![IN[FOCUS]](http://www.infocusvideoevent.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/IFTiny.jpg)
You Want to Get Better? GIVE BACK.
Online forums such as Video University and Event Filmmaker.com are our industry’s version of the “watercooler.” We can all visit there to foster relationships, ask questions and also give help to others. Another great resource is this site, right here. What other video conference gives out insanely useful, FREE tips and techniques, while at the same time offers hours upon hours of seminars to download, so you can listen in from the comfort of your office? Of course, nothing is better than actually going to IN[FOCUS].
Seminars aside, most of my learning is done at the bar, or at the dinner table, networking with others just like myself. It’s invaluable. But, you want to know something that can both grow your business and improve your craft LOCALLY? GIVE BACK. You are a talented video machine, and people need your services that not only might not be able to afford you, but NEED you. I’m not talking about running a business for free, I am talking about becoming a part of something bigger than yourself.
One thing I try to do with my business, at least once a year, is to give of my talent and my time, to a non-profit organization that needs my services to get a message out. I want to be part of something that changes the world, and I think you all do too. The opportunities are out there. Getting paid is great, and I highly encourage consistent cash flow to make a decent living. 
However, to see people’s lives changed and not expect anything in return…It’s 10 times better than booking your top package, that’s for sure!
If you read the recent Cover Story in EVENTDV Magazine on the history and PURPOSE of Life Stage Films, you know that part of my passion, and part of the way I do make a living, is traveling the world filming “missions” documentaries for large non-profits and mega-churches. It’s actually how I fell into weddings if you can believe it. But there is something special about doing something locally or regionally pro bono, for a cause that you believe in, that changes you in so many ways. After a while, it gets addicting.
1. It makes you more creative – Stepping outside the normal realm of weddings and corporate video doing projects for others that help spread a message you BELIEVE in injects 1000cc’s of creativity into your blood stream. It’s hard to explain, but it’s impossible not to learn something new when you step outside your normal world of shooting and editing.
2. It rejuvenates -After working with a non-profit or an organization that is trying to improve the community, I come back to “work,” and don’t feel like I am working! It creates a new love for what I do for a living, and when I hit the editing again for weddings, it inspires me to do better. It puts a spring in my step. That’s what giving does. Everyone needs a way to be re-energized…why not give back in the process?
3. It keeps your priorities in check -Serving others changes you more than them. It creates a new sense of purpose in your life and in turn, allows you to run your business better than you did before. A lot of us aren’t necessarily selfish, it’s just that we have so much on our plates that it’s so easy to get consumed with OUR everyday life and struggles. That can be very dangerous. So much more is going on around us.
4. It impacts people’s lives, which in turn, impacts yours even more. No explanation needed. Do it for proof, I dare you.
Of course, doing things for others requires the right motives, but I guarantee you that a result of giving back in this way will result in TONS of business. It resonates with people. People want to do business with not only creative people, but people that inspire and put others first. It’s amazing what happens. The video above is a result of the NC Chapter of the Red Cross contacting us, through a referral, to get a regional message out about the devastation in Haiti. With the coordination of other professionals and business owners, I was able to story board my own concept film. I had an idea for a “quirky” way to not only liven to mood a little, but for people to have a recognizable image and impression in their minds after they watched the video. It was silly, it was fun, and it was totally worth it. I trust you will enjoy it.
“Head Coach“Matt Davis
