Sasha Restnikov came to Hoot Auctions and stiph productions with a challenge. As Tour Manager for the band Pepper, he saw first-hand the devastating effects that COVID-19 had on the community. Pepper’s own road crew was being financially distressed by the pandemic. Without tours, they had no money coming in, and jobs for anyone in their field were now fleeting if not completely gone. However, Sasha had an idea. Auction off items to raise money for the crew. Artists, photographers, and sponsors gathered artwork, photos, and autographed bottles of wine and tequila to be auctioned.

After researching and considering many live streaming options, stiph productions provided a platform so Micki Pickering, owner of Hoot Auctions, and the client could engage together in real time, share video playback, slides with lot information, and comments from viewers. The stream was then sent to Facebook Live for fans to view and bid on the items. stiph productions also created branding for the stream, a slide template, produced the videos for playback, and a countdown video featuring Pepper music and animations.

The live auction event ended up being an even bigger success than anyone could have imagined. It was a closeout of each item and in the end, raised over $7000 for the road crew and their families. In a time of uncertainty, doubt and despair, the quick action, intelligent decisions, resourcefulness and shear creativity of Stiph Productions and Hoot Auctions. Not only was the virtual event successful, but it gave fans from all over the globe a chance to participate in the event.