This is incredibly difficult: COVID-19 [Coronavirus] and Knack Factory

We are still here. 

While we are still very much committed to making beautiful and resonant video content, and developing effective communications strategy, we’d be lying if we told you this was not the hardest week of our professional lives.

The New York Times looked at how the pandemic is “bleeding businesses dry” and we’re heartened to see Gov. Mills looking at ways to support small businesses in this extraordinarily difficult time but this is where things are at right now: As of this week, we had to put our three full time employees—people we consider extensions of our family—on indefinite leave. 

We are sharing this for a few reasons. The first is that we want you to hear it from us so you can know exactly what is going on, and know that we are still here. But we also want to share this from a small business perspective so that if you are also a small business—or someone who is feeling the weight of this moment—you can know you’re not alone in the profound stress and heartache you are likely facing. This is not going to be devastating somewhere down the road; it is devastating right now. The stock market may have responded nicely to that Friday press conference, but here on the ground things are wholly unpredictable and there is no end in sight.

We started to see contract interruptions with our larger clients a number of weeks ago as companies with a global imprint began taking “wait-and-see” approaches to what might become a larger disruption. Before this, we had already experienced a few interruptions related to companies being in transition, though these are all things we have been poised to absorb. But facing the domino effect of nearly every contract being put indefinitely on hold as the country—facing a disheartening and destabilizing lack of leadership—has had to quarantine itself, we have ourselves been indefinitely locked in a holding pattern.

Of course we understand that this interruption needs to happen. If the choice is we all suffer with hardship and uncertainty so less people are infected and die in the long run, the choice is obvious. But those impacted need help in this unprecedented moment.

So we know we have a lot of work we’re committed to do—we’re just not certain when it will happen. And so many others are in this exact situation. 

It has been brutal. We are all on hold. 

Our videos are great because our team is amazing. And we have long been committed to taking great care of our employees and those with whom we work. We are eager to start working with everybody—our employee family and our extended family of contractors—the minute we’re given the green light on existing and new contracts. In the meantime, we’ll be doing everything on our end to make the company a better one.

And if you have any projects you’re considering in the meantime that can be done in the safety of social distance—editing, strategy, animation, revisiting or developing your strategies—we are eager to work with you. If you have work for Lindsay, Tadin and Thomas, they are three of the very best people in this business.

On top of all of this, though, small businesses and affected employees need help from both state and federal governments.

Also, this moment is a profoundly difficult one for so many. It will touch everybody in some way and—frustratingly—we don’t know for how long this will be the case. Please, if you can, help each other out in whatever way you can. Talk to each other, and share your experiences. If you need to talk, give us (Alex and/or Kurt) a call. We’re in this together.

And, of course, wash your hands. 

We are excited for us all to start working together again real soon.