What’s in a name? Well, a lot. That’s why it’s such a big deal. A name instantly creates images in a person’s mind. It can stir feelings, good or bad. And for a company, a name is the center of your brand. That’s why it’s such a big deal for us that we’ve decided to change the name of our company from Cinematic Studios, to Dare Dreamer Media. (daredreamer.net).

If you’ve followed our company’s progress over the past few years, you already know we’ve undergone a few other major changes. First, two years ago, we switched our focus from wedding and personal events, to commercial work, with a particular focus in the pro photography industry. Since then we’ve added podcast production and reality TV production to our repertoire. And now this year, my wife and I are in the process of writing a book for PeachPit Press on cutting edge ways to grow your video business. (Come to think of it, now that we live in Georgia, it’s all the more apropos we went with PeachPit.) One of the reasons for the change was that there are just so many “cinematic” companies out there. I wanted to be able to better set ourselves apart. Second, it goes in line with the evolution of our company to an agency.

An Agency vs. Production Company
We have evolved our company into a new media marketing agency. What exactly does that mean you ask? Well, it means that as an agency, we’re more of an “idea” company and marketing strategist. We help our clients market themselves, extend their brand, and improve the bottom line by use of new media technologies, with a focus on film and video production. From web promos, to viral video campaigns, to podcast production, to DVD productions, to original online TV development, we handle everything script to screen. And as a marketing agency, we’ll do it in the context of an overall campaign. So, we don’t just make a cool video, we help it get seen.

We do this by recruiting and teaming with talented artists around the country who have the skill and experience to help us execute our clients’ marketing efforts. So, we can use a producer that works for us directly, or we may bring in another company that has a particular skill set we don’t have in our firm directly. It’s all about collaboration.

One of our goals with Dare Dreamer Media is to not only help our clients achieve their dreams, but to offer talented artists the ability to work on exciting projects they may not have otherwise had the pleasure to work on by themselves. If you’re interested in being in our network of filmmakers, photographers, and other visual or graphic artists, shoot me an an email. In the meantime, check out our brand new company Facebook page, become a fan, and keep in touch. Below is our new commercial demo reel. Enjoy!

Today I will be part of The DV Show’s free webinar, from 9:30 am to 10:15 am EST. The podcast will show up late in the show’s usual line up. You can listen live by clicking here. Here are the details if you’d like to call in:

If you’re planning to attend WPPI’s annual tradeshow and conference next week, might I encourage you to drop by Studio B at the MGM Grand, Monday, February 16 at 8 am for a stellar presentation: Branding, Blogging, and Videos…Oh My! I’m teaming with world renown photographer and ShowIt Fast and ShowIt Sites founder/CEO David Jay for what should be a very dynamic presentation. We plan to talk about the power of social networks and videos in building your business and extending your brand. How can you use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and videos effectively in your marketing mix. Topics will include:

• Planning and producing video podcasts: the how and the why
• Effective video promo production: why the MTV-style slideshow is a mistake.
• Using video distribution sites, like blip.tv, Vimeo, and even the iTunes store.
• Marketing strategies to get your videos seen.
• Building social networks.
• Effectively using blogs to market your brand.
• And more!

Whether you’re a pro photographer or videographer, I am confident you’ll find the information helpful.

GIVE-AWAYS
And to entice you, we plan to give away some goodies. I can’t tell you what they are now, but it’ll be great stuff.

BEST OF ALL…

It’s FREE! So come on by. I look forward to meeting you.

Yesterday was a big day for Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes of the Pittsburg Steelers as their amazing pass and catch with 35 seconds to spare helped the Steelers win the 43rd Superbowl 27-23. As amazing as those two players are, they have one thing in common that all amazing atheletes have had throughout time. A coach. (Photo copyright NY Times).

THE POWER OF COACHING

No matter how talented you are as a creative artist, if you’re in business for yourself, it pays to have a coach.  Two years ago, I worked with a business coach who’s guidance and input played a huge role in the direction we took our company, and the successes we’ve had since then.

I’m now excited to announce that we’re  offering business and brand coaching for all you small business videographers looking to take your business to the next level. Based on our experience in the event services world, we can even coach you if you’re in another field other than professional videography.

I’m offering phone session coaching in increments of 1, 3, and 6 hours. The goal is to get you to a point where your business can go to the next level. To learn more details, check out the Business Coaching page at the top of this blog. Due to the nature of the sessions, I can only take on a few coaching clients at a time, so it’s first come first served. Topics covered inclue:

• Pricing
• Sales and Marketing
• Branding
• Social network marketing
• Infrastructure
• And more

Click here to learn more, or email me. I look forward to helping you achieve your own personal super bowl!

I just realized that I haven’t blogged about my own TV show. On November 18, 2008, I gathered twenty-four top wedding photographers from North America to participate in a reality TV show called “The Longest Day.” The premise is simple: split the group into two teams, and give each team 24 hours to write, shoot, and edit TWO original short videos: one about photography, and the other is a PSA (public service announcement) for their respective charity. Team is playing for Thirst Relief and Team B is playing for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. What resulted is the first online reality TV show for and about professional photographers.

ORIGIN

I came up with the concept fall of last year as more and more photographers asked me about what I was planning for the next WPPI buzz-building video as a follow up to the one I produced last year, Diary of a Washed Up Rock Star Wedding Photographer. Many asked if they could be in the next one. As the interested parties increased, I realized it would be too difficult to write a script for that many untrained actors. So, the best bet was just to let everyone play themselves. Presto, reality TV.

SOCIAL EXPERIMENTS

In many ways, this whole endeavor was an experiment on two fronts. First, it’s a fascinating social experiment on what happens when you put 24 type A, creative professionals, all  used to calling their own shots for their respective studios, on a team to collaborate on two videos. All of the participants are well known in the pro  photography world, but there are some with more notoriety than others.

It is interesting to see how the various egos and personalities work together to get their ideas across. It was also interesting to see the varying leadership styles between the two team captains: Fast Track Photographer author, Dane Sanders, and wedding photographer matriarch Bambi Cantrell. Dane allowed his team to brainstorm ideas while Bambi pretty much came with all the ideas hashed out. There are definitely pros and cons to each approach. As the episodes pan out, we’ll see the affect of their approaches, both on the process and the final outcome.

But, this was also a social experiment in “social networking.” Even though the show is designed as entertainment, it’s also a promotional tool for WPPI, as well as the other sponsors. As such, we took advantage of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to keep viewers plugged in and anticipating the show. On the day of the shoot, I periodically would Twitter a question and grant a prize (a free Triple Scoop Music song download) to the first person to Twitter me back the right response. Amazingly, within seconds responses would start pouring to both my Twitter AND my Facebook account (my Facebook status is updated via Twitter). In episode 3, one of the photographers on Team A (Becker) Twitters that he needs suggestions for their team, and instantly he starts getting responses. Dane made a comment that by the end of the 24 hours, there was so much Twitter and Facebook traffic surrounding the shoot, he and many other participants saw significant increases in their Facebook friend requests and Twitter followers.

THE PLAYERS

In no particular order, the participating photographers are: Becker, Kevin Kubota, Alisha & Brook Todd, Amber Holritz, David Jay, Ann Hamilton Photographer, Bambi Cantrell, Jen and Steve Bebb, Bronson Pate, Catherine Hall, Chris and Katie Humphreys, Dane Sanders, Jasmine Star, Jessica Claire, Jim Garner, Joe Photo, Jules Bianchi, Kenny Kim, Michele Celentano, Robert Evans, and Gene Higa.

Each team was also assigned a creative consultant: one of my fellow event video producers to aid in the brainstorming, shooting, and editing. The award-winning consultants were Loyd Calomay of Red 5 Studios playing for Team A, and David Robin of David Robin Films, playing for Team B. My co-producer on the piece was Curt Apanovich of PhotographyMentor.com. Joth Riggs of Whitestone Productions filmed the photographer intros. Lastly, many thanks to our crew of PAs, shooters, editors, and set photographers: Joy Bianchi-Brown, Gustavo Fernandez, JD Delatorre, Drew Walkup, Solomon Blank, and Joe Perez.

NOW PLAYING, EPISODE 3

We’re now three episodes into the ten-episode season. The finale will play a week prior to WPPI. In that episode, we’ll see the final videos the teams developed. Voting will be done online and the winning team will be announced at the WPPI awards ceremony. The winning team’s charity will be granted $3,000. The other charity will get $2,000.

If you post the video in your blog, and link back to WPPI, you can get free admission to next year’s  WPPI (2010). You’ll need to fill out this form. Also, if you leave a comment about the show, on the episode’s post, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a free Triple Scoop Music song.

Now, enjoy the show.

Please take some time to visit the sites of our sponsors.

Microsoft Expression Media 2 • WPPI • Asuka Book • Kubota Image Tools • Triple Scoop Music
Photographer’s Edit • Loktah • Mike Colón Photographers

Dr. Joseph Michelli is a world renown speaker, consultant and author of the critically acclaimed “The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary.” I wanted to share with you one simple concept he talks about that I think is vital for small business owners. And that is the power of creating an experience for your customers/clients. Let’s look at the Starbucks example.

Dr. Michelli shares this information: a single cup of unprocessed coffee beans costs $0.04 (that’s four cents). If you process and package those beans, make them suitable for turning into a drinkable beverage, the costs goes up to $0.08/cup. Now, filter some hot water through those beans, and you can now sell that cup of coffee for $1.00. Not a bad profit margin.

Now, what if you took that simple cup of joe, and built an experience around it. Created a home-like environment with cool music, places to chill out and read, etc. You probably figured out where I’m going with this. Now, you can sell that cup of coffee for $4.00! Think about that for a moment. FOUR DOLLARS for a CUP OF COFFEE! Gas doesn’t event cost that much for a whole gallon! An added bonus I realized this week while shooting a gig here in Las Vegas, is that even when the people putting on the seminar offer FREE coffee in the back of the room, people will still go to the Starbucks in the hotel and drop $4.00 (or more) on their tall, triple shot, caramel macchiato, no foam, whatsy-hoozit. Even when there’s no Starbucks “experience” per se (e.g. table, music, etc.) It’s pretty much just a Starbucks stand. They’re so used to paying $4.00, it’s just accepted.

So, the question I pose to you: are you providing your clients with an “experience”? Particularly for those of you who market your services to a high-end clientele, providing that experience is key in commanding top dollar.

One of the “experiences” that we provide our clients is making every shoot a fun shoot. We act like we’re on a “real” Hollywood movie set, call action, cut, etc. We joke around on set. We make the clients feel like stars. Whenever possible, we’ll provide fun outtakes as well. A Cinematic Studios shoot is vivacious. Fun. Energetic. And memorable. That’s just one example. Here are some other examples of what you could do:

• Provide 5-star hotel service to clients who come to your offices
• Instead of muzak for on hold music, play a stand up comic routine (make sue whatever you do, fits your brand)
• Put fun gifts and/or treats in with the final product you ship to your clients

What are the experiences you provide for your clients? Please share.

First, I want to apologize for taking so long to post. Since the shoot for the reality TV show The Longest Day, I’ve been in the process of moving from CA to GA. That’s right, I’m now officially a southerner. Kinda weird for someone who’s grown up in California for most of my life. So far though, we love it. (I don’t miss those crazy CA living cost one bit!) I was actually going to wait even longer to post, but there’s some exciting stuff happening in the visual media industries.

The “Marriage” of Video and Photography

When Vincent LaForet posted his Reverie video, shot entirely on the Canon 5D Mark II, it was like the video “shoot heard ’round the world.”  The photo and video boards were all a flux about what this means for both industries. In the wedding and event video world, where my brethern already feel like second-hand citizens to photographers, there’s even more fear and trembling now that photographers (who often get hired first for such events) will have the tools necessary to take over the “wedding video” business too. Is that fear justified? Kind of. But not really (how’s that for commitment).

I think you can definitely plan to see pro photographers using tools like the Mark II, or Nikon’s D90, to incorporate video into their product offerings. My good friends and kick-butt photographers Jen and Steve Bebb have already launched Fusion is Now to help train photogs in this. (My fellow colleagues at Cloud Nine Creative produced the very cool HD trailer). My “The Longest Day” co-producer and a co-founder of PhotographyMentor.com recently launched EngagingFilms (another fusion of video and stills), along with Robert Evans and Carlos Baez.

WHAT SHALL WE DO?

So what does this all mean for the industry. For both photographers and videographers. In both  the commercial and personal event realms? It means that you should do what all great business people do: adapt. Evolve. Differentiate. Whether you shoot only stills, or if you’re a video producer, it will be imperative for you to set yourself apart. You need to be heard above the noise.To be seen amongst the crowds. You need to show why YOU’RE the one to be hired. Or, you need to find a new need that has arisen out of the new landscape (the Bebbs have done it by offering a DVD for those interested in learning how to use the 5D Mark II. Their “Fusion is Now” DVD should not be confused with PhotographyMentor.com’s “Photo Fusion” DVD, which also will teach you how to combine video and stills). Here are some other practical ideas to really stand out:

• Specialize in a particular use of the new medium (e.g. Same Day Edits, music videos, etc.)
• Excel in customer service and turn around time
• Specialize in providing your service to a specific industry
• Be an idea company (that’s where I believe Cinematic Studios excels. In great ideas combined with great videos.)
• Partner in areas where you’re weak, and grow from mergers
• Completely re-invent your business

A WORD TO WEDDING VIDEOGRAPHERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS

It takes a completely different skill-set to produce a well made, full wedding movie. I don’t think you videographers need to be worried about photographers taking your full wedding video gigs. However, the combination of stills and video vignettes might be enough to convince a bride to forgo a full video altogether. So, it would behoove you to ensure your work is such that short vignettes could never take the place of what you offer. Also, take a note from what many photographers are already doing, and start building a “brand” and personality. There can be only one YOU.

For you still photographers who have avoided offering video, the introduction of the Mark II and the D90 is just the beginning. HD video cameras are to the point were you can get some pretty decent stills. Heck,the Red camera company already has 4k and 5k cameras (equivalent to 35mm film resolution and better) and they even have a 28k camera on the horizon! And lest you think a 5k HD video camera is overkill for a wedding, keep in mind there are already wedding cinematographers shooting weddings in actual 35mm film (50 Foot Films as well as my friend Kristen* at Bliss are two that come to mind). My point, it won’t be too long before we see a complete and literal fusion of video and stills. Everything is shot in HD video, and stills are pulled from that. And at 30 frames per second, that’s a lot of stills to choose from.

But enough of my babbling. What do you all think?

Patrick Moreau of StillMotion wrote another great article related to this topic.

If you’ve been following along Twitter today, you know by now that we’re filming a reality TV show starring 24 of the top photographers in the industry. (See my last post). What I can tell you now is that each team is responsible for writing, shooting, and editing an original short film that in some way involves photography. They also have to shoot a public service announcement about their respective charity they’re playing for: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep and Thirst Relief. Oh yeah. And they only have 24 hours to do both! Below are some photos from today’s shoot. Thanks to Kenny Kim for taking these photos. Stay tuned for another update later. Follow along Twitter to win valuable prizes.

If you’ve been following me on Twitter lately, or if you follow the Tweets of a number of prominent professional photographers, you may have seen a lot of cryptic tweets about a ”secret project.” Well, it’s no longer a secret. Here’s the deal. I’m producing a reality TV mini series for the Web starring 25 of the hottest professional photographers in the industry. The series is this year’s pre-WPPI buzz builder. Everyone will be split into two teams and given 24 hours to complete an assignment. The reality TV show part will be the behind the scenes antics. It’s sure to make great television! (or rather, great video podcasting.

CAUSE MARKETING 

Each team will be playing for two great causes: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, and Thirst Releif. The winning team will earn a $1,000 grant for their charity. The other charity will get a $500 grant (contact me if you work for a company that would like to make a donation to the pot to up the ante for these two great charities).

In no particular order, the players are:

• Jim Garner
• Dane Sanders
• [b]ecker
• Jasmine Star
• David Jay
• Bronson Pate
• Mike Colon
• Alisha and Brook Todd
• Steve and Jen Bebb
• Gene Higa
• Ann Hamilton
• Jules Bianchi
• Kenny Kim
• Amber Holritz
• Kevin Kubota
• Catherine Hall
• Michele Celentano
• Joe Photo
• Rob Evans
• Chris and Katie Humphreys
• Jessica Claire
• Plus one “surprise” guest

I’m writing this blog post early from my hotel, so I can’t tell you yet specifically what the task is. Even the photographers don’t know. (Can you believe I got all these guys out here to do something, and they have no idea what it is yet. That’s dedication. Thanks to all who’ve donated their time and energy to participate.

I’ll have another update later. Follow me on Twitter throughout the day to see how you can win some free prizes.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

I want to thank the sponsors without whose contribution this event would not happen:

• Microsoft Expression Media 2
• Asuka Book
• Kubota Image Tools
• Triple Scoop Music
• Photographer’s Edit
• ShowIt Sites
• Loktah (fine DVD cases)

More details to follow.

When we moved into the current house we live in, the property management company sat down with us to go over every inch of the rental contract. It took almost two hours. Never in my life has a landlord or rental company taken the time to do that. Frankly, it was a little annoying. I have places to go, people to see. I don’t have time to review a lease agreement for two hours. In retrospect, I now have a better understanding as to why they do that. And, in fact, I’m going to take a lesson from it.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

One of the best ways to help ensure a successful relationship with your client is to manage their expectations. Often times it’s mis-managed expectations that lead to a client’s dissatisfaction with a product or service. Maybe a video is not as “slick” as they thought it would be. Or, maybe a wedding client was expecting two parent albums automatically with their package. Whatever the situation, all the hard work and passion you put into a project can be erased if a client doesn’t get what they’re expecting. You may be thinking, “Wow. This is one of the best [insert product/service here] I’ve ever done.” But the client could be thinking something totally different.

For you service providers out there, I want to share a few tips that can help you in the area of managing expectations.

• Put it in writing: it goes without saying that you should put into your contract any pertinent information about what you plan to deliver. Where applicable, you should include everything from hours included, approximate length of video, number of photos and albums, copyright ownership, use of the work created, payment and terms, turn around time, whether or not your fee is non-refundable, what happens if you can’t deliver the promised service (i.e. do they get a refund in that situation), do you get fed, travel fees, expenses, how many revisions the client gets, what’s the cost if they go over the number of revisions, etc. Every time I learn a lesson from a bad client experience that is a result of client expectations, I update my contract.
• Put it in writing, before you put it in writing: even before the client signs your formal agreement, have some key contractual elements spelled out ahead of time. Create an email template and/or brochure that let’s the prospective client know what to expect.
• Tell them verbally: make sure your sales team (whether that’s you or someone who works for you) verbally tells the prospective client what to expect.
• Add lines for initials to pages and paragraphs: you’ve all rented a car and at some point had to initial in a few areas declaring you declined some extra overpriced option they tried to sell you. Or maybe you’ve rented or purchased a home and had to initial the paragraph that talked about asbestos. The concept is simple. For those particularly sticky points that are absolutely imperative for your clients to know, make them initial it. We currently have clients initial the bottom of each page. But I’m now going to have them initial specific paragraphs as well. Particularly if you’re providing a service that costs thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars, it’s crucial that the client knows what he/she is getting for their investment. Chances are, your client is the kind of person who is extremely busy. It could be very easy for them to quickly sign your contract without even looking at it.

How many of you out there have dealt with clients who were pissed off about something that was in the contract THEY signed? I’ve come to learn that it’s our responsibility to hand-hold them through the contract process so there’s no excuse. If they go away upset, it won’t matter that they signed a contract stipulating whatever it was that upset them. All that will matter is that they will now bad-mouth you. Don’t give them that chance.

I’m not suggesting you need to have a two hour contract review process with a client like the one my wife and I had to sit through last year. But, it is imperative that you do all you can to let your clients know exactly what they can expect from investing their hard-earned dollars with you. In the end, everyone will be much happier.

In my next installment, I continue my treatise on client services and cover project management. Stay tuned.