A creative studio that invites marketers back into the process.

At Clever, we collaborate with brands and the teams behind them to tell their stories with intention and care. Strategically-sound films and motion content can help advance your business objectives in a way that reaches your audience authentically. We aim to leverage your brand expertise to drive innovation and growth through the power of story.

Meet the founders

We live by deeper engagement with our clients and are guided by our values to: elevate curiosity, honor the audience, willfully empower, deeply invest, and inspire infectiously.

Emily Peterson Boone

Founder/Executive Producer

Emily brings decades of experience leading production teams to Clever, where she approaches her work with enthusiasm and fearlessness. She’ll get things up and running, hire the exact right teams, and see each project through to the very end. Emily is a true empath and can coax an emotional story out of anyone, which is one of the things that makes her an incredible director. She doesn’t take herself too seriously and aims to make every production fun, even in tough circumstances. Emily loves to drink champagne, golf, travel, and hang out with her husband and two kids. Her favorite place in the whole world is her grandparent’s farm in Tyler, Minnesota.

Bill Kruse

Founder/Creative Director

Bill has spent his career producing and overseeing creative with inspiring brands. He guides the strategic process at Clever, working with clients and their teams to uncover the best path to success. Bill’s history as a filmmaker drives him to produce ambitious creative with compelling narratives to touch audiences. Bill thrives when he’s taking on complex client communication challenges, telling dad jokes, or grilling for his wife and three kids.

“When I moved to Inspire Sleep, Clever was the first partner I brought with me – it was non-negotiable! Clever’s incredible expertise doesn’t stop at filmmaking – they have been instrumental partners in establishing content and competitive strategy, all while carrying the same amount of passion for the work as anyone on our payroll. There truly isn’t a singular content or creative task I wouldn’t trust them and their team with to provide a thoughtful, perfectly executed output – and a whole lot of fun along the way.”

Anne Yetzer

Marketing Manager, Inspire Medical Systems

“Partnering with Clever is a consistently excellent experience from start to finish. Bill and Emily are equal parts strategic, creative, and talented. They helped lead our team through content strategy development, culminating with the creation of a beautifully produced film series. The storytelling through these amazing films not only captured the essence of our mission, but also deeply resonated with our patients, staff, and the community. I can truly say that Clever has helped elevate our brand.
(…not to mention they are good people who are fun to work with!)”

Jonathan Comito

Marketing Director, Hennepin Healthcare

“Clever is hands-down the best creative partner with which I have had the pleasure to work. They seamlessly integrate into your business - intimately understanding the market, the products and the consumers - to ultimately craft transformational content based on smart strategy. They ensure clients are brought along for the ride, consulted along the way, and ecstatic with the final product.”

Eliza Zenk

Senior Omnichannel, Product Manager Boston Scientific

“With Bill and Emily’s depth of experience, there is an implicit trust and ease that comes along with every Clever project. They are astute listeners, well adept at planning complex shoots, working within layers of stakeholders, assembling a nimble team of experts and executing flawlessly. Their collaboration and vision for crafting engaging human-centered stories has helped us grow our brand and our business — thank you to the entire Clever team!”

Molly Sullivan

Vice President, Creative and Brand UnitedHealthcare