Executive Decisions: Proactively Building a
Contact List
By Russ Jolly - published January 2006
I've done some of my best proactive planning as a corporate video
producer for the price of a cup of coffee. OK, maybe for the price
of a few cups of coffee, since the get-togethers I've had with freelance
production pros have involved more than one trip to the local coffee
shop. On occasion, the investment has been nothing more than lifting
the phone to my ear or taking a few minutes for a meeting at our
studio. This time has been spent building relationships with talented,
experienced individuals who can help make our corporate projects
a success, and the networking has resulted in our assembling a contact
list of writers, performers, and specialized production crew that
our company can rely on when the demands of a project require that
extra firepower.
In my event video work, I always anticipate being able to complete
any job that comes to us exclusively using our in-house team. As
a corporate video producer, however, I recognize that I need the
flexibility a larger talent pool offers. Following are some examples
of production professionals on our proactive contact list.
Writers. Scripting is an essential part of every corporate job
we produce and the responsibility for creating a workable script
almost always falls on us. Sure, we'll have corporate clients from
time to time who say they already have a script, but even under
those circumstances the script still needs some adjustments before
production begins. I've done quite a bit of writing in my day; I
love kicking around big-picture ideas and I'm not afraid to tackle
scriptwriting duties, but whenever possible, I prefer to bring in
a scriptwriter who will focus exclusively on that task.
Where do I find these scriptwriters? Sometimes they find me by
sending a résumé and samples of their writing, and sometimes I meet
them at local production association meetings. Each time I meet
a writer who seems like a good match for the work we do, I make
it a point to learn more about their work, see the videos that resulted
from their scripts, develop a professional rapport, and keep in
regular communication with them. Using this approach I've assembled
a contact list that includes several talented individuals that I
can turn to for different types of projects. I know their rates
and capabilities and I keep in touch with them often enough to know
their availability to work on a freelance basis.
Talent. The vast majority of corporate videos we produce include
the use of a performer either as voiceover talent, on-camera spokesperson,
or on-camera actor within a scene. Voice talent is the type most
commonly used in our productions, and there are a wide range of
resources available that can help you build your contact list. An
Internet search will return a vast array of professional voiceover
artists who have their own home studios and can record and deliver
a script within a short amount of time at a reasonable rate. My
list includes artists I work with on a regular basis that I've never
met face-to-face.
I also work often with local talent agencies for both voice and
on-camera talent. Most metropolitan areas have several talent agencies,
and many have Web sites that include streaming media samples of
their clients' work. Many talent agencies also send out CDs of their
voice talent or DVD demo reels of their on-camera talent. Get to
know your local agents, talent, and rates for union and non-union
performers. We've worked so often with certain local talent that
we have dubbed them "The PixelPops Players." Our contact
list of talented actors includes a diverse group experienced with
teleprompters and earprompters, comedy or drama, spokeperson work
or scenework.
Specialty Production Crew. We shoot the vast majority of our corporate
video projects ourselves, but we have a strong and constantly growing
list of seasoned production professionals that we can call on for
freelance specialty assignments as needed. This list includes teleprompter
operators, directors of photography, and crew with specialty gear
such as Steadicam rigs. Our list also encompasses local soundstages
and audio recording studios.
We often use a professional teleprompter service on our corporate
projects and find it to be a great investment. We could purchase
the prompter equipment and do it ourselves (and maybe someday we
will), but the real value of hiring a prompter service is the experienced
professional who runs the prompter. Whether the on-camera talent
is a corporate executive or a professional spokesperson, I know
that the prompter op is going to help us get the smoothest read
possible. The rate is built into the contract, and using the service
gives me peace of mind that the job will be done right.
There are fewer circumstances where we hire a director of photography,
but I take every opportunity I can to get to know the work, rates,
and personalities of the freelance DPs in my market. When jobs come
up that require specialty lighting or Steadicam work, I don't want
to guess whether I can get it done or how much it will cost. Referrals,
the Internet, and local association meetings have been a great resource
in helping build this part of our list.
Some of our contact list has been assembled in the mad scramble
that follows an urgent client request such as, "I need helicopter
footage immediately!" But I've attempted to think ahead and
create relationships with a wide variety of freelancers that I can
call on when needed. By proactively developing this network of trusted
video production professionals, I approach potential corporate clients
with greater flexibility and absolute confidence in our ability
to get the job done right.
Russ Jolly is owner of 214 Media: a Dallas
video production company. |