The video production industry is a dynamic and exciting field, where creativity knows no bounds. Still, it has its fair share of challenges, like tight deadlines and complex client demands. Meeting these demands can often feel like juggling several balls in the air.
That’s where IdeaRocket steps in — understanding and turning client ideas into engaging animations that tell their stories just right.
Meet William Gadea, Founder and Creative Director of IdeaRocket. With his business acumen and love for animation, William has turned IdeaRocket into a top player in the video production industry.
In this article, we’ll explore William’s journey from freelancing to leading an animation powerhouse. He’ll also tell the story of how Clockify helps him keep the company’s projects running smoothly and timely.
Table of Contents
How IdeaRocket came to life and made its way to the top
For William Gadea, the entrance to the world of animation began during the early days of YouTube. Reflecting on this period, William said it was clear that video was going to be a game-changer:
“YouTube was fairly young. It only came around in 2005. And after that, it seemed like businesses would need somebody to help get their message out because it was obvious at that stage that video was going to be the next big thing.”
William recognized the potential of video as a powerful communication tool. He started as a freelancer, working on his craft and slowly building a team around him.
By 2012, he officially launched IdeaRocket — a company dedicated to creating compelling 2D and 3D animations that bring client ideas to life.
Since its creation, IdeaRocket has collaborated with over 30 Fortune 500 companies (top 500 US companies with the biggest revenue) and many startups. For all their clients, William’s team combines auditory and visual storytelling:
“You’re dealing with a medium that’s rich in information, right? You’ve got the audio channel, but you’ve also got the visual channel. And you’ve got a sort of storytelling, a sort of communication that we’re very familiar with.”
According to William, we have all probably seen 2-3 times longer video content than the time we spent in classrooms. So video is not going anywhere.
Crafting unique stories
William explained that at the root of IdeaRocket’s success is a deep commitment to understanding and meeting specific client needs:
“I like to talk with the client and really understand their needs in terms of who they’re trying to reach, what their brand is, what their message is, and what sort of resources they have.”
With a personalized approach, IdeaRocket tailors each project to the client’s unique requirements so that the final product resonates with the target audience.
William elaborated on the process, saying that it’s crucial to find an approach that factors in resources and needs:
“Once you’ve got that kind of lay of the land, so to speak, then you can design a production to meet that need. That means in the story, of course, but it also means picking the right technique to tell the story, something that matches the resources, something that matches the story itself too.”
Navigating different niches
IdeaRocket serves a diverse clientele, but certain niches have been a particularly good fit. William identified technology companies, healthcare organizations, and HR as key areas of focus.
In the fast-paced world of technology, he claims that quick delivery is essential:
“Technology companies come to us because their business model is often new, the technology is new, and people need to get it fast.”
In William’s words, healthcare is another sector where IdeaRocket has made significant strides:
“It’s something a little bit more complicated, a little bit harder to understand. There’s science, there’s a certain sensitivity, there’s legal concerns.”
IdeaRocket has also found success in the HR space, especially in the era of remote work:
“We’ve had some success in helping companies communicate with their workforces, especially when they are very remote and very distributed.”
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Clockify features that William enjoys the most
Before discovering Clockify, IdeaRocket struggled with clunky interfaces, high costs, and poor visibility into project progress:
“We were paying more than $2,000 a year for a timesheet program. It did a job, but it didn’t do the job very elegantly. So I started doing some research online, trying different products, and came along Clockify. The thing that I like about Clockify is that there are a lot of subtle things that you wouldn’t think make a big difference, but they do.”
After a while, William realized that IdeaRocket needed a reliable time tracking and project management solution. He saw the need for maintaining productivity and transparency in a remote working environment.
Here are some Clockify features that William can’t do business without now.
Feature #1: Projects
Effective time management is crucial for IdeaRocket’s success, and Clockify plays an integral role in their project management process. As William told us, our tool has helped IdeaRocket maintain visibility into their projects’ costs and timelines:
“Clockify is really a big part of our management scheme because it allows us to know whether we’re being profitable and a viable business.”
In short, Clockify’s Projects allow you to create, organize, and track many projects easily, letting you:
- Set project budgets,
- Allocate tasks, and
- Monitor progress in real time.
That way, everyone stays on the same page and projects are completed on time and within budget.
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Feature #2: Time tracker
Multitasking is a big part of William’s work — from client communication to keeping his colleagues in sync. But he also emphasized the importance of good habits and staying organized.
In fact, William finds that instilling a habit of time tracking in his team makes a big difference:
“When a project’s finished, you have to do this and this and this and this and this. And if you can keep organized and follow a process, then things pretty much take care of themselves. From the timekeeping side, that’s super important.”
One of the things William appreciates most about Clockify is its simplicity when it comes to time tracking:
“Just being able to put the hours and the minutes and then pressing return — that sounds like a minor thing, but just that functionality saves you so many clicks.”
Clockify offers multiple ways to log hours. In short, you can:
- Start and stop the timer with a click,
- Input hours manually, or
- Use a weekly timesheet view to enter time in bulk.
This flexibility makes it easy to track work hours accurately and efficiently.
Feature #3: Reports
Another prominent feature that William’s company uses is Clockify Reports.
Namely, Clockify allows his team to keep detailed track of time spent on various tasks. In William’s words, our tool also provides insights that are essential for managing resources effectively:
“If you don’t know how much a project is costing you to produce, how can you be sure that you have a viable business? How can you be sure which are the good clients that you’d be looking for, and the clients that really aren’t working out that you should try to avoid?”
Clockify provides detailed insights into your tracked time with customizable reports. In fact, you can generate a summary, but also detailed or weekly reports to further analyze the time spent on different projects and tasks.
You can also easily filter, export, and share these reports to review productivity and improve decision-making.
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Check out what else budding entrepreneurs use Clockify for:
Bonus point: Intuitive and clean interface
Clockify’s straightforward interface is not just a time-saver — it also enhances the overall user experience. William says that his team, composed mainly of designers, appreciates the clean, aesthetically pleasing design of our tool:
“The design is very clean. And again, it’s a thing that you wouldn’t think makes a difference. But it changes your attitude as soon as designers feel that the page is attractive and clean.”
Moreover, William pointed out that having a tool that is easy to use and intuitive is crucial, especially when onboarding new freelancers:
“If you onboard a new freelancer, and you need to give them a tutorial on how to use the timesheet, that is awkward and time-consuming. And that does not engender goodwill from us or from them. But when you give them something where they can just click on the link, and it’s intuitive enough that it doesn’t need a brief on it, that makes all the difference in the world.”
Finally, a positive user experience makes Clockify a tool that the team is more likely to use consistently — contributing to the overall efficiency and productivity of IdeaRocket.
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Learn about another thriving company that uses Clockify to improve their productivity:
What are William’s plans for the future?
As IdeaRocket continues to grow and evolve, William is considering new directions for the company. One area of interest is producing original content for television and documentaries:
“I’m sort of interested in producing some original content at some point in the future — something a little bit more oriented towards television, maybe in the documentary area. That’s something that is a way down the line, but I think we’d be good at it.”
To top it off, William believes that Clockify will be instrumental in managing larger, more complex projects:
“When you’re dealing with these bigger productions, you have more people involved, and more moving parts means you need more visibility. And obviously, to manage everyone successfully and make sure everyone’s doing what they need to do.”
Who would William recommend Clockify to?
William is a strong advocate for Clockify. He recommends the app to professionals looking for an effective time management solution, as well as freelancers who could benefit from its user-friendly design and functionality:
“You should at least try it and see if it can work for you.”
Reflecting on his journey and the role of tools like Clockify in his business, William is thankful for the opportunities and success:
“I’m grateful for this tool. And I’m also grateful for this business and this opportunity we have to serve people in a way that brings us joy. So I feel blessed.”
The future looks bright for IdeaRocket, and we eagerly await the innovative content they’re set to create.
💡 CLOCKIFY PRO TIP
Time tracking helped other users improve their work habits and overall productivity, too:
Use Clockify to make your business thrive
Clockify has been a game-changer for IdeaRocket thanks to functionalities like:
- Projects — to organize and prioritize tasks better,
- Time tracking — to keep tabs on what everyone’s up to, and
- Reports — to get a glimpse into team productivity and report to clients.
For anyone looking to improve their business operations, Clockify offers a solution that combines simplicity with powerful features.
So, don’t let disorganization hold you back. Use Clockify and watch your business thrive.
