Zenni Video Contest – First Place Winner!

The First Prize winner, who gets to take home $10,000, is Steve Flavin of San Francisco, whose video showing how easy and fun it is to use the Zenni Optical website greatly impressed our blue-ribbon panel.

When told he was one of the winners, Flavin, who confirmed that he owns five pairs of Zennis and is currently “rocking full-rim,” said, “I almost didn’t do it! I had a bunch of freelance projects leading up to the holidays, and was feeling burned out. Believe it or not, I finished and submitted it literally minutes before the deadline.” When we asked how he will spend his winnings, he said, “I sure wouldn’t put it past me to order a bunch of new glasses. I’m officially hooked.”

“We loved how Steve conveyed so many of the best features of the website,” Varnai said. “One of the great things about Steve’s video is that it shows people who may still be reluctant to order their glasses online just how easy it is. We want everyone to know that they can take advantage of the phenomenal savings we offer, and Steve’s video does the job perfectly.”

Check out Steve’s entry below and let us know what you think!

Getting to know our winners:

Zenni: Did you write, direct, and perform in the video?
Steve: Yes, yes, and yes. 🙂

Zenni: Who were the actors in the video?
Steve: Just me and my online doppelgänger.

Zenni: How long did the shoot take?
Steve: I spent a few weeks thinking about it and planning, but the actual shoot only took a few hours. Once I knew what I wanted to do, it came together pretty fast. Since I was working independently, I just shot it in my apartment at my convenience.

Zenni: Did any funny or weird or troublesome things happen on the shoot?
Steve: I almost didn’t do it! I had a bunch of freelance projects leading up to the holidays, and was feeling burned out. I considered taking a break and not entering the contest. On the day of the deadline, I changed my mind; I figured since I already had an idea, I might as well see if I could crank out something decent by midnight EST (9pm my time). Believe it or not, I finished and submitted it literally minutes before the deadline.

Zenni: What were the special challenges you faced in making this video?
Steve: Deciding which frames to include in the video. I actually shot several more modeling shots than appear in the final cut, but the time limit only allowed for so many of them.

Zenni: Have you won in other contests before?
Steve: Not recently. It’s been years since I’ve entered a contest of any kind, so this was a fun change of pace!

Zenni: How many Zenni Pair you own?
Steve: Five (so far).

Zenni: How long have you been shopping with Zenni online?
Steve: I ordered my first pair on a whim last summer. I loved my previous frames and wore them for years, but decided it was time to retire them and try a different look. I was drawn to Zenni because it was affordable, so the risk was low, and I liked the custom options (tinting, photochromic lenses, etc.) and ease of ordering. I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked them in person—and realized I could buy several other pairs for less than the total cost of my previous frames. Eventually, I bought four more pairs (which is when I noticed the contest). I’m officially hooked!

Zenni: Full-rim, half-rim or rimless?
Steve: All of the above! Lately, though, I’m rocking full-rim.

Zenni: How did you come up with idea for your video?
Steve: Thinking about my photo coming to life and helping me browse the website was funny to me, and the rest of the idea just kind of fell into place. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to do something silly—basically a comic exaggeration of my actual experience.

Zenni: Do you have other hobbies apart from filmmaking?
Steve: I enjoy photography—both film and mobile. As you might imagine, I’m an Instagram addict (@steveflavin).

Zenni: If you had only two words to describe Zenni Optical what words would you use?
Steve: “Cheap chic.” If I had three words: “Changing it up.”

Zenni: Why do you wear glasses?
Steve: I’m nearsighted—although I could just as easily wear contacts or have corrective surgery. I’ve always liked glasses as a fashion accessory; the fact that I need them to see is almost beside the point!

Zenni: How will you spend the money (Will you spend your money on new glasses?
Steve: Honestly I’m still sort of processing the news, but I sure wouldn’t put it past me to order a bunch of new glasses. 😉

Questions about the crew:

Zenni: Your video impressed us all with the way you showed off many of the website’s features. What do you especially like about our website?
Steve: I’ve browsed a lot of other eyewear sites, and Zenni is definitely one of the best when it comes to using your photo to try them on virtually. I also appreciate the clean, simple product photography, and how easy it is to filter by style or color or material. So, basically everything I showed in the video!

If you’d like to learn more about Steve and his other projects, you can check out his website here!