Do you remember being a teenager and facing this question? Who are you? What do you want to be? Who do you want to be? Well, now that you've outlived pimples and school dances, does this mean that you have all the answers? If you're like most of us, if you dig deep enough, the answer is probably "no."
At least you know you are not alone, and now is as good a time as any to carve out your space in this world and in this industry. It's scary, risky even, to let the world see you, the real you.
One of our fav photogs, Jasmine Star, is famous for saying "I'd rather fail at something I love than succeed at something I hate". I'm sure others have said that, but it really hit home when we heard it cross her lips. We love her work, she speaks at conferences all over the country, she is uber successful, and let me tell you…Jasmine Star IS her brand. So how do you translate what Jasmine has been able to do in her business & what we have done in ours to what YOU can do in yours??
1. Be honest with yourself. Do you love what you do? How can you hope to sell love to a bride if you don't have love in your heart for what you do? We would do what we do for free, and many times we have. We love it that much! Would you rather fail at something else over succeeding at what you're currently doing?
2. Be your style. When you watch a smattering of videographers in the industry you will find that you gravitate to a certain type of video, whether it is Traditionally Cinematic like the Von Lankens, or what we call New School Cinematic like Ray Roman Films or New Doc Style like Jones or JMag…what if YOU invented your new style??? Know the movers and shakers of the industry like you know the back of your hand, but build your work with their influence rather than copying their work entirely.
3. Be willing to WORK! This is the first time in our 3 1/2 years in business that neither of us (Jen & Liz)is pregnant. We have kids and husbands and all the responsibilities that go along with them, yet we still find time to work diligently in our business. When you love what you do, it never feels like work. So work hard, and work consistently. You WILL see results.
4. Be a stylish marketer: In your mind's eye, picture what you present in your marketing. Then, take a look at Cosmopolitan magazine. Do you think that your marketing appeals to the Cosmo reader? For the majority of us, that is our demographic! Are you branding yourself effectively to appeal to the 20something bride that has money to spend on wedding video?? What is that brides first impression of you and your company?? Be HONEST! Below is an image from our 2008 ad campaign. Hot right??
5. Be a networker! We would never be where we are now if we didn't swallow our fears and introduce ourselves to big names out there. Do everything you can to make sure people recognize your name. Wedding planners, photographers, magazine editors, tv producers…the sky is the limit…you never know from where your next big break will come!
We are the exclusive production company for Ines Del Mar Weddings, a national wedding magazine. Ines Del Mar flies us all over the country to shoot promos for every one of their photo shoots (think Puerto Rico in May…Ole'…see video at top)! How did we land that gig? All we did was send their Editor-in-Chief one of our online newsletters. She checked us out, made contact, and the rest is history!
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We want you to start thinking differently about yourself & your company. Over the coming months, we'll explain in greater depth some of the topics we've brought up today, so stay tuned.
Check out our website, www.ftpweddings.com, to see how we have have branded ourselves and how we create a very personalized, custom experience for all our brides.
Share the love and comment often. Lets talk about what it means to turn your company from one that blends in with the crowd into one that stands out. Imagine brides flocking to you instead of you chasing them!
Much Love…
Jen Boys & Liz Whitten,Fairytale Productions & FTP Media
