[Timothy J. allen]

My very survival for the past 10 years has depended on responding honestly and accurately to RFPs by government agencies. Every RFP has had very specific criteria that the award would be based on, and although price is always a criteria, it’s very seldom if ever the sole criteria. The point is demonstrating:

A) That you understand the parameters of the job
B) That you are reliable
B) That you will do the job for a fair and reasonable price
C) That the end product you deliver will be useful and of good technical quality

This means that you take a look at those parts of the RFP that aren’t clear, and work with the issuing agency to clarify them. If a phrase is ambiguous, we clarify our interpretation of what it means in our proposal. That’s where we win. Not by bidding the lowest… by asking the right questions and submitting proposals that give the reviewers confidence in the list above.

Don’t underestimate the value of having someone on your team that is really good at estimating production timelines and costing projects accurately. That is just as important to succeeding in this business as it is knowing whether your white levels are too hot. It keeps you and your clients from wasting time and money.

If you are a creative type that has a gifted project manager, a thorough lawyer, a versatile engineer, and a trusting client on your side, life can be pretty sweet… but if you are missing any of those skills on your team, it can flip in a heartbeat.

[Timothy J. allen]

I’ve won multiple regional Emmys and a few silver Telly Awards. I’m more proud of the Emmys, but I still enter the Tellys from time to time. Why? Simply because I produce a heck of a lot of non-broadcast corporate video which isn’t eligible for an Emmy award (because it’s never broadcasted).

When we win, I give full credit to the people who financed the production. That lets them know that I appreciate them as a client, and it lets them show their boss that they chose someone who has a reputation for quality. Depending on the product, we might enter another type of awards competition, such as a particular film festival, or public affairs, or education “industry” awards.

This isn’t insincere or trite as long as the award is valued by the client. If the client likes shiny awards, and they are proud of them, enough to show their bosses and colleagues, I’ll make sure I do my best to deliver a few of those along with the videos.

I think the first poster to this thread is considering entering a competition for precisely the right reasons – marketing and relationship building. If the motivation is self-validation and building up your own ego, a puppy dog works better than a trophy.

[Timothy J. allen]

Archie,
The trouble is that posting them publicly might “open a can of worms” so to speak. One set of forms might be legal and good for business in one state, but not applicable or legal in other states or countries.

I’ve shared some documents that I created person-to-person, but posting them to a public site such as this might open us up to liabilities. At least that’s what my lawyer tells me. Not that he has any interest in keeping me from giving away *his* work… 😉

That said, if anyone knows where I can find a Video Producer’s version similar to “The Musician’s Business & Legal Guide”, it could be useful. I certainly wouldn’t recommend using the contract samples verbatim, but in my other career as a musician, this book was one of my best learning tools.

[Timothy J. allen]

Scott,
As you can see, this is a common problem for those who go from production to post production. It’s a double whammy as you get older and start spending more time at the desk just as your metabolism is naturally slowing down. The only way to counteract “The Editor’s 20” is to find time to get that activity back some other way. The last thing you want to do is go home and watch more TV. 😉

I suggest that you take up a low-contact sport that you aren’t too good at yet, but that you’d like to explore. Pick something that’s easy to get started with, but allows you to grow with it as you get better. (i.e. tennis, bowling, rock climbing, swimming…)

Actually, if you can find a way to get exercise in an activity that’s social in nature, that’s even better – especially if you spend a good portion of time at work editing alone. That way you exercise your mind, body and spirit.

You’ll find that not only do you feel better, you get more creative ideas when you are at your desk.

By the way, the Aeron chair is the only piece of office equipment I have that’s might be considered a “luxury item”. Even though I thought I’d feel guilty for using it, I now consider that it’s most likely paid for itself in productivity gains during the two years I’ve had it. That and a decent bed have made a HUGE difference in my energy and health.

[Timothy J. allen]

Thanks for the kind words, John. I appreciate your well-intentioned thoughts. Having said that – I disagree with your idea.

I’ll stake my public reputation on any advice I give here, but I certainly don’t want to get paid for it. Then it would seem like a job. 😉

I also don’t think it would be fair to reward the leaders unless there were an equal way to reward *anyone* who responds to a thread or asks a great question the same way. CreativeCOW is, after all, about the users and it’s those users make it what it is.

[Timothy J. allen]

I wish I’d read “rule 7b” regarding the iPhone earlier this morning!

I was on a conference call and had gone outside to get away from some noise because I could barely hear what the other parties were saying. That’s exactly when two military jets flew REALLY low directly over me.

I couldn’t find mute fast enough and ended up just hitting “End Call” and calling back a few minutes later. The people on the other end (my mentor, her boss and my bosses’ boss) said that it sounded like I’d been sucked down a black hole.

One lesson learned.

[Timothy J. allen]

Stephen,
If I could get you as a freelancer for $X, I would hire you full time at $.5 times X (…if I could afford it).

To be employed full-time you have to be worth the amount you charge, plus the added amount of overhead for the full-time position – including any insurance, the office space and air conditioning you use, and the time that I’m paying you to fill out your timesheet or take a bathroom break. (When you are freelance those times are a “hidden cost” to your client.)

Currently, they don’t have to pay for your down time – and as the saying goes… “Why buy the cow…” etc., etc.

As Ron said, you can only demand more if you can prove that you are “earning your keep”. Typically, that’s at least double what it cost to employ you as a freelancer.

If you don’t have a well balanced portfolio of current clients, it might be to your advantage to take the full-time job offer. I would say that even in East Tennessee, you are working for below market rate right now. The rate you posted is well below what my freelance rate was over a decade ago in West Tennessee. Not to say I didn’t work cheap when I started out… that was a point in my life when I just needed my foot in the door to learn about the industry, so I did work as kind of an “internship” for a company for a while – but I couldn’t continue and survive at even the cheap rate I charged for very long. Even though I loved the type of work and the people I worked with at that company, I certainly couldn’t raise a family on that salary.

Often, the best way to get a *decent* raise is to work for someone else.

If you don’t want to work somewhere else, and feel that you are getting fair compensation for your current work, try to get as close to that hourly rate as possible, but I see no benefit for them to pay you more than that for the full time job – unless they sense that you are about to be snatched up for a better gig and they are desperate to keep you.

[Timothy J. allen]

I hope the executors of Mr. Jackson’s estate are taking a close look at how Elvis Presley Enterprises built the empire that not only made Elvis more profitable in death that he was alive, but basically spawned the modern tourism industry of the city of Memphis.

I have to hand it to the folks in Memphis for keeping a close reign on the “King of Rock & Roll’s” image over the years. Graceland us smack in the middle of what has long been one of the worst parts of the city, yet it’s still what everyone who goes there wants to see.

[Timothy J. allen]

Ron,
I appreciate you posting the video. It’s been making the rounds around NASA for a while now, but as you said information is power and putting our heads in the sand won’t do us any good.

All this talk about robots and the future reminds me of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q4p8RXhDhs

The production quality of the video isn’t that great, but the technology is really cool – and it’s real not just speculation. If this robot was wondering the shop floor, it wouldn’t matter so much if it ran amok, it still wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!

This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.

[Timothy J. allen]

I would also add…

• Take at least a basic course in project management. This will be more useful to you than you think. If nothing else, it helps you speak the same language as your client when you are talking about scheduling and project deadline constraints.
• Related to that – “Don’t be afraid to present a document that spells out the agreement between you and the client and get them to sign it.” You don’t have to call it a contract, but it goes a long way towards keeping the scope of the project in check.
• If there is a problem that could negatively impact the project – whether it’s a technical issue or “customer relations”, don’t wait for it to grow before addressing it.
• Take time to celebrate your success with your team and your clients. It doesn’t have to be an extravagant party. Just take a few moments to acknowledge that the project is done and how you appreciate each person’s specific contributions. In addition to making your partners know they are valued, it creates a sense of closure for the project, which gives people more energy for the next project.