Professional Video Producer

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

"My work has taken me behind the scenes at places like Tiffany's Panavision, AT&T, and the DEA. " - Hal Landen

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 traveled 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.

"Hal, I just wanted to say that this amazing course is going to change the way we all look at video production here at Cas Videos " - Alex M United Kingdom

2. The Pay

3. Repeat and Referral Business

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.

"I couldn't recommend Landen more highly " - Joe Illiagash CBS 60 Minutes

4. Satisfaction and Respect

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.

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 Jennifer Moran who wrote:

I have just spent the last two hours going through this and I can't believe how helpful it is. I have been in broadcast television as a reporter, producer, shooter and editor for over twenty years and there is so much here to learn or be reminded of. You really cover all the bases. Especially as a creative-minded person, I need to be reminded of the business aspects. I particularly like the discussion about not undervaluing your services and how to approach setting rates. Just wanted to thank you again - its already worth every penny!

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:

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
Selling for Dummies
Successful Presentations for Dummies
and the series of books by Home business gurus Paul and Sarah Edwards.

"Nowhere have I found more comprehensive, nuts and bolts information that clearly explains the inner workings of the business as your course did. " - Jerry Bullard

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.

"We've been in the biz since 1971 and yet found a number of new tricks in your course that will make us more money." - Jim Wheless

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

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 3x5 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!

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!

  " Thanks again Hal for the very helpful Video Producer and Letters of Agreement. I have been utilizing the information for about 6 months now. Pleased to announce that it has helped generate an additional $5000 project every month or two.  Quite nice.. " - Boyd. S.

  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 to 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
  

  P.S. Whether you've been producing videos for years or want to do your first, this course is GUARANTEED to pay for itself hundreds of times over. Just call me at
  (401) 253-2800 and I'll answer any questions you may have, and if you're ready, I can rush the course out to you the same day. Remember there's no risk and you have a whole lot to gain.

  P.P.S. When you get the course, that's not the end of my help. If there's some part of the course you want to ask me about, I'm as close as your phone. I don't want to just sell you this course. I want to help you use it to build the kind of business you've always dreamed of.