Front Street Capital Management
Explainer video
Overview
Front Street Capital Management is a Missoula-based investment advisory firm that manages the Tarkio Fund, focusing on long-term, value-oriented equity investing. Their investment philosophy centers on patience, discipline, and avoiding unnecessary trading.
They came to us to create a video that could clearly explain compounding.
They came to us to create a video that could clearly explain compounding.
The Challenge
Compounding is one of the most powerful concepts in long-term investing. The timescales are long and the exponential growth curve is counterintuitive. Most people understand it in theory but don't grasp what it actually means in practice (or why starting early and staying invested matters more than the amount you contribute).
FSCM wanted to explore video as a way to make this concept accessible to clients and prospects. They started the project with a draft script. Our job was to help them adapt it into something that worked as a clear, visually driven video.
FSCM wanted to explore video as a way to make this concept accessible to clients and prospects. They started the project with a draft script. Our job was to help them adapt it into something that worked as a clear, visually driven video.
Our Approach
Script Development
The draft they brought us was detailed and accurate, but it needed work to function as spoken language. Some sentences were too long for voiceover pacing. Others were perfectly clear in writing but awkward to say aloud. We marked up the script, suggested cuts, simplified phrasing, and restructured sections to improve flow and comprehension.
The process went back and forth several times until we had something that felt natural, direct, and easy to follow. Once the script was locked, we assigned a unique ID to every line and used that system to build a detailed storyboard where each graphic tied directly to what Jeremy Brown (Development Manager and Tarkio Fund Co-Manager) would be saying on screen.
Production and Design
We filmed Jeremy in studio, speaking directly to camera against a clean backdrop. But the real work was in the motion graphics. Compounding is a visual concept: exponential curves, timelines, dollar amounts growing over decades. We designed graphics that made those abstract ideas concrete and easy to understand. The storyboard functioned as a visual blueprint detailed enough that we knew exactly what each section would look like before animation began.
The draft they brought us was detailed and accurate, but it needed work to function as spoken language. Some sentences were too long for voiceover pacing. Others were perfectly clear in writing but awkward to say aloud. We marked up the script, suggested cuts, simplified phrasing, and restructured sections to improve flow and comprehension.
The process went back and forth several times until we had something that felt natural, direct, and easy to follow. Once the script was locked, we assigned a unique ID to every line and used that system to build a detailed storyboard where each graphic tied directly to what Jeremy Brown (Development Manager and Tarkio Fund Co-Manager) would be saying on screen.
Production and Design
We filmed Jeremy in studio, speaking directly to camera against a clean backdrop. But the real work was in the motion graphics. Compounding is a visual concept: exponential curves, timelines, dollar amounts growing over decades. We designed graphics that made those abstract ideas concrete and easy to understand. The storyboard functioned as a visual blueprint detailed enough that we knew exactly what each section would look like before animation began.
The Result
An 8-minute video designed for live events and web distribution. The piece explains why this work matters, how nuanced the translation process is, and why it deserves continued support. It was created for grantors and other grantees doing similar work to understand the scope and significance of what's happening in Montana.
The video respects both the cultural importance of the principles and the technical rigor of the credentialing system.
The video respects both the cultural importance of the principles and the technical rigor of the credentialing system.
Special Thanks
Thanks to Jeremy Brown, Ginger Belker, Dominic Piazza, Russ Piazza, and Michele Blood.
