Microbudgeter

In the first video, I talked about some all-purpose seasoning for your video production business and life now that this global event is going on. With the coronavirus taking the US by the thousands, it’s time to get to brass tacks when it comes to your video productions. Our landscape keeps shifting, and it may be topsy-turvy for a while, but as they say in Spanish, “Vaya con Dios.” Here are some additional strategies to implement in your work as a budding filmmaker and video producer right now.

Watch instead at https://youtu.be/vUUG4Mpd_mM

I have been pitching literary managers for some time now. My fellow budding filmmakers and video producers, if you want to get stories made into feature films or TV shows or whatever format our visual stories will take on in the next 10 and 20 years, right now there are still a lot of gatekeepers surrounding the industry. The data suggest that directing your own material is the best way for a no-name like me or you to break in. Nonetheless, some of us will still want to pursue this avenue of getting an idea in front of a literary manager to be made into a film. Even JJ Abrams started off as a screenwriter and seemingly countless other filmmakers that are creating visual stories even today. Here is a list of things that you should not be doing in the course of these cold pitches.

Watch instead at https://youtu.be/M9cec5Cl-Dg

Video producers and filmmakers... In this video, I'm going to walk through seven practices you need to be going through as the world around us continues to change. 

I can't guarantee the next several months are going to be easy. I can't guarantee you're going to have a steady flow of income. When I was self-employed in Vegas, I had great times, and I had low times. Through it all, the Almighty was always with me. I can't guarantee I'll make it with you or that any of you will make it to the other side of this, but I can promise you that God will never leave you, and His love will never run out on you. Be sure to pass some of that love on to your neighbor and fellow video producer and filmmaker. May the Lord bless and keep you and give you His peace! 

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Watch instead a https://youtu.be/NnMAvKrdbu0

Film producers, storytellers, video producers, and boys and girls of all ages... I can save you the suspense and give you the quick and dirty version: the camera you already own. Gasp.

Don't get obsessed with gear. Don't go into debt. Rely on creativity. This video explores WHY it is more important than throwing money at a problem. And I have two wonderful real-life examples to prove it. 

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Watch instead at https://youtu.be/tSOSEIMA6zY

This episode is MUCH easier to navigate at YouTube: https://youtu.be/JLLEit52rig

In this episode, I share 100 quick tips about your video production business. Every single one of these I have either experienced, some of them several times. Nothing speculative here. Just brutally honest, real-life things that you will encounter with your video production business. And there is something here for all skill levels. Whether you are just starting your video production company or you are more experienced, I guarantee I have a tip for you that you probably haven't thought through yet. Best of success and may the good Lord bless you with more clients than you can possibly handle. 

Know the difference. This is a real-world example of recognizing complaints vs. objections. Yes, in this video, I provide you an illustration straight out of the Vault. And not the Mouse Ears Vault, but the Jake the film guy Vault o’ failures and missteps. As I said recently, I fail more often than I succeed, but each and every experience when I’m pitching an idea, a project, or a vision is an exercise that I need to embrace. Ditto for you. Play the long-term game in your development as a filmmaker and video producer and get a thick skin as you learn to tell the difference between an objection and a complaint.

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Watch instead at https://youtu.be/d_7HWQSxPQA

1. It builds your confidence... with your pitches

2. It makes you more resilient… next time you fail, it’s no biggie 

3. It's a great teacher when it comes to mistakes

4. It forces you to develop more ideas, refining your creativity muscle

5. It keeps you humble

6. It gets you one step closer to “yes”

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Watch instead at https://youtu.be/n550FuxA5eo

By no means is this quick, and I mean like 90-second video (sans the obligatory intro/outro), a good rundown on what you need to understand about taxes when it comes to your video production business, but it'll get you started thinking about these things. My best advice is to find somebody in your community, your family, or your church who run their own business and ask to have lunches (yes, plural) with them and ask to learn wisdom from them. That's what I did way back when, and it will help you in demystifying this big fuzzy cloud known as taxes.

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Watch instead at https://youtu.be/lMyBSbTa7fs

It just makes sense. God bless you in your video production side hustle or FT gig!  

Need more? Mas?!  

How to start a video production business: http://microbudgeter.com/blog/start-a-video-business Or watch: https://youtu.be/R4ysGQ9l0Eg or https://youtu.be/WV0B-zk2h5M 

Start a video production business with $0: https://youtu.be/T4GvG_2gZHo 

Start a video production business when you have a family: https://youtu.be/aDqfcGPzIyA 

Do you need an LLC? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/perhaps-you-dont-need-shell-out-350-business-license-just-guy

What the deuce do you charge as a video producer? How do you know if you are getting taken advantage of and working for rock-bottom prices? Do you have confidence in your abilities? Or do you understand your time and talent? If you are tired of taking low-paying jobs because you don't know how to effectively quote your services as a video producer, I talk about three different approaches to figuring out the age-old question of “how much to charge” in this video with Scottish and mobster accents.  

Want to read some more? Head on over to the blog: http://microbudgeter.com/blog/instantquote  

Need a tool that will instantly and accurately price your video production services? I have a worksheet - take it out for a spin for a week: https://microbudgeter.com/shop/iqc. Don't like it? No problem! Send it packing!