Recession and Video Production

[Rich Rubasch]

Not sure it has been derailed. Joel was asking about the recession and how we are coping and what we might be doing different. Employees is a biggie. I was going to say that in our industry a business plan looks a little different than a widget manufacturer. We strive to find talent, people with creative spark, people who do have passion. Not sure why the Orphanage closed doors. Maybe it was just a good time to wind it down. Maybe the end of the really big budgets did have an impact on highly paid talent. It’s a real challenge.

We want to pay our top talent the most we can, but we have many numbers to juggle as well as predicting the future…what will changes in equipment and software mean to our business model? What is the competition up to? Are my employees satisfied with their work and environment?

I also live in a small midwestern town and so far so good. I don’t think that discussing our employees passion for their work is going to derail this thread about working through a recession. I think we need our employees to have that passion through the tough times….once it’s gone so are they.

Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media

[Mick Haensler]

Good point Rick. I guess I was being passive aggressive to Nick Griffins’ response to my first reply which I thought was in keeping with “the original intent of the thread”. Sorry Nick, I should have responded to you directly instead of getting silently indignant. Where are those smiley faced emoticons when you need them. I will now respond to Nick directly….

Mick Haensler
Higher Ground Media

[Mick Haensler]

[Nick Griffin] “As [Mick Haensler] said: “relax, take things in stride, do some extra marketing, learn some new revenue generating skills, do some pro bono work, and most of all keep a level head.”

If you have extra time on your hands, put it to good use.

Back to the original intent of the thread”

I thought this was in keeping with the original intent of the thread. Joel asked how we are faring and this is how I am faring. I preceded it with a detail of how much actual business I had and have coming up. This part of my response deals with how I am faring on other levels besides the financial aspects of my business. I take a holistic approach, just because my books might be healthy doesn’t mean the rest is. No worries though, just caused me to think a bit about my initial response and was it in line with the intent of the thread. I think it is.

Mick Haensler
Higher Ground Media

[Chris Blair]

Mick Haensler
why in the world would ANYONE have the same passion for your business as you do

Mick,

I meant passion for the work…not the business. Believe me, none of the partners in our company are getting rich. So we don’t do this for the “business” or financial aspect of it. We do it because it’s fun, it’s challenging, and it’s gratifying to help companies tell their story in a clear, persuasive way, then see tangible results come from it (in the form of increased traffic, phone calls, media exposure etc.).

And I mentioned employees because I think the quality of a company’s employees is going to make a big difference in determining who survives and who doesn’t. If you have good people that take ownership of their work and are passionate about the quality of what they’re doing, you have a much better chance of weathering bad economic times because you’re bound to get more business than your competitors with those people on staff.

But I guess by my reasoning…considering my earlier post…we’ll be out of business by next Tuesday! Yikes!

Chris Blair
Magnetic Image, Inc.
Evansville, IN
http://www.videomi.com

[Brendan Coots]

Employees are definitely a worthwhile part of this discussion, many companies deal with recessions by laying people off. Sure, some do it to take advantage of the situation, others do it to preserve the CEO’s million dollar bonuses, but many do it to get rid of those dispassionate employees who eat up more management time than the productivity they contribute is worth. In a recession, everyone is under evaluation.

I have this same “employee problem” discussion every week with my business partner. Our industry is attracting a LOT of new blood who think working in film/video would be “cool” but they are wholly unprepared to deal with the real-world expectations and responsibility that come with the territory. Expectations that include keeping up on the latest trends and tech, being passionate about your work etc.. This is NOT A JOE JOB, yet most people, especially this new generation, can’t really think beyond the 9-5 punch-in punch-out mentality.

When it comes to how everyone is faring in this economy, employee discussions are not only relevant, they get right to the heart of the matter. When dollars are tight, those dollars will eventually start going exclusively to the people who are passionate and dedicated enough to earn them. Lazy, ineffective and dispassionate people will get cut – end of story. If you have more than 1-2 employees, you’re probably looking at everything they do right now wondering if it’s worth what you’re paying, and wondering how long it will be until you have to start making cuts. Relevant to the current economic crisis? Definitely.

Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com

[Joel Jackson]

Kudos Mick. I agree. I need passionate employees that have a fuel for the industry. They are out there. But they are very hard to find.

I LOVE telling the story of when clients need their story told. It’s a daily challenge and with the right peeps it can be a joy to do.

Back to my original thought, how is this really lame economy affecting our biz?

In some respects, I think it is making it better for the independent. When people don’t have money to go to the theater, to the bars, to music concerts, out for dinner, and on vacation, what do they do? They watch TV, they go on the internet, they look fore “free” forms of entertainment. That’s what we can provide, that’s where we will be strong, and that’s where our industry will progress. We are the messangers, and without us, the message is lost.

I think it’s a good time for our biz, where we can really shine and make a name for ourselves. Who knows, I could be wrong.

Peace,
Joel

Joel Jackson
http://www.creativebloc.com/port.html

[Patrick Ortman]

Wow guys, this has been an inspiring read for me today.

Our situation: we’re on track to match 2008’s revenues, but we’ve been squeezed a few times too, by potential clients who claim “everybody’s dropping their pants to get work now, you need to as well!”. As Ron said:

“If we followed their example, we’d too be out of business soon. We don’t plan to follow, as we plan to be around a long time, thank you.”‘

And that’s exactly our point of view. I mean, our prices are already extremely competitive.

Although I do admit we had one client who is on the edge of going out of business, and asked for a favor. As a friend, we gave them the favor. But to me, that’s more about good karma and being a friend than anything else.

And Steve, you hit the nail on the head:

“In my opinion, social marketing is a very real and increasingly vital part of an overall marketing plan. It does take an immense amount of time and diligence to keep up with it all. Overall it will add to your google rankings, and put your name in front of more potential customers. Even frequent posts on this site help that. ”

And then the ensuing debate about Facebook… wow.

I look at “social media” more like a way to gather around a virtual water cooler. None of us is an island, and just being part of the conversation increases your chances for success. I’ve seen the power of being part of the conversation- we got featured in USA Today thanks to LinkedIn, and I’ve gotten some new work from existing clients who happened to see our Facebook updates or our company Twitter feed. It’s all about being available and being part of the scenery, so to speak.

Anyway, thanks guys- this has been a useful read for me today, and it’s nice to feel more like part of a group.

———————
http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design

[Nick Griffin]

[Patrick Ortman] “gather around a virtual water cooler”

And THAT is exactly what the COW (and its never to be named here predecessor) is all about. It gives most of us the peer to peer interactivity and conversation that, as smaller self-employed people, we otherwise would lack. The COW was social networking before social networking was cool — or even named. Long live the COW!!