Franklin Mcmahon
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Good to know…I may need to hire her when I need to drop the hammer on a client in the future…
Franklin
___________________________
Franklin McMahon / Host
CreativeCow.net PODCAST
frank@fmstudio.com
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Heh heh..”free” rendering..that is funny…
Franklin
___________________________
Franklin McMahon / Host
CreativeCow.net PODCAST
frank@fmstudio.com
Creative Cow Podcast Page
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Ha ha Linden Dollars..that’s funny..have not heard that term in a while…
Franklin
___________________________
Franklin McMahon / Host
CreativeCow.net PODCAST
frank@fmstudio.com
Creative Cow Podcast Page
Creative Cow Podcast in iTunesMedia Artist Secrets Blog: FranklinMcMahon.com
Studio Page -
Sounds like she has no intention of paying you. Lesson learned. Do you use contracts at all or agreements? Might be good to, even for “small” stuff.
Next step after several attempts is to let her know you are turning over her account to a collection agency. If you google there are many companies that do it for free and just take a percentage. You do nothing except provide details, they collect (provide all her numbers and details to them) and then they typically split the money with you. Companies like this are aggressive since they are paid on commission so usually the money arrives.
Frank
___________________________
Franklin McMahon / Host
CreativeCow.net PODCAST
frank@fmstudio.com
Creative Cow Podcast Page
Creative Cow Podcast in iTunesMedia Artist Secrets Blog: FranklinMcMahon.com
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I think the Biography channel hits some of those notes and to a lesser extent E! Entertainment.
The part people like about a, um, funeral is they can look at an artist with perspective and choose the time period to remember them. When someone passes you look at the entire body of work. You can also choose to remember a certain decade, as opposed to the current status. When stars are alive we harp on the bad, when they are gone, we focus on the good. And we can remember the MJ from the 70s/80s rather than the troubled MJ of the 90s forward.
But there is an idea there..maybe an “Icon Channel” or “Remembrance Channel”
As for your wish of “the rest of the media could get back to other things”, well..don’t see that happening anytime soon…
Franklin
___________________________
Franklin McMahon / Host
CreativeCow.net PODCAST
frank@fmstudio.com
Creative Cow Podcast Page
Creative Cow Podcast in iTunesMedia Artist Secrets Blog: FranklinMcMahon.com
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Video professionals getting into wedding productions is a dangerous mix, because most approach weddings like its the super bowl, no over-coverage is too much. I have filmed and photographed many weddings back in the day (I am in to other types of productions these days) and with my broadcast background I first approached it like a huge event (so..lets get the brides maids set up with the wireless lavs…) and it was amazingly exhausting.
Then it dawned on me…I was focused on the backlight clamped to the rafter and not on the people. I then started investigating different types of how weddings were shot and started to look at many that were covered “journalistically”, more like an embedded reporter, covering the people and emotions (not a stretch…I’ve had a few weddings that were like a war zone..)
Suddenly I was not looking at a printed-out flow chart and orchestrating with the bride, but was more like a guest who happened to be capturing moments in real time. Instead of cheesy smiley poses, I captured the energy and fun and people. I realized the way I used to do it, not wanting to miss a thing, was about 10x more work. And 20x more editing.
Now of course you do have to capture some of the standard items, but when you look back, and also when you look back with the couple, instead of a generic record of the mechanics of an event, you capture the spirit and the “aura” of the big day. Think more indie handheld than block buster epic.
A good benchmark is receptions. Many shoot the ENTIRE thing. First hour you get 90%, 2nd hour you pick up extra stuff. 3rd hour you are repeating yourself, 4th hour you are spinning your wheels. Adding “2 hours of reception coverage” may be the best thing you can add to your contract. I did this and at the end of two hours got great hugs, thank you’s and goodbyes from the clients…instead of hour 4 wondering to myself “is it OK to leave now?…”
And I can tell you from experience, my clients were 100 times happier with this indie style. Seriously, the brides especially loved the style. And it really set me apart from all the generic wedding videographers. You wondered how much you should charge, first though, ponder how you will do it.
My advice is to capture “the day” rather than “the event”. Trying to control an uncontrollable event will leave you exhausted and disappointed, and whatever rate you charge will not be enough. Don’t try to lead the event like most videographers do, follow the event in real-time and capture what is happening.
Frank
https://www.fmstudio.com/Wedding/Wedding.html
___________________________
Franklin McMahon / Host
CreativeCow.net PODCAST
frank@fmstudio.com
Creative Cow Podcast Page
Creative Cow Podcast in iTunesMedia Artist Secrets Blog: FranklinMcMahon.com
Studio Page -
A good rule of thumb is any content on a “free” site (YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, etc) can usually be pulled at any time and for any reason. And the small print typically also says they can re-purpose the content.
I have recommended Libsyn/Wizzard for storage and good stats but also look at domain hosting places such as Dreamhost.com who have unlimited bandwidth. You pay a small amount for unmetered bandwidth and a secure server and never have to worry about anything.
Frank
___________________________
Franklin McMahon / Host
CreativeCow.net PODCAST
frank@fmstudio.com
Creative Cow Podcast Page
Creative Cow Podcast in iTunesMedia Artist Secrets Blog: FranklinMcMahon.com
Studio Page -
Be sure to put the award and award logo on the front page of your website, ensuring that everyone sees it.
The first step with winning an award is to let everyone know, and one of the best ways to let everyone know is to send out a press release. You can probably google for some good examples, and of course the Cow News is a large source of press releases. Look specifically at the ones that fill a page with a simple change or event. Such as “CBA Partners Uses New Sony Camera” or “GFH Productions Adds New Software”. While there are press releases such as “Adobe Announces CS4” there are tons more on small changes made at big companies.
The reason these companies get bigger is they amplify most of what is happening. I have come to find out that no news is too small for a press release, if someone does not know the info, it is news. Writing and distributing press releases is a creative art form, but once you do your first one, it gets easier. Add in some quotes from yourself, info about the awards, etc. There are plenty of examples out there of press releases announcing that a company has won an award.
There are some press release services as well, for usually $99 they will blast your release to everywhere from Yahoo News to Grit (wait..is Grit still around?…)
Writing press releases is also a great way to get comfortable with pimping yourself. If you want to move to a different market, promoting your skills in many avenues is the key.
Frank
___________________________
Franklin McMahon / Host
CreativeCow.net PODCAST
frank@fmstudio.com
Creative Cow Podcast Page
Creative Cow Podcast in iTunesMedia Artist Secrets Blog: FranklinMcMahon.com
Studio Page -
My advice is to move into conventions you would not normally attend. I used to attend the New Media Expo (also known as the Podcast Expo) every year in Ontario, CA. While there was hardware there, it was much more about producers and what they were producing. The show has evolved and has merged with Blog World
https://www.blogworldexpo.com/
Initially you may think, well I’m not really a blog or web guy, but it seems like you do online content, marketing, etc. so it may be worth checking out.
Years and years ago I hit the hardware shows, and basically saw new toys, got excited about hardware, and well that was about it. Then I moved into shows where it was more about what you can do with the hardware, more about ideas, methods, and I found them much better and got tons more out of them.
These days its all about ideas and how to harness the latest technologies like the web to move your content in more and more directions. I am constantly amazed by shows that focus on new shiny hardware and then scratch their heads when no one shows up. Hardware info I can get on the web in about 5 minutes. However ideas, inspiration and creative methods are much more valuable to me these days.
If your expo has a keynote about new hardware announcements, thats fine. But if your keynote is a guy who is a “thought leader” well you may get tons more out of it, and be able to apply a much larger percentage of info to your creative career. (Check out the conference TED Talks in iTunes for a convention that will really get you thinking..)
So I would suggest branching off into shows that are not what you would normally attend. Outside your comfort zone even. People may be surprised you are going to these shows, but when you do, you may be even more surprised on the scope of things you learn.
One last suggestion, my benchmark with expos is to always be the dumbest guy in the room, not the smartest. Going to a convention where you are as smart or smarter than the vendors and attendees will be nice, safe, predictable…but not amazing. Going to an expo where you are almost lost in a sea of new info and technology, ideas and new content, most of which you are rapidly trying to catch up with, will be a much more enriching experience. Instead of going to a big convention that basically reaffirms what you already know, go to a show outside the comfort zone that really gets you thinking in new directions.
Frank
___________________________
Franklin McMahon / Host
CreativeCow.net PODCAST
frank@fmstudio.com
Creative Cow Podcast Page
Creative Cow Podcast in iTunesMedia Artist Secrets Blog: FranklinMcMahon.com
Studio Page -
It’s a very tricky situation. As your business grows you need to grow into newer and higher end clients. Raising rates is sometimes designed to eliminate what is costing you money. In other words the clients who have low budgets and you work twice as hard for, may need to be let go. Its very difficult, to move on from someone who has stuck by you, but so many creative businesses do not grow because their client base is holding them back from taking things to the next level.
Todd’s tips are good, transitions are always good. But the most important key is to mentally prep for moving on from certain clients. It does not matter how dedicated they have been, the fact is often your business is growing in new directions and you are steering towards a new level of clients. The surprising thing, as mentioned here, is many clients will still be on-board. They will see the value and move with you. If they won’t or can’t, then they need to seek help elsewhere.
To me the biggest reason some businesses don’t grow is dedication to existing clients. This sounds harsh and I certainly don’t recommend dumping everyone, but when producers say “I want to grow my business and make more money” they are really saying “I want to move up from my current clients to advanced clients with bigger budgets”. It’s nearly impossible to do this with the same group of clients and the same existing price structure.
___________________________
Franklin McMahon / Host
CreativeCow.net PODCAST
frank@fmstudio.com
Creative Cow Podcast Page
Creative Cow Podcast in iTunesMedia Artist Secrets Blog: FranklinMcMahon.com
Studio Page