About Balloon Tree Productions: On a Mission to Rid Your World of Boring Video
Most corporate, L&D, and B2B video is a snooze-fest that wastes its audience's time and underestimates their intelligence. Founded in 2011 by Matt Smolen, the crew produces content that respects its audience's attention. Based in Collingwood. Working nationally.
The Idea Behind Everything BTP Makes
Most people who work in a corporate environment have sat through a video that had nothing useful to say and said it badly anyway. Training modules nobody finishes. Brand films that land on nobody. Conference openers that make the audience reach for their phones before the first speaker starts. BTP was founded with the specific intent to make that stop happening. Not because good video is expensive or difficult, but because most people commissioning it have never been told it can be better. Every BTP project starts from the belief that your audience deserves content that is worth their attention.
Why It's Called Balloon Tree Productions
The name comes from a balloon tree inside a McDonald's play centre in Ballarat, a place Matt used to walk to as a teenager. The symbolism made sense at the time: every balloon is like a film, bringing joy and a sense of wonder to the person holding it. Trees grow over time. Whilst the balloon tree itself no longer exists at that McDonald's, the idea behind it still drives everything BTP makes.
Meet The Team
Matt Smolen
Founder & Director
Matt started Balloon Tree Productions in 2011 and has directed every kind of video that exists: national TVCs, training content for franchise networks, brand films for healthcare organisations, industrial capability videos, and conference coverage for national events. His approach on set is the same regardless of the brief: calm, direct, and focused on getting the best out of everyone in the room.
Chase Bowman
Production Manager:
The person who makes sure every production actually happens the way it was planned, without anyone needing to panic about the logistics.
Ben Sengsouvanh
Director of Photography:
Responsible for making every frame look exactly as good as it should, whether it's a corporate office, a factory floor, or a healthcare facility.
Rob Baselier
Editor:
The person in the post-production suite who turns a day of filming into something people will actually watch from start to finish.