Darrin: Hana specializes in helping organizations take complex ideas and explain their work through visual storytelling. Visual storytelling is an amazing way to communicate clearly and build trust.

Darrin: Hana, I’m so grateful to have you here.

Hana: Yes, me too. I'm very excited. Thank you so much for having me.

Darrin: Before we dive deeper into the conversation, briefly tell our audience what inspired you to start Snap Animation and pursue digital storytelling.

Hana: Around six years ago I partnered with my husband. He has been an animator for over 15 years. We decided that we could work together and build something meaningful.

Hana: We saw a gap in the market. Around us there were different studios creating motion graphics and videos that felt boring. They had shapes and graphics moving around the screen, but they didn’t really tell an engaging story.

Hana: On the other hand, there were companies trying to tell stories, but the storytelling wasn't strong enough. We felt that with our experience and knowledge we could create storytelling that was interesting, engaging, and at a high professional level.

Hana: We wanted to create something companies would appreciate and use as a powerful communication tool.

Darrin: I love that and I appreciate the honesty. Some content online can definitely feel boring, even when the mission is powerful.

Darrin: We live in a world with constant information overload. We're competing with news, social media, family conversations, and so many things fighting for our attention.

Darrin: That's why clear visuals are so important.

Darrin: When you look at nonprofit messaging today, where do you most often see the breakdown in communication?

Hana: I think a lot of organizations have amazing missions that truly change people’s lives. But there is often a gap between the mission and how they communicate that mission.

Hana: Many organizations focus on what they do instead of explaining why they do it.

Hana: The “what” might not always feel interesting to people, but the “why” helps people connect emotionally.

Hana: People want to understand why something matters and how it changes someone’s life.

Hana: Another issue I see is faceless messaging.

Hana: Sometimes organizations cannot show real people because the topics are sensitive, so they use stock photos.

Hana: But those generic images don’t really communicate anything meaningful.

Darrin: Yes, and people connect with people. When organizations only use stock photos, it becomes harder to build trust and emotional connection.

Hana: Exactly. Trust is very important. Viewers want to know who is behind the organization and what the real story is.

Darrin: That’s powerful. Another thing you mentioned earlier that stood out to me is that organizations often focus too much on the product instead of the transformation.

Hana: Yes, exactly.

Hana: People don’t care about technical details as much as they care about the transformation.

Hana: They want to know how their lives will improve or how their support will change someone else’s life.

Darrin: That makes perfect sense.

Darrin: Give me some of the common patterns you notice when strong missions struggle to connect.

Hana: One thing I see very often is that organizations talk about big numbers. They say things like we helped thousands or millions of people.

Hana: That is amazing work, but for most people it is hard to emotionally connect with very large numbers.

Hana: People cannot always imagine what those numbers mean.

Hana: But when you tell one personal story about one person whose life changed, people can relate to that story much more easily.

Hana: It becomes something real and understandable.

Darrin: That makes a lot of sense.

Hana: Another thing I see is when the visuals do not match the seriousness of the topic.

Hana: Sometimes organizations work on very sensitive issues, but the visuals they use do not reflect that weight.

Hana: That can make the message feel disconnected.

Darrin: That is a really important point.

Darrin: Let me ask you something related to animation.

Darrin: What are some common hesitations people have when you suggest animation?

Hana: One thing people often say is that they want to show real people instead of illustrations.

Hana: Sometimes that makes sense, but if the alternative is just random stock images, animation might actually communicate the message better.

Hana: Another thing people say is that animation is only for kids.

Hana: That is a misconception.

Hana: Animation can absolutely be created for adult audiences and professional storytelling.

Hana: Characters can be designed in a sophisticated way that does not feel childish at all.

Darrin: That’s a great point.

Darrin: One thing you showed me earlier that I thought was really interesting is that organizations can use their own voice.

Darrin: Even if they don’t want to show their face, their voice can still be part of the story.

Hana: Yes, exactly.

Hana: With the tools we have today, we can record someone’s voice using simple equipment and improve the sound quality.

Hana: The result still feels authentic and human.

Hana: Sometimes using a real voice instead of a professional actor can actually feel more relatable.

Darrin: That’s really interesting.

Darrin: Let me ask you another question.

Darrin: What makes visual storytelling feel human instead of cold and corporate?

Hana: I think the key is storytelling.

Hana: We focus on creating stories that people can relate to instead of presenting abstract information or numbers.

Hana: We try to create a story where the viewer feels invited to be part of the mission.

Hana: It is not just about asking for money.

Hana: It is about inviting people to participate in making something better.

Hana: Another important element is tone.

Hana: The story should feel optimistic and hopeful.

Hana: Sometimes humor can even help people engage with difficult topics.

Darrin: That’s powerful.

Darrin: Let’s talk about the production process.

Darrin: If someone decides they want to create an animated video, how long does the process usually take?

Hana: On average it takes around forty days to complete a full production.

Hana: The most challenging part is developing the concept and writing the script.

Hana: Once the script is finalized, the design and animation phases move much faster.

Hana: Every step of the process involves collaboration with the client.

Hana: They review and approve each stage before we move forward.

Darrin: That sounds like a very collaborative process.

Hana: Yes, it has to be collaborative because clients understand their mission better than anyone.

Hana: Our role is to bring creative and technical expertise to help tell their story in the best possible way.

Darrin: Do you help clients write their scripts, or do they usually come with something already prepared?

Hana: Most of the time we help develop the script. Clients sometimes bring an initial idea or draft, but writing for animation is different from regular writing.

Hana: We refine the script so that it fits the timing, visuals, and storytelling flow of the animation.

Hana: Sometimes clients come to us without a script at all. They just know the problem they want to solve.

Hana: In those cases our team develops creative concepts and builds the script from scratch.

Darrin: That’s great because many leaders have the vision but not necessarily the storytelling framework.

Darrin: Let me ask you this. Is there a particular stage where organizations are most ready to work with you?

Hana: The most important thing is that they know what they want to do with the video.

Hana: Animation is a powerful tool, but it works best when it is part of a broader marketing or communication strategy.

Hana: If an organization creates a great video but does not have a plan for how to use it, the impact will be limited.

Darrin: That’s a really honest answer.

Darrin: You’re saying the video itself is not a magic solution.

Hana: Exactly.

Hana: A video needs to be part of a larger campaign or communication plan.

Hana: Organizations need to think about where the video will be used, whether it’s email marketing, social media, or fundraising campaigns.

Darrin: That’s really helpful guidance.

Darrin: Speaking of planning ahead, what timeline would you recommend if an organization has a campaign coming up?

Hana: Ideally organizations should start planning about a quarter ahead of time.

Hana: That gives enough time to develop the concept, script, visuals, and final production.

Darrin: That makes sense.

Darrin: For leaders listening today who want to improve their messaging, what are three practical tips they should remember?

Hana: First, focus on one small personal story instead of big statistics.

Hana: When people hear about millions of people being helped, it can feel too big to emotionally connect with.

Hana: But when you tell the story of one person whose life changed, it becomes real and relatable.

Hana: Second, focus on why instead of what.

Hana: The purpose behind the work is what inspires people to care.

Hana: Third, make the audience the hero of the story instead of the organization.

Hana: People want to feel that their support is making a difference.

Darrin: That’s powerful advice.

Darrin: Final question. What is one shift you hope people make in how they think about visual storytelling?

Hana: I hope people stop using what I call cosmetic visuals.

Hana: Cosmetic visuals are images or graphics that are used just to fill space without actually supporting the story.

Hana: Instead, organizations should think creatively about visuals that truly communicate their message.

Hana: When visuals are meaningful and intentional, they build trust and make the story more impactful.

Darrin: That’s beautifully said.

Darrin: Hana, thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your insights.

Hana: Thank you for having me. I really enjoyed the conversation.

Darrin: And thank you to everyone who joined us for this LinkedIn Live conversation.

Darrin: If you’re looking to improve your storytelling and amplify your message, be sure to connect with Hana and learn more about Snap Animation.

Darrin: Thank you again for being here, and we’ll see you next time.

Hana: Thank you everyone. Bye.

Darrin: Bye everyone.