I am starting a series of interviews, with people running production and post companies. I want to speak with everyone from people running a video department of one, to people managing large businesses that have rigorous processes for moving productions along.
On the surface it sounds easy to run a production or post company. You get to spend all your time creating great stories right?
But beyond shooting, editing, and bringing people's visions to life, there are a bunch of supporting activities that aren't quite as much fun. You've got to find new clients, figure out how to price your services, bid on work, write treatments, create contracts, supervise staff and contractors, prioritize where you spend your time, review things with clients, etc.
While you may see yourself as a producer or an editor, whole weeks can go by where you may not even spend any time doing what you initially set out to do. I know from my experience with ScreenLight that running a business rather than having it run you is challenging.
To that end I want to speak with you about these different aspects of running a video business. Where are the pain points and struggles, and how have you pushed through and found creative solutions to challenges like finding new work and handling it as efficiently as possible. Do social media and reels help you get business? Can you make money by creating video courses on sites like Udemy? The one thing I don’t want to focus on too much is technology (what NLE etc.). It's not that these tools aren't important, it's that I think most of you already have a handle your main tools, and the technology behind the business is more than adequately covered elsewhere. Plus, there may be more gains from working on the areas of your business where you are struggling, and from what I've seen, technology isn't where people are struggling.
The inspiration for this series comes from our friend Twain Richardson, who does the great series Frame of Reference, that interviews editors about their editing process, their editing tools, and how they organize edits. What’s different here is that the focus is on the business side of things.
... So my friends, rather than guessing what questions you would like answered, I’d like to hear your questions...
If you were interviewing a bunch of production and post companies about how they run their businesses, what would you ask?
Add your suggested questions below, and we’ll enter you in a draw for a year subscription to the ScreenLight team plan.
