Download available within 1-2 hours. Since writing Marketing With Digital Video, a number of special reports, videos and other information products for producers, a lot of people have asked my advice on running a profitable video business.
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VideoUniversity, Hal Landen – Professional Video Producer Course
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Professional Video Producer
How to Start a Successful Home-Based
Business Producing Corporate Videos
(and beat the high cost of buying video equipment)
by Hal Landen
If you like producing videos as much as I do, I’m sure you’ll agree that video is just too expensive as a hobby. No matter how much gear you have, there’s always something else to buy. It’s a never ending cycle.
That’s why I decided long ago to let other people buy my equipment. For me this meant producing corporate videos which I’ve been doing for the last 12 years (I’ve been in the film and video business for over 20 years). Here are the FOUR THINGS I LOVE about this work:
1. Variety
Since I started producing corporate videos, I’ve been paid to learn about and produce videos on subjects ranging from dock building, lipstick manufacturing, electronic surveying, furniture sales training, computer programs, architecture, nursing, interstate highway building, waterfront reconstruction, book printing, food preparation and many more.
My video work has taken me behind the scenes at places like Tiffany’s, Panavision International, AT&T;, the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency, and hundreds of local businesses and agencies. It would take several pages just to list them all. I’ve learned about things I never knew existed.
While most of the videos I produce are within an hour’s drive of my home in the country, I’m also asked to produce videos in other areas of the country. These invitations come from my clients and from their referrals. I’ve travelled in style across most of these United States (all expenses paid, naturally) thanks to my video business. If you like variety, you will like corporate video.
2. The Pay
Many of my projects start at about $5000 and go up to $25,000 or more. Now, of course, that’s not all profit, but even when I chose to hire outside freelancers and rent high-end equipment, the lion’s share of the budget still goes to paying for MY services. And I’m usually producing several corporate videos at the same time.
3. Repeat and Referral Business
Producing a video for these clients is just beginning of a profitable business relationship. Most of my clients later hire me to update their videos when products, people or technologies change. Since my videos are successful at helping these companies, many of my clients order a hundred or so copies every few months. That’s a great income in itself and you don’t even have to own duplication gear to make a nice and easy profit on every order. Since a fair number of my clients do business overseas, they also need standards conversions and more dubs for use overseas. All of this extra business income comes from producing one good video.
One of the nicest things about it is these happy clients refer me to others. It’s a good feeling and just one more income stream.
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4. Satisfaction and Respect
A lot of people see my videos. Even in my own small town, neighbors often ask in surprise, “YOU produced that video?†I am always pleased to say I did. For me it’s a lot of fun helping small businesses, corporations, and non-profits use video in positive ways and I’ve built a good reputation by doing so. After all these years I still get a kick out of producing a video that helps other people.
See what I like about the work? But I haven’t even mentioned the creative side of the work. And if you don’t think corporate videos are creative, think again. Many of these corporate productions rival network TV commercials. If you’re creative, nothing beats the work of an independent corporate producer.
Video Can Be an Expensive Hobby…
Or a Lucrative, Satisfying Business
Whether you want to do it part-time, full-time or as a sideline to your present business, remember this is a Business. You may be the smartest “wire head†in the world or the most creative producer, but if you don’t run a smart business…well you won’t make enough to continue doing what you love doing.
That’s why I wrote Professional Video Producer
Since writing Marketing With Digital Video, a number of special reports, videos and other information products for producers, a lot of people have asked my advice on running a profitable video business.
Like Jerry Bullard from Burnsville, MN. Although we’ve never met, Jerry’s asked me to critique his first video and help him start his video production business. Since he’d bought my first book and really did something with it, I sent him a preliminary draft of the course to get his opinion and see if it would help him further his career. Here’s what he emailed me on Aug. 24, 1997:
Hal,
I’ve spent since last summer trying to get my video production business up and running. I shot that Truffles tape out of my own pocket for experience. Among the books I’ve read are
Entrepreneur’s Video Business Start-Up Guide
ITVA’s It’s a Business First and a Creative Outlet Second
Selling for Dummies
Successful Presentations for Dummies
and the series of books by Home business gurus Paul and Sarah Edwards.
Get immediately download VideoUniversity, Hal Landen – Professional Video Producer Course
I’ve also purchased Videomakers Audio Cassette Series about the video business. Nowhere have I found more comprehensive, nuts and bolts information that clearly explains the inner workings of the business as your course did. I told my wife it’s as though you were right beside me in my home office guiding me step-by-step. You’ve certainly got a winner with this course.
The marketing and sales help in your course is fantastic. As I mentioned I had a meeting tomorrow with the people at SCORE, but the points I wanted to discuss were already addressed in your course!
I’ve only met Jerry by email and over the phone, but he’s the kind of guy that will take this course and build a great business. I hope you are too because this business is an amazing adventure! I guarantee it. If you want to ask Jerry yourself, I’ll give you his email address. But I wouldn’t publish it here. BTW Jerry just informed us that he’s won his first Telly Award!!
But before you get carried away, let’s be honest. This business is not for everyone. You’ve gotta’ love what you do to be successful in ANY business. If you don’t, you’re in the wrong business. It also takes self-discipline to succeed in any project.
If you’re willing to work your butt off and learn on the job, this course will help you start slowly to build a substantial business producing corporate videos with budgets starting at $3000 – $5000 and then moving up to the five-figure range.
The course does show you exactly how to get those five- figure productions and how to successfully produce them, but unless you have some experience, I don’t want you to start there. Let me help you win a bunch of the $3000 – $5000 low-budget jobs first. Then you’ll have a solid foundation for producing and selling the bigger budget jobs.
Walk Before You Run
I WILL NOT promise that you’ll make $100,000 a year the first year you operate the kind of business my course teaches you. In my opinion, anyone who says you will make 6 figures your first year in any business is more than likely lying to you. How much you make in a year will depend upon how much you put into it and on how well you structure and run your business.
I WILL promise you, however, that if you diligently follow the steps in Professional Video Producer, you will start building a solid and successful video business that will reward you for many years to come. If you chose to, you can make this a professional career or a fascinating sideline that pays for your video gear. How much money you make is entirely up to you. I’ll show you the ropes, but you’ve got to put it together.
OK, what’s the course all about? The truth is that over the years I’ve learned a lot about how to make a profitable video business. Some of it the hard way. If you’ve already been producing videos for a while, I’m sure you, too, have run into problems like these:
Dry Spells when you just can’t get enough good budgets to justify your investment of time and money
Nightmare clients with high expectations, but low budgets who make your life miserable and never pay a fair price for the good video you produce
The Vicious Cycle of not having the right equipment or skills to produce the video your client will pay big bucks for
Hit-and-miss marketing that doesn’t bring in a predictable amount of business on a regular basis
Wasting your time talking to “tire kickers†who say they want a video, but never make a commitment to producing one. (Many don’t have the money or authority to hire you.)
The Struggle with Digital Editing (both financing it and learning it)
Contracts that never seem to pay you for ALL of your time
Sound familiar? If you’ve been in the video business, I’m sure you’ve seen these problems, and if you haven’t been in the business, let me help you avoid these problems and put yourself years ahead of the game. You see these and many others problems have been faced by thousands of producers. Smart men and women have already found solutions. SO WHY REINVENT THE WHEEL?
Are you ready to embark on an amazing adventure?
Here’s what you’ll learn in the Professional Video Producer Home Study Course:
First, you get the Completely Revised New Edition of the book Marketing With Digital Video: How To Create a Winning Video For Your Small Business or Non-Profit This will firmly ground you in the basics, but it’s just the beginning. The course takes you WAY beyond the basics. Here’s what you’ll learn:
Part #1 How To Produce a Successful Corporate Video
The Twenty Best Advantages of Business Videos
Your job is to help your client’s business and here are twenty ways to do that (these will also help you sell the job!)
Become an Expert in the Use of Business Videos
(This make you invaluable to your clients. Not only is it a lot of fun to help your clients’ businesses grow, but just one successful business video will bring you new clients for YEARS
Use your client’s existing marketing literature as a starting point to structure your video
The One Scene every marketing video should include
The Seven Questions you must ask to make sure the video will be successful (These are essential in the producing process, and they’re extremely useful in making the sale, too.)
The easy way to write a script and get a professional rate to do it. Three sample scripts for your eyes only. Modify them for your own clients (Service Company, Manufacturer, & Non-Profit)
How to Hire and Work with the best Professional Narrators and Actors In the beginning you’ll only need to have one or two very professional-sounding narrators in your files. That’s 90% of the “talent†you’ll need, but they must be very good (You’ll be surprised at how little they cost since it’s a buyer’s market.)
How to develop your own “Golden Rolodex†of highly skilled freelancers and video services to help you tackle ANY kind of corporate video project. This is how you multiply your profits from other peoples’ work. Using this “Golden Rolodex†you can produce a few very lucrative higher budget productions rather than scores of low budget ones. This is how it’s done in Hollywood. You should operate the same way!
What you must know about working with freelancers
Knowing how to hire the right freelancers can make all the difference in your business success.
Writing The Budget. Learn how to be so complete and accurate you’ll know exactly what your profit is before you start. Learn the trick to predicting budgets and using contingency percentages to stay on budget in unpredictable projects.
Part #2 Build A Solid Foundation For Your Video Business
First Do Market Research to make sure there’s enough of the right kind of business in your region to support your business!
The Question of Partnerships – Learn why most fail and what you can do about it.
Advantages and Disadvantages of owning Video Equipment
(A revealing look at how some producers make more money by NOT owning any equipment just like their Hollywood Counterparts)
Develop a Professional Business Presence with just a Telephone, An Impressive Business Name, Stationery, and a Business Suit
The Two Things your computer MUST DO to help you operate a profitable video business
(They have nothing to do with NonLinear Editing and can be done with ANY computer.)
How to bootstrap your business without borrowing.
The one thing one must do before you can even think of borrowing to finance your video business
How to set up an IRS approved home office and deduct a percentage of your mortgage payments, avoid sending a “red flag†to the IRS, make your video business virtually audit proof.
The definitive word on Independent Contractor vs. Employee for the video business
What you need to know about your demo tape. Learn how to produce it and how to use it to win.
When to show Other Peoples’ Demo Tapes – The Right way to do it and what NEVER to do.
How To Set Your Own PROFESSIONAL Rates
Avoid the most common mistake of self employed people – their rates are TOO LOW. Learn about the psychology of professional rates. Your time is worth more than freelance handymen who charge $50 an hour.
Learn how much it really takes just to break even. See what others get for the use of equipment. Learn why professional cameramen and women work on a one day minimum fee. Why you should never charge for less than a half day of shooting.
Master the Skills You Need to Run A Profitable Video Business
You’ll be surprised. They’re not the skills you might think
Part #3 Marketing & Selling Your Services
How to quickly compile a list of thousands of corporations, businesses and non-profits within 60 miles of your home that want to produce a video (and have the money to do so).
Customize your own Direct Mail Plan to win those clients (Using my sales letter and 17-page booklet in the Resource Guide. This booklet gives you instant credibility. It’s how you get corporate executives to call YOU! Then see exactly how to followup and identify only the best prospects (those with the money to buy now) This plan brought me $78,000 in contracts the very FIRST time I used it. Your results may differ, but even if you only get half that amount, you’ll still pay for the course about 300 times over! (This is the only way to buy equipment.)
Should you be in the yellow pages or advertise in your local newspaper?
Learn how and where to network with those who have the power and money to contract your services
Learn the Nine Best Tips For Networking and integrate them into your daily activities
Free Publicity to build your video business right now
Step-by-step approach to making the Sale.
Let’s face it, until you make a sale, you don’t have a business. First you must quickly eliminate the “tire kickers†who waste your time, but are never ready to make a video. Then determine who really has the power to say YES to your video proposal. Next I’ll show you how to handle yourself with corporate executives. It’s easier than you think because you will be the expert in something they need. Then I’ll show you how to ask the right questions and listen carefully as your prospect tells you what to write in your proposal.
Write the winning proposal including a proposal you can modify to win more jobs. Keep it on your computer to make hundreds of variations for different clients.
How to be successful on the telephone without ever making a COLD CALL
Followup the Hot Prospects using a simple file of 3×5 index cards or better yet a computer database used with the marketing plan above. This insures a steady stream of new clients and contracts for years to come.
Learn the secret of numbers in selling. Even if you’re doing all the right things now, you may not be doing enough of them. I’ll show you how to make the sheer power of numbers work for you.
You’ll learn to focus on the client’s marketing needs and help them solve the problem with a video you will produce.
Learn to listen to what your client really wants. Inexperienced producers don’t know when to shut up and listen. If you learn to listen carefully, the client will tell you exactly what he or she needs to hear to buy from you as well as all the main points of the proposal!
Get immediately download VideoUniversity, Hal Landen – Professional Video Producer Course
FREE BONUS 80-page Resource Guide
Including
Three Complete Video Scripts
Writing the Complex Budget
Master Budget Form
Sales Letter with Complete Instructions
17-page Promotional Booklet
The Business of Business Videos and how to use it to get big production jobs
A Winning Proposal and how to customize it to get much more than your fair share of video jobs
Letters of Agreement for Ambitious Producers
Including 3 “boilerplate†contacts with line-by-line instructions on how to modify them for any production. I’ll even show you step-by-step how to present this contract in person and explain the important parts to your client so you’ll get a signature and check on the spot.
Change Order Form and why it must be attached to every contract you offer. This technique alone can add thousands to your yearly income, but most importantly, it shows your clients exactly how you work for pay. So you’ll avoid virtually all of those nightmare client situations before they ever have a chance to start. And see why you should never offer a contract without a Change Order Form. I’ll show you exactly what it says and why it works. Never again will you end up working for $5 or $10 on hour on a corporate video.
Mailing List Evaluation Checklist
See exactly how to specify the perfect clients in your mailing list and which expert will help you find this golden list
Killer Collection Letter. Just change the name and address and this letter will help you collect at least 95% of those HOPELESS CASES (the ones you had BEFORE you read the course)
If you really love video, this is an Investment in Your Future!
FREE TRIAL OFFER
So here’s my offer – try Professional Video Producer for 90 days. Look it over thoroughly, test it out and if you don’t agree this will give you the kind of video business you’ve always wanted – whether a full-time career or just a very profitable sideline, simply return it within 90 days and I’ll send you a prompt refund. No questions. No conditions. None of those “Return Authorizations†or anything.
This course is based on what has worked for me, but more importantly, it is also based on what I’ve learned from others – successful men and women who have built smart businesses producing videos for others. Your age, sex, race or finances are not important in determining your success!
I want this course to help you. I don’t want it be just another thing you buy and put on the shelf. Try it out! If you really want to be in video, there is nothing like it anywhere!
Sincerely,
Hal Landen
