Turning creativity and passion into quality video production.
In the 10 years since Austin Kolb and Adam Weber met through Columbia’s music scene, the business they created — The Evoke Group — has established itself as a full-service marketing agency, specializing in commercial filmmaking, photography, and animation.
“Helping people grow businesses through the power of video gives them confidence,” says Evoke Group partner Will Moore. “Their businesses grow because it gives their audience a chance to get to know them better,” Will says. The agency values curiosity, passion, and honesty with the mission of creating effective and creative projects for its clients.
COMPANY HISTORY
In 2013, Austin and Adam started the company as a creative production house providing web development, video production, and graphic design. During the last 10 years, the company has responded to client needs and market trends to grow and flourish. In 2017, Will joined the team as a video producer and was invited to become a partner four years later. Will says that the company’s culture is what compelled him to join the team, and becoming a partner was his goal all along.
The Evoke Group sold the web development and digital marketing aspect of the company to its partner company in Colorado — VEA Technologies — in 2021. That step allowed the Columbia team to focus on video advertising and video production.
“We see online video advertising as the most critical piece of the marketing puzzle, and we are the leading experts locally to get value out of video campaigns,” Adam says. The team has created full-length episodes for the travel documentary series, Missouri Life TV, and one of the episodes earned a regional Emmy in 2020. It’s one of more than 30 national awards the company has won for its video production creations.

BEHIND THE SCENES
Behind the videos, photos, and animations are hours of preparation and hands-on work. The process begins with an initial, free consultation, where the team gets to know the client’s needs and marketing objectives. From there, the project goes into a discovery and pre-production phase and the company charges a creative fee to define all the moving parts and details of the project. Austin says that approach results in a clear and accurate budget.
“If the client has a predetermined budget, we can utilize the discovery session to ensure that their project stays within their expectations,” Austin notes, adding that a full budget is not determined until all the project pieces and steps for executing the plan are in place.
“It is rare for production to go smoothly without a thorough pre-production phase,” he adds. Ensuring that the client is happy with the process and what the result will look like before requiring full payment is one of the unique features of The Evoke Group.
While the company is made up of three partners, The Evoke Group uses a large network of contractors to put together a team for each project based on the strengths and skills that match the client’s vision for their project.
STANDING OUT
With backgrounds in graphic design, digital marketing, and sales, the team offers a holistic approach to each project.
Austin says the team has “experiential knowledge and education in many different areas of the marketing world,” including websites, search engine optimization, and digital advertising campaigns that are enhanced by videos, photos, and animations.
Will notes that in addition to providing affordable, high-quality, and high-value productions, the fun and excitement the team has for each project sets The Evoke Group apart from similar companies.
“I love watching people watch their videos,” Will says. “It is like holding up a mirror to show them how awesome they are.”
The Evoke Group takes time to connect with and get to know a client’s needs. Adam says that focusing on creativity and aiming for desired outcomes “has led to phenomenal retention, over 30 national awards, and always happy customers by not over-promising.”
THE GROWING FIELD OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Artificial intelligence — using machines to simulate human intelligence — is a hot topic in the current pop culture and technology world, and The Evoke Group is capturing the technology and know-how that is creating massive changes in the digital marketing world.
“For the foreseeable future, there will still be a need for real humans to go out into the field to record and capture stories to put together in a creative way — even as we continue to integrate AI into our process,” Austin says, suggesting the services The Evoke Group provides cannot easily be simulated without the human aspect.
With the trend toward AI rising, the company is not disregarding its impacts but rather using it to an advantage.
“We saw trends toward AI in digital marketing starting as early as 2018 and have been implementing various tools while we wait to see where things are going,” Adam adds.

FUTURE OF THE COMPANY
Since opening its doors 10 years ago, The Evoke Group has embraced inevitable change as the team works to stay in front of new technology. And the progress doesn’t stop here. All three partners recognize that the world of advertising and marketing online is changing each day.
“We plan to specialize moving forward as a boutique video production and video advertising agency that helps small businesses affordably use cutting-edge technology to target new customers and gain brand awareness,” Adam says.
The company will continue to pursue its passions and create long-form video content such as documentaries and TV production. The Evoke Group will continue to grow with trends such as over-the-top campaigns to “reach the digital streaming services and offer a better value than traditional TV,” Austin says.
The Evoke Group
505 Fay St. #204
573-303-5476
theevokegroup.com