An Aspiring Director

Picture this – Yours truly in the Film/TV program at Temple University. Starving, or at least a bit peckish from time to time, waiting for my opportunity to entertain and delight America… nay… they world with my artistic cinematic talent. Long story short, reality bitch slapped me and I realized I needed to find a job.

The truth is if you want to make it as a successful filmmaker, you either need to: A) know someone in the business who could get you a sweet opportunity, or B) take a vow of poverty, max out your credit cards on your independent film opus, and pray to the heavens that if you get accepted into a prestigious film festival, it gets picked up and distributed by a prominent company.

I didn’t have A and, given my love for eating, B wasn’t an attractive option. So after yelling to the heavens, “I am fortune’s fool!” I got a legit job in the world of corporate communications.

A Passion Re-ignited!

By 2008, technology had gotten to the point that it was easier and cheaper than ever to create video content. My manager asked me if I wanted to start a corporate video program, and I jumped at the chance. Soon I was creating engaging videos and, best of all, scratching that creative itch that had been bugging me for years.

The Knowledge Gap (Not Mine… Theirs)

Now, if you’ve worked in corporate America, you probably know that bosses like their employees to be versed in more than one skill, and eventually, my manager asked me to let my colleagues try their hand at video.

I’ll be frank – it didn’t go well for them. From the concepts to the recording to the interviewing to the editing, there was a very prominent disconnect between them and the actual creation of video.

This was a bit surprising. I could understand not grasping certain technical aspects, but everyone watches television and movies… how can people be so clueless about how to create and edit video?

Good for me. Made me more valuable to my boss. But it left me wondering what I could do to help people understand video… not be the next Francis Ford Coppola, but simple processes and tips to create relatively polished content.

The Coaching Seeds Planted

Over the next few years, I cobbled together bits and pieces of notes and began to write out materials I felt could help others, with little or no background in the creation of video, understand some basic principles that would make the subject seem not so foreign.

Fate lent a hand and introduced me to a few entrepreneurs who wanted to do more video, but didn’t have the time, insight, and most importantly, money to come up with compelling and engaging videos.

Enter yours truly!

I worked with these business owners and helped them craft marketing videos that were quick, looked polished and professional, and allowed them to use them in their social media and online ads. Their clicks increased, their email lists grew, and most importantly, their sales spiked.

I decided to take this knowledge and begin my own e-newsletter to help business owners just like you gain valuable insights on creating better marketing videos and get more clicks and sales!