emotions, and long-term visibility.

Candidates are more likely to apply for an open position if they have previously watched a recruitment video from the company.

ⓘSource: Jobvite / Aberdeen / Glassdoor

Companies that use employer branding videos receive more organic applications and see their cost per hire cut in half compared to companies that do not use videos.

ⓘSource: Aberdeen Group / LinkedIn

Companies can build greater credibility among applicants through authentic recruiting videos featuring video testimonials from real employees.

ⓘSource: Edelman Trust Barometer

"Job postings can't convey an employer brand. Your employees can."

The biggest challenge in employer branding: “Flat hierarchies, a dynamic team, and the obligatory fruit basket”—the text-based job posting has become a generic checklist. If the employer brand isn’t something candidates can experience firsthand, the best candidates will, when in doubt, choose the competition, whose image is more tangible.

Why Video Is So Important for Recruiting: Photos and videos in recruitment marketing offer a glimpse into authentic day-to-day work life. Whether staged or documentary-style, funny or serious—video works. Career sites featuring high-quality employer videos increase conversion rates by up to80%ⓘSource: Glassdoor / Aberdeen Group / LinkedIn. And they do so at any time of day and in all languages.

Emotions make all the difference: Text conveys information. Videos convey personality. Your employees in their day-to-day team life—whether through employee testimonials or trainee vlogs.

Let's work together to visualize your recruiting process.

Together, we'll discuss how we can support your recruiting efforts through communication. Free of charge. No obligation. Personalized. We're here to advise you! #gerneperDu

Porträt von Yvonne Schwalowski / Ivy Thomas, Producer & Consultant bei Pathfinder Studios

Yvonne Schwalowski
Senior Producer

+49 (0) 2251 / 773 9966
office@pathfinder-studios.de

Schedule a phone appointment

TRUST OUR EXPERTS

Two perspectives—one approach: strategy first, production second. What makes Pathfinder Studios unique is the combination of film director Tom Wolt’s 18 years of expertise and that of management consultant and author Yvonne Schwalowski.

✔ 18 years of marketing experience

✔ Experts with international experience

✔ Over 450 successful client projects

✔ Personalized advice on an equal footing

Tom Wolt

Creative Director

Tom Wolt has been a director and marketing consultant for brands, small and medium-sized businesses, and public figures for 19 years.

Tom's expertise combines sophisticated storytelling with the highest visual quality. His more than 450 corporate films, documentaries, and music videos for global brands such as AUDI, MIELE, and YAYLA have reached an audience of millions worldwide on TV, in theaters, and online.

After more than 1,000 days of filming on set, no project can rattle him anymore. When he’s not making or watching movies, he works out and follows global economic news.

Tom Wolt on LinkedIn
Tom Wolt on IMDb
» Learn more about Tom

Yvonne Schwalowski

Producer & Consultant

Yvonne Schwalowski has been a film producer, marketing consultant, and copywriter for brands, small and medium-sized businesses, and public figures for 14 years.

A former journalist and management consultant—having worked for the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and Evonik, among others—she is the strategic leader of Pathfinder Studios. Under the pseudonym Ivy Thomas, she produces international feature films, music videos, and award-winning short films.

When she isn't consulting for companies, she has written 13 successful novels under the pen name Yvonne Westphal, published by Piper, Ullstein, arsEdition, and Egmont, among others.

Yvonne Schwalowski on LinkedIn
Ivy Thomas on IMDb
» More about Yvonne

Awards, die Pathfinder Studios für seine Unternehmensfilme und internationalen Kurzfilme bereits gewonnen hat (Teil 1)

Awards, die Pathfinder Studios für seine Unternehmensfilme und internationalen Kurzfilme bereits gewonnen hat (Teil 2)

“In times of value inflation, companies need reliable partners for their communications.”

— Tom Wolt, Creative Director at Pathfinder Studios

How We Make Your Recruitment Marketing Stand Out

Strategic Recruitment Videos

Through intensive workshops, we’ll work together to identify the biggest pain point in your recruitment marketing. That’s how we align your values with the expectations of your target audience.

Concepts for Employee Marketing

Drawing on 18 years of experience, we develop sustainable strategies to communicate your employer brand to your target audiences in an authentic, modern, and credible way.

Corporate Values Through Storytelling

People love stories. As experienced storytellers, we craft powerful stories to authentically and lastingly infuse your values with emotion.

Authenticity Through Film, Text, and Images

Whether it’s a recruitment video, employee testimonial interviews, or an apprentice vlog—we provide the multimedia assets you need for successful change communication and transformation.

How we bring the recruitment process for over 450 client projects to life

"Consulting on an equal footing meets emotional storytelling."

As a strategic film production company, we leverage the unique combination of facts and emotion to ensure that our videos, photos, and multimedia assets achieve your goals.

The most common problem with B2B corporate communication: It’s strong in content but emotionally empty. That’s where we come in, because Pathfinder Studios—with roots in international feature films and management consulting—combines strategic thinking with emotional storytelling. From our more than 18 years of experience working with global brands and “hidden champions,” we know this: Facts convince the mind, but when it comes to making decisions—whether for a major contract or a new job—a positive feeling plays a decisive role.

Strategy first: Based on your goals, we use a variety of filmmaking tools to develop the perfect solution for you.

Promotional Video

Promotional videos are the foundation of effective audiovisual marketing. Whether large or small, authentic or staged—we bring promotional videos to life.

Check out our promotional videos.

Imagefilm Standbild von Pathfinder Studios für die Marke F&S concept Projektentwickler, auf dem eine Familie lachend in der Natur sitzt

Imagefilm Standbild für die Marke F&S concept Projektentwickler, das ein Best Ager Paar glücklich inszeniert in der Natur vor einer Siedlung zeigt

Recruiting und Image Photography von Pathfinder Studios für den Hidden Champion Deutsche Mechatronics

Unternehmensfotografie Porträtfoto für die Deutsche Mechatronics, das zwei Führungskräfte selbstbewusst im Team zeigt

RECRUITINGfilm

Recruitingvideos sind der Authentizitäts-Booster unter den Unternehmensfilmen. Beliebt als Employer Brand Film, Mitarbeiter-Interviews oder Azubifilm. Wir machen Ihre Unternehmenskultur erlebbar.

Ihr Personalmarketing 2.0.

Fotografie

Gute Fotos informieren und begeistern Ihre Kunden. Wie ein guter Film, nur als Standbild. Von Produkten, Gebäuden und Menschen.

Entdecken Sie unsere Fotografie.

Unternehmensfotografie aus dem Imagefilm für die Deutsche Mechatronics, das einen Schweißer bei der Qualitätsprüfung zeigt

Unternehmensfotografie aus dem Imagefilm für die Deutsche Mechatronics, das einen Schweißer bei der Arbeit zeigt

DigiHub Erklaervideo Unternehmen_0005 Large

Erklärvideo

Inhalte von Erklärvideos bleiben zu 90% besser im Kopf. Fokussiert auf Produkt oder Prozesse, animiert oder gefilmt, auch mit Interviews – und stets mit einem Lächeln.

Vermitteln Sie mit uns Wissen.

Customer Testimonials

Companies across all industries choose Pathfinder Studios to drive their marketing efforts worldwide and bring their value—and added value—to life. We are proud to have been contributing to our clients’ long-term success for 18 years with our emotionally engaging, results-driven films, photos, and videos. Our more than 450 projects for companies in Europe’s SME sector, industry, research, education, and the public sector have fostered long-term relationships built on mutual respect. Because partnership begins with trust.

Pathfinder Studios understood exactly that we couldn’t convey our message through yet another dry WBT employee training session. They had the courage to challenge our original briefing and created a training video that evokes genuine emotions and a deep sense of pride among employees. The internal response was outstanding: “Finally, a mandatory training session that instantly sparks enthusiasm.”

– Marlene Managache, Sales & Customer Service Academy, MAN Truck & Bus SE

Great ideas, excellent advice, and an innovative approach to achieving our strategic goals. Thank you very much for the fantastic result.

– Prof. Dr. Christiane Vaeßen, Managing Director, Aachen Region

Their work ethic is exceptionally professional, communication is always pleasant, and the final film is a complete success.

– Michael Meese, Team Leader for Start-ups and Business Development, IHK North Westphalia

Our collaboration with Pathfinder Studios was a complete success. It was particularly important to us that our own employees appear in the film and that no actors were used.
This creates an honest and authentic impression of our company. There’s hardly a better way to showcase the day-to-day work and the people behind FACTUR. It is precisely this genuine insight that makes the project so valuable to us.

– Silke Görgens, HR Marketing & Employer Branding, FACTUR Billing Solutions GmbH

A fantastic movie that our customers keep asking us about.

– Jürgen Carl, Managing Director, Deutsche Mechatronics GmbH

I would like to express my personal thanks for the professional and very pleasant collaboration. Our Australian colleagues are also very happy.

– Ralf Spies, Managing Director of FilterCare GmbH

Schedule a free consultation

How to Make Employer Branding & Recruiting Successful
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO

OUR ALL-INCLUSIVE PORTFOLIO

Ensuring Your Recruitment Efforts Have a Long-Term Impact

For us, our work on your employer branding and recruiting doesn’t end with the strategy and a concept for your authentic HR marketing communications. As a full-service agency, we also offer the following services—among others—to B2B clients in the SME sector, industry, research, technology, and the public sector:

Scope of Services	Our Core Competencies
Strategy & Content	✔ B2B Workshops, Strategy & Concepts ✔ Cross-Media Campaigns (Video + Web + Photography) ✔ Social Media Snippets & Short-Form Content ✔ Corporate Learning & E-Learning Formats
Video Production & Film	✔ Promotional videos ✔ Recruitment videos & HR videos ✔ Advertising videos ✔ Training & instructional videos ✔ Product videos ✔ Explanatory videos ✔ Event & trade show videos
Corporate Photography	✔ Corporate Photography ✔ Business Photography ✔ Employee Photos & Employer Branding Images ✔ Product Photos ✔ Event & Architectural Photography

Emotions You Can Feel

You have the content. We have the strategic expertise and cinematic craftsmanship to communicate it effectively to your target audience.

For us, “emotional” doesn’t just mean tugging at the heartstrings or making people laugh. After all, emotions also include curiosity, anticipation, insight, consternation, acceptance, wonder, and pride.

Does that sound right to you, too? Ask now!

Ready to take your visual employer branding to the next level?

Together, we'll discuss the potential for your multimedia recruitment marketing. Free of charge. No obligation. One-on-one. We're here to advise you! #gerneperDu

Yvonne Schwalowski
Senior Producer

+49 (0) 2251 / 773 9966
office@pathfinder-studios.de

Schedule a phone appointment

Questions & Answers on Employer Branding and Video-Based Recruiting

Is Pathfinder Studios the right partner for our employer branding?

Pathfinder Studios is one of Germany’s most experienced film production and media consulting firms serving European small and medium-sized businesses. For over 18 years, we have been supporting B2B companies and “hidden champions” in manufacturing, industry, research, and technology—as well as corporate groups and startups—with authentic, sustainable communication in employee branding, recruiting, and HR marketing.

How long does it take to develop our audiovisual employer branding?

Audiovisual employer branding and recruiting with videos is a long-term process and doesn’t happen overnight. Our individual employer branding and HR marketing projects for companies are typically completed within 1–4 months. These include consulting on the visual representation of employer branding and recruiting, as well as promotional videos, recruitment videos, employee photos, and trainee vlogs.

During a personal introductory meeting, we'd be happy to provide you with a customized time estimate for your project.

How much do audiovisual employee marketing and recruiting videos cost?

Audiovisual employee branding often involves a combination of various measures, such as videos and images. Experience shows that individual measures for audiovisual employer branding—such as a recruitment video, employer brand film, corporate video, or WBT onboarding videos—cost between €5,000 and €50,000, depending on the objectives and content focus.

With 18 years of marketing experience, we’ll advise you—free of charge and with no obligation—on which strategies best suit your needs and budget.

What services does Pathfinder Studios provide for authentic HR marketing in small and medium-sized businesses?

As a full-service agency, Pathfinder Studios provides all the services you need for authentic talent marketing—from analysis, concept development, and strategy to audiovisual, photography, copywriting, and video production, such as corporate image films, recruitment videos, training videos, employee profiles, corporate photography, and much more. Upon request, we can provide you with long-term consulting and support.

With 18 years of marketing experience, we’ll advise you—free of charge and with no obligation—on which strategies best suit your needs and budget.

How can we make our B2B small-to-medium-sized business attractive to apprentices and skilled workers?

Apprentices and skilled workers are different target groups with varying needs depending on the industry. At Pathfinder Studios, we identify the right audiovisual style and medium to attract the talent you’re looking for. We recommend creating specific, honest insights for both target groups. Based on your company’s unique situation, this could include authentic recruitment videos, employee testimonials, or “A Day at the Office” narratives.

We would be happy to provide you with personalized recommendations during a one-on-one introductory meeting.

As an unknown "hidden champion," how do we build a strong employer brand?

As a hidden champion, you already possess the most important elements for a strong visual employer brand: business substance, job security, and highly specialized technology. We communicate these aspects through audiovisual media (videos, photos, podcasts), honest Q&A videos, and formats that also give voice to employees’ concerns. This is how we make your employer brand visible, tangible, and authentic.

Are recruitment videos worth it? What is the ROI of talent marketing using photos and videos?

The ROI (return on investment) of visual employee branding and recruiting videos is usually easy to calculate for small and medium-sized businesses. When you compare the one-time production costs for professional employer branding videos to the costs of unfilled positions, job portals, and headhunter fees, the investment usually pays for itself with just the first or second successful hire. According to LinkedIn, a strong visual employer brand can reduce the cost per hire and time to hire by up to 50%.

Our experts will be happy to advise you

Phone: 0 22 51 / 773 99 66
(Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.)

Email: office@pathfinder-studios.de

Schedule a phone appointment

A selection of our clients

Pathfinder Studios is a proud partner to small and medium-sized businesses, large corporations, startups, and the public sector across all industries. Can you picture your logo among these? If so, why not get to know us and see for yourself? We look forward to hearing from you!