Oh hey! Guess what? We’re 9! This week marks 9 years since Animoto’s launch. It’s been an awesome journey and we wanted to thank you all for joining us on it. Seeing all the fun ways you’ve been using Animoto, from photography slideshows to marketing videos, family home movies, and everything in between, is one of the best parts of the job.

To celebrate “The Big 9,” we’ve been stuffing our faces with birthday cake. But we took a little break just long enough to put together this video, featuring Animoto’s founders – Brad, Tom, Stevie, and Jason – when they were 9!

While we’re on the subject of birthdays (and videos), we figured there was no time like the present (did somebody say presents?!) to share a little bit of birthday video inspiration for those of you looking to create something special for a friend or loved one. Which is why we put together the following checklist to help you make a great birthday video!

• Come up with a great idea. Get creative and try to come up with an idea for your video that the recipient will really love. Need a little inspiration? Check out our blog post on 5 Birthday Video Ideas.

• Set the mood with a birthday style. We’ve got over one hundred video styles to choose from. You can choose one that exudes your friend’s personality or check out the most popular styles for birthday videos on our blog.

• Set the tone with a birthday tune. Music can add so much emotion to your video. Need help finding a song to serve as a backdrop for your birthday message? Check out our top songs for birthday videos.

• Make it personal with your own photos, video clips, and text. It’s your own photos, videos, and text that’ll really make your birthday video special. Be sure to use photos and video clips that your recipient will love and a message that’ll make them feel special. Not great with words? We’ve compiled a list of 20 birthday quotes to inspire you.

Have you created a birthday video for a friend or family member that you’re really proud of? We’d love to see it! Share a link with us in the comments, or reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter.

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