Grinner Hester
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Forum Replies Created
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Never.
I have found it far more beneficial to treat those I hire well so it aint in em to bail and scavenge while doing it. This, in a nutshell is what’s wrong with corporate america. We protect ourselves with paid for paper work rather than maintaining relationships. I’m a freelancer too. I can tell you when someone asks me to sign a non compete, it’s my cue to move on to a company that does good business.
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Because what you sell is creativity, the last thing you need is the handicap of a template. My site could not be simpler. It’s just an image with 3 links. Nothing more. Nothing more needed. It’s no template though. If you need help with some simple html, I can help you out. I just started copying code from sites I dug until I understood what I was doing. I don’t sell web design but I do know a template when I see. So will your perspectice clientel. They’ll bail if they see you can’t think outside the box.
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Last one I attended was at The House of Blues on Sunset Strip. Think of it as speed dating. There is literally a clock ticking. 15 moniute wondows if they are interested. If ya aint got em in 30 seconds, ya aint gonna get em. Your tag line is your hook. Don’t hesitate to help them with the visual “Picture Deadliest Catch mixed with Cake Boss”. In the old days, comparing your show to another was a big no no. In today’s nonscripted world it’s almost expected and suggested.
Do not get frustrated. Learn each time. I pitched my first series in ’91. I have a mountain of passes, have wall-papered a room with rejection letters, and have had more shows stolen than purchased. My alternative is to put on a funny hat and a name tag.
no thanks.
Success has nothing to do with a good day. It has everything to do with what you do with all the bad days. -
I didn’t take it as it was a hobby for him. I take it as becoming a vidographer is a goal for him.
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I have to admit, I am much more of an artist than an lawyer. I dislike ties and know from my years in the field if I side with them it’ll cost me money. That said, I am the first to yell (proudly) that I am a horrible businessman. Great producer/shooter/editor, yes, but an absolute horrible businessman. I work with no contact in most cases and when a cool dude looks me in the eye and tells me something, to this day, I’m like “sweet”. A fist bump is all I need. This is not ignorance. It’s a choice. A bad one? I guess if I were homeless while standing by it. I’m in the friend making business and the truth is, most of my best friends started as clients. I call them dude, not sir. They call me grin, not Mr. Hester. I in no way am advising this practice. Just sayin’ I take pride in remaining a one man band after all these years and a big way I have done that is by being a fellow dude… not the man.
All that said, man, Bob, you have much more to loose than I do. Never listen to me, brother, lol. I’m a little LLC who likes to one on one with whomever I encounter. I’m neither impressed nor intimidated by the rituals of modern business. I’d do better with a funky hat in the middle of nowhere in 1842. Just gimme one badass media suite in my old school log cabin. -
Short answer… yes. Get your ass there. The more lines you have in the river, the more you will catch. But then, that depends on your budget. It may be best to sign up for the next LATV Festival. It’s a multi day seminar and they’ll train you in the process. IN a nutshell, you’ll be handed a booklet of catchers. You spend an evening doing your homework and selct 5 that you want to pitch to. You’ll be given 3 15 minute appointments for verbal pitches. What I like is the bullpen. This is where the meek don’t survive. It’s not a line. It’s an overflow of freaks like you scavaging for an empty slot that pops up. The mosta ggressive get the meeting and I’ve gotten as many as 8 in a day. Don;t hesitate to speak up when a network you are not interested has an opening slot while you are in the bullpen. Consider it practice. They’ll be honest with you about the strengths and weaknesses in your pitch and yu cna utilize that in the next pitch. PLus, with 10 nos for every yes, it’s always a small success in achieving that next no.
Go grease yer gears at NATPE Miami, man. Keep an authentic grin on your face. Practice your pitch in the mirror and then with someone who hates you. Practicing in front of someone who loves you will do ya no good. They’ll just tell you how awesome you are. You already know that. You need some brutal nut kickings right now. They’re good for ya. -
Bruno, this becomes a loaded question as some old schoolers will scream half day rates and actually get miffed as if you took money out of their pocket by low-balling. Obsurd, I know. This is not unlike creating unions and minimum wage then pretending to wonder why labor runs across the border. It’s because they are less lazy.
Bottom line, bid what you think you can get. To answer your question, yes, by all means you should try to raise your rate for the new client. Should you pass if they decline on the higher price? Brother, that’s only up to you and has nothing to do with folks who charge 4 figures a day for their services. Often, a young person with initiative gains much more than a check for their services… 100 percent of the time, if that young person allows it.
Now, is their exploitation in this cold cruel world? Well yeah but a small league isn’t out to screw anyone. They simply havn’t a budget for a big production and truely would rather have little Stevie’s Dad shoot it on his HD camera he got at Best Buy if they can’t get a videographer to do it for 80 bucks. That’s not negotiation, that’s reality. -
Just have em sign a waver that assumes all responsibility for the content. Stipulate that “designer” cannot be held accountable in any way. If they sign without hesitation, sweet. relax. If they balk, know it’s because they are uncertain and pitch design concepts they can actually use.
While I realize it’s not “proper business”, I really do see this a lot. I can tell you my reel has music from a prominant artist and no contract was drawn up for it. It was as easy as asking while they were saying thank you for a job well done on another project. Not quite the same ting but I’d be surprised if they are just blowing smoke. Truth be known, your having them sign something will probably just result int heir actually getting the right paper work done on their end. -
You’ll find pitching to a reputable agency to be harder than pitching to networks. They won’t take meetings in general unless an insider recomends it. Sounds counter productive, I know, but they are busy folks and would rather hagle math than gamble on if there will be any math.
Today, it’s easy enough to get in front of the folks who need to see it. Cold calling works year ’round and pitch fests like the LATV Festival and NAPTE are set up for this very thing… getting you, the pitcher, in front of the catchers of your choice. Is it free? No, but then, neither was the initiative to create a sizzle reel and follow a dream to this point. While that’s the fun part and selling is not, follow through is what is required at this point.
Good luck man. Tenacity is key. Don’t give up.
Run when ya can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must, but never give up. -
20 grand.
That’s just multiplying day rates and adding expenses.