Medicine and sports go together beautifully, says Toto Ghali. "As an extreme athlete in half-pipe skating, I have survived 75 fractures. I have medicine to thank for that." Ghali founded the 21solutions agency 15 months ago. His idea: to produce videos and clips for the medical technology industry. 21solutions runs the camera during operations and medical congresses, obtains statements from doctors and uses the material to produce films without the sandman effect. The videos serve as congress documentations or are used for further surgical training and for the transfer of expert knowledge, for example by the world's leading medical technology trainer, the AO Foundation. In addition, the films support physicians in exchanging ideas with each other, both in person and via online platforms. A good portion of entertainment is definitely intended in the videos. Detailed shots, animations and 2D and 3D design make the complex, often dry subject matter easier to digest. 21solutions also has image films for medical technology companies and product clips in its portfolio: Moving images explain, for example, how an implant works and how it is inserted into the patient - and in such a way that everyone understands it and experts still do not feel underchallenged. This mainstay of 21solutions bears the label Medvisual.
The agency's mainstay is called Lifestyles. For a year now, 21solutions has been producing lifestyle films under this name, especially about extreme sports. It's less about understanding and learning, and more about experiencing. And of course about image. For Zurich's Mascotte, the agency recently organized the European premiere of an internationally eagerly awaited mountain bike film. For the film, 21solutions' chief cameraman accompanied a mountain bike professional to Liguria. They filmed his freeride from the mountain to the village from a helicopter. The material resulted in a cult film, with which the Mascotte thrilled the mountain bike scene in October - and which is perfect as an eye-catcher for outdoor fairs or sports stores. But there is also a quieter way: An atmospheric film about a golf tournament in Lenzerheide inspires enthusiasm for the sport on the patchy grass and is a nice memory for the tournament participants. 21solutions also produces such high-quality image films, for example, for the tourism and travel industry, for hotels and resorts.
Passion and expertiseToto Ghali's high affinity for the lifestyle industry stems from his time as an extreme half-piper. At 22, he began traveling the world. In Asia, he spent five years working in the import and export of toys and sporting goods, then spent two years working for an EU foundation that promotes quality education in orthopedics. "I observed that films and medical education were moving more and more into the digital realm," Ghali says. "Besides, there are only a few players in the medical device industry promoting their implants. So I came up with the idea of combining high-level videos and medical education and founded 21solutions." As a producer with expertise in medical technology, Ghali is predestined to translate complex issues into coherent images, uninfluenced by the interests of individual companies. That is why 21solutions is also considered a quality assurance provider in medical technology information.
Ghali's partner is Nico Tschanz. Tschanz studied business informatics and earned his doctorate with a thesis on "Business Models in Internet and E-Business". He knows the web like the back of his hand and has in-depth knowledge of online marketing. At 21solutions, Tschanz is the expert for zeros and ones and therefore the right contact person when it comes to integrating videos and the Internet. His knowledge is central to the agency's success, because e-learning is no longer a dream in the medical industry, but routine. "Movies are becoming more and more important on the Internet," says Tschanz. "Our customers have a high demand for movies, because their target group exchanges information very actively via specialist portals and platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. The requirements and expectations are therefore increasing rapidly. Finally, the brand widths are also right, as are the devices down to the trouser pocket. That's why we can finally use the power of the moving image for professional information, image building and training." Seen in this light, 21solutions could confidently be called 22solutions, because the agency has its nose close to the wind of the future.
The agency team also includes four other employees: renowned cameraman Matteo Attanasio is the head of production. He has shot films for Red Bull, MTV and Vox-Tours and knows his way around not only camera technology and pre- and post-production, but also lifestyle: in 1994 he was European champion in half-pipe skating. Behind the second and third 21solutions cameras are Philipp Hermann and Cesar Andrade, and Annina Walker is responsible for visual design in 2D and 3D as well as illustrations. "With these people, we are perfectly positioned," Tschanz says. "Each of us is an expert in his or her field with a good name in the industry. Not every camera team gets to go into an operating room - ours does." Their high level of professionalism is the small agency's most important asset. After all, the six film experts compete with no less a claim than to revolutionize the world of medical technology with their videos. In doing so, they also want to set themes. Toto Ghali, for example, would like to launch a nationwide mammography campaign that raises awareness of how important early detection of breast cancer is. 21solutions also wants to set new standards in the leisure industry. "Our goal is to get into the pocket of every user with multimedia content," says Tschanz, pointing out the agency's vision. With its know-how, 21solutions is also a good choice for agencies looking for a partner for specialized film productions.
Scalpel and skateboardFrom the outside, the combination of clinical-white high-tech medicine with wild, adrenaline-fueled extreme sports seems pretty weird. But on closer inspection, this combination is convincing: Both areas are about fascination, peak performance, determination, self-conviction - and professionalism. "21solutions is like Schumacher," says Ghali. "We're highly specialized in one area, and we want to build on that specialization." The agency doesn't want to produce shaky and blurry YouTube films for the masses, but videos for the best in their industry. For example, they shoot image films for hotels exclusively for top resorts. "There's a lot of filming going on today," Tschanz emphasizes. "We clearly stand out from this crowd. We don't produce our films with amateurs, but with professionals, both in medicine and in the lifestyle sector. We demand the highest quality from all our movies and clips, regardless of whether we shoot them for Medvisual or for Lifestyles." Nevertheless, such a film production does not have to run into the millions. 21solutions can produce a short clip for as little as 3,000 Swiss francs.
21solutions has only invested around 165,000 Swiss francs in its production equipment such as cameras, green and blue screens. The agency prefers to rent highly specialized equipment rather than buy it. In this way, it always works with the latest equipment. When projects require it, 21solutions also hires additional personnel. "We can draw on a pool of about 60 freelancers," Ghali says. "Half of them have a medical technology background."
An important part of 21solutions' work is consulting with clients. Before sophisticated and at the same time exciting films about heliskiing or a particularly complicated operation can be made, Tschanz and Ghali first have to develop an idea for it. The path from idea to finished film varies in length. At the beginning of each assignment, 21solutions clarifies with its client what goal he is pursuing with the film. Does he want to document a congress or an event, does he want a product film, a further education video or a lifestyle clip? "With every order, we have two options," explains Ghali. "Either we implement our client's idea, or we develop a concept ourselves for how best to prepare the message to be conveyed. We're very strong at that." Word of quality gets around: although the six heads have only been on the market for fifteen months, they already no longer need to acquire in the medical technology sector. Nevertheless, they are happy about every customer who wants to exploit the potential of video films on all technical channels. Tschanz and Ghali hope that business will develop as well in "Lifestyles. It is not unlikely that this hope will be fulfilled.
Anne-Friederike Wilhelm
> To the lifestyle videoNico Tschanz (41) is married and has two sons aged one and a half and four. In his free time, he likes to go skiing or play golf - when he has some. "It's the honest effort that counts," is Tschanz's modest motto.
Toto Ghali (38) was born in Marseille, married to a German artist and father of a four-year-old daughter. "I have lived in many countries," he says. "But in business terms, Switzerland is my dream country."
